The Whole Set In One Place...but something
Okay, well...I waited a week and then broke down and got this set. My opinions:
Packaging: Love the binder! Discs came loose, but play fine. I think they could have done a better job with the graphic art inside. We know there are a gazillion more hi-res Fraggle pictures that could have been used so I feel kind of robbed about that. Also the weird red airbrushing on the Junior Gorg image is poorly done. It seems this layout artist believes that purchasing Adobe Suite makes an artist. It's okay, but amateurish. The outside logo sculpture is cool and so is the magnetic clasp. The clear plastic shell that has the characters printed on it and the cardboard box backing both seem a little excessive and disjointed. The color coated discs are a nice touch that could still use a bit of character graphics. That's where we could use more of a Fraggley touch. 4/5 Wembleys for the inconsistent but noble attempt.
Extras: Watching Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Jerry Juhl and the fabulous Ms. Karen Prell toast the Fraggles at their internal crew gathering made me tear up. It is abbreviated and most of the other special features are things we have seen before. I would have liked to see the proposed Red short, some new arrangements and some animated episodes included. The poster is cool, but nothing new. I will likely have it pressed and framed. I always enjoyed that drawing. Still, I wanted a little more from this set. 4/5 good intentioned and enthusiastic Reds for the extras.
The Shows: Aww...come on. You know the shows get 5/5 traveling Gobos for all the themes and caves explored in these 4 seasons of Fraggle Rock.
Worth: Well, this series set is worth what a fan thinks it is worth. It is certainly interesting and creatively done. It has all of the episodes. That's good. You might want to wait for the price to come down or for some holiday cash, gift certificates or actually confirming this on your Christmas list. Fraggles in any form are worth it. I still think a season 4 set is coming and it will likely have the same material. I do, however, prefer the binder. 3/5 wistful Mokeys for worth.
Fan Treatment: Hit receives a very low score in my book for fan treatment in stringing along the longtime supporters only to hose them in the end with the absence of a single season 4 choice. I am becoming more irritated by that company with each release. They started off so thoughtful, but have ended up rewarding those who haven’t supported the Fraggle DVDs with a bargain while leaving us with the bill. Tacky! They get 1/5 gloomy Boobers for treating us so rudely. Do they “owe” the fans anything? No. But this is a terrible business practice that can only tarnish their reputation.
3/5 overall score