Popularity of Fraggle Rock

[beaker]

I feel the Jim Henson Company messed up BIG time by having Fraggle Rock not only on cable during the 80's...but a premium channel on top of that: ensuring that only kids of affluent areas could watch it.

I've been a rabid hardcore Henson fan since I was practically born, and while yes...Fraggle Rock was everywhere...heck in 2nd and 3rd grade I brought a Fraggle lunchbox to school and had the books...I hardly was EVER able to watch it due to being very poor.
That isn't right.

I brought this up a decade ago almost on Muppet Central, but to me it rings true: Why did JHC create such a universal themed show that is absolutely visionary(the final episode still makes me cry) and one of the best things JHC ever did, YET make sure in America only rich kids got to see it? That makes no sense...in Canada it was on public broadcasting.

Just imagine if Fraggle Rock could have been seen by ANY child in America in the 80's, just imagine.

That said I am VERY happy Fraggle Rock has such a following, and that people in the industry actually want to try and bring it back. That's usually unheard of.

In 2003 we saw for the first time in two decades a massive upswing of new merchandise, and now we stand on the cusp of a new wave of Fraggle stuff. IF, if JHC moves forward with that talked about Fraggle movie, it will be a sweet sweet day.

Thankfully they finally did put FR on basic cable in the 90's, but I feel they missed a golden oppurtunity in the 80's. But people still remember, and the word has spread.

Everywhere I went today I saw Fraggle Rock. I saw Fraggle merchandise at the mall, the dvds all over Target, I saw all the Fraggle dvds at my local library...so people still care.

If the short lived Farscape series got an unheard of amount of fan support to voice...I think Warwick's original Fraggle dvd campaign should be reserurrected to show JHC and HIT that people everywhere worldwide are wanting for Fraggle Rock to come back in full force with a movie and even a new series.

 

[frogboy4]

one theory

I feel the Jim Henson Company messed up BIG time by having Fraggle Rock not only on cable during the 80's...but a premium channel on top of that: ensuring that only kids of affluent areas could watch it.

Why did JHC create such a universal themed show that is absolutely visionary(the final episode still makes me cry) and one of the best things JHC ever did, YET make sure in America only rich kids got to see it? That makes no sense...in Canada it was on public broadcasting.

I was told by Karen Prell that Fraggle Rock was extremely expensive to make. Until then I hadn't realized that. It's precisely why it hasn't been revived as a television program with new episodes. I agree that its initial pay-cable-only broadcast limited the market of fans. I didn't have cable growing up and had to watch it at my grandparents' house. Until the DVDs I had only seen a quarter of the episodes.

The truth is, even though it was shot in Canada, the money from HBO in the US is what provided the show's budget. PBS simply didn't have that kind of money cable allowed for creative freedom the Henson team was used to from the Muppet Show. Basic cable didn't have the cash either, so it went to HBO.

The cool thing about it was that Jim held all the rights. That's why HBO cancelled it. They eventually wanted ownership and creative leverage. Jim wouldn't let that happen to his vision.

If he could have done things any other way I'm sure he would have. I wish he were around today. Just think of all the web projects he'd create. The face of the internet as we know it would be much different with Jim Henson as a part of the landscape of new ideas.

 

[Redsonga]

Hmmm..If it matters any I was one of those poor kids to, I did not even have a grandma with a tv :\. I think when it reran for a very short while on PBS was when I finally saw it, before free tv was 'outlawed' in my area so to speak .
PBS is/has basicly been my bread and butter all my life, it is a shame they never get the kind of funding they really need to do big series. Just the idea of if PBS had been the one to *start* showing Fraggle Rock gives me a happy feeling...

 

[CensoredAlso]

I do admit that I wondered why Fraggle Rock was on HBO, but the budget reason makes a lot of sense. TV creative people like Jim Henson want to be able to get their vision across but unfortunately they have to deal with money issues and network interets etc. Jim had had enough success that he was able to have a certain amount of control (being able to control so much of Fraggle Rock's writing etc).

 

[Traveling Matt]

I think deep down I worry that it won't be as well liked by this next generation. So much focus seems to be put on growing up as soon as you can now by the media, and serious dating at age nine, it is silly IMHO .
I guess my deep hope is that they don't lose the true soul of Fraggle Rock in the new movie trying making it seem 'cool' by updating it...
In the end I think Fraggle Rock will be the same in fandom as the older Muppet movies:, a diehard circle of fans will raise another diehard circle fans, but it may never be as big as what it was at the very start (I never saw the show until I was 12 but even I had a Fraggle Rocker drum ! )

You never know. As they say in "Cavern of Lost Dreams," what's old is new. A new generation is no doubt growing up on these DVD sets.

 

[Redsonga]

You never know. As they say in "Cavern of Lost Dreams," what's old is new. A new generation is no doubt growing up on these DVD sets.

I know whenever I have my part of that generation they will be to . At least we can find hope in each other here

 

[beaker]

I was told by Karen Prell that Fraggle Rock was extremely expensive to make. Until then I hadn't realized that. It's precisely why it hasn't been revived as a television program with new episodes. I agree that its initial pay-cable-only broadcast limited the market of fans. I didn't have cable growing up and had to watch it at my grandparents' house. Until the DVDs I had only seen a quarter of the episodes.

The truth is, even though it was shot in Canada, the money from HBO in the US is what provided the show's budget. PBS simply didn't have that kind of money cable allowed for creative freedom the Henson team was used to from the Muppet Show. Basic cable didn't have the cash either, so it went to HBO.

The cool thing about it was that Jim held all the rights. That's why HBO cancelled it. They eventually wanted ownership and creative leverage. Jim wouldn't let that happen to his vision.

If he could have done things any other way I'm sure he would have. I wish he were around today. Just think of all the web projects he'd create. The face of the internet as we know it would be much different with Jim Henson as a part of the landscape of new ideas.

Aw! I didnt know that *cues the more you know psa music*

Well in a way, it made Fraggle Rock more elusive and special to me...because while Sesame Street and the Muppet Show syndication were on tv almost every day during the 1980's when I was growing up, Fraggle Rock seemed all that much more sought after. I remember pouring over Fraggle Rock books in 1986 at Waldenbooks. I remember LOVING the CBS Fraggle cartoon, and I still do and am glad to have some on dvd

Catching up circa 1994 on Disney channel for FR episodes, buying the Disney 1993 Fraggle vhs tapes(still have em), and tape trading in 1998...all worthwhile.

Anyways, Im glad JHC retained full FR rights...had that not been the case, we wouldnt be on the cusp of this big FR revival right now.

 

[beaker]

Hmmm..If it matters any I was one of those poor kids to, I did not even have a grandma with a tv :\. I think when it reran for a very short while on PBS was when I finally saw it, before free tv was 'outlawed' in my area so to speak .
PBS is/has basicly been my bread and butter all my life, it is a shame they never get the kind of funding they really need to do big series. Just the idea of if PBS had been the one to *start* showing Fraggle Rock gives me a happy feeling...

Yeah it's tragic how the Washington DC politicians have been trying to kill off PBS.

You never know. As they say in "Cavern of Lost Dreams," what's old is new. A new generation is no doubt growing up on these DVD sets.

Yes, but question is: Is FR being shown on regular tv or basic cable in the US?

 

[Redsonga]

Yeah it's tragic how the Washington DC politicians have been trying to kill off PBS.
Yes, but question is: Is FR being shown on regular tv or basic cable in the US?

What's even sadder is the fact that they may have forgot how much the channel is a part of nearly everyones life .
I miss it's glory days in the 80's ...
And no Fraggle Rock is'nt being shown on any sort of tv in the US, although it would be tens times better than this 'Mr. Men' series I just saw on Cartoon Network IMHO

 

[Traveling Matt]

I was told by Karen Prell that Fraggle Rock was extremely expensive to make.

I've heard that too. FR was very expensive to make then and would never be made now, considering today's economics.