List of Fraggle Rock characters

The following is a list of characters that appear in Fraggle Rock, its animated spin-off, and all related projects.
The Fraggles are anthropomorphic creatures, about 22 inches (1.8 ft) tall", with fur in a wide variety of colors and a tail similar to a lion's, with a tuft of fur on the end. They live in a network of caves called Fraggle Rock, populated by a variety of creatures, and seeming to connect to at least two different worlds in separate dimensions of time and space. Fraggles spend much of their carefree lives in play, exploring their worlds, and generally enjoying themselves. However, at the same time they maintain a complex culture and society, with each individual having rights and responsibilities. They have basic skill with tools and with rudimentary machinery, and the concept of war is known to them (although wars between Fraggles are very rare). Fraggles live on a diet of vegetables, especially radishes. If individuals touch their heads together before falling asleep they can "share dreams".
Five fraggles are at the center of the series: Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober and Red. They form a tight-knit group of friends, and each has a distinct personality.
Gobo Fraggle (performed by Jerry Nelson in the original live-action series, John Tartaglia in Fraggle Rock: Rock On! and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, voiced by Townsend Coleman in the animated series) is the "leader" of the five main Fraggles. He has the mindset of a young teenager and unusually level-headed and practical for a Fraggle, preferring to control most situations. He plays a guitar (made from a gourd) and often goes on trips to explore the lesser-known tunnels of Fraggle Rock, apparently more out of a sense of obligation to, and admiration for, his Uncle Traveling Matt than from personal inclination, but he nevertheless enjoys these adventures. An unfailing pragmatist, he resists the influence of his friends. Gobo has an orange complexion and purple hair, and wears a yellow sweater with a brown vest: in early episodes he wears a dark magenta cardigan.
During the Outer Space segments, Gobo is operated by Mike Quinn with Jerry Nelson still performing his voice.
He was designed by Michael K. Frith, and built by Caroly Wilcox and Tim Miller.
Mokey Fraggle (performed by Kathryn Mullen in the original series, Donna Kimball in Fraggle Rock: Rock On! and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, voiced by Mona Marshall in the animated series) is a highly spiritual and artistic hippie-type Fraggle who usually remains quiet and contemplative, though even she can get annoyed from time to time. Mokey often enjoys painting and writing poetry, although, according to the episode "Mokey's Funeral", her friends, Gobo, Boober, Wembley, and Red, do not always enjoy listening to her poems, especially ones about death or unusually long ones about friendships. She functions as the optimist of the group, trying to see the best in everyone and everything, and comforting her friends when no such "bright side" can be found. According to episode 15, Mokey can make friends quite easily because of her optimistic personality. Though spiritual and serene, Mokey has the dangerous job of procuring radishes from the Gorgs's garden. Mokey has mauve skin and light blue-green hair. She wears a greyish brown robe-like sweater and later an actual turtleneck sweater underneath the robe-like sweater starting in "The Great Radish Famine." She also wears the pop-top from a soda can as a necklace pendant. Mokey Fraggle's puppet regularly switches back and forth between live hands and rod hands, depending on the requirements of the scene. During those times, Mokey's right hand is usually performed by Trish Leeper. Also, she is the only Fraggle character to have moveable eyelids which open wide when scared, excited, or surprised. Mokey thinks more about the heart and is the oldest of the Fraggle group, serving as a den mother. In one episode, Mokey proved herself worthy of joining Cantus and his minstrels, but ultimately chose to remain with her friends. She was designed by Michael K. Frith, the husband of Mokey's performer Kathryn Mullen, and built by Jan Rosenthal.
Wembley Fraggle (performed by Steve Whitmire in the original series, John Tartaglia in Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, Jordan Lockhart in Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, voiced by Bob Bergen in the animated series, Frankie Cordero in Fraggle Rock: Rock On!) is Gobo's roommate and best friend. He is the youngest of the Fraggle Five. He often appears nervous and pathologically indecisive (mostly because he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings; saying "yes" to someone means saying "no" to someone else), but he is undeniably one of, if not the, kindest, friendliest character in the series. In fact, "to wemble" is a Fraggle verb meaning "to be indecisive" (though the episode "The Secret of Convincing John" points out that to not be able to choose, one must first understand ALL the possibilities, suggesting an "up" side to the condition). Starting with the episode "The Thirty-Minute Work Week" and in later episodes, Wembley works with the fire department as their siren. Wembley looks greenish-yellow, with yellow hair. He wears a white shirt with palm trees on it, which he refers to as his "banana tree shirt". As quite a talented percussionist, he often plays bongo drums.
He was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Rollie Krewson.
Boober Fraggle (performed by Dave Goelz in the live-action series, John Tartaglia in Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, Frank Meschkuleit in Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, voiced by Rob Paulsen in the animated series, Dave Goelz in Fraggle Rock: Rock On! and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock) is by far the Rock's most intelligent Fraggle, as well the smallest of the five, but often too smart for his own good. His cardinal traits include depression and worry, and as the Fraggle who does everyone's laundry, he most enjoys washing socks even though Fraggles always go barefoot. Boober almost always expresses a nervous, cautious attitude, and displays hypochondriac tendencies (he is apparently allergic to dogs) and he expresses deeply ingrained superstitions (although he has shown he can temporarily overcome his fears if his friends are at risk). He has so much knowledge that he is actually a capable medic to the other Fraggles, as evidenced in the later seasons. When not doing the laundry, Boober is an avid reader, likes to share his talent as a chef, and with his knack for harmonica, has a penchant for singing and playing the blues. Boober is greenish-blue (befitting his personality) with reddish-orange hair, and always wears a red hat and brown scarf. He is the only primary Fraggle whose eyes remain invisible, and he prefers to live on his own, although he is close friends with Red and Wembley.
He was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Leslee Asch.
Red Fraggle (performed by Karen Prell in the original live-action series, and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock and voiced by Barbara Goodson in the animated series) has an exuberant and athletic nature in contrast to her best friend Mokey. She is one of the best swimmers among the Fraggles. Red has a yellowish orange hue, red hair, and wears a red sweater. She is also highly cynical of her friends' plans and ideas, and often teases Gobo about his Uncle Traveling Matt (occasionally yawning while he reads the postcards, or incensing Gobo by calling Matt's adventures "Fiction", "Fairy Tales", etc.). While on the surface, she tends to be competitive, stubborn, arrogant, and rather insensitive, on the inside, Red has proven to be one of the friendliest of Fraggles, perhaps second only to Wembley. Red, like Gobo, wants to be in control, and there is often friction between them over who should be the one in charge (although she has admitted she secretly admires Gobo, and the two are mostly playful with each other). During the course of the show, Red and Mokey become roommates; they get off to a rocky start before improving their friendship.
Mo Rocca described her on VH1's I Love the 80s: Strikes Back as the "buck the establishment Fraggle" (comparable to Peppermint Patty of the Peanuts Gang).
She was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Rollie Krewson.
Uncle Traveling Matt (performed by Dave Goelz in the live-action series, John Tartaglia in Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, Frank Meschkuleit in select episodes of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Kevin Clash in select episodes of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, voiced by Patrick Pinney in the animated series, Dave Goelz in Fraggle Rock: Rock On! and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock) is Gobo's famous (as well as pompous, clumsy, and absent-minded) explorer uncle who spends most of the series in "Outer Space" (the Fraggles's perspective of the human world) and sends postcards back to his nephew describing his adventures there. He interacts with and often ends up interfering with the daily lives of humans, known to Fraggles as the "Silly Creatures". He sometimes refers to himself as "Matthew": he identifies the room filled with entrances to "Outer Space" as the "T. Matthew Fraggle Room." His name puns on "traveling matte", the "green screen" technique used to produce his film segments.
He was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Tim Clarke.
Within Fraggle Rock lives a second species of small humanoid creatures, the pudgy, green, ant-like Doozers. Standing only 6 inches (0.50 ft) tall (knee-high to a Fraggle), Doozers in a sense represent anti-Fraggles; their lives are dedicated to work and industry. Doozers spend much of their time busily constructing all manner of scaffolding throughout Fraggle Rock using miniature construction equipment and wearing hard-hats and work boots. No one but the Doozers themselves seem to understand the actual purpose of their intricate and beautiful constructions.
Often they accompany their building with marching songs and various Doozer chants. To ensure that they always have a steady stream of work to do, Doozers build their constructions out of an edible candy-like substance (manufactured from radishes) which is greatly enjoyed by Fraggles. They actually want the Fraggles to eat their constructions because "architecture's supposed to be enjoyed" and also so they can go on to build again. This is essentially the only interaction between Doozers and Fraggles; Doozers spend most of their time building, and Fraggles spend much of their time eating Doozer buildings. They thus form an odd sort of symbiosis. In one episode, the flavor of the Doozer sticks is augmented by adding other flavors, such as tomato and mustard.
This symbiosis becomes integral to the episode "The Preachification of Convincing John" where Mokey calls upon the Fraggles to stop eating the Doozers' constructions—because they spend so much time making them. Fraggle Rock quickly fills with constructions and the Doozers have no space left in which to build. After running out of space, the Doozers finally decide to move on to a new area because the Fraggles won't eat their constructions, and there is even a tragic scene with a mother explaining to her daughter that Doozers must build or they will die, and so they must find a new place to live where they can build and hopefully find Fraggles who will eat their constructions. Overhearing this, Mokey realizes that she has inadvertently disrupted a vital symbiotic relationship through ignorant good intentions. As a result, Mokey frantically rescinds her prohibition and encourages the Fraggles to gorge on the structures – just in time to persuade the Doozers to stay.
At one point a series of Fraggle Rock books appeared, one entitled "The Legend of the Doozer Who Didn't." This book details the story of a Doozer who went against Doozer tradition when he stopped working and going to school. According to this book, a Doozer who doesn't "do" becomes a Fraggle – though "All Work and All Play", a second-season episode of the show, unmasks this as merely a story that Doozer parents tell their children to teach them the value of hard work: no Doozer seriously believes it.
The series had several episodes that featured a young female Doozer named Cotterpin as a main character.
All of the Doozers were designed by Michael K. Frith and their mechanical bodies were built by Faz Fazakas.
On the outside of another exit from Fraggle Rock through a well live a family of Gorgs, giant furry humanoids standing 180 inches (15 ft) tall. The Gorgs consider themselves to be the King and Queen of the Universe, but to all appearances, seem to be working as simple farmers, with a hut and garden patch. The second episode of the first season reveals that the Gorgs have never actually met anyone besides themselves in years ("I've never met a real subject before!"), suggesting that King and Queen of the Universe are self-bestowed titles. The Gorgs regard Fraggles as pests, which steal radishes from their garden. In one episode, it is revealed that the Gorgs use radishes to make "anti-vanishing cream" that prevents them from becoming invisible. So the three main races of the Fraggle Rock universe – Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs – are all dependent on the radishes for different reasons. While the King and Queen consider the Fraggles disgusting vermin, Junior enjoys chasing, catching and keeping them like a boy would keep lizards and bugs. Junior has no friends, and perhaps pursues the Fraggles just so he has someone to talk to.
The Gorgs were developed by art director Douglas Cook in the Isle of Wight. In one of the final episodes, all leaves suddenly drop from The Nirvana Tree in the Gorg's Garden, which is the traditional sign that the reigning King must abdicate his throne and allow the crown prince to succeed. But after eating the last Nirvana leaf, Junior shrinks to Fraggle size, sees the realm from their point of view (including a consultation with Marjory the Trash Heap), and upon returning to his Gorg stature, invites his Fraggle friends to his coronation. As King, his first act is to abolish the Gorg monarchy, introducing a Fraggle-like society where all creatures are socially equal.
In design, the Gorgs are similar to Big Bird, but are operated in a more technologically advanced manner by two puppeteers: Rob Mills, for example, performed inside the body of the Junior Gorg puppet, thus allowing Junior to use both hands. The puppet's head was separate from the body, and on-set, Richard Hunt would insert his hand into a waldo to move Junior's mouth (and provide his voice) while using a device to control his eyes. The masks for the Gorgs have their own TV monitors in them so that the Gorg performers can see where they are going.
Marjory the Trash Heap (performed by Jerry Nelson in the live-action series, Aymee Garcia in Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, voiced by Rob Paulsen in the animated series) is a wise being (referred to as an "oracle") that serves as the garbage dump of the Gorgs. She and her heckling heralds live near the Gorg's garden, and she gives the Fraggles guidance and advice, which the Fraggles regard with reverence, although they do not worship her. She also appears to have some magical abilities (specifically telepathy and the ability to teleport items or Fraggles), although she does not often use them. Sometimes she knits to pass the time. She has an uncle named Maximillian (which was somehow spelled with a "silent Q"), whom she refers to as "Uncle Max". In the animated series, Marjory speaks in a Jewish/Yiddish accent. Although being made of the Gorgs's junk, and having no real need for clothing, Philo and Gunge occasionally lavish her with jewelry (headbands and bracelets made of random objects), and often looks at her Fraggle clientele through a pair of spectacles mounted on a stick.
The character has a popular aftermath in the German version of the serial where Marjory is named Allwissende Müllhalde (engl. all-knowing Trash Heap). Today, this name is used as a common synonym for search engines especially Google, and Wikipedia.
She was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Jane Gootnick and Maria McNamara.
Philo and Gunge (performed by Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt in the live-action series, Dan Garza and John Tartaglia in Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock and voiced by John Stephenson and Bob Bergen in the animated series) are the heralds of the Trash Heap. They often introduce her as the "all-knowing, all-seeing Trash Heap! Nyeah!" They supply humor, bad jokes, and puns. Although Gunge portrays himself as the brains of the pair, neither ever really prove a great help. They watch over the Trash Heap; if they were to leave for a long time, she would begin to die out. When she finishes speaking, they announce, "The Trash Heap has spoken! Nyeah!" Philo and Gunge had two episodes of the series devoted to them: "Home Is Where the Trash Is" and "Gunge the Great & Glorious".
They were designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Jane Gootnick.
The producers made the series with the intention of it airing in various forms internationally. Therefore, some characters and "Outer Space" locations were changed. (While the original North American and German versions were set in a workshop, the UK episodes were set in a lighthouse, while the French episodes were set in a bakery)
Gobo's Uncle Traveling Matt has gone to explore the human world (Fraggles call it Outer Space), and he regularly sends postcards back to Gobo. The name "Traveling Matt" puns on the film special-effects device known as a traveling matte. Matt calls the humans he meets the "Silly Creatures." Yet despite his contempt, the interactions related in his postcards often show his own ignorance. For example, he once sees two teenage girls chewing bubble gum: when they blow bubbles, he believes that the "food" has made their tongues inflate and explode.
There were some other characters that Doc had interacted with off-screen or on the telephone: