List of Fraggle Rock characters

Below is a list of characters that appear in Fraggle Rock and its animated spin-off.

Fraggles

Example of Fraggle dreamsharing as seen in "Boober's Dream." Clockwise from top are Red Fraggle, Gobo Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, Wembley Fraggle, and Mokey Fraggle.

The Fraggles are humanoid creatures, about 18 inches (1.5 ft) tall,"[1] with fur in a wide variety of colors and a tail like a lion's, with a tuft of fur on the end. They live in a network of caves called Fraggle Rock, populated by a variety of creatures, and seeming to connect to at least two different worlds in separate dimensions of time and space. Fraggles spend much of their carefree lives in play, exploring their worlds, and generally enjoying themselves. However, at the same time they maintain a complex culture and society, with each individual having rights and responsibilities. They have basic skill with tools and with crude machinery, and the concept of war is known to them (although wars between Fraggles are very rare). Fraggles live on a diet of vegetables, especially radishes. If individuals touch their heads together before falling asleep they can "share dreams.”

Principal Fraggles

Five Fraggles are at the center of the series: Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober and Red. They form a tight-knit group of friends, and each has a distinct personality.

Other Fraggles

Doozers

Within Fraggle Rock lives a second species of small humanoid creatures, the pudgy, green, ant-like Doozers. Standing only 4 inches (0.33 ft) tall (knee-high to a Fraggle), Doozers in a sense represent anti-Fraggles; their lives are dedicated to work and industry. Doozers spend much of their time busily constructing all manner of scaffolding throughout Fraggle Rock using miniature construction equipment and wearing hard-hats and work boots. No one but the Doozers themselves seem to understand the actual purpose of their intricate and beautiful constructions.

Often they accompany their building with marching songs and various Doozer chants. To ensure that they always have a steady stream of work to do, Doozers build their constructions out of an edible candy-like substance (manufactured from radishes) which is greatly enjoyed by Fraggles. They actually want the Fraggles to eat their constructions because "architecture's supposed to be enjoyed" and also so they can go on to build again. This is essentially the only interaction between Doozers and Fraggles; Doozers spend most of their time building, and Fraggles spend much of their time eating Doozer buildings. They thus form an odd sort of symbiosis. In one episode, the flavor of the Doozer sticks is augmented by adding other flavors, such as tomato and mustard.

This symbiosis becomes integral to the episode "The Preachification of Convincing John" where Mokey calls upon the Fraggles to stop eating the Doozers' constructions—because they spend so much time making them. Fraggle Rock quickly fills with constructions and the Doozers have no space left in which to build. After running out of space, the Doozers finally decide to move on to a new area because the Fraggles won't eat their constructions, and there is even a tragic scene with a mother explaining to her daughter that Doozers must build or they will die, and so they must find a new place to live where they can build and hopefully find Fraggles who will eat their constructions. Overhearing this, Mokey realizes that she has inadvertently disrupted a vital symbiotic relationship through ignorant good intentions. As a result, Mokey frantically rescinds her prohibition and encourages the Fraggles to gorge on the structures – just in time to persuade the Doozers to stay.

At one point a series of Fraggle Rock books appeared, one entitled "The Legend of the Doozer Who Didn't." This book details the story of a Doozer who went against Doozer tradition when he stopped working and going to school. According to this book, a Doozer who doesn't "do" becomes a Fraggle – though "All Work And All Play," a second-season episode of the show, unmasks this as merely a story that Doozer parents tell their children to teach them the value of hard work: no Doozer seriously believes it.

The series had several episodes that featured a young female Doozer named Cotterpin as a main character.

All of the Doozers were designed by Michael K. Frith and their mechanical bodies were built by Faz Fazakas.

Gorgs

On the outside of another exit from Fraggle Rock through a well live a family of Gorgs, giant furry humanoids standing 180 inches (15 ft) tall. The Gorgs consider themselves to be the King and Queen of the Universe, but to all appearances, seem to be working as simple farmers, with a hut and garden patch. The second episode of the first season reveals that the Gorgs have never actually met anyone besides themselves in years ("I've never met a real subject before!"), suggesting that King and Queen of the Universe are self-bestowed titles. The Gorgs regard Fraggles as pests, which steal radishes from their garden. In one episode it is revealed that the Gorgs use radishes to make "anti-vanishing cream" that prevents them from becoming invisible. So the three main races of the Fraggle Rock universe – Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs – are all dependent on the radishes for different reasons. While the King and Queen consider the Fraggles disgusting vermin, Junior enjoys chasing, catching and keeping them like a boy would lizards and bugs. Junior has no friends, and perhaps pursues the Fraggles just so he has someone to talk to.

The Gorgs were developed by art director Douglas Cook in the Isle of Wight. In one of the final episodes, all leaves suddenly drop from The Nirvana Tree in the Gorg's Garden, which is the traditional sign that the reigning King must abdicate his throne and allow the crown prince to succeed. But after eating the last Nirvana leaf, Junior shrinks to fraggle size, sees the realm from their point of view (including a consultation with Marjory the Trash Heap), and upon returning to his Gorg stature, invites his Fraggle friends to his coronation. As King, his first act is to abolish the Gorg monarchy, introducing a Fraggle-like society where all creatures are socially equal.

Marjory the Trash Heap

Marjory the Trash Heap

Marjory the Trash Heap (performed by Jerry Nelson in the live-action series, voiced by Rob Paulsen in the animated series) is a wise being (referred to as an "oracle") that serves as the garbage dump of the Gorgs.[1] She and her heckling heralds live near the Gorg's garden, and she gives the Fraggles guidance and advice, which the Fraggles regard with reverence, although they do not worship her. She also appears to have some magical abilities (specifically telepathy and the ability to teleport items or Fraggles), although she does not often use them. Sometimes she knits to pass the time. She has an uncle named Maximillian (which was somehow spelled with a 'silent Q'), whom she refers to as "Uncle Max". In the animated series, Marjory speaks in a Jewish/Yiddish accent. Although being made of the Gorgs's junk, and having no real need for clothing, Philo & Gunge occasionally lavish her with jewelry (headbands and bracelets made of random objects), and often looks at her Fraggle clientele through a pair of spectacles mounted on a stick.

The character has a popular aftermath in the German version of the serial where Marjory owns no accent, is it named Allwissende Müllhalde (engl. all-knowing Trash Heap). And today this name is used as a common synonym for search engines; especially Google and Wikipedia.

She was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Jane Gootnick and Maria McNamara

Philo and Gunge

Philo and Gunge (performed by Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt in the live-action series, voiced by John Stephenson and Bob Bergen in the animated series) are the heralds of the Trash Heap. They often introduce her as the "all-knowing, all-seeing Trash Heap! Nyeah!" They supply humor, bad jokes, and puns. Although Gunge portrays himself as the brains of the pair, neither ever really prove a great help. They watch over the Trash Heap; if they were to leave for a long time, she would begin to die out. When she finishes speaking, they announce, "The Trash Heap has spoken! Nyeah!" Philo and Gunge had two episodes of the series devoted to them: "Home Is Where the Trash Is" and "Gunge the Great & Glorious".

They were designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Jane Gootnick.

The Silly Creatures of Outer Space

The producers made the series with the intention of it airing in various forms internationally. Therefore, some characters & "Outer Space" locations where changed. (UK episodes where set in a lighthouse, German versions in a workshop)

Gobo's uncle Matt, known as Traveling Matt, has gone to explore the human world (Fraggles call it Outer Space), and he regularly sends postcards back to Gobo. The name "Traveling Matt" puns on the film special-effects device known as a traveling matte. Matt calls the humans he meets the "Silly Creatures." Yet despite his contempt, the interactions related in his postcards often show his own ignorance. For example, he once sees two teenage girls chewing bubble gum: when they blow bubbles, he believes that the "food" has made their tongues inflate and explode.

There were some other characters that Doc had interacted with off-screen or on the telephone:

Other characters and creatures

References

  1. 1 2 3 Shulgold, Marc (May 10, 1987). "Hbo Bids Farewell To 'Fraggle Rock'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Shulgold, Marc (May 10, 1987). "Hbo Bids Farewell To 'Fraggle Rock'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
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