| 1 | A character page for ''Series/FraggleRock'' and its reboot ''Series/FraggleRockBackToTheRock''. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | !Fraggles |
| 6 | [[folder:Fraggles In General]] |
| 7 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggleslookup.jpg]] |
| 8 | [[caption-width-right:300:A group of random Fraggles.]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | The Fraggles are the titular race of creatures on the show. Described by Traveling Matt as "a noble race; fearless, dignified, and intellectual", Fraggles are collectively a frivolous species, fond of playing, singing and dancing all day long (that's not to say every Fraggle likes the same thing, though; it's much more a collective cultural norm different from humanity than a PlanetOfHats). |
| 11 | ---- |
| 12 | * AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: Despite being pretty anthro, Fraggles are technically still animals, and they are all very vibrantly colored with many ranges of bright colors that make them stand out from the greys of the rocks. |
| 13 | * CastOfSnowflakes: Several episodes show a wide shot of numerous Fraggles, and each one is relatively different in appearance. |
| 14 | * [[CloudCuckoolander Cloudcuckoolanders]]: The majority of them. |
| 15 | * HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Most Fraggles usually go about with some clothing, like shirts or hats (Mokey wears a robe, and later a turtleneck sweater underneath, and a green dress in the 2022 reboot; while Wembley is famous for his banana tree-patterned shirt), but, except for Uncle Matt, all go barefoot. |
| 16 | * {{Manchild}}: Not that their ages are known at all, but the Fraggles are generally childlike, being fun-loving, energetic and curious about the world around them. |
| 17 | * SpeciesSurname: All of the five main Fraggles (and other, more minor characters) have the surname "Fraggle". Unless they are all related, this would imply that all Fraggles have this surname. Averted by characters such as Cantus, Convincing John, and Uncle Travelling Matt, whose surnames are never stated (though based on evidence in the episode "Uncle Matt's Discovery", it would seem that Matt's real name is Matthew Fraggle). |
| 18 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: A case that is across an entire species and not just an individual. Fraggles ''love'' radishes, and it's safe to say that they make up most of their diet. They eat plenty of Doozer sticks too, which are made from radishes anyways (although in the original series they don't know this at first). |
| 19 | * VagueAge: The exact age of a Fraggle is not exactly known, with them acting like children, yet having jobs and other adult responsibilities. In episode 3 of the ''Fraggle Talk'' podcast, ''Back to the Rock'' showrunner Alex Cuthbertson said that Fraggles do not have the concept of age in the same way that humans do and the line between childhood and adulthood really blurs for them. |
| 20 | [[/folder]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | !!The "Fraggle Five" |
| 23 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggle_five_group_shot.jpg]] |
| 24 | [[caption-width-right:350:An early shot of the Fraggle Five, including Gobo's original outfit.]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | The series centers around five main Fraggles; the adventurous Gobo, the artistic Mokey, the indecisive Wembley, the nervous Boober, and the athletic Red. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[folder:Gobo]] |
| 29 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggle_rock_gobo.png]] |
| 30 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1983-1993), John Tartaglia (2013-present), Creator/TownsendColeman (animated series) |
| 31 | |
| 32 | The leader of the Fraggle Five, Gobo is a brave explorer who takes expeditions into far-off places, including Outer Space. While he doesn't always believe everything he hears, and can sometimes be ''too'' determined to do things alone, he has a good heart and rarely backs down from a challenge. Gobo idolizes his uncle, Traveling Matt, and as part of his 30-minute work week, he goes out into Doc's workshop, in Outer Space, to retrieve postcards sent to him by his Uncle Matt. |
| 33 | ---- |
| 34 | * ArtEvolution: At Jerry Nelson's suggestion, Gobo was redesigned substantially after the first 13 episodes. Among the changes: he lost the burgundy-colored jacket and gained a vest with pockets to hold his Uncle's postcards, he gained eyelids, his hair was shortened, he started wearing many different hats, and his face became more rounded and less "[[Film/TheDarkCrystal Skeksis-ish]]" (Nelson's term). Nevertheless, the opening and closing sequences were never reshot with the updated design, so "old Gobo" remained a visual presence on the show right up until the end (same with Ma Gorg). |
| 35 | * BelligerentSexualTension: With Red. It's so obvious that even the Trash Heap's attendants notice. |
| 36 | * BreakTheHaughty: He gets this from time to time when his schemes fail and/or lead to unintended negative consequences. A dramatic example is "A Friend in Need," which finds him trapped by the Gorgs while trying to help Sprocket (who's gotten himself stuck in the hole leading to Fraggle Rock) and tearfully admitting (in song no less) that he's not as invincible as he thought he was. |
| 37 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: Gobo does this a handful of times during the series, particularly during "A Friend in Need" and "The Riddle of Rhyming Rock." |
| 38 | * BuryingASubstitute: In "A Friend in Need," Wembley thinks Gobo was eaten by Sprocket, which seems to be true when all his friends find of him is his hat. Boober suggests burying the hat as a way of remembering him just before Gobo reappears and reveals he's not dead. |
| 39 | * CrocodileTears: He gets out of the Gorgs' trap in "A Friend in Need" by fake-crying loud and hard, to annoy Ma Gorg into setting him free. |
| 40 | * DeadGuyJunior: Possibly. He was named after his great-uncle, whom Traveling Matt adored. Given Matt’s own advancing age and the fact that the original Gobo is only seen in flashback, it’s probably safe to assume that he is deceased. |
| 41 | * FlatEarthAtheist: The source of some of his angst, most notably during the Festival of the Bells. |
| 42 | * [[IdenticalGrandson Identical Great Nephew]]: In the flashbacks to Traveling Matt's childhood, we see that Gobo inherited his great-uncle and namesake's color scheme (orange with fuchsia hair), which is likely another reason he was named after him. |
| 43 | * ItsAllAboutMe: One of Gobo's negative traits on occasion. |
| 44 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gobo can be rather self-centered, impatient with the others, and not very understanding when they are having problems he can't identify with, but he's always there for them at the end of the day. |
| 45 | * {{Nephewism}}: Gobo was most likely raised by Travelling Matt, considering Matt named him after his uncle and has been shown to be very fatherly towards him, as well as flashbacks in "The Garden Plot" showing Gobo with Matt when the former was very young. Where are his parents, who were only ever mentioned in the lyrics of "Workin'" from "The Thirty Minute Work Week" in what may be a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness? No clue. |
| 46 | * OnlySaneMan: The writers made him the most steady character to balance the other four. This is also why Jim Henson gave the role to Jerry Nelson, who had originally auditioned with Boober in mind. |
| 47 | * ThePrankster: He pranks Red in "Red's Sea Monster" by pretending to be said sea monster with a fake SharkFinOfDoom. She does ''not'' take it well. |
| 48 | * PunnyName: Less so than his uncle (see below), but a ''gobo'' in theatrical (and tv/film) lighting is a thin disc of metal with cutouts in it that is used to project patterns or writing from a stage light. The name is a shortened form of "go between", as the gobo holder is placed between the fixture's bulb and lens, much as Gobo Fraggle goes between Fraggle Rock and the surface world on a regular basis. |
| 49 | * ShipTease: He has several of these with Red and Mokey. |
| 50 | * UnexplainedAccent: He has a Canadian accent complete with [[MooseAndMapleSyrup "eh"]] at the end of many of his sentences and often (not always) pronouncing the word "again" with a long "a", although he never says "aboot". His original Muppeteer, Jerry Nelson, was from UsefulNotes/{{Oklahoma|USA}}; the accent is a reference to the show's Canadian home, as it was shot in UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}}. Nelson reportedly modeled the accent on [[Series/{{SCTV}} Bob and Doug McKenzie]], of whom he was a fan. ''Back to the Rock'' continues the tradition, shot in Calgary and featuring New Jersey-born John Tartaglia affecting a Canadian accent. |
| 51 | ** Unfortunately, this was [[CharacterExaggeration flanderized]] in the animated series. |
| 52 | * UnwantedAssistance: When he's having a personal problem, he'll typically try to solve it on his own and shun offers of help from his friends. He has a vulnerable, insecure side but does his best to hide it. |
| 53 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: All the main characters accidentally cause disasters on occasion, but strangely enough Gobo seems to be the most prone to this; directly or indirectly he's accidentally almost destroyed Fraggle Rock on several occasions—such as unleashing the Invisible Garboil in "Gobo's Discover", causing it to freeze over in "The Bells of Fraggle Rock", or sending it into potentially eternal darkness in "The Day The Music Died". Nevertheless, he owns up to his mistakes and does his best to rectify them. |
| 54 | * VerbalTic: Often tacks on an "Eh?" to the end of sentences. |
| 55 | [[/folder]] |
| 56 | |
| 57 | [[folder:Wembley]] |
| 58 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggle_rock_wembley.jpg]] |
| 59 | |
| 60 | ->'''Performed by:''' Steve Whitmire (1983-1990), Creator/BobBergen (animated series), Frankie Cordero (''Rock On''), Jordan Lockhart (''Back to the Rock'') |
| 61 | |
| 62 | The youngest of the main Fraggles, Wembley works at the fire department (he's the firehouse's siren). Naive, eager to please, and with a tendency to "wemble" back and forth, Wembley finds it hard to make decisions and stand up for himself, things he learns about as the series goes on. Wembley admires Gobo, his best friend, immensely. |
| 63 | ---- |
| 64 | * CharacterDevelopment: While this happens to all the Fraggle Five over the series, Wembley's is the most notable. At the beginning, he has no opinions of his own and just agrees with whoever spoke last, but over the course of the show he learns to think a little more for himself and even stand up for himself when a situation requires it—to the point where Junior Gorg actually mistakes him for the leader of the Fraggles in the penultimate episode—but without losing his flexibility or his ability to see everyone's point of view. |
| 65 | ** In a sense, the entirety of ''Fraggle Rock'' is Wembley's story, even though Gobo is positioned as the "main character" in the series opening and Gobo and Red (as well as Uncle Traveling Matt) tend to be the "spokes-Fraggles" for the franchise. Some informal polls have in fact shown Wembley as the most popular of the Fraggle Five among fans. |
| 66 | * ChickMagnet: "Love potion number nine" turns him into one in "We Love You, Wembley"—for not only chicks, but ''male'' Fraggles too, including Gobo and Boober. (And Junior Gorg, ''and'' the Doozers.) But only for 20 minutes. |
| 67 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: With Wembley, often seen involving bigger words. For example: "Who needs ''tranquil''? We want peace and quiet!" ("A Cave of One's Own"). |
| 68 | * TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Wembley's friends will call him nuts and/or tease him when he makes a proclamation they find silly, such as hearing water inside a rock ("Wembley's Wonderful Whoopee Water") or that a giant egg that lands in the Fraggle pond has a baby inside it ("Wembley's Egg"). They have to eat their words when he's proven right. |
| 69 | * TheDitherer: Type 6. His defining trait (at first), so much so that his name is (in-universe) a {{Neologism}} for dithering. |
| 70 | * DubNameChange: He's given the MeaningfulName "Dudo" in Spanish dubs, which means "I doubt," a reference to his wembling personality. |
| 71 | * ExtremeDoormat: He tends to let the others walk over him before his CharacterDevelopment. |
| 72 | * HiddenDepths: Wembley can come across as rather weak-minded, he's easily distracted and easily led, he's prone to ComicallyMissingThePoint and is overall a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter, and of course he has trouble making his mind up about anything. But behind all this lies a truly empathic and caring soul who's not only a good listener but has suprisingly good instincts—when he actually uses them. It's what builds the ground for his CharacterDevelopment, and also what lands him a spot on the Wise Council in ''Series/FraggleRockBackToTheRock''. |
| 73 | * HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Poor Wembley. He’s wound up at the mercy of the Gorgs, [[ManipulativeBastard Convincing John]] (though Convincing John could talk a ''boulder'' into floating), a [[JackassGenie mean genie]], the shady Wizard of Fraggle Rock... |
| 74 | * IllTimedSneeze: In "The Perfect Blue Rollie", he sneezes when he sneaks into Boober's hidey-hole to retrieve the rollie, waking up Boober. Then he sneezes again and blows the rollie into a crack in the wall. |
| 75 | * IndecipherableLyrics: He loves to scat, and his VerbalTic of "squeet squeet squat squat" (and variations thereof) shows up in many of his songs. |
| 76 | * InkSuitActor: Sort of. Steve Whitmire looked like a human version of Wembley, complete with long, floppy blond hair. He reportedly loved Wembley's trademark banana-tree shirt and asked the costume designer to make one for him, but she never got around to it. |
| 77 | * JustTheWayYouAre: His friends find his wembling annoying at times, and sometimes it even gets him and/or his friends in trouble. But after he falls under Convincing John's influence in "The Secret of Convincing John" and morphs into the brash, overbearing "Wilfred," the Fraggles quickly realize they want the old Wembley back, wembling and all. |
| 78 | * {{Keet}}: He manages to combine being his trademark confusion and insecurity with a high energy level and a great enthusiasm for anything that his friends might suggest. |
| 79 | * LetsGetDangerous: Put dithering, self-proclaimed wimp Wembley under stress and you get a Fraggle who [[BewareTheNiceOnes furiously pummels the "Hairy Monster from Outer Space"]] (read: Sprocket, but consider how a BigFriendlyDog [[FridgeBrilliance looks to a smaller creature]]) or beats TheAce Gobo in a full-out race. ''Sometimes'', anyway. The rest of the time he'll sputter incoherently and be unable to put together a cogent sentence until he's turned upside down. |
| 80 | * LimitedWardrobe: Not only in style, but in ''size''. He owns exactly ''two'' banana-tree shirts, and often can't make up his mind about which one to wear. |
| 81 | * LiteralMinded: In "Scared Silly," when the Trash Heap tells Wembley that she nearly "blew up" (meaning "lost her temper") when Philo and Gunge scared her, Wembley, who has been trying to scare Boober for the whole show, thinks he made Boober explode and goes into MyGodWhatHaveIDone mode. (It doesn't help that Philo and Gunge decide to mess with Wembley by reinforcing the misunderstanding, until Marjory finds out and makes them apologize to him.) |
| 82 | * MeaningfulName: In Spanish dubs, his name is Dudo, which translates into English as "I doubt." |
| 83 | * MesACrowd: In the ''Back to the Rock'' episode "Four Wembleys and a Birthday," Gobo, Mokey, Red and Boober each want to celebrate Wembley's birthday in a different way, and Wembley's attempts to please each of them lead to him splitting into four versions of himself, none of whom can be seen or heard by anyone else. |
| 84 | * {{Neologism}}: "Wemble", a verb meaning "to be pathologically indecisive". A "wembler" is a person who wembles, and "wembley" is an adjective describing a person who wembles (and it's also an acceptable name to give a child in Fraggle Rock—though according to Wembley, the people who named him apparently thought it meant "makes his mind up easily.") According to the ancient Fraggle language, "Wembley" means "No scratch nose in public." |
| 85 | ** When Wembley stops being indecisive, he demands he be called "Wilfred", which some have speculated might be his real name. Or it might be just a result of Convincing John calling him "Wilfred" by mistake and thus convincing him that his name really is Wilfred. |
| 86 | ** In real life, Wembley was named as a ShoutOut to Wembley Stadium in London, a nod to the UK portion of the show's InternationalCoproduction. |
| 87 | * NiceGuy: Undoubtedly one of the nicest, sweetest Fraggles in existence; he wants everyone to get along and never has a bad word to say about anyone—that is, unless he gets carried away in following someone else's lead. |
| 88 | * OnlySaneMan: Wembley, for all his faults, is the least likely to be [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny distracted]] of all the Fraggles, and tends to be the first to notice when another Fraggle is sad. |
| 89 | * OpinionFlipFlop: One of his defining traits at first; his name even means "to wemble," which is a Fragglish verb that means "to waver." |
| 90 | * ShooTheDog: In "Gone But Not Forgotten", he gets treated by Mudwell the Mudbunny and they become good friends, but after he's healed, Mudwell gruffly chases him out [[spoiler: so he won't be hurt when Mudwell dies. [[TearJerker It doesn't work; Wembley returns to demand an explanation for Mudwell's behavior, and Mudwell ends up dying right before Wembley's eyes.]]]] |
| 91 | * TheSleepless: In the children's book ''Goodnight, Wembley Fraggle'', Wembley is afraid to to go sleep because he fears missing all the fun he thinks goes on at night in Fraggle Rock. Thus, he stays up all night, which consequently deprives his friends (especially Gobo, with whom Wembley shares a cave) of sleep. |
| 92 | * TookALevelInJerkass: He goes to Convincing John in "The Secret of Convincing John" in the hope that John will convince him to be more decisive. He does end up becoming more decisive, but also turns into an overbearing, bossy bully who calls himself "Wilfred" and foolishly puts himself in dangerous situations he's not equipped to handle, and his friends quickly realize they want the old Wembley back. |
| 93 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: One of his favorites, as mentioned in "Gone, But Not Forgotten," is [[AlliterativeName peach-and-pepper potage]]. |
| 94 | * VerbalTic: He has a tendency to run around yelling "squeet squeet squat squat" or some variation thereof when he's happy or excited. It shows up in many of his songs, too, including the ending theme, creating a charming version of {{Scatting}}. |
| 95 | ** He also makes curious cough-like noises randomly throughout his dialogue. It's revealed in an interview that this happened when Steve Whitmire had a cold, started coughing in his Wembley voice to be funny, and was encouraged to make it part of the character since it was frankly adorable. |
| 96 | ** Wembley's high pitched grunting with each step doesn't hurt the cuteness. He also looks down at his feet as he walks, as if he's making sure he knows how to. |
| 97 | * ZombieAdvocate: He becomes one in "A Tune For Two," speaking out for Cotterpin's right to participate in the Duet-a-thon when she's barred from it on account of being a Doozer. |
| 98 | [[/folder]] |
| 99 | |
| 100 | [[folder:Red]] |
| 101 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggle_rock_red.jpg]] |
| 102 | |
| 103 | ->'''Performed by:''' Karen Prell (all puppet performances), Creator/BarbaraGoodson (animated series) |
| 104 | |
| 105 | A tomboy and sports expert, Red loves to play and have fun. Her job is to clean the pool in the middle of Fraggle Rock. She can be quick-tempered and a bit too eager to do things on her own, but she has a good heart and rarely gives up when pursuing a goal. Red admires Mokey sincerely, and is overjoyed when [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl the two]] become roommates later in the series. In mostly season 1 of the original, she also has a crush on Gobo - good luck getting her to admit it, though. |
| 106 | ---- |
| 107 | * ArbitrarySkepticism: Despite the fact that she lives in Fraggle Rock, a world filled with fantastical creatures, Red believes that Gobo's Uncle Traveling Matt is making up his expeditions in Outer Space; she believes that there is no way that "Silly Creatures" could be ''that'' silly. |
| 108 | * BelligerentSexualTension: With Gobo, as noted. Downplayed to a point after the first season, as they started acting much more like friends (if [[VitriolicBestBuds very competitive ones]]), and completely absent in ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 109 | * BerserkButton: Steal her supply of [[ComfortFood Radish Bars]] at your own peril. |
| 110 | * BigEgoHiddenDepths: On the surface, Red comes across as a SmallNameBigEgo character; she can be self-centered and self-glorifying, hugely competitive, physically aggressive, and a poor listener. However, as early as season one, we discover that much of Red's brashness is an act to cover up her insecurities, and her worst traits mainly show up when her competitiveness gets the better of her or she for some reason goes on the defense. But time and again, the series shows that, when not trying to prove herself in some way, Red is one of the kindest, friendliest Fraggles around,[[note]] Her character bio featured on the ''Complete Animated Series'' DVD describes her as "lovable", while, during an appearance at Meltdown Comics in 2010, Grant Baciocco, Jim Henson Company puppeteer and host of the Henson.com podcast, called her "very sweet".[[/note]] second only to Wembley in how many {{Odd Friendship}}s she gains over the course of the series. Also, Red's identity is so wrapped up in being active that she takes it ''hard'' when she's forced to slow down, as when she's laid up with an injured baloobius in the ''Back to the Rock'' episode "Deep Dive." |
| 111 | * BreakoutCharacter: Definitely the poster girl (Fraggle?) for the show as a whole. If ''Fraggle Rock'' is advertised for something and they need a live appearance from any character, more often than not, it's Red. Her popularity has also far surpassed that of any other character performed by Karen Prell. |
| 112 | ** When the show was advertised as being on Creator/TheHub's lineup, Red, representing ''Fraggle Rock'', was featured in a good portion of the channel's TV spots. |
| 113 | * {{Claustrophobia}}: ''Possibly''. Red suffers a panic attack in "Marooned", though this might have brought on by Boober talking about how scary ''he'' finds enclosed spaces. |
| 114 | * ComfortFood: Radish bars. |
| 115 | * CompetitionFreak: One of Red's defining traits. |
| 116 | * DeadpanSnarker: Her favorite targets for this are Gobo and ''especially'' his uncle Traveling Matt, but no one is immune—not even Mokey, her best friend. |
| 117 | * DubNameChange: Red is renamed Maggie in the French dub, and Rosi in Spanish versions. |
| 118 | * FearlessFool: She initially comes across as one, being the most gung-ho about trying anything new, no matter how wild or dangerous it is. In a way, Red is the Rock's resident [[Series/TheMuppetShow Gonzo]] (ironically, Gonzo's performer, Dave Goelz, plays the nervous and borderline paranoid Boober). |
| 119 | * FieryRedhead: Her name is Red, her entire color scheme (including her hair) is made up of red and other warm colors, and she's a very spirited GenkiGirl who's always on the go. |
| 120 | * FlatEarthAtheist: According to [[https://youtu.be/gAj5c7ZPt7U?si=knXK78HULOifA9Zq this interview with Tough Pigs]], the reason why she scoffs so much at the postcards from Traveling Matt is because, despite all the fantastical things in Fraggle Rock, she thinks Uncle Matt is making it all up... made up to [[AttentionWhore take attention away from her]], that is. |
| 121 | * GenkiGirl: You'd be hard-pressed to find any Fraggle who's more energetic, more upbeat, or more ''loud.'' |
| 122 | * GirlishPigtails: Red wears a pair of pigtails, and she's a GenkiGirl. |
| 123 | * GreenEyedMonster: She's obviously jealous of Uncle Matt and Gobo with their tales of Outer Space, but whenever the topic is brought up, she goes into full SarcasmMode. Late in the series, she openly expresses her admiration of them and interest in Outer Space. |
| 124 | * {{Hypocrite}}: She's upset when she thinks her radish bars were stolen, but she thinks nothing of stealing some of Wembley's to set a trap for the thief, rationalizing it by claiming she's just "borrowing" them. |
| 125 | * IJustWantToBeYou: The episode "I Want to Be You" is all about this. Red gets jealous of Mokey for being (so she thinks) more popular than her with everyone ("''especially'' Gobo"), and spends the episode trying to imitate Mokey's hairstyle, voice, touchy-feely new age poetry, etc. |
| 126 | * InnocentlyInsensitive: She has a habit of emphasizing failures and flaws that others are struggling with, while not noticing just how much it hurts who she's speaking to, especially in the early episodes. One example is when she piles on Boober for failing to alert Gobo (due to fear-induced inability to whistle) to Sprocket's approach when Gobo was trying to get Matt's postcard. Downplayed to a point in ''Series/FraggleRockBackToTheRock''. |
| 127 | * JerkJock: At her worst, Red will be this. At her best, she fits the PassionateSportsGirl trope. |
| 128 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Red on her better days. Yes, she's quite the braggadocios type who's extremely competitive with her fellow Fraggles, can often be InnocentlyInsensitive and hates to admit her mistakes, but, being a Fraggle, she's still nice on the inside, and has shown that she is willing to do a lot for her friends. |
| 129 | * LargeHam: In all of Fraggle Rock, there are few Fraggles who are as grandiose as Red. |
| 130 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: While facing death in "Marooned", she becomes paranoid and freaked out like Boober normally is. |
| 131 | * OddFriendship: With Mokey. They're [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl total opposites]], and yet they are the best of friends. It is also Mokey that Red is probably the nicest to...[[VitriolicBestBuds for the most part, at least.]] |
| 132 | * ThePrankster: |
| 133 | ** The first half of the final episode of the animated spinoff, "Fraggle Fool's Day" has Red as this; she begins the episode by filling Mokey's paint pot with disappearing paint to trick Mokey. Finding Fraggle Fool's jokes to be "wonderful", Red declares a whole day of them. Unfortunately, Red gets caught up in the jokes, and she and Mokey find themselves trapped in the Gorgs' Garden. |
| 134 | ** She does ''not'' like being the victim of pranks, as evidenced in her reaction to Gobo's SharkFinOfDoom prank in "Red's Sea Monster." |
| 135 | * SitcomArchNemesis: With Mokey's pet plant Lanford. The two are constantly at odds with each other, but do have the odd EnemyMine moment. |
| 136 | * SuperSwimmingSkills: Red is easily the most skilled swimmer in Fraggle Rock, and is constantly competing, playing water sports or leaping into the pool. |
| 137 | * {{Tomboy}}: Her defining characteristic, especially in her [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl interactions]] with GirlyGirl Mokey. |
| 138 | * TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Red is the athletic, boisterous tomboy to Mokey's gentle, artistic girly girl. |
| 139 | * TookALevelInKindness: In appearances outside the ''Fraggle Rock'' series (the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, at Meltdown Comics in 2010, at [=GeekGirlCon=] in 2013, etc.), Red doesn't display much, if any, of the quick anger or pig-headedness from the show, and actually displays more of her lovable qualities. For example, at [=GeekGirlCon=], Red was taking questions from the audience and when she spotted a "little Silly Creature" (a child), she practically {{Squee}}d. |
| 140 | ** She's less abrasive in the 2020s reboots as well, though her sarcastic streak is intact (particularly on the subject of postcards from Traveling Matt). The fourth episode of ''Fraggle Rock: Rock On'' features Red and Gobo competing (albeit more playful than genuine rivalry), hopping on one foot while reciting a challenging tongue twister. |
| 141 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Loves her radish bars. |
| 142 | * UnwantedAssistance: In "Let the Water Run," she [[JerkJock rather rudely]] refuses her friends' offers of help in preparing for her swim meet, insisting she can "Do It on [Her] Own." Eventually, she's forced to admit she needs help with some things, sometimes. |
| 143 | * VitriolicBestBuds: With Boober. Boober is introverted, complains a lot, and enjoys things that Red considers boring. Despite this, when push comes to shove, she does care about him. |
| 144 | -->'''Red:''' What are you worried about?\ |
| 145 | '''Boober:''' I'm worried about [[{{Claustrophobia}} enclosed spaces]], and death, and pain, and {{spiders|are scary}}, and words with the letter R in them and... D-do you want the whole list or just a general overview?\ |
| 146 | '''Red:''' ''[sighs]'' Have you ever noticed you and I have absolutely nothing in common?\ |
| 147 | '''Boober:''' I worry about that too. |
| 148 | ** She and Mokey have their squabbles as well... see "Red-Handed and the Invisible Thief" and ''especially'' "A Cave of One's Own." One unfilmed episode concept involved the two fighting over a love interest, an idea that was rejected by Karen Prell as she felt it was unnecessary and inconsistent with their characters. |
| 149 | ** It also perfectly describes her relationship with Gobo. Red often teases Gobo for not being as fast or good at something as she is, and Gobo usually responds in kind (and occasionally starts the squabbles himself), but when the chips are down, they always have each other's back. |
| 150 | * WildHair: In a few episodes, most notably "I Want to Be You," she is shown with her hair unbound and it's a massive mane, as wide as her shoulders and leading halfway down her back. Outside of that episode, she's usually depicted this way when sleeping or in pajamas. |
| 151 | [[/folder]] |
| 152 | |
| 153 | [[folder:Mokey]] |
| 154 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggle_rock_mokey.png]] |
| 155 | [[caption-width-right:350:Mokey in the original series]] |
| 156 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Mokey in ''Back to the Rock'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggle_rock_back_to_the_rock_mokey_fraggle_01.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 157 | |
| 158 | |
| 159 | ->'''Performed by:''' Kathryn Mullen (1983-2013), Creator/MonaMarshall (animated series), Donna Kimball (2012-present) |
| 160 | |
| 161 | The den mother of the Fraggle Five, Mokey is artistic, creative, and always willing to help others. Because of this, she can put everyone else's needs above her own, to her detriment, or not realize when others ''don't'' need her help. Mokey's job is to pick radishes in the Gorgs' garden. She becomes Red's roommate later in the series, to her delight. |
| 162 | ---- |
| 163 | * ArtShift: |
| 164 | ** Rare puppet version: She alternates between live-hand puppet and rod-hand puppet depending on the scene. Sometimes even mixing the two. |
| 165 | ** Mokey has an updated character design for 2022's ''Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock''. Among other changes, she now wears a green dress instead of an open robe, has longer hair which she now wears in a ponytail, and loses the DrearyHalfLiddedEyes (though her eyes do include a mechanism which allows her to fully close them). The episode "I'm Pogey" showcases that, in the ''Back to the Rock'' continuity, the change happened in-universe as well, as Mokey explains to Wembley upon being questioned about it that she decided she would rather wear a dress instead of a robe and her hair kept up with plenty of hair goop instead of left messy, feeling much happier in her own skin following the style change. |
| 166 | * AttendingYourOwnFuneral: In the appropriately titled "Mokey's Funeral." When Junior Gorg thinks he's killed Mokey, he holds a funeral for the Fraggle out of grief; she doesn't attend the service so much as watch it from a distance, but joins Gobo and Red afterwards just to confirm she's alive. |
| 167 | * TheBard: Mokey often writes {{poetry}}. |
| 168 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: While she's usually kind and gentle, she can become angry if pushed too far, as seen in episodes like "A Cave of One's Own" and "Red-Handed and the Invisible Thief". |
| 169 | * CharacterExaggeration: In ''Back to the Rock'', her spirituality and GranolaGirl tendencies are seriously cranked up, to the point where she comes across as a borderline {{Cloudcuckoolander}} at times. |
| 170 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: She sometimes gets so wrapped up in waxing artistic that she loses track of reality and doesn't realize when danger strikes until it's too late—if she notices at all. More often, she gets through unscathed while anyone accompanying her (i.e. Red) falls prey to whatever dangers are present. Kathryn Mullen referred to these incidents as Mokey's WesternAnimation/MrMagoo moments. |
| 171 | * CuddleBug: While being a more zen and peaceful Fraggle, Mokey is also very physical with showing affection or concern. She's always ready to pull her friends into a hug for any reason. |
| 172 | * DrearyHalfLiddedEyes: She has half-lidded eyes to go with her dreamy and relaxed personality. When her eyes are open all the way, you know she's rattled or angry about something. Considerably toned down for the 2022 reboot. |
| 173 | * DubNameChange: In the French dub, Mokey is renamed Bea. In Spanish, she has the MeaningfulName of Musi, referencing her love of music. |
| 174 | * GirlyGirl: In [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl contrast]] with {{Tomboy}} Red, though she's not the stereotypical example thereof. |
| 175 | * GranolaGirl: If she were human, you could easily picture her listening to sitar music and polishing crystals. She's also into UsefulNotes/{{meditation}}. |
| 176 | * HiddenDepths: While Mokey is usually the calmest Fraggle in the Rock, when she ''does'' snap, she can be quite frightening. Just ask Red after their argument in "A Cave of One's Own" which ended with her throwing Red into the Fraggle Pond using her hammock as a slingshot, or those on the receiving end of the DeathGlare she gave when it was suggested that her attempts to bond the Fraggles and Craggles together might not be working in "The Giggle Gaggle Games". |
| 177 | * IGaveMyWord: When Mokey meets Begoony, she promises to come if he calls her. Trouble is, he ''keeps'' calling her and pulling her away from her other friends and commitments... but she goes because she can't bear to break promises. |
| 178 | ** She does have a problem following through with her promises in "Blanket of Snow, Blanket of Woe," but that's due to forgetfulness and overextending herself, not malice. |
| 179 | * InnocentlyInsensitive: Mokey never means to cause trouble, but she does sometimes by simply misunderstanding others' needs and desires—for example, convincing her friends to stop eating Doozer constructions without realizing that Doozers want the constructions eaten so that they can build new ones. |
| 180 | * MorningRoutine: Hers includes rhyming incantations and banging a gong, much to Red's chagrin when the two first move in together. Mokey is equally perplexed by Red's morning routine of "pumping granite." |
| 181 | * NatureLover: One reason Mokey loves her job of gathering radishes is that she delights in being among the plants and trees of the Gorgs' garden. She even has a [[ContemplationLocation secret place]] there, under a tree, some distance away from the Gorgs' castle and the vegetable patch, where she likes to write in her diary. |
| 182 | * NiceGirl: Mokey is, by far, one of the nicest, most affectionate Fraggles you could ever meet. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Push her too far, though...]] |
| 183 | * OddFriendship: With Red. Where Red is brash, loud and extroverted, Mokey is quiet, poetic and introspective—yet they are best friends, and (despite a shaky start) the best of roommates. |
| 184 | * OutOfCharacterMoment: In an early episode, she ''bangs Doozers on the helmet with a stick'' to make music. Though the Doozers don't actually seem to mind (and even look like they enjoy the music), Mokey in any later episode would never think of doing such a thing—in fact, one or two episodes (only two episodes later in the case of "The Preachification of Convincing John") have her as a SoapboxSadie campaigning for Doozer rights (instructing the other Fraggles never to eat their constructions, for example). |
| 185 | * PrehensileTail: Like that of the other Fraggles, her tail is somewhat prehensile—for instance, she can use it as a paintbrush. In the episode "I Want to Be You," she is shown painting two pictures, one with a brush and one with the tip of her tail. |
| 186 | * RingOnANecklace: She wears a pull-tab ring as a pendant. |
| 187 | * RousseauWasRight: She's not ThePollyanna, but she believes the best in ''anybody'', including the Gorgs. |
| 188 | * SensitiveArtist: She once [[RunningAwayToCry ran away to cry]] when she thought her friends were calling one of her paintings typical. |
| 189 | * ShesAManInJapan: In the Brazilian Portuguese VTI Rio/VHS dub of the first three episodes, she's a male character. |
| 190 | * ShoutOut: Mokey was named after a friend of Jim Henson's. Her personality was modeled after designer Michael Frith's sister Wendy (who is also Kathryn Mullen's sister-in-law). |
| 191 | * SoapboxSadie: She becomes one in episodes like "The Preachification of Convincing John", where her well-meaning attempt to help the Doozers backfires. |
| 192 | * TeamMom: Creator/JimHenson referred to her as "the den mother of the Fraggle Five", and the oldest. |
| 193 | * TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Mokey is the gentle, artistic girly girl to Red's athletic, boisterous tomboy. |
| 194 | * UnwantedAssistance: Thanks to her RousseauWasRight personality, she thinks she's "helping" the Doozers by making the Fraggles refrain from eating their constructions. She learns that the Doozers ''want'' their constructions to be eaten—and both Fraggles and Doozers are unaware that the constructions are a very necessary part of a Fraggle diet (being made of radishes). |
| 195 | * UselessAccessory: Mokey has always worn a [[RingOnANecklace pull-tab ring as a pendant]]. Midway through Season 2, she also begins wearing a drawstring pouch on her necklace. No one ever refers to it, though, and it's unknown what she keeps in it. |
| 196 | * VocalEvolution: Her voice becomes less wispy as the series goes on. |
| 197 | * WildHair: Her hair is perpetually unkempt in the original show. However, she [[ImportantHaircut restyles it]] in the {{Revival}} series ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 198 | * ZombieAdvocate: She becomes one in "The Preachification of Convincing John", where she feels sorry for the Doozers having their buildings eaten, and convinces the other Fraggles to stop. Turns out the Doozers ''like'' having their hard work destroyed; they love to build things, but they don't care for the completed projects, and if they're torn down, they have more room to keep building. In fact, it's learned in the same episode that if Doozers can't build (or be kept otherwise active) they will literally ''die.'' |
| 199 | [[/folder]] |
| 200 | |
| 201 | [[folder:Boober]] |
| 202 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggle_rock_boober.jpg]] |
| 203 | |
| 204 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz (all puppet performances), Creator/RobPaulsen (animated series) |
| 205 | |
| 206 | A grumpy but good-hearted laundromat worker, Boober takes joy in what others find boring. He often enjoys being alone, and purposely stays on the sidelines during, or tries to avoid altogether, fun Fraggle events like the medley singalong or the Traditional Medley of Knock-Knock Jokes. He cares for his friends, though, and will lend a hand in serious crises, and he enjoys some of those fun Fraggle events more than he lets on. While he has many superstitions and fears, he's willing to step up when push comes to shove, and his negative attitude can help him see real trouble coming. He also loves to cook. Boober has a secret fun side that he keeps on the bottom, named Sidebottom, who sometimes comes out to party. |
| 207 | ---- |
| 208 | * AbsurdPhobia: According to "Marooned", he's afraid of words with the letter "R" in them. (Presumably including his own name.) |
| 209 | * ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: |
| 210 | -->'''Boober:''' I'm a quivering collection of the worst and least helpful emotions. Fear, anxiety, terror, paranoia, indigestion, dishpan hands... |
| 211 | * BioluminescenceIsCool: It is revealed in ''Back to the Rock'' that his baloobius (tuft of hair on his tail) glows when he is at peace with himself. Despite trying to hide his baloobius, his friends end up thinking of his tail as this trope once he shows them. |
| 212 | * CowardlyLion: Despite his phobias, he can still be counted on to help out his friends if needed. |
| 213 | * DeadpanSnarker: Though he claims to have NoSenseOfHumor, he gets the funniest lines in the show. |
| 214 | -->'''Boober:''' It's always exciting in Fraggle Rock. That's what's wrong with the place. |
| 215 | * DubNameChange: Boober is known as Bombo in the Spanish dubs. In French, his name is Boubeur. |
| 216 | * EasyAmnesia[=/=]IdentityAmnesia: In "Boober Gorg," he gets a thump on the head and ends up thinking he's Junior Gorg. Ma and Pa Gorg think so too, as they can't find Junior and think an evil sorcerer has transformed him. |
| 217 | * TheEeyore: He's not only depressive and fearful, but is also an obsessive expert on [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking diseases, superstitions, and laundry.]] This actually proves very useful to the other Fraggles, as he's always the first to sense impending disaster. |
| 218 | * EyesOutOfSight: Boober's eyes are ostensibly hidden under his hat and shock of red hair. In reality, the Boober puppet has [[EyelessFace no eyes at all]]. This was the third major Muppet character Dave Goelz had performed with either hidden or no eyes, following [[Series/TheMuppetShow Zoot and Bunsen Honeydew]]. |
| 219 | * FieryRedhead: A SubvertedTrope, given his melancholic temperament. |
| 220 | * HiddenDepths: He's shown to enjoy scaring the radish resin out of Wembley in "Scared Silly."[[note]]A character trait he shares with Dave Goelz, who enjoyed playing similar pranks on his co-workers, particularly Steve Whitmire.[[/note]] And he doesn't disdain his friends' singing and dancing nearly as much as he lets on, as he confesses to Red in "Marooned" (but makes her promise to keep that a secret). |
| 221 | * IncrediblyLameFun: His favorite pastimes include laundry and watching paint dry. |
| 222 | -->'''Wembley:''' I guess that sometimes I think you don't have enough fun... and I worry about you.\ |
| 223 | '''Boober:''' Wembley, I have my own kind of fun. Safe, cozy fun. |
| 224 | * IndubitablyUninterestingIndividual: Boober's hobbies are cooking and cleaning, and one of is mottos is "Tedium and drudgery are good for the soul." Occasionally, the other Fraggles' behavior suggests that, even though they don't understand why he enjoys these tasks, they are glad ''someone'' enjoys them, since they like eating good food and wearing clean clothes. |
| 225 | * InkSuitActor: The character was developed out of comments his performer Dave Goelz had made on the production schedule of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', namely that his busy schedule on the program only allowed him time to worry about "death and laundry." |
| 226 | * InnocentlyInsensitive: In "Gone, But Not Forgotten," when Wembley is crushed over Mudwell seemingly rejecting him, Boober offers to cheer him up by making his favorite: peach-and-pepper potage. This ends up upsetting Wembley ''more'', as Mudwell had made him a peach-and-pepper potage that was superior to Boober's. |
| 227 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: On the surface, Boober comes across as pessimistic, superstitious, and easily frightened. Deep down, however, he's shown that he is sensitive, pragmatic, and even helpful. |
| 228 | * LovableCoward: Not surprising, given his fearful nature. However, he can become a CowardlyLion when the occasion demands. |
| 229 | * TheMedic: He serves as the Fraggles' doctor and keeps many home remedies in his cave. |
| 230 | * MundaneMadeAwesome: His attitude towards laundry. |
| 231 | * NervousWreck: ''Everything'' scares him. He's especially TerrifiedOfGerms. |
| 232 | * OnlySaneMan: He often plays this role for the Fraggles. |
| 233 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In "Marooned", he becomes more composed and less panicked in the face of death, whereas Red is reduced to claustrophobic screams of terror. |
| 234 | * SplitPersonality: He has a secret fun side that has formed into a clown named Sidebottom. Sidebottom always begs Boober to let loose, but Boober always insists on not having any fun. Despite this, they seem to have a mutual understanding of each other, and sometimes [[SplitPersonalityTakeover Sidebottom convinces Boober to let loose]], much to Boober's reluctance. When Sidebottom causes too much trouble, Boober will always come around to fix things. |
| 235 | * SourSupporter: He's the grumpiest and most cynical of the Fraggles, but he's still a good friend to the other main characters. |
| 236 | * TeamChef: His other specialty besides laundry. DependingOnTheWriter whether he's a SupremeChef or a LethalChef, but as a rule of thumb we can say that when he sticks to cooking his specialties, he does a good job—it's when he tries to ''experiment'' that the food turns out inedible. He even has a song about it: "Dump the Stuff Out (Yucky for Sure)." |
| 237 | * TerrifiedOfGerms: |
| 238 | ** His biggest fear, and the usual reason he'll be reluctant to go anywhere new or deal with anything new—it might be covered in germs. This isn't the case in season one of ''Back to the Rock'', likely due to [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents current events]] making it significantly less comfortable to play for laughs, but in season 2, he makes it very clear that he fears whatever germs may lie on strawberries, Lanford, or artifacts from outer space. |
| 239 | ** He's constantly doing laundry, and obsesses over having clean socks... even though it's very rare for any Fraggle, including Boober himself, to actually ''wear'' socks. He just has them so they can be washed. |
| 240 | [[/folder]] |
| 241 | |
| 242 | !!Other Fraggles |
| 243 | |
| 244 | [[folder:Uncle Traveling Matt]] |
| 245 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fraggle_rock_traveling_matt.jpg]] |
| 246 | |
| 247 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz (all puppet performances), Patrick Pinney (animated series) |
| 248 | |
| 249 | Gobo's uncle and fellow explorer, he discovers Outer Space and brings back postcards regaling the Fraggles of his travels. In season 4, he returns to Fraggle Rock, but soon goes back to Outer Space again. For the the rest of the show he comes back for visits every so often. |
| 250 | ---- |
| 251 | * AerithAndBob: One of the only Fraggles on the show to have a normal first name, Matt. Most Fraggles have made-up names like Boober or Gobo (for what it's worth, Wembley is a real surname, at least). It's revealed in season four that his full name is Matthew Fraggle. |
| 252 | * AccidentalDiscovery: In his youth, he accidentally discovered the Gorgs' garden and radishes. |
| 253 | * AdventurerOutfit: He wears one (except for [[WalkingShirtlessScene the shirt]]), making him both a FullyDressedCartoonAnimal and TheOneWhoWearsShoes, in contrast to [[HalfDressedCartoonAnimal his fellow Fraggles]]. |
| 254 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Averted. He is the only main Fraggle on the show who has a humanlike color scheme, with light-brown skin and gray hair. Most Fraggles have skin colors like red, blue, and yellow. |
| 255 | * BoldExplorer: He's the first Fraggle to explore Outer Space (i.e., [[UpTheRealRabbitHole our world]]). |
| 256 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: During his segments, he'll often turn to the viewer to offer a side comment on what he's just seen, or sometimes just an incredulous facial expression. He also emceed HBO's first promos for the series in late 1982, speaking directly to the viewers about Fraggle Rock and its inhabitants. |
| 257 | * CallingMeALogarithm: In his guest appearance on ''Series/{{Today}}'' in 1993 (to promote ''Fraggle Rock'' VHS tapes), he mentions he was called a "buffoon" by Bryant Gumbel. In a variation of this trope, he's ''proud'' of it. On the other hand, Creator/KatieCouric takes offense to Matt calling her a "silly creature." This happens again in [[https://youtu.be/MzwByu7_hxw?si=8ugoSlZ8OfGAEVYc a promotional interview]] for the ''Back to the Rock'' episode "Night of the Lights", where he ''very'' gleefully yells out what a silly creature told him once: |
| 258 | -->You are a complete moron! |
| 259 | * TheCameo: He's probably made more cameo appearances in other Muppet works than at least any of the other Fraggles (Sprocket has had quite a few as well). Which makes sense considering that he's exploring the same "Outer Space" where Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the other Muppets live. Case in point, Uncle Matt is, so far, the only Fraggle to ever appear on the big screen, attending Kermit and Miss Piggy's wedding at the end of ''Film/TheMuppetsTakeManhattan''. |
| 260 | * TheCatCameBack: As a child, he was this (minus the teleportation) to his long-suffering Uncle Gobo. |
| 261 | * CharacterCatchphrase: "Deeeaaaar Nephew Gobo, the other day... love, your uncle, Traveling Matt." |
| 262 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: We "silly creatures" watching the show would consider him one if we were to meet him in real life. His fellow Fraggles, of course, do not (except maybe Red). |
| 263 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: He's the undisputed ''master'' of this trope; his performer Dave Goelz even described his frequent misconceptions as the first of his three defining character flaws. (The second one being his clumsiness, and the third one being his utter denial of the first two flaws.) For instance, Traveling Matt is perplexed why it's called "fast food" when it doesn't really go anywhere. |
| 264 | * CoolOldGuy: Despite his flaws, he's courageous enough to explore the human world. |
| 265 | * CoolUncle: To his nephew, Gobo, who idolizes him. In one episode, when Mokey is appointed ruler of Fraggle Rock, Gobo tries to convince her to order the building of a monument to his uncle. |
| 266 | * EntertaininglyWrong: He completely misunderstands every kind of human behavior he sees, leading him to dub us "silly creatures" and try to document as much weirdness as he can. |
| 267 | * FantasticAnthropologist: Uncle Traveling Matt [[BoldExplorer explores]] "Outer Space" (our human world), trying to understand the differences between fraggle-kind and humanity. Every episode, he sends a postcard back to Fraggle Rock with details of a recent adventure he's had involving humans. |
| 268 | * FishOutOfWater: Whenever he's in "Outer Space", not that he lets it worry him any. |
| 269 | * TheKlutz: According to Muppeteer Dave Goelz, Matt became this in order to make his segments more interesting to film. |
| 270 | * LordErrorProne: He means well, but when he tries to understand the "silly creatures," he gets ''everything'' wrong. |
| 271 | * ObliviousToLove: He's been the object of Storyteller Fraggle's affections since they were very young, but he's never noticed, even when she invited him to visit ''Kissing Chasm'' with her. |
| 272 | * PunnyName: A traveling matte is a ChromaKey technique which allows people and equipment to move in front of a camera undetected. It's widely used on the show for scenes where the Fraggles move through long passageways uninterrupted (including the beginning of the opening credits). |
| 273 | * TheOneWhoWearsShoes: Most Fraggles go around barefoot, but Travelling Matt always wears both shoes and socks, as part of his AdventurerOutfit. |
| 274 | * UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Humans never bat an eye at the strange, diminutive creature that's running around their world. They just treat him like they would any other person. |
| 275 | * VoiceoverLetter: His postcards tend to be this. |
| 276 | * WalkingTheEarth: "Call me Uncle ''Traveling'' Matt." |
| 277 | [[/folder]] |
| 278 | |
| 279 | [[folder:Cantus]] |
| 280 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cantus_square.jpg]] |
| 281 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jim Henson (original), Bob Bergen (animated) |
| 282 | |
| 283 | A wandering minstrel who dispenses great wisdom, though rarely in a straight fashion. Cantus often encourages the Fraggles to think about their situations to find solutions. |
| 284 | ---- |
| 285 | * AdaptedOut: Is absent in ''Back to the Rock'', likely due to the passing of Jim Henson and no one wanting to take over the role. A new, yet very similar character, Jamdolin, takes the role of Fraggle Rock's purveyor of musical wisdom instead. |
| 286 | * AuthorAvatar: Combined with InkSuitActor; he's pretty much a Fraggle version of a {{Flanderized}} Creator/JimHenson. |
| 287 | * BadassLongRobe: He wears a metallic robe, but the effect is more or less the same, as his badassery lies in his wisdom and quiet strength. He's also got the [[TricksterMentor enigma]] thing down, many times over. |
| 288 | * BreakoutCharacter: Although he didn't appear in many episodes, Cantus has become a fan favorite, perhaps partly due to being played by and inspired by Jim Henson himself. |
| 289 | * CrypticConversation: If you ask Cantus for advice, he'll freely give it, but you'll have to FigureItOutYourself. This has been {{Lampshaded}} by Red and on multiple occasions by frustrated fellow Minstrel Murray. |
| 290 | * InconsistentColoring: Some children's book illustrations are very OffModel from the puppet and animated depictions of Cantus, showing him, for example, with purple fur and green hair. |
| 291 | * MagicalFlutist: When Cantus is first seen playing his pipe in "The Minstrels", flowers start to open. |
| 292 | * OnceASeason: He appears in one episode per season. (Though seasons four and five are really one season split into two for syndication. Thus, if you watch the [=DVDs=], he appears twice in season four.) |
| 293 | * SignatureInstrument: His magic pipe. |
| 294 | * TheStoic: Never loses his calm... though he does at one point consider the possibility of doing so. |
| 295 | * WanderingMinstrel: The leader of a band of five minstrels, though he appears without them on several occasions. |
| 296 | [[/folder]] |
| 297 | |
| 298 | [[folder:Convincing John]] |
| 299 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/convincing_johnjpg.jpg]] |
| 300 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jim Henson |
| 301 | |
| 302 | A smooth-talking salesman who can convince anyone to do anything with a really catchy song, Convincing John holds many secrets. He's also the Vanguard of the Poohbahs, the most secretive—and most silly—of all Fraggle organizations. |
| 303 | ---- |
| 304 | * AdaptedOut: Is absent in ''Back to the Rock'', likely due to the passing of Jim Henson and no one wanting to take over the role. Jack Hammer from "Wembley The Spokesfraggle" is a somewhat similar character, but he is a Doozer rather than a Fraggle. |
| 305 | * AerithAndBob: He has a normal human name, John, like Gobo's uncle Matt. |
| 306 | * AuthorAvatar: Another example of Jim Henson, though it's more of an in-joke, as Henson's enthusiasm and vision always got everyone who worked for him to do the most ludicrous things, good or ill. |
| 307 | * CrazyPrepared: Whatever rare or unlikely items that are needed in case of some spontaneous convincing, Convincing John always just happens to have those ''exact'' items on hand. It's {{Lampshaded}} by Gobo and Red: |
| 308 | -->'''Gobo:''' Where's this guy ''get'' all this stuff?\ |
| 309 | '''Red:''' I heard he was prepared for anything, but this is ridiculous! |
| 310 | * TheDreaded: In his first appearance, he's treated as this because of his ability, and his eagerness, to convince anyone into doing anything. In later episodes, the Fraggles seem to have gotten over their fear and actively ''encourage'' him to convince them of the most ludicrous things. |
| 311 | * TheGadfly: He's not above convincing random Fraggles to walk around blindfolded or wear plastic cups as gloves, purely for laughs. |
| 312 | * HiddenDepths: Deep down he's actually really insecure and has problems making up his own mind about anything. He claims this is exactly why he's so successful: it allows him to see things from all possible angles. |
| 313 | * HighClassGloves: Convincing John always sports a pair of short white gloves. He even wears a bejeweled pinky ring over the left one. |
| 314 | * InkSuitActor: He resembles Creator/JimHenson, though not to the extent of Cantus. |
| 315 | * LimitedWardrobe: His signature outfit is a dark red plaid suit with thin stripes of gold. He owns exactly ''two'' of these suits and, like Wembley, often can't make up his mind about which one to wear. |
| 316 | * ManipulativeBastard: Sort of—he does have the ability to manipulate others, and often uses it purely to {{Troll}} them, but as bastards go, he's a fairly harmless one. |
| 317 | * RuleOfThree: For anyone wishing to become more definite, Convincing John offers a choice of three courses—each with a certain number of convincing verses that John sings: |
| 318 | ** The One-Verse Basic Course in Temporarily Thinking of Yourself as Pretty Okay |
| 319 | ** The Two-Verse Total-Confidence-in-Public-but-Still-Some-Doubts-in-Private Tutorial |
| 320 | ** (only for the really serious) The Three-Verse Complete-Emergent-Developmental Workshop in Total Belief in Your Own Supremacy |
| 321 | [[/folder]] |
| 322 | |
| 323 | [[folder:The Fragglettes]] |
| 324 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fragglettes.jpg]] |
| 325 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, and Kathryn Mullen |
| 326 | |
| 327 | Convincing John's trio of female backup singers. |
| 328 | ---- |
| 329 | * CoordinatedClothes: They all wear identical [[PimpedOutDress sequin-covered gowns]], with headpieces to match. |
| 330 | * [[LovelyAssistant Lovely Assistants]]: Besides singing backup, they advertise the self-improvement courses Convincing John offers and make sure John actually gets up in the morning instead of wembling over which foot to put out of bed first. |
| 331 | * RuleOfThree: They're a trio and are always seen together. |
| 332 | * SpeakInUnison: They often confirm what Convincing John has just said by declaring in unison: "Mmm-hmm!" |
| 333 | [[/folder]] |
| 334 | |
| 335 | [[folder:The Storyteller Fraggle]] |
| 336 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/storyteller_fraggle.png]] |
| 337 | ->'''Performed by:''' Richard Hunt (''The Terrible Tunnel''), Terry Angus (seasons 2-5), Stu Rosen (animated series), Donna Kimball (''Back to the Rock'') |
| 338 | |
| 339 | A wise old Fraggle who loves to tell stories, she often relates Fraggle legends to the group. Has an [[AllLoveIsUnrequited unrequited crush on Uncle Matt]]. |
| 340 | ---- |
| 341 | * AdaptationalDyeJob: Pink hair in the original, red in ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 342 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: She is far more eccentric in ''Back to the Rock'', being shown to have "eating glasses" that make all the Fraggles look to her like radish cobbler in "The Legend of Icy Joe" and having a bizarre fight against imaginary darkness in "Night of the Lights". |
| 343 | * DrearyHalfLiddedEyes: She has these in her first appearance in "The Terrible Tunnel" (except when she takes her spectacles off, when her eyes open wide). She loses them later on, but regains them for ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 344 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Only ever known as "The Storyteller," her real name is never revealed... unless, as it is implied by flashbacks showing her still being called this name as a kid before she had the job, [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep her name actually is "Storyteller."]] |
| 345 | * InconsistentColoring: Not on the show itself, but in some of the spinoff media. For example, she's depicted with yellowish-orange hair and bluish-green fur on the animated series and with blue fur and lavender-colored hair on the cover of the ''Fraggle Fables'' collection, instead of with yellow fur and pink hair as in the series. |
| 346 | [[/folder]] |
| 347 | |
| 348 | [[folder:The World's Oldest Fraggle]] |
| 349 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/worlds_oldest_fraggle.jpg]] |
| 350 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz (puppet performances), Bob Bergen (animated series) |
| 351 | |
| 352 | The oldest Fraggle in Fraggle Rock and probably the world. He serves as an elder for the Fraggles, often officiating at ceremonial events and emergency meetings. |
| 353 | ---- |
| 354 | * AdaptationalNiceGuy: Downplayed, as he was always overall a pretty cool guy, but he is much less insensitive in ''Back to the Rock''. Most notably, he no longer bonks Henchy and other characters in the head. This change was made to not model violence to young viewers, as well as because of returning writer Jocelyn Stevenson's personal distaste for the RunningGag. He is still a very bizarre, somewhat unreliable individual, however. |
| 355 | * BadBoss: To Henchy. He's always berating him and bonking him on the nose with his cane. In the last season, he discovers to his surprise that being hit with that cane ''hurts'', and so promises to stop doing it... only to do it again five seconds later. He's much nicer in ''Back to the Rock'', if still very loopy. |
| 356 | * CaneFu: Uses his cane to hit other Fraggles with when they annoy him too much. The most frequent recipient is poor Henchy, but Red has gotten it a couple of times, too. This trait is absent in ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 357 | * CharacterCatchphrase: "I knew that!" Usually said to Henchy, accompanied with a bonk on the nose, whenever Henchy tries to inform him (or anyone else) of something. |
| 358 | * CoolOldGuy: For the most part. Apart from his age, there doesn't seem to be a very big difference between him and the other Fraggles; he's as fun-loving, friendly and energetic as any of them, if not more so... and he can also be just as foolish and insensitive. |
| 359 | * ElderlyImmortal: Is ''at least'' hundreds of years old based on the flashbacks to his stone age youth in "Night of the Lights", yet is still alive. Notheless, even with possible immortality of some sort, he looks as old as he is. Curiously for this trope, his mind appears to be aging as well, though he remains as physically energetic as the other Fraggles. |
| 360 | * GratuitousRap: He raps the rules of the race in "The Beanbarrow, The Burden and the Bright Bouquet." |
| 361 | * HistoricalLongevityJoke: According to the ''Back to the Rock'' episode "Night of the Lights", "world's oldest" means ''a childhood in the stone age''. Even as a toddler, he already had a beard. |
| 362 | * InterspeciesRomance: ''Back to the Rock'' has a lot of ShipTease between him and the Merggle Queen. |
| 363 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He can be an incredible douche at times, most notably to Henchy. But he generally means well; none of his {{Jerkass}} moments are born out of malice, just out of a tendency not to think ahead. |
| 364 | * LargeHam: He enjoys the spotlight and never misses a chance to ham it up a little when presiding over ceremonies, meetings, and sporting events. |
| 365 | * ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Occasionally, with a side-order of InnocentlyInsensitive. |
| 366 | [[/folder]] |
| 367 | |
| 368 | [[folder:Henchy]] |
| 369 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/henchy_fragglejpg.jpg]] |
| 370 | ->'''Performed by:''' John Pattison (original), Rob Paulsen (animated series), Aymee Garcia (''Back to the Rock''). |
| 371 | |
| 372 | The much-put-upon assistant of the World's Oldest Fraggle. Usually quite enthusiastic about his job, though he can occasionally get fed up with it. |
| 373 | ---- |
| 374 | * BeleagueredAssistant: To the World's Oldest Fraggle, though notably without the traditional snark and contempt that's usually seen in this type of character. |
| 375 | * TheDogBitesBack: Indirectly, at least, in the last season. Sick of the World's Oldest Fraggle always hitting him with his cane, he [[spoiler:steals the Fraggle Horn so that the World's Oldest can't summon the Fraggles to a meeting.]] |
| 376 | * GenderFlip: Is male in the original and female in ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 377 | * MeaningfulName: He's the World's Oldest Fraggle's henchman. |
| 378 | * HypercompetentSidekick: He has traces of this; he's clearly more together and has better ideas than the World's Oldest Fraggle... not that he gets any recognition, or thanks, for it. |
| 379 | * WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Seriously, why would anyone give their child a name that literally means "Henchman"? Although it's possible that the World's Oldest Fraggle calls him that either because he kept forgetting Henchy's actual name due to his senility or because he genuinely doesn't know his real name and never asked for it. |
| 380 | * WomenAreWiser: In ''Back to the Rock'', not only is Henchy rewritten as a woman, she is also a member of the Wise Fraggle Council. In episode 9 when the council is supposed to be discussing how to fix the Craggles' water shortage problem, Henchy is [[OnlySaneMan the only one there]] who is trying to concentrate on the issue at hand. |
| 381 | [[/folder]] |
| 382 | |
| 383 | [[folder:Large Marvin and Feenie]] |
| 384 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1626431555912_10290210_image143921_large.jpg]] |
| 385 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz (Large Marvin, original), Frank Meschkuleit ( Large Marvin, ''Back to the Rock''), Jerry Nelson (Feenie) |
| 386 | |
| 387 | Two loud-mouthed Fraggles who aren't the brightest bulbs in the bunch, they become unexpected heroes when Cotterpin Doozer goes on trial. |
| 388 | ---- |
| 389 | * {{Acrofatic}}: Large Marvin is the biggest, fattest and heaviest Fraggle, but he's surprisingly athletic, and even one of the few Fraggles who can beat Red in a swimming race. |
| 390 | * AdaptedOut: Feenie is absent in ''Back to the Rock'', his role as TheDitz replaced by Pogey. |
| 391 | * BigEater: Large Marvin is so-called due to his love of snacking. |
| 392 | * ADayInTheLimelight: Usually very minor characters, they do get to star in, and even be the heroes of, an episode. |
| 393 | * TheDitz: Neither Marvin nor Feenie are what you might call intellectuals, but Feenie is definitely the ditziest. |
| 394 | * HiddenDepths: Their ADayInTheLimelight episode shows that while they ''are'' incompetent goofs, they ''can'' come through when it really counts. In ''Back to the Rock'', Large Marvin is even on the Wise Council, which means he must have managed to impress the other council members in ''some'' way. |
| 395 | * ThoseTwoGuys: Their primary role in the series are as background characters and occasional comic relief. |
| 396 | [[/folder]] |
| 397 | |
| 398 | [[folder:Marlon]] |
| 399 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marlon_fraggle___inspector_red.jpg]] |
| 400 | ->'''Performed by:''' Steve Whitmire |
| 401 | |
| 402 | An unusually sneaky, shifty and ambitious Fraggle; Marlon is always trying various schemes in order to gain power, but never has any success with them. He's probably the closest thing to an "evil" Fraggle one is likely to meet. |
| 403 | ---- |
| 404 | * AmbitionIsEvil: The most ambitious Fraggle, but also one of the least trustworthy. |
| 405 | * {{Cult}}: He's been trying to start one for years, but nobody wants to join it. |
| 406 | * LorreLookalike: He's pretty blatantly modeled on Creator/PeterLorre. Coincidentally, Marlon's performer, Steve Whitmire, had previously used this voice for [[MadScientist SkekTek the Skeksis Scientist]] in ''Film/TheDarkCrystal''. |
| 407 | * ManipulativeBastard: He really, ''really'' wants to be one, but nobody really takes him seriously. |
| 408 | * TokenEvilTeammate: Well, Token ''Amoral'' Teammate, anyway. He's not so much evil as completely self-centered and somewhat untrustworthy. |
| 409 | [[/folder]] |
| 410 | |
| 411 | [[folder:Jamdolin]] |
| 412 | [[quoteright:312:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jamdolin.PNG]] |
| 413 | ->'''Performed by:''' Creator/DaveedDiggs (voice), Andy Hayward (puppetry) |
| 414 | |
| 415 | The leader and spokesman of the Troubadours in ''Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock'', essentially replacing Cantus, who doesn't appear in that series. Jamdolin is very similar to his predecessor but rather more youthful and energetic, with a penchant for [[JiveTurkey creative slang]] and [[RhymesOnADime speaking in rhyme]]. He also plays a mandolin instead of a magic pipe. |
| 416 | ---- |
| 417 | |
| 418 | * {{Beatnik}}: He has more than a touch of this, being a laid-back JiveTurkey with a "groovy" attitude -- which seems to be a nod to many similarly-vibed characters played by Jim Henson, who of course played his predecessor Cantus. |
| 419 | * CompanionCube: The Skitter Stone. Jamdolin treats it as a living creature who can talk and make its own decisions. [[spoiler:Turns out he's right; it just that usually the Stone only talks to him. It talks to Boober later in the episode.]] |
| 420 | * JiveTurkey: One of the most obvious ways in which he differs from Cantus. Where Cantus was a master of the CrypticConversation, Jamdolin is a lot more straightforward but uses a lot of "groovy" slang. |
| 421 | * TheNicknamer: At least towards Boober, whom he pretty consistently calls "Hat Guy." |
| 422 | * RhymesOnADime: Jamdolin usually talks in rhyme, though less obviously so than most examples of the trope because he doesn't stick to one meter or one style of rhyming. He's also quite capable of giving the rhyming a miss when the situation calls for it. |
| 423 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: It's pretty obvious that the main reason for his existence is because they didn't want to recast Cantus after Jim Henson's death. |
| 424 | [[/folder]] |
| 425 | |
| 426 | [[folder:The Minstrels/The Troubadours]] |
| 427 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theminstrels.jpg]] |
| 428 | |
| 429 | ->'''Performed by:"''' Steve Whitmire (Murray, seasons one and two), Gord Robertson (Murray, season five), Jordan Lockhart ( Murray, ''Back to the Rock''), Tim Gosley (Brool, original), Aymee Garcia (Brool, ''Back to the Rock'') Terry Angus (Brio, original), Kira Hall (Brio, ''Back to the Rock'') Various (Balsam) |
| 430 | |
| 431 | Murray, Brool, Brio and Balsam are the four minstrels who follow Cantus on his mission to unite the Rock with music. In ''Back to the Rock,'' they are called "The Troubadours" and play a similar role to Jamdolin. |
| 432 | ---- |
| 433 | * AllAPartOfTheJob: As Murray will tell you, although the Minstrel life is rewarding, it's anything but easy. |
| 434 | * AllThereInTheManual: None of them are actually named in the show itself. |
| 435 | * CanonForeigner: Downplayed with The Troubadours, who are frequently accompanied by the [[https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Flutebird?so=search Flutebird]] as an unofficial sixth member when the songs they play need more brass than just what Murray can provide. The Flutebird appeared in the original, but it was never associated with the Minstrels, and it doesn't seem to be a permanent member of The Troubadours as a band. |
| 436 | * CartoonCreature: Murray and Brool. Brio is definitely a Fraggle, and Balsam seems to be some kind of large insect, but Murray and Brool just seem to be random, undefined cave creatures. |
| 437 | * DeadpanSnarker: Murray is one of the most notable one in the series—almost every single line he utters is either a sour comment or a sarcastic quip. |
| 438 | * TheDividual: Of the Syndividual variety. While Cantus gets a few solo appearances and most of the individual characterization, the other four minstrels are mainly important as a group. They're clearly very different, but they are united by their love for music. |
| 439 | * {{Expy}}: They are basically Fraggle Rock's Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem in terms of roles and personalities. |
| 440 | * TheGenericGuy: Brool and Balsam don't get much characterization... outside of songs they never speak, and Balsam doesn't even have a consistent performer. Their solo lines in the song "Music Makes Us Real (Ping!)" do hint that Balsam is TheDitz and that Brool was a ProudWarriorRaceGuy before dedicating his life to music, but this isn't explored anywhere outside that particular song. |
| 441 | * MeaningfulName: Balsam was likely named after Phil Balsam, who wrote most of the ''Fraggle Rock'' songs along with Dennis Lee. As for Brio, ''con brio'' is an Italian musical term meaning "with vigor." |
| 442 | * OutOfFocus: They never get a whole lot of attention, but they do appear alongside Cantus in the first two seasons. In the third and fourth seasons, however, Cantus only makes solo appearances, with no comment as to where the other minstrels are. They return in season five for the penultimate episode of the show. The puppets, however, did make appearances in other media: Murray, for example, appears in ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'' alongside ''Fraggle Rock'' "one-episode wonders" Begoony and Mudwell. In ''Back to the Rock,'' all four of them appear without Cantus, though it's not really clear if Cantus exists in that continuity or not. |
| 443 | * SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Brio wears glasses, and seems to be the smartest of the group. |
| 444 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: Brio is the only female minstrel. Yet, in the original she was also performed by a male (Terry Angus). In ''Back to the Rock,'' though, she's played by Kira Hall. |
| 445 | * SourSupporter: Murray, to Cantus. He'll complain and snark about Cantus's decisions, and is the first to point out all the ways being a minstrel isn't so great, but he's loyal and dedicated all the same. |
| 446 | * TranslatorBuddy: When Cantus's sayings get too weird and cryptic, Brio is the one who puts them in terms that other people can actually understand. |
| 447 | [[/folder]] |
| 448 | |
| 449 | [[folder:Icy Joe]] |
| 450 | ->'''Performed by:''' Karen Prell |
| 451 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/icyjoe.jpg]] |
| 452 | |
| 453 | A legendary Fraggle explorer from hundreds of years ago, celebrated in song and story as one of the greatest explorers of all time, Icy Joe vanished on one of her expeditions and was never heard from again... until ''Back to the Rock'', when Gobo and Wembley found her and discovered she'd been [[HumanPopsicle frozen in ice, kept alive during the centuries]]. She's a little gruff and sometimes not too sure on what to make of these new and modern times, but she's not as mean as she appears. |
| 454 | ---- |
| 455 | |
| 456 | * AccidentalMisnaming: Icy Joe can't get ''anyone's'' name right apart from her own. It's specifically shown that the reason is because she doesn't really care enough to make an effort to remember. When she starts opening up, she starts getting names right. |
| 457 | * TheBigGuy: Icy Joe ''towers'' over the other Fraggles. Not to the extent a human being would have, but she's easily the biggest Fraggle on the show. Not only does Boober easily fit upon her shoulder, but even her ''tail'' is twice as thick as the other Fraggles. Karen Prell stated on the ''Fraggle Talks'' podcast that she required an assistant puppeteer with the sole role of supporting her arm in keeping the seven-pound puppet in the air to play the role. Said weight also meant that the US-Canada border customs briefly mistook the Icy Joe puppet for a ''weapon''. |
| 458 | * BlueMeansCold: She not only has blue skin and hair, but also the only character whose tongue and inside of her mouth are blue—befitting both the icy caverns she explored and her initially cold demeanor. |
| 459 | * DefrostingIceQueen: Turns out "Icy Joe" wasn't a nickname she got for her fondness for exploring cold environments and icy caves—it was a reference to her cold, harsh loner personality. However, she begins warming up to other Fraggles at the end of her debut episode, and becomes far more sociable and amicable. |
| 460 | * FishOutOfTemporalWater: Downplayed. Icy Joe is not up to date with a lot of the aspects of modern Fraggle society, but for the most part it just means that she sometimes plays TheWatson so that the other Fraggles can explain stuff to the audience. For the most part she fits in quite well, even getting a place in the Wise Council, even if some of her jokes and comments are kind of dated. |
| 461 | * GenderBlenderName: She's female, despite being named "Joe." Nobody in the show so much as comments on this, so it's possible "Joe" is a girl's name in Fraggle society. |
| 462 | * HumanPopsicle: A Fraggle version, which is how she's alive and well centuries after having vanished on her most famous expedition. |
| 463 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Even after warming up to other people she remains gruff, insensitive and a little standoffish... but she's generally a decent sort. |
| 464 | [[/folder]] |
| 465 | |
| 466 | |
| 467 | [[folder:Pogey Fraggle]] |
| 468 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pogey.jpg]] |
| 469 | ->'''Performed by:''' Kanja Chen |
| 470 | |
| 471 | Pogey is a small, excitable, but not particularly bright, Fraggle who is a big fan of Red. They only appear in ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 472 | --> |
| 473 | |
| 474 | * AscendedExtra: Pogey's a bit character in season 1 of ''Back to the Rock'' but gets more substantial roles in season 2. The episode "I'm Pogey" is kind of ADayInTheLimelight for them; while Wembley is the main focus of the episode, Pogey's character is explored quite a bit through their heartfelt talk with Wembley, where the meaning behind their CharacterCatchphrase "I'm Pogey!" is revealed. |
| 475 | * CharacterCatchphrase: Two. |
| 476 | ** Pogey will cheerfully yell "Hi, Red!" whenever they see Red, often several times during a conversation, regardless of whether or not they said hi to Red two minutes ago. Occasionally Pogey will say hi to other characters in the same cheery tone, like "Hi, Wembley!" but nobody gets the greeting more often than Red does. In fact, in the final episode of season 2, when Pogey sees Red and ''doesn't'' say "Hi, Red!" that's what convinces Red that something is ''very'' wrong. |
| 477 | ** Almost as frequent, especially in season 2, is "I'm Pogey!" or occasionally "Hi, I'm Pogey!" Often yelled at inopportune times, to the annoyance of others, especially Red. At first seeming to just be their ditziness, season 2 reveals that they actually do this because [[spoiler:they are so proud of and happy with their name, which is not their birth name but one they thought long and hard about during their transition to being non-binary, that they often have to yell it out loud in pure happiness]]. |
| 478 | * TheDitz: Pogey isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Their penchant for ComicallyMissingThePoint is surpassed only by Travelling Matt. |
| 479 | * DumbIsGood: Okay, so Pogey isn't bright. But they ''are'' very friendly and sympathetic, even for a Fraggle. |
| 480 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: Well, it's a little harsh (and definitely against Fraggle nature) to say that ''nobody'' likes Pogey, but they're definitely the Fraggle most likely to annoy the others (particularly Red) with their cluelessness. |
| 481 | * HiddenDepths: Nobody would call Pogey a genius. Or even of average intelligence. But as the episode "I'm Pogey" shows, they ''do'' have a huge amount of emotional awareness; when Wembley tries out a new form of self-expression by changing up his look and gets worried that maybe he's changing too much and maybe his friends won't even like the person he's becoming, Pogey is the one who assures him that he'll always be Wembley no matter what happens. In the final episode of the season they also turn out to have surprising knowledge about air velocity. |
| 482 | * {{Keet}}: Small, energetic and almost maniacally cheerful. |
| 483 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: They're pretty close in personality to Feenie, who is absent in ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 484 | [[/folder]] |
| 485 | |
| 486 | [[folder:Barry Blueberry and Sherry Contrary]] |
| 487 | [[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_20240329_165727_samsung_internet.jpg]] |
| 488 | ->'''Performed by:''' John Tartaglia (Barry Blueberry) and Aymee Garcia (Sherry Contrary) |
| 489 | |
| 490 | Introduced in the ''Back to the Rock'' episode "The Giggle-Gaggle Games", Barry Blueberry is an extremely hammy presenter of Fraggle events. In season 2, he is joined by Sherry Contrary, a co-presenter with a tendency to get on his nerves despite being an awful lot like him. |
| 491 | ---- |
| 492 | * AscendedExtra: Downplayed, as he was important to his debut episode, but Barry went from a one-shot character in "The Giggle-Gaggle Games" (with a mention in "All of Us") in season 1 to a more consistently reoccurring character, complete with a sidekick in Sherry, in season 2. |
| 493 | * HiddenDepths: While he clearly loves his job, a lot of Barry's hamminess is intended for the gig and does not appear to be a reflection of his true self, as shown in "Mezzo: Live In Concert" where Barry, who isn't working here, is shown to be very quiet and unassuming, reportedly "saving the gift". Prior to that, "All of Us" reveals him to be an excellent artist. |
| 494 | * HollywoodToneDeaf: Sherry Contrary’s [[https://youtu.be/67q0r3qSmW8 "attempt"]] at singing the "Fraggle Anthem" (which may not even be a real anthem) in "The Twisty-Turny-Thon" is horrendously off-key, to the agony of Barry and all the other Fraggles around her. |
| 495 | -->Barry: It'll be over soon. |
| 496 | * TheHyena: The two will let out their cacophony of laughs at the drop of a hat. |
| 497 | * LargeHam: And ''how''! Unless Barry is out of work and "saving the gift", both of them yell almost every single one of their lines. |
| 498 | * MeaningfulName: Barry Blueberry is the same shade of blue as a blueberry, while Sherry Contrary often says things contrary to Barry (e.g. that the painful pine cones Red steps on in "The Twisty-Turny-Thon" should be pronounced as "oochie cones" instead of "ouchie cones"). |
| 499 | * NoIndoorVoice: Spend all of their time presenting events shouting their commentary on what unfolds. |
| 500 | * SignatureLaugh: Both have an unnaturally loud and staccato "HAHAHAHAHA!" |
| 501 | * SitcomArchNemesis: The two give each other plenty of potshots and [[AsideGlance Aside Glances]], but ultimately, their rivalry is played for laughs. Barry does ultimately like Sherry's company deep down, after all. |
| 502 | * VerbalTic: "I'M BARRY BLUEBERRY!" |
| 503 | [[/folder]] |
| 504 | |
| 505 | [[folder:Beige Fraggle]] |
| 506 | |
| 507 | ->'''Performed by:''' Richard Hunt |
| 508 | |
| 509 | A Cave Fraggle, he befriends Red and helps the two sides make peace when they nearly go to war. |
| 510 | [[/folder]] |
| 511 | |
| 512 | [[folder:The Cave's Eldest Fraggle]] |
| 513 | |
| 514 | ->'''Performed by:''' Tim Gosley |
| 515 | |
| 516 | The oldest Fraggle in Fraggle Cave, she leads the Cave Fraggles in the same way the World's Oldest Fraggle does for the Fraggles of Fraggle Rock. |
| 517 | [[/folder]] |
| 518 | |
| 519 | !The Gorgs |
| 520 | [[folder:Pa Gorg]] |
| 521 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pa_gorg.jpg]] |
| 522 | ->'''Performed By:''' Jerry Nelson (face/voice, original), Gord Robertson (body, original) Patrick Pinney (animated series), Creator/FrankMeschkuleit (face/voice, ''Back to the Rock''), Andy Hayward (body, ''Back to the Rock'') |
| 523 | |
| 524 | The patriarch of the Gorg family, Pa Gorg is a blustery, self-important man who considers himself King of the Universe. While sometimes prone to anger, he's helplessly devoted to Ma Gorg. He wants his son, Junior, to grow up just like him. |
| 525 | ---- |
| 526 | * CatchPhrase: "Drat and Deuteronomy!" Also, to Junior, "You dunderheaded lummox!" |
| 527 | * EnragedByIdiocy: Junior's stupidity tends to trigger Pa's temper. |
| 528 | * HenpeckedHusband: He's the King of the Universe, and everyone has to obey him—and yes, of course he'll do whatever Ma wants, right away. |
| 529 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's impatient, completely self-centered, often needlessly cruel and even violent; he works Junior like a slave sometimes, and of the three Gorgs he is by far the most likely to grab the VillainBall. But he does genuinely love his wife and son (he's visibly upset in "The Challenge" when he thinks Junior is dying), and he has other redeeming qualities, such as a strong sense of honor. |
| 530 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Pa's song "Dum of a Son of a Gun" is one—in musical form—for Junior, who happily sings along, either because he's too dumb to realize what kind of a song it is or because he knows his father cares for him in spite of the song's lyrics. |
| 531 | * SmallNameBigEgo: He thinks he's the brightest, the best and the most powerful guy around. He's wrong. |
| 532 | [[/folder]] |
| 533 | |
| 534 | [[folder:Ma Gorg]] |
| 535 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magorg.jpg]] |
| 536 | ->'''Performed By:''' Myra Fried (face/voice, original season 1), Cheryl Wagner (face/voice, original seasons 2-5) Trish Leeper (body, original) Patricia Parris (animated series) Aymee Garcia (face/voice, ''Back to the Rock''), Ingrid Hansen (body, ''Back to the Rock'') |
| 537 | |
| 538 | The matriarch of the Gorg family, Ma Gorg is the self-styled Queen of the Universe. She can nag her husband at times, but truly cares for him and their son, Junior. She dislikes the Fraggles for stealing their radishes. |
| 539 | ---- |
| 540 | * EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: Ma Gorg is the only character to go through a substantial redesign over the course of the show (though other characters, including Gobo, Sprocket and Marjory, also had their designs tweaked). Her puppet looks ''drastically'' different in the early episodes, with a permanent frown, a different face shape and slightly darker purple skin. The redesigned Ma has a rounder face, a milder expression, lighter skin and a different hairstyle, and she's the design you see for most of the series—except for the opening sequence, which still features the original Ma. |
| 541 | * EekAMouse: Or in her case, "[[CatchPhrase Eek! A Fraggle!]]" |
| 542 | * FloweryElizabethanEnglish: She sometimes speaks in this manner when addressing her husband, particularly when trying to get him to do something for her. |
| 543 | * HighClassFan: She often carries a lacy fan, sometimes fluttering it while flirting with Pa. |
| 544 | * ProperLady: She actually plays this trope quite closely: sweet-tempered, especially to her son, kindly to a fault but not afraid to put her foot down. |
| 545 | [[/folder]] |
| 546 | |
| 547 | [[folder:Junior Gorg]] |
| 548 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/juniorgorg.jpg]] |
| 549 | ->'''Performed By:''' Richard Hunt (face/voice, original), Rob Mills (body, original season 1-4) Creator/FrankMeschkuleit (body, original season 5) Michael Laskin (animated series), Dan Garza (face/voice, ''Back to the Rock''), Ben Durocher (body, ''Back to the Rock'') |
| 550 | |
| 551 | The only son of Pa and Ma Gorg, Junior is initially the main Gorg antagonist on the show, being the one who sets up traps for the Fraggles and keeps trying to thump them with his club. Despite this, he isn't really a bad guy—just naive and a little simple. |
| 552 | ---- |
| 553 | * AttentionDeficitOohShiny: In episode 1 of ''Back to the Rock'', he's shown to be easily distracted. While chanting to himself about watching for Fraggles and not being distracted, he ends up chasing a Flutterfly. |
| 554 | * CatchPhrase: "Ooh, a ''Fwaggle''!" |
| 555 | * CharacterDevelopment: Goes through quite a bit of it, especially in later seasons, as he matures slightly, becoming kinder and more aware of others. |
| 556 | * {{Cloud Cuckoo Lander}} |
| 557 | * TheDitz: Junior ain't very bright, and is almost ridiculously easy to fool. He gets a little better throughout the course of the series. Granted, it's not known how old he is by Gorg standards, so it may simply be due to youth as opposed to actual lack of intelligence. |
| 558 | * ElmuhFuddSyndwome: More pronounced in the animated series, but definitely noticeable in the original as well. |
| 559 | * GentleGiant: There are hints of this in his personality from the start, and this part of him becomes more pronounced in later seasons and ''especially'' in the 2022 reboot. |
| 560 | ** It's worth noting that for all his talk about wanting to "thump" Fraggles, he's upset to the point of ''tears'' in "Mokey's Funeral" when he mistakenly believes he killed Mokey. And in ''Back to the Rock'', he basically only chases Fraggles because his parents force him to and even ''apologizes'' to Red before dropping her down the well. |
| 561 | * SimplemindedWisdom: On a good day. |
| 562 | * TookALevelInKindness: In the first season he's not very friendly at all, but as the show goes on he develops a softer side and ends up a friend to the Fraggles. |
| 563 | [[/folder]] |
| 564 | |
| 565 | !Doozers |
| 566 | |
| 567 | [[folder:Doozers In General]] |
| 568 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doozers.jpg]] |
| 569 | The Doozers are a race of tiny green creatures who usually sport construction helmets, boots, and tool belts. Doozers stand approximately knee-high to Fraggles, at six inches tall. Unlike Fraggles, Doozers love to work all day long, and they hate playing games. They mine radishes from underneath the Gorgs' garden and grind them into dust, which they use them to make elaborate constructions all over the Rock, like towers, buildings, roads and bridges. Fraggles love to eat these constructions, which gives the Doozers more room to build. The Doozers all live together at the Doozer Dome and work together in a society that values cooperation in order to further the common good (which is very much contrary to the Fraggles, who place a high value on individualism and independence). The Doozers pride themselves on the good work that they do, but no Doozer is allowed to take personal credit for their work—that would mean that they thought their work was better than everyone else's and would be destructive to the communal spirit. |
| 570 | ---- |
| 571 | * BuildingIsWelding: The Doozers have sometimes been shown welding while building their constructions. |
| 572 | * FoodPills: The Doozers live on a diet of assorted food pellets. |
| 573 | -->'''Doozer #1:''' Do you have any of those jelly-filled food pellets this morning?\ |
| 574 | '''Doozer #2:''' Uh-uh. Just custard.\ |
| 575 | '''Doozer #1:''' [[DoesNotLikeSpam Again? Yuck!]] |
| 576 | * ImpossiblyDeliciousFood: They once built a tower that they had to withdraw the building material for because it was so sweet that it drove Fraggles wild. This became known as the legendary Tooth Tower. |
| 577 | * ProudIndustriousRace: The Doozers are constantly building tall, crystalline structures which the Fraggles love to snack on. They actually ''like'' it when Fraggles destroy their towers, because it means they get to build more; if they didn't, they would run out of room to build and be forced to move away. |
| 578 | * ScareEmStraight: The purpose of "The Legend of the Doozer Who Didn't" (as in, work) seems to be to warn the Doozer children against laziness. It states that Doozers who don't work grow fat, grow fur, and become Fraggles. It backfires with Cotterpin, who decides she ''wants'' to be a Fraggle. |
| 579 | -->'''Cotterpin:''' Aww, I wish that dumb old kids' story were true! |
| 580 | * ScientificAndTechnologicalThemeNaming: The Doozers are all named after tools, machine parts or gadgets: Flange Doozer, Cotterpin Doozer, Old Man Pipe Wrench, Modem Doozer, etc. |
| 581 | * SpeciesSurname: Most Doozers are never named, but the ones who are all appear to have the surname "Doozer". They also all have the names of tools for first names. |
| 582 | [[/folder]] |
| 583 | |
| 584 | [[folder:Cotterpin]] |
| 585 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cotterpindoozer.jpg]] |
| 586 | ->'''Performed by:''' Kathryn Mullen (original), Creator/MonaMarshall (animated series), Donna Kimball (''Back to the Rock'') |
| 587 | |
| 588 | The closest thing the Doozers have to a rebel. Unlike all the other Doozers, who think building and construction is the greatest thing ever, Cotterpin hates the thought of being a builder and refuses to join the work force. She befriends Red and learns to follow her true path—to become an architect. Eventually she also forms friendships with some of the other Fraggles as well. |
| 589 | ---- |
| 590 | * AgainstTheGrain: Unlike the other Doozers, Cotterpin hates building; she doesn't even like playing "work crew" with her friends. She much prefers drawing bridges and watching the Fraggles dance and play games, but all of the other Doozers expect her to take the helmet and become a builder, telling her that's what Doozers do and that becoming a builder is the greatest thing there is. Cotterpin reluctantly studies for the ceremony of taking the helmet—but in the middle of the ceremony, she decides she can't go through with it, running away to try and learn to be a Fraggle. |
| 591 | * TheApprentice: After refusing to join the work force, and after a failed attempt at becoming a Fraggle, Cotterpin eventually finds her place in Doozer society as Apprentice Architect. |
| 592 | * BarefootCartoonAnimal: When not at work as the Architect's apprentice, she goes barefoot like a Fraggle (she wears traditional Doozer boots while at work). |
| 593 | * CommanderContrarian: Prior to becoming an Apprentice Architect, she had this reputation among the Doozers. A cut line from the script of her debut episode reveals that other Doozers call her "Contrary Cotterpin" and claim that she "would say that sugar's sour just to annoy a person." In reality, being contrary in and of itself is never her goal; she just has different ideas than the other Doozers. |
| 594 | * CulturalRebel: Doozers don't associate with Fraggles, and every Doozer is expected to take the helmet. Cotterpin rebels against both of these norms, running away from Doozer society to try to learn to be a Fraggle. When that doesn't work out, the Architect invites her to become his apprentice. |
| 595 | * ADayInTheLimelight: Cotterpin is the main character in most of the Doozer-centric episodes starting with "All Work and All Play." She got her own entry in the Daily Reader children's book series as well, titled ''Cotterpin's Perfect Building''. And in 1993, she even made a guest appearance on ''Series/{{Today}}'' along with Traveling Matt, to promote the series' re-release on VHS. ''Back to the Rock'' gives her an even bigger role, as she shows up in basically every every episode and even appears in the opening sequence. |
| 596 | * DeadpanSnarker: She's got quite the mouth on her! |
| 597 | * EarlyBirdCameo: Cotterpin's first appearance is as a tiny, unnamed baby Doozer in ''The Great Radish Famine'' in season one. Come season two, she gets her own name and becomes the main Doozer character on the show. |
| 598 | * HypercompetentSidekick: She's taken on some shades of this to the Architect in ''Back to the Rock''. |
| 599 | * InterspeciesFriendship: The first of the Fraggle Five whom she befriends is Red, in "All Work and All Play." She later bonds with Boober in "Boober and the Glob," Gobo in "The Cavern of Lost Dreams," and Wembley in "A Tune for Two," even participating in the Fraggle Duet-a-Thon in the latter. The only one of the Fraggle Five with whom she ''doesn't'' have a "bonding" episode is Mokey, perhaps due to the fact that they're performed by the same person. |
| 600 | * LittleMissSnarker: A prime example. A ''literal'' one too, come to think of it. |
| 601 | * OnlySaneWoman: To the Doozers in ''Back to the Rock''. She's the only Doozer who can see that using the pink goo in the Doozer sticks is a bad idea, but [[CassandraTruth nobody listens to her]]. |
| 602 | [[/folder]] |
| 603 | |
| 604 | [[folder:The Architect]] |
| 605 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/architect_8.jpg]] |
| 606 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (original), Creator/TownsendColeman (animated series), John Tartaglia (''Back to the Rock'') |
| 607 | |
| 608 | The Chief Architect of the Doozers, who also serves as their ceremony master, teacher and primary authority figure. |
| 609 | ---- |
| 610 | * AdaptationalDumbass: Downplayed, but he's become more oblivious and less inclined to be the voice of reason in ''Back to the Rock,'' meaning that Cotterpin has to step up. |
| 611 | * CommanderContrarian: Like Cotterpin, he's revealed to have had this reputation in his youth. In fact, as he reveals, this is a trait found in ''all'' the Doozers who end up becoming Architects; it's a sign that they have new ideas to bring to the table. |
| 612 | * CoolOldGuy: He's not unlike a calmer, more thoughtful version of the World's Oldest Fraggle—just without the {{Jerkass}} moments and BadBoss tendencies. |
| 613 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: He's always just called "the Architect," and his real name is never revealed. |
| 614 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might occasionally get fed up when other Doozers do things he doesn't approve of, and on ''Back to the Rock'' he's not always that inclined to listen when someone brings up logical counterarguments, but as a rule he's sympathetic and understanding, and willing to admit it when he's made a mistake. |
| 615 | [[/folder]] |
| 616 | |
| 617 | [[folder:Wrench]] |
| 618 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wrenchdoozer.jpg]] |
| 619 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz (original) Andy Hayward (''Back to the Rock'') |
| 620 | |
| 621 | Cotterpin's more traditional best friend, who unlike her is quite happy to conform to Doozer ways... but he may not be as conformist as he himself thinks. |
| 622 | ---- |
| 623 | * ADayInTheLimelight: While Cotterpin is the main Doozer character, Wrench gets to star in a couple of episodes as well. |
| 624 | * CowardlyLion: He can be timid, but he had more courage than he thinks. |
| 625 | * HiddenDepths: At first he's mainly in the show as a more "normal" young Doozer to contrast against Cotterpin, but as we get to know him a little better, it turns out he has a bit of a non-conformist streak himself. |
| 626 | * ThoseTwoGuys: Forms this dynamic with Turbo in ''Back to the Rock''; the two tend to play support to Cotterpin and occasionally chime in with a bit of comedy relief. |
| 627 | [[/folder]] |
| 628 | |
| 629 | [[folder:Flange and Wingnut]] |
| 630 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flange_and_wingnut_doozer.jpg]] |
| 631 | ->'''Performed by:''' Steve Whitmire (Flange, original), Patrick Pinney (Flange, animated series) Karen Prell (Wingnut) |
| 632 | |
| 633 | Cotterpin's parents, who are very traditional Doozers. While they are loving parents, they have some problems understanding their non-conformist daughter. Flange is a Bulldoozer (i.e. the leader of his own building team) and holds the distiction of being the first Doozer ever to meet a Gorg. |
| 634 | ---- |
| 635 | * ParentsAsPeople: They're good parents for the most part, but they have their own trials and problems, and don't always know the right thing to do. |
| 636 | * {{Pride}}: Flange's biggest character flaw. An amiable Doozer as a rule, he can't ''stand'' it if he thinks he's not getting [[DudeWheresMyRespect the respect or recognition he deserves]]. |
| 637 | * ScareEmStraight: They initially try this tactic with Cotterpin, telling her the horror story of what happens to Doozers who don't want to work—they grow too big and turn into Fraggles. The tactic backfires spectacularly, because it makes Cotterpin decide that she ''wants'' to be a Fraggle. |
| 638 | [[/folder]] |
| 639 | |
| 640 | !Outer Space Characters |
| 641 | |
| 642 | Characters from Outer Space, a.k.a. Earth. Which characters Sprocket interacted with differed between international versions--for instance, America/Canada had the inventor Doc while England got the keeper of a lighthouse and France got the owner of a bakery. |
| 643 | |
| 644 | !!"Silly Creatures", aka Humans |
| 645 | |
| 646 | [[folder:"Doc", aka Jerome Crystal]] |
| 647 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doc_71.png]] |
| 648 | ->'''Played by:''' Gerry Parkes (original), Hans-Helmut Dickow (German co-production), Creator/JohnStephenson (animated series) |
| 649 | |
| 650 | An eccentric inventor and tinkerer, Doc is Sprocket's human owner in the American/Canadian version of the show. He doesn't interact with the Fraggles personally until the end of the series, but it's his home that receives the postcards Matt sends, and sometimes what he does can have an effect on the Fraggles' world—whether he realizes it or not. In the German version of the show, he was played by German actor Hans-Helmut Dickow, but unlike the UK and French versions of Sprocket's owner, the German one seems intended to be the same character, just played by a different actor and with a different nationality. |
| 651 | ---- |
| 652 | * BunglingInventor: He's a low-key version of this; he makes a lot of inventions but few of them have much practical use and a number of them don't work as intended. It's kept fairly realistic, though, and his inventions seldom if ever surpass what's plausible for an elderly man to have come up with on a shoestring budget. |
| 653 | ** When someone he's talking to on the phone asks him why he's working on his current project (figuring out how to sew a button onto a fried egg), he irritatedly responds that he's too busy working on the ''how'' to think about the ''why'' right now |
| 654 | ** He reveals in the last episode he came to the area to be a marine biologist—and just ended up being a pensioner who tries his hand at inventing. |
| 655 | * {{Cloud Cuckoo Lander}}: He's a bit of one, which becomes clear when you see some of the inventions he makes, such as a "collapsible bookcase" that's ''meant to fall apart''. |
| 656 | * CoolOldGuy: He does have some occasional traces of GrumpyOldMan, but more often he's a clear example of this trope. |
| 657 | * TheFaceless: In the animated series, his face is never shown and he is only seen from the shoulders down, similar to Nanny from ''[[WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984 Muppet Babies]]''. |
| 658 | * ManChild: He never loses his childlike enthusiasm or passion for life—though occasionally he can get directly childish, sulking when things don't go his way and getting unreasonable. He has a sort of parent/child dynamic with Sprocket, but it can vary between episode which one's the parent and which one's the child. |
| 659 | * OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: For the entire series, he's never called by any other name than "Doc"—in the very last episode we learn that this is a nickname and that his real name is Jerome Crystal. |
| 660 | * PieInTheFace: In "Fraggle Wars," he's the victim of ''two'' pies thrown at him by Shimmelfinney. In another episode, he tries to put together an automatic pie maker for Ms. Ardath and ends up with another one tossed in his face, as well as squirted with whipped cream, much to Sprocket's amusement. |
| 661 | * ShoutOut: The character of Doc is a nod to Faz Fazakas, the Mupppets' resident legendary tech and special-effects wizard who was instrumental in the development of the Doozers. According to producer Duncan Kenworthy, Doc is actually a ''toned-down'' version of Faz. |
| 662 | * SpeaksFluentAnimal: Played with and parodied. He clearly understands everything Sprocket is saying, but has a tendency to [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Comically Miss The Point]]. At one point he decided that he wanted to learn to "communicate" with Sprocket and spent the entire episode completely missing the fact that they already ''were'' communicating. |
| 663 | -->'''Doc:''' And now the "I want to be friends" gesture. ''(rolls on his back like a dog, limbs in the air)''\ |
| 664 | '''Sprocket:''' ''(gives him a look)''\ |
| 665 | '''Doc:''' I resent the implication that I've gone mad. |
| 666 | * StealthPun: As Henson staff writer Craig Shemin pointed out at the 2001 [=MuppetFest=] convention, his real name being "Jerome Crystal" would make him "[[Film/TheDarkCrystal Doc Crystal]]." |
| 667 | * VitriolicBestBuds: With his neighbor, Ned Shimmelfinney. The two argue and fight and get into prank wars, but in the end they are the best of friends. |
| 668 | ** UndyingLoyalty: The entire reason Doc moves to the desert is to remain neighbors with Ned, who can't live near the sea anymore due to a medical condition. |
| 669 | [[/folder]] |
| 670 | |
| 671 | [[folder:The Captain]] |
| 672 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/captain_3.jpg]] |
| 673 | -->'''Played by:''' Fulton [=MacKay=] |
| 674 | |
| 675 | A retired sailor and the keeper of Fraggle Rock Lighthouse, the Captain is Sprocket's human owner in the first two seasons of the UK version of the show. |
| 676 | ---- |
| 677 | * AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: The Captain's relationship with Sprocket is different than Doc's in one very important respect: Doc might end up ignoring that Sprocket is a dog and treat him as a fellow human, but the Captain ''never'' forgets that Sprocket is a dog, and his relationship with Sprocket is more consistently a relationship between owner and pet, rather than the parent/child dynamic Doc and Sprocket had. |
| 678 | * CatchPhrase: "Oh, Sprocket!" |
| 679 | * EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: In one episode, overcome by national nostalgia due to a parcel he received from his niece, he begins wearing traditional Scottish regalia and playing the bagpipes. Sprocket does ''not'' appreciate this. |
| 680 | * JerkassBall: The UK version of "The Garden Plot" is the Captain's turn at holding the ball; he's ''much'' harsher and more dismissive towards Sprocket this time 'round. |
| 681 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: As mentioned above, he can be a bit of a curmudgeon at times, but he's ultimately a nice guy and very close to Sprocket. |
| 682 | * ManInAKilt: In one episode, when he embraces his Scottish inheritance. |
| 683 | [[/folder]] |
| 684 | |
| 685 | [[folder:P.K. ("Principal Keeper")]] |
| 686 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fr_uk_pk.jpg]] |
| 687 | -->'''Played by:''' John Gordon Sinclair |
| 688 | The Captain's nephew and replacement in the third season of the UK version of the show. Initially he doesn't like the lighthouse, or Sprocket, very much, but he comes around. |
| 689 | ---- |
| 690 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Like uncle, like nephew. He can be a bit of a jerk at times, but when he realizes he's crossed the line he'll usually make amends. |
| 691 | * KindHeartedCatLover: He's fond of cats, certainly preferring them to dogs -— in fact, the main reason why he agreed to come over and look after Sprocket was that he thought Sprocket was a cat. Needless to say, their first meeting did not go well. |
| 692 | [[/folder]] |
| 693 | |
| 694 | [[folder:B.J. (Bertwistle Jr.)]] |
| 695 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bjandsprocketjpg.jpg]] |
| 696 | -->'''Played by:''' Simon O'Brien |
| 697 | |
| 698 | P.K's replacement and Sprocket's owner from the fourth and final seasons in the UK version of the show. He's the son of Mr. Bertwistle, the owner of the Fraggle Rock lighthouse, and unlike P.K., he enjoys both Sprocket's company and being in the lighthouse. |
| 699 | ---- |
| 700 | * NiceGuy: Perhaps the difference between P.K. and B.J. can be summed up in their respective appearances in the show's TitleSequence: P.K. is angrily fighting with Sprocket over a sock, while B.J. is smiling and scratching the dog's belly. |
| 701 | [[/folder]] |
| 702 | |
| 703 | [[folder:Doc (France)]] |
| 704 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frenchdoc.jpg]] |
| 705 | -->'''Played by:''' Michel Robin |
| 706 | |
| 707 | A retired chef who lives in a closed-down bakery, and Sprocket's owner in the French version. He's inherited the place from his eccentric uncle Georges, who was an inventor, and whose inventions are still frequently found around the place. |
| 708 | ---- |
| 709 | * AllLoveIsUnrequited: He's got a thing for the [[TheGhost unseen]] but elegant Madame Pontaven, and is always trying to impress her or ask her out, but never has any success. |
| 710 | [[/folder]] |
| 711 | |
| 712 | [[folder:"Doctor" Doc]] |
| 713 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lillicooper.jpg]] |
| 714 | -->'''Played by:''' Lilli Cooper |
| 715 | |
| 716 | A graduate student and PHD candidate, and Sprocket's owner in ''Back to the Rock''. A scientist in training, her dream is to earn her doctorate and one day be known as "Doctor Doc." She also hopes to create a bacteria that can eat microplastics and clean up the ocean. |
| 717 | |
| 718 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: She's a legitimately good scientist, a hard worker, and has a knack for tinkering, but like her predecessors, she has more than a bit of an eccentric streak. |
| 719 | * {{Cuckoosnarker}}: She's got a bit of a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} streak, she tends to go off on weird tangents which lapse into odd ramblings and babblings when she gets nervous, she makes some weird leaps of logic and likes cutesy nicknames—but she's quick with the sarcastic quips. They're usually directed at Sprocket (though he [[SilentSnarker gives as good as he gets]]). |
| 720 | * {{Determinator}}: Though she fails and meets a lot of setbacks, she refuses to let this keep her down for long. |
| 721 | * NiceGirl: There really isn't a mean bone in her body. At worst she might roll her eyes and say something snarky, or she'll be InnocentlyInsensitive because she's misunderstood what Sprocket actually wants, but her instinct is to be friendly and helpful to everyone. It really says something about her that whenever she's stumped for words and just tries to think of something to say, the words that come out are generally "I love you!" |
| 722 | * OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Like the original Doc, she only goes by her nickname. Her real name isn't mentioned (though she does mention that she once had an aunt that called her "Yoyo.") She also wonders at one point if this mysterious "Gobo" to whom Traveling Matt's packages are addressed might be ''her''. |
| 723 | * PerformanceAnxiety: Not very strongly, but she's not good at public speaking, meaning that defending her PHD or demonstrating her school project is a little tricky. Even when practicing her demonstration on Sprocket she mainly babbles awkwardly. |
| 724 | [[/folder]] |
| 725 | |
| 726 | [[folder:Ned Shimmelfinney]] |
| 727 | Doc's neighbor and closest (human) friend. He's never seen on-screen, but Doc often talks with him on the phone, and his feuds and friendship with Doc drive several of the Doc/Sprocket plots. It's his having to move away for his health that sets the story of the final episode of the show in motion. |
| 728 | ---- |
| 729 | * TheGadfly: He's a prankster, and he really loves riling people up... especially Doc. |
| 730 | * TheGhost: Often discussed but never seen or heard. The closest we get to a physical appearance of Ned is a glimpse of his left hand in one episode, when he hands Doc a neighborhood petition through the door. |
| 731 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: From his interactions with Doc, he comes across as this; he can get a little mean-spirited at times but isn't actually a bad person. |
| 732 | [[/folder]] |
| 733 | |
| 734 | !!Animals |
| 735 | |
| 736 | [[folder:Sprocket]] |
| 737 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fragglerock_sprocket.jpg]] |
| 738 | ->'''Performed by:''' Steve Whitmire/Karen Prell (original), David Barclay (international version) Creator/RobPaulsen (animated series), John Tartaglia (''Back to the Rock'') |
| 739 | |
| 740 | A big, friendly—if cowardly—sheepdog, he's the main connection between the Fraggles and the human world and the one character who appears in the human world segments of both the American/Canadian, British, French and German co-productions, having a different human owner in all four of them. Sprocket is initially suspicious of the Fraggles but eventually warms up to and befriends Gobo, on some rare occasions even entering Fraggle Rock itself and going on adventures with the Fraggles. Nevertheless, they don't learn each other's names until the series finale. |
| 741 | ---- |
| 742 | * AccidentalBargainingSkills: In "The Terrible Tunnel," Sprocket becomes attached to a horseshoe, which Doc needs to complete his collapsible bookcase. Doc is forced to bargain with his own dog in order to get the horseshoe, and eventually ends up giving up his slippers (as chew toys) and finally his dinner (to which the dog finally agrees). Once the horseshoe is added, the collapsible bookcase lives up to its name by—what else?—collapsing. |
| 743 | * AfraidOfDoctors: The very mention of the word "veterinarian" sends Sprocket into a panic in "The Beast of Blue Rock." In "Pebble Pox Blues," he's [[AfraidOfNeedles due for his shots]] and tries to stall his way out of the appointment—until he learns that Ms. Ardath's Airedale is scared too and becomes only too eager to demonstrate his bravery to her. |
| 744 | * AnimalTalk: Sort of hinted when he "talks to" Rowlf in Film/AMuppetFamilyChristmas. |
| 745 | -->'''Sprocket:''' ''[spots Rowlf and barks excitedly]''\ |
| 746 | '''Rowlf:''' Woof woof!\ |
| 747 | '''Sprocket:''' [nods eagerly, lets out a number of barks]\ |
| 748 | '''Rowlf:''' Yeah, bark bark! Oh? Yeah, bark!\ |
| 749 | '''Doc:''' ''[aside, chuckling]'' Don't you just hate it when you can't speak the language? |
| 750 | * AsideGlance: Doc's wackier antics inspire this in Sprocket ''a lot'', especially in the original series. |
| 751 | * BadImpressionists: A RunningGag, especially in the American version, is Sprocket trying to imitate another animal or even a human. Being a dog, he generally does a bad job of it (his impersonations of Ned Shimmelfinney and Commander Ponsonby consists of pretending to strangle himself)... but he does a surprisingly accurate [[Series/TheMuppetShow Swedish Chef.]] |
| 752 | * BerserkButton: His reaction to being told he has to fly as baggage in the final episode. |
| 753 | * BigEater: He loves his food. At one point, he gets Doc to buy him a gourmet dog food called "Rover's Royal Repast," only to quickly switch back to his regular food when he learns the serving size for each day will be only a spoonful because the brand is so expensive. In ''Back to the Rock'', he's shown to have a special affinity for [[TrademarkFavoriteFood doggie treats]] and even [[ImagineSpot imagines Doc giving him a giant treat]] as a reward for capturing Traveling Matt. |
| 754 | * BigFriendlyDog: Well, initially the Fraggles don't think he's friendly at all, taking him to be a scary monster—but they end up quite friendly. |
| 755 | * BrutalHonesty: ''Tact'' isn't exactly in this dog's vocabulary, and he doesn't sugarcoat things. |
| 756 | -->'''Doc:''' Have you been chasing Shimmelfinney's cat Fluffinella around the block again?\ |
| 757 | '''Sprocket:''' ''[barks 3 times]''\ |
| 758 | '''Doc:''' Three times! Aren't you ashamed of yourself?\ |
| 759 | '''Sprocket:''' ''[shakes his head]'' |
| 760 | * TheCameo: Being the only regular "Outer Space" Muppet on the show, he's made appearances in quite a few other Muppet productions, including ''The Jim Henson Hour'' and ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol''. And he has a bigger role in ''Film/AMuppetFamilyChristmas'' than any of the Fraggles. |
| 761 | * CassandraTruth: Try as he might, he just can't convince his owner that Fraggles exist. One HBO promo for the show had Doc wondering what Fraggles looked like and then offering a near-''perfect'' description of the species, then ignoring Sprocket's excited reaction and deciding it couldn't be true. Cut to a "why do I even bother" expression from Sprocket as the clip ends. |
| 762 | * CharacterDevelopment: He initially distrusts Gobo and the other Fraggles, chasing them whenever he sees them. After they save him when he gets stuck in the wall, however, he warms up to them, and becomes friends with Gobo. He also befriends Uncle Traveling Matt toward the end of the series, and one of the spinoff children's books is about Matt and Sprocket spending a day together. |
| 763 | * ADayInTheLimelight: Sprocket already appears in almost every episode, but he has an expanded role in a handful, including "A Friend in Need," "Sprocket's Big Adventure," and "The Voice Inside." He also got two children's storybook spinoffs of his own: ''Sprocket's Christmas Tale'', which is about him trying to find a Christmas gift for Doc, and ''Sprocket, Dog Detective''[[note]]Originally titled ''Follow That Fraggle!''[[/note]], in which he follows—and befriends—Traveling Matt. |
| 764 | * DubNameChange: He's known as Croquette in French, although the "Doc's workshop" segments in the French version are original, not redubbed from English. Also in the Creator/{{NHK}} Japanese dub, his name is Mac, probably because [[{{Engrish}} "Makku" is easier to say than "Supurocketto."]] |
| 765 | * EvenTheDogIsAshamed: Some of Sprocket's reactions to Doc's wackier antics suggest this. |
| 766 | * FromStrayToPet: This is Sprocket's back story as recounted in the children's storybook ''Sprocket's Christmas Tale''. He was born as a stray and saved from a fate in the dog pound when Doc rescued him and took him in. |
| 767 | * IntellectualAnimal: The French version of Sprocket, renamed "Croquette," is [[AdaptationalIntelligence noticeably more intellectual]] and "continental" than the American, British or German versions. While still a dog who barks at Fraggles, Croquette is an avid stamp collector and has a passion for reading high literature—even donning [[SmartPeopleWearGlasses reading glasses]] on several occasions. |
| 768 | * LickedByTheDog: Sprocket often licks Doc's face as a sign of affection and friendship. It's also a sign they've made up after a quarrel or disagreement. Eventually, after Gobo earns his trust, he begins to do the same with Gobo. |
| 769 | * LovableCoward: He's not a brave dog at all. Sure, he'll bark at small harmless creatures and even chase Shimmelfinney's cat around the block, but if they try to put up a fight, he tends to panic and run away. |
| 770 | * NearlyNormalAnimal: He's very clearly a dog, with typical dog interests and priorities, but he displays a human-like intelligence and is able to to do ridiculously human things like cooking, reading (though, at least if we don't count the French version of the character, he may just be looking at the pictures of the cute female airedales), playing videogames, using a hammer, using the telephone, dancing, running on a treadmill, and even helping Creator/JimHenson do the dishes. |
| 771 | * SilentSnarker: He speaks only in barks, whines and growls—but they can sure be ''sarcastic'' barks, whines and growls. In ''Back to the Rock'', he can match Doctor Doc (who has a sarcastic streak of her own) snark for snark. |
| 772 | [[/folder]] |
| 773 | |
| 774 | |
| 775 | [[folder:Fluffinella]] |
| 776 | ->'''Performed by:''' Karen Prell |
| 777 | Ned Shimmelfinney's pet cat. Unlike her owner, Fluffinella does make the occasional brief on-screen appearance, generally as an orange streak as she charges at something (Sprocket, more often than not). |
| 778 | ---- |
| 779 | * CatsAreMean: Initially. Sprocket is actually afraid of her, though they come to an understanding later in the series. |
| 780 | * FluffyTheTerrible: Don't let her cutesy name fool you—this kitty is ''dangerous'' when annoyed. |
| 781 | [[/folder]] |
| 782 | |
| 783 | !Others |
| 784 | [[folder:Marjory the Trash Heap]] |
| 785 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/trash_heap.jpg]] |
| 786 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (original), Rob Paulsen (animated series), Aymee Garcia (''Back to the Rock'') |
| 787 | |
| 788 | A living, talking pile of refuse, the Trash Heap is the source of all the Fraggles' wisdom. She is the only one who knows how all of their worlds intersect. |
| 789 | ---- |
| 790 | * AmbiguouslyJewish: Her accent, though it varies depending on where in the Gorgs' Garden she is located, is often heavy in Yiddish inflections. John O'Connor of the New York Times described her as sounding "like somebody's idea of revenge on a Jewish mother-in-law." For his part, Jerry Nelson claimed the accent was meant to be Russian, not Jewish, as he modeled the character's voice on Maria Ouspenskaya, a legendary Russian actress. |
| 791 | * CrossCastRole: She's performed by male puppeteer Jerry Nelson, carrying on the classic Muppet tradition of female characters being performed by men. Nelson certainly isn't very good at faking a feminine voice, though that might be the point. Averted in "Back to The Rock" where she's performed there by female puppeteer Aymee Garcia. |
| 792 | * DemotedToExtra: A major character in season one, she appeared roughly every other episode. From season two and onward, her appearances became much more sporadic, though she still played major parts in the final three episodes of the last season. |
| 793 | * DidNotThinkThisThrough: In one episode, she magically removes all the radishes from the garden, assuming that the Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs would become friends and cooperate in the face of disaster. Just the opposite happens and she's forced to admit that getting the three species to even ''talk'' to each other is the best she can do for now, and restores the radishes. |
| 794 | * DitzyGenius: At times she seems like she's not all there, she can get a little too caught up in herself, and some of her advice is a little weird, but she generally does know what she's talking about and her advice, when not totally misunderstood, is usually very good. |
| 795 | * DubNameChange: Marjory is renamed Germaine in the French version, and Justina in the Latino Spanish dub. In the European Spanish dub, she has no name and is just referred to as ''La Montaña de Basura'' (the trash mountain). The '80s Japanese dub renamed her Gomi-sama ("Lord (of) Trash"), but in the 2021 redub she's back to her original name. |
| 796 | * GrandDame: A good-natured parody of the trope, complete with a... |
| 797 | ** HighClassGlass: She has a lorgnette which she'll frequently hold up to her eyes. |
| 798 | * ItCameFromTheFridge: A compost heap that has acheived not just sentience, but oracular powers. |
| 799 | * MagicFeather: A frequent provider of these early in the first season, when she'd present the Fraggles with some placebo and tell them it was magic, but this tendency was phased out and hardly ever occurred again after the first season. |
| 800 | * MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Putting aside that she's a mound of garbage that can talk, she seems to have supernatural insight, sort of a predecessor to [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Guinan]]. While she generally relies on what ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'''s Granny Weatherwax would call "head-ology" (such as advising Boober that he can be brave if wears his hat, which he always does anyway), she also has genuine magical abilities. |
| 801 | * MistakenForProfound: She sometimes gave out random bits of advice, which usually worked out this way. |
| 802 | * SpeaksFluentAnimal: It's revealed she's able to communicate with Sprocket when he ends up in the Gorgs' garden. |
| 803 | * WideEyedIdealist: She wants world harmony. Aside from the above Did Not Think This Through, she's ecstatic in the final episode that a human made friends with a Fraggle. |
| 804 | [[/folder]] |
| 805 | |
| 806 | [[folder:Philo and Gunge]] |
| 807 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/philoandgungejpg.jpg]] |
| 808 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz (Philo, original), Richard Hunt (Gunge, original) John Stephenson (both, animated series), Bob Bergen (Gunge in some episodes of the animated series), Dan Garza (Philo, ''Back to the Rock''), John Tartaglia (Gunge, ''Back to the Rock'') |
| 809 | |
| 810 | The Trash Heap's rat attendants, Philo and Gunge rarely leave her side. |
| 811 | ---- |
| 812 | * CharacterCatchphrase: They share two; as part of their job as the Trash Heap's attendants. |
| 813 | ** The first one, used to greet visitors, has a few variants, but usually goes like this: |
| 814 | -->'''Gunge:''' You are in the presence of—\ |
| 815 | '''Philo:''' —the ''all''-knowing—\ |
| 816 | '''Both:''' Trash Heap! Nyeeeeah! |
| 817 | ** The second one, delivered at the end of a lecture, goes like this: |
| 818 | -->"The Trash Heap has spoken! Nyeeeah!" |
| 819 | * DeadpanSnarker: They have their moments. |
| 820 | * TheDividual: Of the Twindividual variation; though easy to distinguish visually they are rarely seen apart and share a personality. |
| 821 | * DubNameChange: Philo is Kuzu and Gunge is Bororo in the '80s Japanese dub. |
| 822 | * VerbalTic: "Nyeeeah!" Usually a part of their two {{Catch Phrase}}s. It's even in a few of their songs, including "Go with the Flow" and the final episode's end credits performance of the theme song. |
| 823 | ** This was Richard Hunt's idea, as he came up with the idea of having Philo and Gunge speak in a {{Joisey}} accent. This was a sort of FakeNationality for Dave Goelz, who is from California; Hunt was a native New Yorker. |
| 824 | [[/folder]] |
| 825 | |
| 826 | [[folder:Lanford]] |
| 827 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lanford.jpg]] |
| 828 | [[caption-width-right:280:Lanford in the original series]] |
| 829 | [[caption-width-right:280:[[labelnote: Lanford in ''Back to the Rock'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20240318_134751.jpg[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 830 | |
| 831 | ->'''Performed by:''' Rob Mills (original), Ingrid Hansen (''Back to the Rock'') |
| 832 | |
| 833 | A sentient plant, more specifically a Night-Blooming Yellow-Leaved Deathwort, owned by Mokey. Affectionate towards her, not so much towards anyone else—particularly Red. |
| 834 | ---- |
| 835 | * ArtEvolution: Puppet version. Like Mokey, he's a lot more saturated and colorful in ''Back to the Rock.'' He also has a mane of leaves around his neck, pink fuzz on his stem, much larger leaves, and an overall rounder, cuter design. |
| 836 | * HiddenDepths: Somehow, he managed to become a member of the Order of Poobahs ''before'' Mokey did. |
| 837 | * ManEatingPlant: Certainly has all the traits of one—even if he never actually eats anyone, there's always the feeling that he ''might.'' |
| 838 | * MoralityPet: Mokey is his. He's abrasive to everybody else, especially Red. |
| 839 | * {{Planimal}}: More clearly a plant than most examples of this trope; he stays rooted to his flowerpot and can't walk around on his own, but he otherwise displays more animal-like characteristics and is definitely more pet than houseplant. |
| 840 | * SitcomArchNemesis: With Red. They do ''not'' get along, but their enmity is always PlayedForLaughs. |
| 841 | * TheUnintelligible: He's far more vocal in ''Back to the Rock,'' but he only speaks in gibberish. Though it ''is'' possible to work out certain parts of his dialogue, like when he imitates Mokey and very clearly says "Hello, Boober." |
| 842 | [[/folder]] |
| 843 | |
| 844 | [[folder:Wander [=McMooch=]]] |
| 845 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wanderjpg.jpg]] |
| 846 | ->'''Performed by:''' Bob Stutt |
| 847 | |
| 848 | One of the only truly evil characters in the series (the genie from "Wembley and the Mean Genie" being the other, though even he has a HeelFaceTurn by the end), he's a toad who works as a ConArtist. He despises Fraggles and their inherent goodness. [=McMooch=] only appears twice, and is foiled each time. |
| 849 | ---- |
| 850 | * HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: He's a barefoot and pants-free toad, but he does wear a black hat with a white feather, along with a coat, shirt, and cravat. |
| 851 | * HarmlessVillain: ''Kind'' of, but only from the Fraggles' POV. He's never even remotely a threat to any of the Fraggle characters, because Fraggles repulse him so much that whenever he sees them, it's enough to make him flee. He's a legit threat to non-Fraggles like Philo and Gunge, though, and he nearly cost the Gorgs their home. |
| 852 | * HateSink: Most of the antagonistic characters of ''Fraggle Rock'' are shown to have at least ''some'' redeeming qualities. Wander [=McMooch=] is the exception; he's ''purely'' a villain driven by self-interest, bullying those smaller than him and scamming and sweet-talking those bigger than him. |
| 853 | * HiddenDepths: Averted—he's the only character on the show who ''doesn't'' have any. |
| 854 | ** Or...? He makes a surprise cameo in ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'', as one of Fred's dinner guests. and gets on famously with the others (this appearance even hints that he's HappilyMarried); he's the one who insists that they must have a game now that it's Christmas. A case of MeanCharacterNiceActor... or just another of his scams? |
| 855 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: [=McMooch=] has the word "mooch" right in his name. One definition for "mooch" is "get something without paying for it"—though, when he wanted to buy the Gorgs' castle, he did offer Junior a sack of gold. |
| 856 | [[/folder]] |
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