Great news! Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock is premiering on Apple TV+ in mere days! Also great news: A new trailer for the series dropped this week! Also even more great news: I found a $5 on the street! That last one has nothing to do with this article, but I’m telling everyone.
The new Fraggle Rock trailer is legit full of exciting stuff. Returning characters, new concepts, bright colors, and so much Fraggle nostalgia. (“Nosfragglia”?? Nah, forget it.) First, let’s revisit the video:
See what I mean?? There’s so much great stuff! We watched the video a couple dozen times, and then just one more frame-by-frame so we could point out every little detail we could find. So keep on reading, see what you might’ve missed, and then tune in to Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock on Apple TV+ on January 21st!
Traveling Matt is back! And he’s heading into Outer Space… again? It sure seems like the new Fraggle Rock will be a continuation and not a reboot, so I hope Matt has a good reason for risking life and limb (not to mention abandoning his only relative) this time around. Also interesting: The cave just before entering Outer Space seems to have a window now. So, I guess Gobo can just poke out to see what’s happening on the street outside whenever he wants?
Here’s our first look at the new Doc (played by Broadway performer Lili Cooper), the new Doc’s workshop, and the same ol’ Sprocket! It looks like this Doc may be a bit more of an artist than the old Doc, who often prioritized function over style. Plus, he’d likely never own a surfboard.
I guess Traveling Matt still hasn’t figured out e-mail, because Gobo is still getting his postcards out of the trash. Despite the slow decline of snail mail, it seems that Doc has a lot being delivered, as evidenced by all those Amazon package wrappers.
The Doozers are back, and it looks like they’re throwing quite the party in their Doozer Dome, complete with a dance floor, balloons, and a Doozer ice sculpture. I especially like how the Doozers are wearing their party hats on top of their little helmets. Adorbs.
Unsurprisingly, Red Fraggle seems to still have her job as the lifeguard at the Fraggle Pond.
Speaking of the Fraggle Pond, it seems that it’ll continue to be a centerpiece of Fraggle Rock, with a slight redesign. One thing that caught my eye is the strange helix-looking thing on the right. Is it a new type of Doozer construction? Or some strangely symmetrical flora? Time will tell!
Doozer in a viking helmet!
Doozer with a radish Carmen Miranda hat!
Doozer with a jet pack!
We won’t just be revisiting Fraggle Rock – we’ll be back in the Gorgs’ garden too! The old castle looks like it hasn’t changed a bit. Junior Gorg, on the other hand, seems to have evolved a smidge, and hey, we’re just gonna have to get used to it. Ma Gorg pops up in the background, but she’s too far away to notice any differences. And no sign of Pa Gorg (yet?). He must be busy with his kingly duties. Just kidding – as pointed out to us by a few folks, Pa is there, barely visible behind Ma. The Gorg family reunites!
Junior’s looking a little… rounder? Happier? Dare I say, cuter? It’s too soon to say if it’s a good change or not, but I’m honestly just happy to see the big lug again.
Here’s a rarely-seen viewpoint of the Fraggle Pond, which is interesting enough in itself. But if you zoom-and-enhance on the bottom right corner, amidst that small group of Fraggles, right next to Boober, you’ll see Large Marvin! He’s back, baby!
The Ditzies – the tiny firefly-like creatures that bring light into the Rock – are back as well. They’ve been given a much-needed redesign, no longer looking like abstract lightbursts and given real eyes and wings.
Also in this shot – the Minstrels! That’s Balsam on the left and Brool on the right, with an unidentified Fraggle in the middle (they don’t look like the missing Minstrel, Brio, but who knows how she’s changed over the years?). That sure looks like Cantus in the middle, but with an afro? If I had to guess, I’d wager that Cantus has been retired, and a new Cantus-esque leader of the Minstrels has taken over – one with either a new hairdo or a different gender.
Sprocket is a real dog. That is all.
Marjory the Trash Heap is back in action, along with her buddies Philo and Gunge. And thank goodness, because we are in dire need of some trashy wisdom these days.
It looks like the Fraggles will be making a visit to the Merggles – the aquatic mermaid-esque Fraggle creatures. The Merggles originally only made one appearance on the classic Fraggle Rock, so it’s great to see them make an waterlogged comeback.
It’s slightly hard to see in this shot, but that’s the World’s Oldest Fraggle there in the background! The World’s Oldest Fraggle is even older now!
Way at the bottom there? Two Inkspots – the secret weapons of the Fraggle Rock universe! Honestly, the show wouldn’t be the same without them.
Ah, the best part. The promise that the new episodes of Fraggle Rock are dropping so soon! January 21st can’t come soon enough.
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
