Archaia to Republish Classic Fraggle Rock Comics

James Gannon - Word broke out last week that Archaia Comics, the studio behind various adaptions of Jim Henson properties, is going to reprint the old 1980’s Marvel comics Fraggle Rock series into graphic novels.

Among the stories being reprinted are “The Magic Time Machine,” “The Trouble With Being #1,” “The Monster That Could Be Anything” and “The Doozer Who Wanted to Be a Fraggle.” All those and more will be bound in a softcover book retailing for $9.95. Fraggle Rock Classics vol. 1 will be available on August 31, 2011. (via ToughPigs)

 

While I admit the 80’s Marvel Fraggle comics weren’t the greatest thing, I still find this a great boon to fankind! Here’s why:

1)      These have been long out of print, and finding them at comic stores is a roll of the dice. I was lucky enough to find one issue (reprint of #5, "The Mean Genie" episode adaptation) for a buck a few years back, but it’s safe to assume you’re probably NOT going to walk into your local comic shop and find them. And if you do, they’re probably not going to be in good condition or have the complete collection. 

2)      Speaking of bad condition, these comics will be digitally remastered, recolored, and nice and polished.  Anyone who has early 80’s comics can vouch for me, they tend to deteriorate. They had to use newsprint stock paper and very greasy ink that would bleed through the paper and make the artwork look muddy and murky. And that’s even before the paper yellowed and the ink rubbed off onto other pages. Marie Severin’s Fraggle Rock comic art is spectacular, and needs to shine. The cleanup will do it worlds of good. Face it, the digitally printed, glossy stock of today’s comics spoiled us. And for good reason.

3)      Above all, HEY! It’s Fraggle Rock! What Muppet collector wouldn’t want more Fraggle stuff to collect? And at a reasonable 10 bucks too!

This is what I’ve been calling for since the Great Muppet Comic explosion. Graphic novel reprints of long lost, hard to find material, all remastered to look all sparkling clean and beautiful. I wish that Marvel/Disney takes the hint and clean up and rerelease the Muppet Babies comics in due time. If nothing else, I could see Archaia reprinting the Dark Crystal and Labyrinth comic adaptions published by Marvel as well. I also hope this means that the Fraggles will be a staple of the Jim Henson Company/Archaia Publishing license that they’ll revisit in time with new stories and issues. Having the old comics is great, but having new comics is even better.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Weekly Muppeteer Wednesdays: Karen Prell

 Today's Weekly Muppeteer Wednesday is written by Tom Stroud.

KAREN PRELL

Born...
7/31

Notable Muppet Characters...
Red Fraggle, Yolanda the Rat, Deena (Sesame Street) The Ghost of Christmas Past (Puppeteer), The Junk Lady (Puppeteer), The Worm (Puppeteer)

WHO IS KAREN PRELL?

Karen Prell was born on July 31st in Florida. She moved around quite a bit, and ended up spending most of her childhood in Seattle. In high school, she became interested in both animation and puppetry, both of which influenced her future careers. She began to make her own puppets, and put on puppet shows for her neighbors. She made a connection with someone working with the Muppets, and sent a tape of her and her puppets to Henson, who hired her for Sesame Street. She first worked on Sesame Street in 1979, beginning with small roles. Her most known Sesame Street character is Deena, a pink monster who appeared with her caretaker Pearl in season 12. She later flew to England, and worked on the final season of The Muppet Show, playing minor parts, including the Robin in "Rockin’ Robin."

Her most known character is Red Fraggle on Fraggle Rock. Jim Henson had just begun planning for Fraggle Rock soon after The Muppet Show ended, and called several puppeteers, including Karen, to audition, to see what they could bring to the show. Although she originally wanted to be Mokey, whom she believed matched her personality better, she ended up getting the role of Red. Although she was worried about preforming Red, she ended up loving the character, and the craziness it brought out in her. Red Fraggle and Fraggle Rock are the things that Karen Prell is best known for.

After the end of Fraggle Rock, she worked on Labyrinth, as the principal puppeteer of The Junk Lady and The Worm. Labyrinth is also where she met her future husband, fellow puppeteer Mike Quinn. She also worked on The Muppets Take Manhattan where she played Yolanda Rat, The Muppet Christmas Carol, where she puppeteered The Ghost of Christmas Past, and Muppet Treasure Island, her last major Henson production.

In 1997, she started working with Pixar, following her other high school interest, animation. She first worked on the short film, Geri’s Game, and later worked on A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2.  She also did animation for Frank Oz’s The Stepford Wives and the Disney film, Enchanted. She has not forgotten her puppeteering roots though, according to her website, Karen performed various background characters for The Muppets, which, as we all now, premieres this November. Karen has made a few recent appearances as Red Fraggle at the Manhattan debut of Fraggle Rock merchandise as well as appearances as ComicCon and Free Comic Book Day give aways.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Michael Wermuth, Jr's Top Ten Favorite Fraggle Rock Songs

Michael Wermuth, Jr. - You’ve seen my articles and lists on The Muppet Mindset. Most articles I’ve written have been about either Sesame Street or The Muppet Show. While I’ve occasionally mentioned Fraggle Rock in my articles, I have never done a full article relating to the series before. And there’s a simple reason for that: I like most of Henson’s other works better. I do enjoy the show, but I’m a bigger fan of Jim Henson’s other properties. But, to show that I do like the show, for the first time ever, here is my list of the top ten Fraggle Rock songs. Enjoy!
10. Dum of a Son of a Gun (from "The Garden Plot")
This is a catchy song, sung by Pa Gorg and Junior Gorg. Pa expresses his frustration over his son's stupidity.

9. Pass It On (from "The Perfect Blue Rollie")
This song was sung by the Fraggles as they get and give rollies to each other. This song was later sung by the Fraggles in A Muppet Family Christmas.

8. Yes We Can (from "All Work and All Play")
This song was sung by The Architect at a ceremony for Doozers to get their helmets. I used to think the line “Does a Doozer thumb his nose at doing Doozer work?” was asking if Doozers pick their noses over Doozer work.

7. Follow Me (from "Beginnings")
The first song from the show, Uncle Matt sings to Gobo before setting off to “Outer Space.” Also famous for being Jerry Juhl's favorite song from the show and sung at his memorial service.

6. I’m a Little Fraggle (from Boober Gorg)
This song, sung to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot,” was sung by the Fraggles to Boober after Boober lost his memory, in an attempt to get Boober to remember who he is.

5. I’m Always Here (from "Wembley and the Gorgs")
A funny little song sung by Wembley, about always being here and never being there. It would have made a great song for Sesame Street as well.

4. I’ve Seen Troubles (from "Beginnings")
Marjorie the Trash Heap sang this song, stating that troubles are her favorite thing.

3. Let Me Be Your Song (from "The Minstrels")
One of the best songs sung by Cantus and the Minstrels, sung by the group when they made their first appearance on the show. A good way of introducing the group.

2. Convincing John (from "The Preachification of Convincing John")
Convincing John’s trademark song, sung to both convince the Fraggles to NOT eat Doozer constructions, and later to convince them TO eat Doozer constructions. This song includes a rare instance of a Fraggle referring to a human being (as opposed to calling them "silly creatures").

1. Friendship Song (from "Marooned")
Sung by Boober and Red (two of my favorite Fraggles) when trapped during a cave-in, this is a very moving song.

What are some of your favorite Fraggle songs? Mine is "Dixie Wailin'," but we'd love to know yours! Share with us on Facebook or Twitter or in the comments below.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Almost Daily Fraggle Rock Quotations: Week 19

Hi folks! Lisa the Intern here with a small batch of Almost Daily Fraggle Rock Quotations for you. Sadly, I have entered that crazy time of the semester when everything has to happen at the same time, so Quotations have not been able to be my main priority... but here's what I've got!


Wonder Mountain: "Is he okay?" "...He has NEVER been okay." --Wembley and Boober Fraggle


Red's Blue Dragon: "Now I'm just upside-down, inside-out, falling down, turn-about. What I mean, where I've been, people don't know!" --Red Fraggle


Space Frog Follies: "I'm not a stick in the mud. I'm a lump in the laundry!" --Gobo Fraggle


See? Cute little batch. I'll try to have more next time. But until then, dance your cares away, folks!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Almost Daily Fraggle Rock Quotations: Week 18

Hey folks. Lisa the Intern here again. Yeah, my week running the blog is over, and I was out partying all night last night, but for some reason I still have to post a few quotations for you. Not too many this week, but hey, in my defense, I was busy pulling articles out of thin air for you guys.


A Brush with Jealousy: "Boy, is this 'talking' business ever tricky!" --Wembley Fraggle


Wembley's Flight: "Let your heart fly free and high." --The Odd Old Man


...Well. That is officially pathetic. But hey, better than nothing, right? Also, I have some re-watching to do to cull more quotations from further episodes, which is hard to do when you're also doing homework and writing articles and such. So I apparently had a life this week, or something. Sorry about that.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

The Magic of Fraggle Rock

I don't recall if I mentioned this back when I started my Almost Daily Fraggle Rock Quotations, but watching Fraggle Rock almost constantly is about all that's been keeping me relatively sane this school year. I mention this now because as I sat down to watch this, I was having trouble finding the remote for the DVD player to start watching again after a full day of classes, and also because I have nothing else to talk about. We're just sort of going to figure this post out as we go, alright? It should be fun.

As I was saying, Fraggle Rock has been an almost constant presence in my life since August. That was sort of interesting last semester, when I had no TV in my apartment and therefore could only watch the show on my computer, even if I was also writing a paper on that computer. Still, I played Fraggles almost constantly when I was in my apartment and awake, I started putting quotations on my chalkboard (now a white board), brought the DVDs with to watch at my friend's apartment to properly indoctrinate her, and even named my new laptop Sprocket. I have to say, it makes interesting background noise when you're reading about slavery, Ancient Greek mythology, and the history of book publishing in America. (And yes, those were all subjects of my assigned reading last semester.)

So just for a moment here, let's examine why I'm so drawn to Fraggle Rock as my saving grace in the face of the emotional and academic drama that is my life lately.

I mean, there's the obvious fact that it falls into the realm of my Obsessive Muppet Fandom, but it must be more than that, right? I mean, why Fraggle Rock and not my usual reprieve, Muppet Treasure Island? Yes, there is a lot more variety in the length of an entire series than there is in a single movie, but watching the same thing over and over has never fazed me before.

It could be the comedy. It could be the inspirational aspect that so often comes up in the show. It could even be the fact that by going to Fraggle Rock, it's sort of like hiding under a rock, which sure sounds appealing sometimes. But I think it's the specific brand of magic that is Fraggle Rock.

It's the hope that everything--everything--will be okay. Someday, we'll all understand each other, and there will be world peace, and we'll all sing and dance and eat radishes. It's the idea that if I could just find the right hole in the wall, I'll discover an entire world of little furry creatures who live on music and vegetables and don't know what money is, where garbage is not a problem of waste management but a source of knowledge and odd riddles and the occasional snappy song-and-dance number. It's the comfort and amusement in the idea that when the pipes start banging, it's actually a catchy, rhythmical tapping involved in a daily water-producing ritual.

With Muppets, there is always the idea that people are basically good, and that somehow everything will work out, but I think Fraggle Rock is the purest embodiment of that. It shows how problems arise, and how we could so easily fix them if we would just sit down and talk about it--or sing about it, as the case may be. The world of the Fraggles, the Doozers, and the Gorgs may be simpler than ours, but it's complex enough that we can believe in it, and since there is so much good in that world, surely we can find that good in our world, too.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Almost Daily Fraggle Rock Quotations: Week 17

A day late, but with good reason, considering yesterday's announcement, don't you think? What, you don't think? Well, neither do I. It's Spring Break. Why on earth would I be thinking? ...Well, alright, so I am thinking a little. Just enough to think that this may very well be my favorite batch of quotations thus far. See for yourself!


Wembley's Wonderful Whoopie Water: "Magic is as magic does--it lives in you and me!" --Wembley Fraggle


FINAL SEASON

Sidebottom's Blues: "Fun is here to stay!" --Sidebottom


Uncle Matt's Discovery: "Remember, Nephew Gobo: The magic is ALWAYS there, as long as we keep looking for it." --Uncle Travelling Matt


Junior Faces the Music: "You could be a walkin' talkin' BREATHIN' ball of fire!" --Cantus the Minstrel


The Perfect Blue Rollie: "When you're givin' love away, love will come again to stay! And what you give is what you gain, as we--Pass it on!" --The Fraggles


A Tune For Two: "Help us to live here with our other--our brother--one in heart, one in home, one in name." --Wembley Fraggle, Cotterpin Doozer, and others


See, aren't those just lovely? I mean, I've been looking forward to that quotation from "Uncle Matt's Discovery" for months now. And there it is! And now, I resume my scheduled non-thinking... Huh. You know, not thinking makes it very difficult to make basic decisions, like what to eat and whether I should do some dusting or some reading. Alright, so maybe the whole "not thinking" thing is over-rated.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Almost Daily Fraggle Rock Quotations: Week 16

Hey folks! Well, it's Sunday again, and it looks like it's my turn to post some lovely quotations. Had a little fun with how I wrote the quotations on my board this time around... Although I've been slipping the past few days due to illness. Sad times. Where's Boober when you need him?


The Incredible Shrinking Mokey: "Wembley, can YOU control YOUR puppet?" --Boober Fraggle


A Dark and Stormy Night: "I got ways of knowin', and I know they're right for me!" --Junior Gorg


Gunge the Great and Glorious: "Dance like crazy 'til you're fallin' down!" --Gunge


The Bells of Fraggle Rock: "There will be motion in the stillness, as there is music in the silence." --Cantus the Minstrel


Sprocket's Big Adventure: "And it sometimes seems You can see your dreams In the sight that fills your eyes." --The Doozers


Ah, yes, that's a nice little set of quotations. And hey, look! I got all three major species again! Go me! Now, do you know which one of these quotations I've been planning to write up even longer than I've been doing these Almost Daily Fraggle Rock Quotations? I'll give you a hint: It's the one that spent several months on a post-it note on my tissue box.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Why Fraggle Rock is Even Better as an Adult

TV ALERT: Tonight, Tuesday, February 8, the PBS program Pioneers of Television will feature a spotlight on children's television pioneers--including Jim Henson. It's unknown how much of the episode will focus on Jim, but it's still bound to be a great television experience for Muppet fans! Check your local PBS station listings for time.


If there's one thing I love, it's Fraggle Rock. If there's two things I love, it's Fraggle Rock and pizza. New contributor Hilarie Mukavitz has written a brand new article about one of these things--bet you'll never guess which! We talk a lot about Fraggles around here... but we hardly ever get down to brass tax and talk about why the show is so great--and we almost never talk about why those Muppet fans who haven't seen the show definitely should. Fortunately for us, Hilarie's article covers both of those bases. But enough rambling from me... read on!

Why Fraggle Rock Is Even Better As an Adult


Hilarie Mukavitz - Revisiting a show you loved in your childhood can be dangerous.  I've noticed 3 things tend to happen:

1. The show doesn't hold up at ALL and you wonder what you were thinking.

2. The show doesn't hold up well....but you still have a great deal affection for it because you liked it in your childhood.

3. The show DOES hold up, and you can appreciate it in ways you couldn't in your childhood.

Fortunately for me, Fraggle Rock definitely fell into the 3rd category.  I was 5 when Fraggle Rock first aired on HBO.  Monday used to be my favorite day of the week because that was when it was on.  Re-watching the show in my 30's, I've been blown away at how well-crafted the show is.  Here's a few examples:

No Villains, Just Misunderstandings
Very rarely will you see an actual villain in a Fraggle Rock episode.  In episode 106 "The Preachification of Convincing John" Mokey's cause of the week is to convince the Fraggles not to eat the Doozer's constructions anymore. What Mokey doesn't realize is she's pretty much messing with the ecosystem of Fraggle Rock. When Fraggles don't eat the Doozer's constructions, the Doozers nearly need to move elsewhere so they can keep building, otherwise they will die. In other words, the cause of the conflict is Mokey... not because she is malicious, but because she didn't have all the information. I didn't really appreciate this at the time, but this is much more sophisticated writing than to just have some two dimensional villain of the week come in to cause the conflict.

Nothing Is More Important Than Music
On the Season 1 DVD extras, Jerry Juhl talks about how when they were looking for music for the series, initially they were inundated with your classic cutesy children's music. Then he heard the demo for the Phil Balsam and Dennis Lee song "Follow Me." He knew that was the right feel for the show.

The lyrics have a simplicity, without dumbing down or being cutesy. "Every sunrise shows me more and more, so much to explore, come and follow me." Balsam and Lee had an amazing output of songs in their 5 seasons on Fraggle Rock. There was a wide range of musical styles from folk to blues to New Orleans jazz. The lyrics are so solid, a lot of the songs could easily be performed in their own right.

Gobo Has a Crisis of Faith
Episode 301 "The Bells of Fraggle Rock" explores the different holidays that happen around the Winter Solstice. The Fraggle version is the Festival of the Bells. Every year at that time, the rock would "slow down" and the Fraggles would ring their bells to wake up the Great Bell in the heart of the rock. Gobo goes on a quest of sorts because he has doubts over whether the Great Bell actually exists. I'm sure as a child I just thought "Oh, it's a Fraggle Christmas episode." However as an adult I thought "Holy cow! Gobo's having a crisis of faith! ON A CHILDREN'S SHOW!" Somehow I can't imagine a theme with that sort of depth happening on most other children's shows of the era. "Papa Smurf?  I don't smurf in the smurf anymore!"

Red Keeps Up With the Boys
Like many other little girls, Red was my favorite Fraggle. I was used to female characters that tended to be girly girls, princesses, or more of a side character. Red Fraggle was a definite first. What I loved about Red was she was right in the thick of things. She not only could keep up with Gobo, sometimes she'd win the competition. She was also way more like a lot of the girls around me. These days when I see Red I smile because she's so much like my sister and my niece.

The World Peace Message
Initially I was startled when I found out the main concept behind Fraggle Rock was to promote world peace.  It was similar to the feeling I had when I found out the Narnia stories were actually about Christianity. "Wait... I just thought it was a great story... oooooh yeaaaaaaah!" You see the three interconnected, and frequently clashing cultures of the Gorgs, the Fraggles, and the Doozers. All sorts of heavy issues like war and the environment were tackled, without being preachy.  It still was an entertaining children's show.

If you haven't already, I'd highly recommend checking out Fraggle Rock no matter what your age.  Like all of the best of Henson's work, there is something in it for everyone.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Almost Daily Fraggle Rock Quotations: Week 15

Hey folks! Lisa the Intern here with another friendly batch of Fraggle Rock Quotations. Considering how many days I spent snowed in and completely unable to leave my apartment, you'd think I'd have more... but hey, snow days are for fun! Unfortunately, I still need to dig out my car... Oh, if only I owned a shovel!


Playing Till It Hurts: "I get the feeling there's a different me appearing and it's time to be more than me!" --Red Fraggle


Bored Stiff: "Are you good at pretending?" "No... But I can PRETEND I am!" --Gobo Fraggle and Junior Gorg


The Cavern of Lost Dreams: "Hello sky, I'm right behind you! Hello highway, please don't mind my tone... I'm on my own." --Cotterpin Doozer

Huh... that's even fewer quotations than I thought I had. But look! I got all three major species from the show! I think that's an accomplishment, don't you? I don't think I've done that before. Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I REALLY need to dig my car out... I'm all out of dishwasher detergent, and I just used the last of the knives. And I'm kind of getting sick of eating nothing but peanut butter and crackers. Grocery shopping the day of the Super Bowl is a GREAT idea, right? ...Right?

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Boober Fraggle

Today's Weekly Muppet Wednesdays post is written by our very own Lisa the Intern!

BOOBER FRAGGLE


Performed by...
Dave Goelz


First Appearance...
Fraggle Rock Episode 101: “Beginnings” (1983)

Most Recent Appearance...
Fraggle Rock Episode 513: “Change of Address” (1987)


Best known role...
Laundry-washer, cook, and medic for the Fraggle Five; superstitious pessimist.

Memorable quote...
“I’m worried about enclosed spaces and death and pain and spiders and words with R in them and—did you want the whole list, or just a general overview?”


WHO IS BOOBER FRAGGLE?
On the surface, Boober seems to be the anti-Fraggle. He doesn’t like singing, dancing, games, swimming, jokes, parties, noise, or… well, just about anything else that Fraggles live by. Or at least, he claims he doesn’t. Boober prefers the quiet drudgery of endless loads of laundry, peacefully watching the dust settle and the laundry dry, cooking up delicious feasts for his Fraggle friends, and listening to the gentle drip-drip drop-drop of stalactites. He devotes his life to the avoidance of germs and injury—two of the things he fears most. (There is, of course, a very long list of the things he fears most… but those two are somewhere near the top.)

Boober is Fraggle Rock’s self-proclaimed expert on death, doom, and destruction, but he does have a fun side. He represses this side of himself as best he can, which is how he ended up with an alter-ego, a second personality, known as Sidebottom—the fun side of Boober that he keeps on the bottom. Sidebottom comes out every once in a while to help (or force) Boober to cut loose and have fun, but Sidebottom is nothing if not extreme, going so far as to dress up as the Old Gypsy Lady or hypnotize a Gorg for the sake of a laugh.

But Boober doesn’t always need Sidebottom’s help to have fun; like it or not, he is a Fraggle, and Fraggles live for fun. Boober is as prone to burst into song as any of his friends, and you can often find him laughing with everyone else when there’s a big party going on (see, for example, “Catch the Tail by the Tiger,” “Mirror, Mirror,” and “The Honk of Honks”). He will even play tricks on his fellow Fraggles with the excuse of testing their beluviouses (Fraggle tails, which flair out when the Fraggle is scared).

Because Boober is so dedicated to the avoidance of illness and injury, he knows all sorts of remedies for just about any ailment a Fraggle may encounter. With this expertise, he is something of a medic for the other Fraggles. He is also more than happy to do all their laundry—cleanliness is another great way to avoid germs, after all—and although his cooking skills are sometimes questionable, he enjoys whipping up any sort of dish.


BOOBER FRAGGLE SONGS
Despite his occasional protests that the Fraggles sing too much, Boober enjoys a good song as much as anyone else in the Rock. Here are some of his classics…

• “Get Blue” – episode 115: “I Don’t Care”
• “The Friendship Song” (with Red Fraggle) – episode 117: “Marooned”
• “I’m Never Alone” – episode 202: “Boober Rock”
• “Party Hard (Who Knows What You See)” – episode 206: “Boober’s Dream”
• “Dump the Stuff Out” – episode 219: “The Doomsday Soup”
• “I Sniff the Rose” – episode 223: “Boober’s Quiet Day”
• “Talkin’ ‘Bout Germs” – episode 306: “Pebble Pox Blues”
• “Fun is Here to Stay” – episode 403: “Sidebottom’s Blues”

WHY DOES FRAGGLE ROCK NEED BOOBER FRAGGLE?
Well, who else is going to do all that laundry?

Seriously, though… Fraggle Rock needs Boober for balance. It’s easy for the Fraggles to get carried away without realizing when they could be in danger, and Boober forces them to be aware of the possibility of trouble. Yes, he thinks that everything is dangerous, but it takes quite an extreme Fraggle to balance out the entire rest of the Rock. And though his extremist attitude makes him easy for the other Fraggles to write off, he can and does take action when it’s necessary. Without him, Fraggle Rock would be a much dirtier and more dangerous place.

Besides… he has all the funniest lines in the show.

 The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier