Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock perfectly captures nostalgia mixed with a bit of modernization — in this interview with the creators, and the Fraggles themselves, learn all about what it is like in person, radish recipes, Mokey’s updated look, and more.
Jim Henson and his puppeteers have been a staple of households for decades, from his characters on The Muppets, Labyrinth, and of course, Fraggle Rock. His great work has been rebooted in the newest Apple TV+ Original, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, with all 13 episodes streaming now.
In the below interviews, Tessa Smith and new Mama’s Geeky writer Daniel Prinn were able to take part on a press day for Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Participating talent included Halle Stanford, the Jim Henson Company’s President of Television and executive producer of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock; conversations with executive producers and showrunners Alex Cuthbertson and Matt Fusfeld; as well as two of the Fraggles themselves interviewed in character, with Mokey Fraggle (played by Donna Kimball) and Wembley Fraggle (played by Jordan Lockhart).
Those conversations are below with a write-up combining both interviews, with all interview videos embed below.
Being a fan
When Halle Stanford was a kid, she reveals that she was a massive Jim Henson fan. “My nickname was Gonzo,” she says, and claims working for the company is a dream come true.
She says it still feels like a dream job, especially when she visits the Creature Shop, which she likens to going to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
“I’ve been with the company for 27 years,” she said. “Believe me, it never gets tiring going to the Jim Henson Creature Shop.” Stanford also mentioned every project feeling like the next dream project because they’re always working on something different.
Alex Cuthbertson, exec producer and showrunner, is also a fan of the show, saying himself and other showrunner and exec producer Matt Fusfeld had to pinch themselves to make sure everything was really happening.
Saying of Fraggle Rock and this magical world: “It was this perfect sort-of companion to a child’s imagination and adult’s imagination, anyone who could see themselves engaging with this really special world. It was hard to deny the attraction of that.”
Visiting Fraggle Rock and the sets
The great thing, and important thing to stress, about Fraggle Rock is that the sets are all practical, with no CGI involved in the sets of Fraggle Rock. Halle mentioned it was so important for them to bring the Fraggles as puppets because they’re living creatures with heart and physicality, who, of course, sing.
“The puppets and sets make the magic come alive,” said Stanford. “You believe that it’s real, because it is.”
Matt Fusfeld talks about how the set and its puppets have the same effect on everyone. “We’ll have visitors visit our set and talk to Gobo or Red, and it was never people talking to John Tartaglia or Karen Prell… Adults included, you’re always talking directly to the puppet. They’re just so real and a part of your childhood.”
Halle Stanford also talks about visiting the Great Hall for the first time, seeing it with Karen Prell who voiced Red Fraggle on the original show from 1983-1987, and reprises her role for this reincarnation. “She burst into tears when she saw it,” said Stanford.
Cuthbertson also talked about how these sets allowed them to explore a larger Fraggle world this time around. “It allowed us to build bigger sets with more depth, which affected the storytelling,” he said. “You start to wonder, ‘What’s behind that corner? What’s behind that waterfall? What’s in that tunnel?’”
“As writers and creators, with the performers, it felt like we were on this trip together, discovering more and more of Fraggle Rock instead of actually making something brand new.”
A Mokey makeover, and changes to the show
Stanford mentions that she was the one responsible for the Mokey makeover. “I said at the beginning, ‘If everyone doesn’t like it, you can blame me. Throw me out to the wolves and I’ll take it.’” She talks about her decision to make her hair a turquoise shade, instead of the grey lavender Mokey had for much of the original series. “I wanted to feel younger and one of the team, and we particularly wanted little girls to want to be her.”
Other things that they’ve adapted to in creating this remake is understanding the modern audience, knowing what they expect from comedy and adventure. “We have to serve up a pretty epic, awesome world with Fraggle Rock that stands on its own.”
Halle also touches on the messages they want to depict to kids today – everything from saving the ocean, microplastics, water scarcity; as well as things directly affecting families like anxiety, setting boundaries and consent.
“I think it’s the same messaging Jim Henson wanted originally for the series, ‘Let’s make a show that brings about world peace, that helps transform the world.” She talks about the theme song and how that relays that message to her. “It just means you have agency to celebrate life and make a difference, and that’s really what we want kids to take away.”
Related: Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Review
Creating the perfect Fraggle Rock bit
When asked how they thought about the Floop, Bloop and Whoop game in the second episode of the series – a diving game where you dive (floop), cannonball (bloop) and Whoop (just shout “Whoop!”) – Matt said, “You can’t go wrong with a rhyme in Fraggle Rock. It’s a pretty good rule of thumb.”
“That’s how you build a Fraggle Rock bit. You do a rhyme, then you retroactively figure out what that means beyond that,” said Fusfeld.
“That’s the funny thing about when bits are based in nonsense,” said Cuthbertson, saying it took them a little while to realize they’ve been saying the rhyme but still didn’t know what it meant yet. Alex talked about how they realized Red would want to jump off this giant structure that the Doozers have made. “Red would want to turn that into a game,” said Cuthbertson. “Then it was just letting the silliness of that take us where it took us.”
Radish Recipes
How both Wembly and Mokey eat radishes say a lot about each of them. Wembley’s preferred way is taking a bunch of radishes from the Gorgs’ garden and putting them in a stew. “Then you have Wembley’s mean, raddish, gumbo!” Mokey prefers to eat radishes the natural way. “Raw, out of the Earth. The way they grew naturally. Thinly sliced and on top of your favourite salad.”
They also mentioned that out of all of them, Boober is the best cook for radishes, with Wembley calling him a magician with what Boober can do with a radish.
A Fear of Gorgs
The Fraggles are still trying to figure out the Gorgs, and when they’re asked the scariest thing about them, they look all over in their Doozer tubes for any sign of a Gorg. “They could be anywhere,” says Mokey. “They haven’t busted through a ceiling in Fraggle Rock, but you never know.”
“There’s still time!” exclaims Wembley.
Working only 30 minutes per week
At Fraggle Rock, Mokey would invite everyone to come and play. “Grab a spoon, start digging. Find your way over here. Follow the sound of my voice!” Mokey advertises it as the place to be, especially since they only work 30 minutes out of any given week, and the rest of the time they sing to their favorite songs.
As you’ll see in one of the interviews, Wembley also has a very unique job for the fire department as the siren, and he was kind enough to show that off for us.
Full Interviews
Be sure to check out the full interviews with the Fraggles and the team behind them below to learn more about this show — and about what it is like to live in Fraggle Rock! You will also get to see Tessa Smith test her poem skills when Mokey puts her on the spot to write one together (SPOILER: It doesn’t go well!).
About Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
Jim Henson’s fun-loving, musical Fraggles are back! Join Gobo, Red, Wembley, Mokey, Boober, and new Fraggle friends on hilarious, epic adventures about the magic that happens when we celebrate and care for our interconnected world.
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock hits Apple TV+ on January 21, 2022.
