AppleTV+ - Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock : Take a look on the characters

By Mulder, 15 january 2022

Jim Henson created the original series Fraggle Rock with the ambitious goal of inspiring world peace. This wonderfully inventive program was designed to entertain while encouraging an understanding and embracing of diversity. Premiering in 1983, the series starred the Fraggles, a fun-loving group of furry subterranean cave dwellers, as well as the Doozers, their diminutive industrious neighbors, and the oafish Gorgs who grow the radishes they love. The original series produced four seasons, 96 total episodes, dozens of accolades and awards, and 100 original songs that feature a unique and memorable mix of music genres, from folk, blues, and gospel to country and rock. Through the fun adventures of the Fraggle gang – Red, Gobo, Wembley, Boober, Mokey and Uncle Travelling Matt – the iconic show has continued to capture the hearts of children and adults alike from all around the world.

Gobo Fraggle
Our sweet (always!) and fearless (usually!) leader, who lives to explore the seemingly endless caves and tunnels of Fraggle Rock with his friends. Gobo’s always up for an adventure and a song, and his optimism is infectious in the Rock, especially with his best friend and roommate, Wembley, with whom he’ll dive head-first in excitement about everything from holidays to hats. Gobo perhaps has a MINOR blind spot in his unwavering admiration for his Uncle Matt, a pompous “Outer Space” explorer. But you can’t argue with the fact that Gobo’s brave work retrieving the postcards and artifacts Matt sends back via the portal through Doc’s workshop keeps new adventures and excitement constantly flowing into Fraggle Rock.

Red Fraggle
A self-described “Action Fraggle,” Red is an indefatigable ball of Fraggle energy who likes to dive, spin, run and whoop her way through the day. Her enthusiasm keeps the fun at an 11, but she occasionally loses herself in the competition and has to dial it back. Best friends and roommates with Mokey, Red is definitely the high energy, bombastic counterbalance to Mokey’s more meditative approach to life. Red’s always chasing her next great activity and is a champion diver, zip vine enthusiast and daring game inventor. Sometimes impatient – especially when it comes to Gobo’s Uncle Matt – Red is ultimately a strong, dependable friend and tireless engine for fun in Fraggle Rock.

Mokey Fraggle
Breathe in… find your center… connect to the universe… and out… Nice work. Now you’re ready to hang out with Mokey. Mokey is a gentle, caring, curious soul, in tune with the natural world and always looking to make a connection. She’s an amazing friend and roommate to Red, and always good for providing an alternate view of things. She sometimes maybe relies TOO much on her intuition, which can get her in a jam, but she’s also undeniably tapped into something special and she’s loyal, awesome and filled with surprises.

Wembley Fraggle
Wembley is sweet… or is he fun? Maybe he’s excitable… or is he just fired up to go on an adventure with Gobo? Or is he silly? Maybe he’s just hungry? No need to Wemble about it; he’s all of these things! Yes, he’s a Wembler – he has trouble making decisions – but it’s usually just that he’s so enthusiastic and excited about all of the fun things to do in Fraggle Rock, it’s hard to choose! Sometimes, Wembley’s Wembling means he doesn’t speak up for himself, but he’s working on that! And in the meantime he’s the most positive, fun, ridiculous friend you could ever hope to have.

Boober Fraggle
If you’re curious about all of the things that might go wrong in Fraggle Rock, talk to Boober, because he has imagined all of them, and then some. It’s not like he’s a pessimist; in his mind, he’s a realist! And besides, isn’t it better to be prepared for the worst rather than surprised by it? So sure, Boober has a bit of a doomsday streak, but really, preparing for disaster helps him feel safe. That, and a good soup! (He’s an incredible chef). Boober is sensitive, caring, fastidious and always good for a wry comment. He’s also wildly talented at doing laundry. If you have all day, ask him about his process.

Uncle Travelling Matt Fraggle
Gobo’s Uncle Travelling Matt is the greatest living Fraggle explorer – at least in his own mind. He spends most of his time exploring “Outer Space” (our world), where he observes “Silly Creature” (human) behavior, often wildly misinterpreting what he’s seeing. He’s never one to shy away from selfimportance, so he’s tasked himself with sending “artifacts” from his travels back to Fraggle Rock via the portal in Doc’s office, where Gobo bravely collects them and displays them in “The Traveling Matt Museum of Traveling Matt Hooray Matt Museum” (named, of course, by Traveling Matt himself). Although he can be a bit buffoonish, he is the only Fraggle brave enough to explore the wilds of Outer Space, so for that we salute him. Uhp, too late, he already saluted himself.

Cotterpin Doozer
The heart and soul of Doozerdom, Cotterpin is a sincere, hard-working, brave and forward-thinking Doozer, focused not only on productivity, but on doing things the right way. She’s not always listened to or considered as much as she should be, but hopefully – with progress she helps usher in – that starts to change.

Architect Doozer
The lovable - though sometimes aloof - leader of the Doozers, Architect is a master builder, but sometimes limited by his more traditional thinking. Cotterpin will help challenge him to see that the way things have always been done isn’t necessarily the path forward.

Turbo and Wrench Doozer
Cotterpin’s goofball friends. They’re Doozers through and through – focused on building progress – though they’re not always the most effective. Turbo sometimes puts the cart before the horse, and Wrench is not the sharpest tool in the kit, but they ultimately mean well and will come through in a pinch.

Junior Gorg
The sweet-natured heir to the Gorg throne, Junior struggles with matching his father’s expectations for him as a tough, Fraggle-thumping Gorg with how he feels on the inside. Inside, he’s a care-taker who loves his little sapling tree, Junior Junior, and would likely rather work with the Fraggles than thump them. But then again, he’s a Gorg, and those traditions don’t just go away overnight. He’s sensitive, slightly bumbling, and eager to make his own way.

Ma and Pa Gorg
Representative of the “old way,” Pa and Ma believe in the superiority of the Gorgs, particularly over the Fraggles. Though Ma is perhaps more likely to take a step back and see things as her sensitive son does, Pa is very much locked into the old Gorg traditions, stubbornly holding onto ways of thinking that can be harmful to Fraggles, as well as the natural world. But there’s a soft spot buried deep inside Pa that hopefully – with Junior’s help – can come out more and more.

Marjory the Trash Heap
The all-knowing. The powerful. The wise. The garbage pile. Marjory is the bubbly, mysterious, funloving and sage oracle of our world, visited by Fraggles looking for insight and perspective, which she often dishes out in her own opaque, roundabout way. Comprised of garbage from all parts of the world – Fraggle, Doozer, Silly Creature, Gorg, and others – she is literally “all of us,” and draws on that perspective and the cumulative magic coursing through her. And she has trash cheese if you’re hungry.

Philo and Gunge
Marjory’s loyal sidekicks and hype-rats, Philo and Gunge are more than ready to remind the Fraggles of the special presence they’re in when they’re around Marjory. Somewhat competitive with one another, Philo and Gunge are quick with a quip, but undying in their mutual allegiance to the heap.

Doc
Our sole Silly Creature character, Doc is an Ocean Sciences PhD student living in a garage conversion with the hole that leads to Fraggle Rock – the portal between worlds. Doc sincerely wants to make a difference in the world, working tirelessly to save the oceans, all while holding down a job at a piratethemed restaurant, going to school, and taking care of her best friend and loyal dog, Sprocket. Despite some close calls, Doc doesn’t know about what happens on the other side of the hole in her wall, and is puzzled by the packages that keep arriving for “Gobo Fraggle.”

Sprocket
Sprocket, meanwhile, is Doc’s dog. Or is Doc Sprocket’s person? Depends on the day. Either way, they’re the best of friends and always there for each other. Sprocket will do anything for Doc – from bringing her snacks during an all-nighter to dressing up as her professor for a practice presentation – but good luck trying to get him to take his flea medicine without sacrificing a block of good cheese. Sprocket is sweet, excitable, goofy and SO frustrated that Doc never sees the Fraggle that occasionally darts across their floor to take a package. How much more can he bark??

Queen of the Merggles (Voiced by Patti LaBelle)
Voiced by the legendary Patti LaBelle, the Queen is the leader of the Merggles, an aquatic species of Fraggle-like creatures. The Queen presides over the Merggle Moon Migration – a magical ceremony that ushers in the next generation of Merggles under the light of a full moon.

The Archivist (Voiced by Cynthia Erivo)
Voiced by Cynthia Erivo, The Archivist is a wise and artistic Fraggle who arrives to help curate the "Uncle Travelling Matt Museum." She uses her unique abilities to encourage Boober and the rest of the Fraggles to embrace their differences rather than hiding them.

Jamdolin (Voiced by Daveed Diggs)
Voiced by Daveed Diggs, Jamdolin is the leader of the Troubadours – a nomadic, musical band of Fraggles. Jamdolin is tapped into the wisdom and the spirituality of music, which he often brings to Fraggle Rock during holidays and special occasions. He also just brings the fun! When Jamdolin’s around, you know it’s going to be a party.

Lyle Craggle (Voiced by Ed Helms)
Voiced by Ed Helms, Lyle Craggle is the town leader of the Craggles, a sleepy group of Fraggle-like creatures that inhabit Craggle Lagoon. When Craggle Lagoon’s water mysteriously disappears, Lyle teams up with Red to find it, bringing the Craggles into Fraggle Rock in the meantime.

Jack Hammer (Voiced by Kenan Thompson)
Voiced by Kenan Thompson, Jack Hammer is a near-mythical figure amongst fellow Doozers, capable of fixing any problem. Rumor has it, he invented the nine-day work week, Tool Belt Tuesday and got the monorail down to one rail. He’s charismatic and always ready with a big idea.

The Foo Fighters
Making a special appearance as themselves, The Foo Fighters host a concert that Uncle Travelling Matt will never forget!

Synopsis :
A reboot of the musical and family adventures in the underground world of Fraggle Rock where furry creatures named Gobo, Red, Boober, Mokey, Wembley and Uncle Travelling Matt live.

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock 
Directed by Jonathan A. Rosenbaum, Paul Fox, Jordan Canning, Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
Produced by Ritamarie Peruggi 
Written by  Alex Cuthbertson, Charley Feldman, Matt Fusfeld, Douglas Lyons, Sabrina Jalees, Maurin Mwombela, John Tartaglia  
Starring  Jennifer Bain, Brendan James Boyd, Andrew G. Cooper, DeRic Starlight, John Tartaglia , Dave Goelz  , Karen Prell, Donna Kimball, Jordan Lockhart, Kevin Clash, Frank Meschkuleit 
Cinematography : Gavin Smith
Editor : Duncan Christie, Paul Winestock, Marianna Khoury 
Production company : Henson Associates
Original network : AppleTV+
Original release  : January 21 2022
Running time : 25 minutes

(Source : press release)