♫ Raise your voices high! ♫
Cantus arrives during the winter solstice, just in time for the Festival of the Bells. Legend has it that every year, as the solstice approaches, the Rock slows down and that when the Fraggles ring their bells during the Festival, the Great Bell, which resides at the heart of the Rock, will ring, keeping the Rock moving for another year.Gobo's friends are excited about the Festival, but Gobo doesn't believe the legend—until he finds a map leading to a bell-shaped cave at the center of the Rock. He refuses to celebrate until he travels there and brings back the Great Bell, telling the others to promise not to ring their bells until he comes back. Cantus follows him to the center of the Rock, where Gobo finds the cave empty. They return and find that everyone else has frozen solid. Gobo, realizing the Great Bell is at the heart of every Fraggle, discovers the meaning of the Festival and rings his bell, unfreezing the others. They all ring their bells, keeping the Rock alive with their music.
This episode contains examples of:
- Christmas Episode: The Fraggles celebrate the Festival of the Bells in place of Christmas—not until A Muppet Family Christmas, a few years later, do they learn what Christmas even is. Played straight with Doc and Sprocket, who do celebrate Christmas. Indeed, it's been rerun a number of times over the years as a holiday special, and was even shown theatrically in 2018 on a double bill with Emmet Otters Jugband Christmas.
- Continuity Nod:
- Gobo, Red, and Mokey are wearing their hats from "A Friend In Need."
- Boober and Wembley wear their winter outfits from "Blanket of Snow, Blanket of Woe."
- Crappy Holidays: Justified. Gobo, who doesn't believe in the Great Bell, thinks the Festival is a waste of time.Gobo: Wembley, it's all a party game! Okay, there's a lot of fun it.
Wembley: Yeah...
Gobo: But what's it for?
Wembley: Well...
Gobo: Where's the Great Bell?
Wembley: Well, it's... it's at the heart of the Rock.
Gobo: [sighs] So they say.
Wembley: Huh?
Gobo: But no one's ever seen it. - Credits Medley: The episode ends with a reprise of the Fraggles singing "There's a Promise," in place of the usual ending theme. Aside from "The River of Life" and the final episode, this is the only episode to feature an alternate end credits sequence.
- Cryptic Conversation: Cantus tends to engage in this.Cantus: I will find Gobo. You will wait here. We do not have much time, and we must use all of it.
Boober: B-but... what if the... what if the Rock stops while you're gone?
Cantus: There will be motion in the stillness, as there is music in the silence. [Walks off.]
Mokey: Gee, isn't it comforting receiving such a wise message... whatever it meant. - The Determinator: Gobo is determined to bring back the Great Bell and prove its existence to the other Fraggles, despite the fact that the Rock is slowing down and growing colder every minute.Cantus: I'm surprised he got this far. He may be as determined as he is wrong. [A Beat.] I admire that.
- Edutainment: The Doc and Sprocket segments are this, at least in the North American version. Doc explains to Sprocket about the winter solstice and why parts of the earth get cold during the winter months, and Sprocket breaks a piñata, a Mexican Christmas tradition.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Gobo, disillusioned with the Festival having no meaning, seeks to find one.
- Gift Shake: At the beginning of the episode, Sprocket is shaking a present while holding it to its ear. Just as Doc enters the workshop, Sprocket tosses the gift back under the Christmas tree.
- Harmless Freezing: Since Gobo's friends didn't ring their bells in time, they became frozen in ice. Gobo's bell-ringing unfreezes them, though, and they're none the worse for their experience.
- Holiday Episode: The Fraggles are celebrating the Festival of the Bells.
- It Was with You All Along: Cantus explaining to Gobo that the Great Bell is at the heart of every Fraggle.
- Leaving Food for Santa: In Traveling Matt's segment (Canada/U.S. version), he watches kids prepare for Santa Claus' arrival by leaving a snack of milk and cookies, which Matt consumes.
- Magic Music: Gobo's ringing his bell unfreezes the others.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": Gobo's friends, when he announces his intention to bring back the Great Bell.
- Meanwhile, Back at the…: The story keeps turning back to Boober, Mokey, Red, and Wembley as they're huddled around a fire, waiting for Gobo to bring back the Great Bell—and hoping they won't freeze solid in the meantime.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Gobo making everyone promise not to ring the bells until his return causes the other Fraggles and the entire Rock to freeze solid.
- Now You Tell Me: Gobo says this when Cantus catches up with him.Gobo: What are you doing here?
Cantus: Listen!
Gobo: Listen to what? All I can hear are my teeth chattering.
Cantus: You should have brought your mittens.
Gobo: Oh, now you tell me. - Oh, Crap!: Gobo, on seeing that his friends have frozen solid.
- Running Gag:
- Wembley notices that Gobo, when setting out to find the Great Bell, has forgotten his mittens. A bit later, Boober points out that Cantus has done the same when leaving to find Gobo. Cantus realizes this himself while on his search for Gobo. Later, when Gobo says that all he can hear are his teeth chattering, Cantus replies, "You should have brought your mittens."
- In the North American "B" plot, Doc tells Sprocket about piñatas and has even brought one for him to break. When Sprocket finally smashes it open, he finds dog bones for himself and a pair of mittens for Doc.
- Saving the World With Art: In this case, saving the Rock with music.
- Staircase Tumble: Wembley falls down the steps leading into his room.
- True Meaning of Christmas: Or of the Festival. Gobo discovers it when he realizes what the Great Bell is.Gobo: [as he and the others ring their bells] The Great Bell is... is my bell! It's Wembley's bell! Our bells keep the Rock moving. It's our music that keeps the Rock alive!
- Undying Loyalty:
- Wembley insists that everyone refrain from bell-ringing until Gobo's return—even if it means freezing solid.
- Defied with Red, who, as the Rock gets colder, decides to ring her bell, promise or no promise. When she reaches for it, though, she finds she can't move.
- The X of Y: The episode's title.
- You Mean "Xmas": Justified. The Festival of the Bells takes place at the winter solstice, which occurs during the Christmas season.
