Uncle Travelling Matt - 2 questions

[MrsPepper]

1. Something I noticed when watching the Fraggle Rock season 3 box set, is that the backgroud music for the Uncle Travelling Matt segments changed. Also, it may only have been on one or two episodes, but some of the clips weren't introduced, they just started after a scene break with no context from the fraggles. Does anyone know (or have a theory on) why this changed? Were they segments originally used in other countries, possibly?

2. In the very first Fraggle episode, Matt is a bit weird and wacky but he comes across as sort of noble, or someone to look up to. I know that he becomes clumsy because he doesn't talk in the postcard segments, so it gives the audience an action to watch. I think it's cute, but it seems that it is quite different than how his character was originally introduced to the audience. Anyone agree?

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Well I don't know about the first one, but in my opinion Matt was always clumsy and sort of clueless, while being sort of full of himself at the same time. You know, it just occurred to me, he's like a more action-oriented Sam the Eagle in that respect. Anyway, I think the reason he appears so noble, (which I sort of agree with but not entirely), is that we're mostly seeing him from Gobo's point of view. Gobo always, or nearly always, looks up to him, no matter what anyone else says or what the actual truth may be. Also, I can't give any exact examples, but he does speak occasionally in some of his postcards. It's never very much though, only a few words here and there.

 

[AndyL]

Doesn't he walk right into a fire hydrant in the first episode?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I think one of the DVD sets, and I am probably wrong, mentioned that Dave was flown around to other countries to make videos of Uncle Matt, so that may have been the reason of the change. Can someone correct me on this if it's wrong?

I think in most shows directed for a children's audience the adults are usually silly and clumsy. Watch cereal commercials, toy commercials, or even something as fantastic as Darkwing Duck or Inspector Gadget where the kid saves the day!

I've always been against that. Darkwing Duck could have been SOOO much more cooler had he been solving crimes alone (with Launchpad).

 

[Traveling Matt]

The "replacement" backround music is an intrumental version of All Around the World (introduced in the third year), providing a new and specific theme to attach to Matt's segments.

Regarding the intros, it was mentioned on one of the DVDs that it was sometimes difficult to transition into and out of the postcards. So sometimes a scene would start without "Dear Newphew Gobo..."

Those are my theories, anyway.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Those theories work for me!

Speaking of which: Does anybody ever begin reading letters and postcards by saying, in that ever popular voice, "Dear Nephew Gobo..."