Those who worked with
Jim Henson say
that one day he came to his office and proclaimed: "I want to make a program that ends wars."
He did it.
The program, not to end wars.
I would like more.
That proclamation ended up being the beginning in 1983 of
Fraggle Rock
, the animated series with which a good part of the children born in that decade grew up.
"It was our small effort to make the world a better place and try to foster cooperation, which is very timely at this time," explains John Tartaglia, the show's longtime puppeteer and voice of Gobo, now executive producer of
Los Fraguel: The Fun Goes On.
. Because
today they return, 35 years after their end,
from the hand of Apple TV and The Jim Henson Company, the company of their deceased creator, with 13 new chapters.
“When they called me they were very excited that I was coming back because I didn't think it was possible.
But we got together and Fraggle Rock is here again, ”says Karen Prell, who gave voice to Red and has found in this new stage the new Jim Henson: Dave Goelz, who will be Boober.
«
He was a wonderful and inspiring leader and your leadership and inspiration reminded me a lot of him.
Thank you for bringing his spirit back
to us », he comments with an emotional Goelz: «Can I cry now?».
He was a child when the
Fraggles
burst onto television with their messages of diversity, respect and tolerance.
«
This program made me want to be a puppeteer, just having the opportunity to recover it made me enjoy every day
and I hope that joy passes to the other side of the camera », he exposes.
In a similar situation is
Matt Fusfeld
, who was five years old when the series began and is now the
showrunner
for this new rerun.
"They are my childhood of fondness and nostalgia, so there were nerves doing it, but the collaboration of those who were in the original series was incredible and we made sure not to deviate from its essence."
Why, if a good part of the issues that
Fraggle Rock
dealt with in the 80s are still valid today, with the search for world peace at the forefront.
"If you watch any of the original episodes,
there are so many great lessons without preaching
.
And they entertain you too.
So we just have to do it again," says Fusfeld.
As if the task was easy.
But the social change of the last 40 years has made new themes appear at this stage:
environmental demands, mental health, the power of social networks or sexual consent
. “These are problems that families and children are dealing with now that were not in the past. The main mission of the program, which was better mutual understanding to prevent wars, remains a problem. So we have a mix of things that are relevant today and things that have always been and always will be, sadly," says Goelz, backed by a nod from Prell and Tartaglia at his side.
“This is about celebrating diversity beyond tolerance, it makes you understand that someone from another culture has things to offer that you wouldn't have in yours. That's very exciting," says Tartaglia, almost inaudible by the barking of his dog. "This is a real
fraggle
," he jokes.
In fact, the arrival of some themes has caused changes even in the sets. In the
fraggle
cave , specifically, where a large waterfall now appears in the background. “We realized that water is what keeps them moving and without it they realize how dependent they are on each other.
That's why it's more important than in the original because it also shows how our actions can affect water supplies and the environment without us even knowing it
," explains Goelz.
The legendary animated series had closed in 1987, but 35 years later it has found, partly thanks to the pandemic, a way to return and try to capture a new generation of children. And incidentally to some parents with the nostalgia virus triggered. «
Born out of the pandemic when some cast members with their iPhones
made short shorts,
Fraggle Rock On!
, to show that we are all connected and need each other, take care of others. And this is even more relevant now than it was then," says Matt Fusfeld.
There the appearance of the networks, non-existent during the broadcast of the original, have also opened a new field of investigation for these puppets. “Social media has changed the world and kids are really learning to use it well now, and we hope this can help encourage that use as well.
Again, we return to things that would not have been talked about in 1983, but that are very relevant today
», indicates David Goez.
At this point, one of the doubts arises about a children's series that caught several generations of people born in the 80s: will it be of interest to the little ones now?
“Children's entertainment has changed a lot, but there's nothing like a Jim Henson puppet.
You can't compete with something so original, unique and adorable.
While we were working I showed it to my children and they laughed, that's the only thing that matters to me
», concludes Fusfeld.
We'll see what the rest of the kids think.
But
Fraggel Rock
is back.
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