Fraggle Rock: Difference between revisions
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Fraggle Rock was a 1980s television show featuring underground Muppet (part marionette and part puppet) creatures called Fraggles who inhabit an subterranean society without hierarchy or laws. Creator Jim Henson, described by colleagues as a "gentle anarchist,"<ref>https://www.theday.com/article/20101010/NWS08/310109900</ref> intended the show to promote "world peace" and "international understanding." In fact, ''Fraggle Rock'' ended up being the first U.S. television show to be broadcast in the Soviet Union, perhaps playing some small part in tearing the Iron Curtain. According to Henson's daughter, "'Fraggle Rock' emphasized notions of community, environmentalism (and) spirituality."<ref>http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/20/fraggle-rock-jimhensonaspeacenikpuppetsturn30.html</ref> | Fraggle Rock was a 1980s television show featuring underground Muppet (part marionette and part puppet) creatures called Fraggles who inhabit an subterranean society without hierarchy or laws. Creator Jim Henson, described by colleagues as a "gentle anarchist,"<ref>Steve Johnson, "Muppet maestro and ‘gentle anarchist’ Jim Henson," ''The Day'', 10 October 2010, https://www.theday.com/article/20101010/NWS08/310109900</ref> intended the show to promote "world peace" and "international understanding." In fact, ''Fraggle Rock'' ended up being the first U.S. television show to be broadcast in the Soviet Union, perhaps playing some small part in tearing the Iron Curtain. According to Henson's daughter, "'Fraggle Rock' emphasized notions of community, environmentalism (and) spirituality."<ref>E. Tammy Kim, "'Fraggle Rock': Jim Henson's peacenik puppets turn 30," ''Al Jazeera'', 20 December 2013, http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/20/fraggle-rock-jimhensonaspeacenikpuppetsturn30.html</ref> | ||
The Fraggles live underground and, as | The Fraggles live underground and, as Wembley Fraggle emphasizes, "Fraggles don't have any bosses [...] We each lead ourselves and we all lead each other." He then launches into a song describing their egalitarian ethos: | ||
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
For you can never, ever, ever/ | "For you can never, ever, ever/ | ||
You can never, never, never/ | You can never, never, never/ | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
be the boss/ | be the boss/ | ||
of someone else!<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ6bCNjdnrg.</ref> | of someone else!"<ref>"Boss of Yourself," YouTube video, 1:36, 13 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ6bCNjdnrg.</ref> | ||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
''Muppet Wiki'' explains the history of how ancient | There have been various spin-offs of the show since the 1980s, and a reboot was ordered in 2020.<ref>"Fraggle Rock," ''Wikipedia'', 20 December 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraggle_Rock.</ref> | ||
=Culture= | |||
Fraggles seek advice from a sentient, wise compost heap named Marjorie.<ref>"Fraggle Rock," ''Wikipedia''.</ref> | |||
=Economy= | |||
Fraggles have a thirty-minute workweek and devote the rest of their time to play and exploration. They live off radishes and a radish-based substance that the Doozers use for construction.<ref> "Fraggle Rock," ''Wikipedia''.</ref> | |||
=Revolution= | |||
''Muppet Wiki'' explains the history of how ancient Fraggles went from a hierarchical society to "anarchy." | |||
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
Ancient Fraggles fed on cave mushrooms. They were bald and wore hats to keep their heads warm. In contrast to their modern-day anarchy, the ancient Fraggles had leaders, laws (one of which forbade laughter), and prisons. | Ancient Fraggles fed on cave mushrooms. They were bald and wore hats to keep their heads warm. In contrast to their modern-day anarchy, the ancient Fraggles had leaders, laws (one of which forbade laughter), and prisons. | ||
A prophecy held that a great and wondrous Fraggle named Blundig would one day come to rule the Rock. When Blundig finally showed up (during the reign of Fishface Fraggle), she made the revolutionary suggestion that Fraggles should abandon the idea of leaders in favor of each leading himself and all leading each other. It was she who invented the "dance your cares away" lyrics of the Fraggle Rock Theme, which were immediately recognized as an inspiring concept and ushered in a new era in Fraggle history.<ref>Accessed 20 December 2020, https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Fraggle_Rock_History.</ref> | A prophecy held that a great and wondrous Fraggle named Blundig would one day come to rule the Rock. When Blundig finally showed up (during the reign of Fishface Fraggle), she made the revolutionary suggestion that Fraggles should abandon the idea of leaders in favor of each leading himself and all leading each other. It was she who invented the "dance your cares away" lyrics of the Fraggle Rock Theme, which were immediately recognized as an inspiring concept and ushered in a new era in Fraggle history.<ref>"Fraggle Rock History," ''Muppet Wiki'', Accessed 20 December 2020, https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Fraggle_Rock_History.</ref> | ||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
=Neighboring Societies= | |||
Underground, Fraggles live peacefully alongside a species called the Doozers who enjoy construction work and spend their time building pointless scaffolding out of ground-up radishes. The Fraggles consider the scaffolding delicious and often eat it with permission from the Doozers. The Doozers explain they want the Fraggles to eat their architecture so that they'll always have room to build more.<ref>"Fraggle Rock," ''Wikipedia''.</ref> | |||
At one exit of Fraggle Rock, the Fraggles interact with Grogs. The Grogs consider Fraggles to be pests since Fraggles take radishes from their gardens<ref>"Fraggle Rock," ''Wikipedia''.</ref> | |||
At another exit live humans. Fraggles call the humans "silly creatures from outer space" and do not directly interact with them until they befriend one in the last episode. | |||
<references/> | |||
Revision as of 08:07, 20 December 2020
Fraggle Rock was a 1980s television show featuring underground Muppet (part marionette and part puppet) creatures called Fraggles who inhabit an subterranean society without hierarchy or laws. Creator Jim Henson, described by colleagues as a "gentle anarchist,"[1] intended the show to promote "world peace" and "international understanding." In fact, Fraggle Rock ended up being the first U.S. television show to be broadcast in the Soviet Union, perhaps playing some small part in tearing the Iron Curtain. According to Henson's daughter, "'Fraggle Rock' emphasized notions of community, environmentalism (and) spirituality."[2]
The Fraggles live underground and, as Wembley Fraggle emphasizes, "Fraggles don't have any bosses [...] We each lead ourselves and we all lead each other." He then launches into a song describing their egalitarian ethos:
"For you can never, ever, ever/
You can never, never, never/
be the boss/
of someone else./
No, you can never, ever, ever/
You can never, never, never/
be the boss/
of someone else!"[3]
There have been various spin-offs of the show since the 1980s, and a reboot was ordered in 2020.[4]
Culture
Fraggles seek advice from a sentient, wise compost heap named Marjorie.[5]
Economy
Fraggles have a thirty-minute workweek and devote the rest of their time to play and exploration. They live off radishes and a radish-based substance that the Doozers use for construction.[6]
Revolution
Muppet Wiki explains the history of how ancient Fraggles went from a hierarchical society to "anarchy."
Ancient Fraggles fed on cave mushrooms. They were bald and wore hats to keep their heads warm. In contrast to their modern-day anarchy, the ancient Fraggles had leaders, laws (one of which forbade laughter), and prisons.
A prophecy held that a great and wondrous Fraggle named Blundig would one day come to rule the Rock. When Blundig finally showed up (during the reign of Fishface Fraggle), she made the revolutionary suggestion that Fraggles should abandon the idea of leaders in favor of each leading himself and all leading each other. It was she who invented the "dance your cares away" lyrics of the Fraggle Rock Theme, which were immediately recognized as an inspiring concept and ushered in a new era in Fraggle history.[7]
Neighboring Societies
Underground, Fraggles live peacefully alongside a species called the Doozers who enjoy construction work and spend their time building pointless scaffolding out of ground-up radishes. The Fraggles consider the scaffolding delicious and often eat it with permission from the Doozers. The Doozers explain they want the Fraggles to eat their architecture so that they'll always have room to build more.[8]
At one exit of Fraggle Rock, the Fraggles interact with Grogs. The Grogs consider Fraggles to be pests since Fraggles take radishes from their gardens[9]
At another exit live humans. Fraggles call the humans "silly creatures from outer space" and do not directly interact with them until they befriend one in the last episode.
- ↑ Steve Johnson, "Muppet maestro and ‘gentle anarchist’ Jim Henson," The Day, 10 October 2010, https://www.theday.com/article/20101010/NWS08/310109900
- ↑ E. Tammy Kim, "'Fraggle Rock': Jim Henson's peacenik puppets turn 30," Al Jazeera, 20 December 2013, http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/20/fraggle-rock-jimhensonaspeacenikpuppetsturn30.html
- ↑ "Boss of Yourself," YouTube video, 1:36, 13 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ6bCNjdnrg.
- ↑ "Fraggle Rock," Wikipedia, 20 December 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraggle_Rock.
- ↑ "Fraggle Rock," Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Fraggle Rock," Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Fraggle Rock History," Muppet Wiki, Accessed 20 December 2020, https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Fraggle_Rock_History.
- ↑ "Fraggle Rock," Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Fraggle Rock," Wikipedia.
