Favorite Episodes: Fraggle Rock

It would have been Jim Henson's 75th birthday today, which you might already know because of the google doodle. I am a big fan of pretty much everything he did, but especially The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Storyteller, & Fraggle Rock. I found out two things last year that lead to re-watching the whole Fraggle rock series with Chuck: Chuck had not watched much of it (he didn't have cable. I think I watched it in obessively re-runs on TNT since we didn't have HBO, which is where it first aired.) And it was all available streaming on Netflix (still is, if you haven't abandoned ship due to their recent changes.) Even as an adult with no kids I still love the show to pieces. I even remember the lyrics to most of the songs, although I hadn't watched it for years. Here are a few of my favorite episodes, although I'm sure if I watched again this list might change. There were many great episodes!:

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Season 1 Episode 18 - The Minstrels

I basically think Jim Henson is Cantus, the wandering minstrel. He does do the voice. In this episode he helps Red, who is more athletically inclined, find her song.

Season 1 Episode 19 - The Great Radish Famine

For the Knitting Song, in the video above, mainly. The Doozers are just so neat. In later episodes a girl doozer, Cotterpin, wants to be an architect. That plays out over several episodes in season 3.

Season 3 Episode 8 - Believe it or Not
I was so impressed with the ambition of this episode, there's a character that required four or five different, very large puppets in a flooded basement. We watched some extras and the writer of this episode talked about how she thought the script asked too much and they wouldn't be able to do it, but it was a good story so they did it. 

Season 5 Episode 6 - Beyond the Pond

Red, trying to kill off some weeds in her pond, ends up following the roots to find a new kind of fraggle who are dependent on the roots for survival.

Season 5 Episode 13 - Change of Address
The last episode. Everything the last episode of the show needed to be. I didn't really remember it from my childhood viewing so it caught me off guard.

Happy Birthday Jim!