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continue to learn and explore, finding ways to be personally re- sponsible, understanding how you can affect and support others.” Karen’s own journey to Fraggle Rock was one of great support from Jim Henson himself. Wishing to be a Muppeteer or a Disney animator (she’d later work for Pixar), Karen submitted an audi- tion tape in 1979 and was hired to perform hyperactive Deena Monster on Sesame Street. “I didn’t have life and acting experience


to being a performer, I was involved in drawing art, sitting in on story meetings, making props and costumes, and looking at edits. We knew we were making something special, but it wasn’t until the Internet happened that we realized that we had made the impact that we had hoped.” With six new Fraggle adventures now streaming on Apple TV, Fraggle Rock: Rock On! feels less like a reboot and more like a visit from an old friend. Perhaps it’s the use of actual puppets from the original series (refurbished from photo op pup- pets). Perhaps it’s Karen Prell and Dave Goelz reprising their roles (and serving as producers). Perhaps it’s the timeless themes of love, friend- ship, and connection that are so desperately needed right now. Whatever the secret sauce, it’s working as fans around the world give the series a collective “clap-clap.”


Wembley Fraggle in Season 1, Episode 3 "Fraggletastic Talent Show!" Fraggle Rock: Rock On, streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of The Jim Henson Company


Uncle Traveling Matt in Season 1, Episode 2 "The Cave of the Silly Creatures," Fraggle Rock: Rock On, streaming on Apple TV+. Photo courtesy of The Jim Henson Company


to make her more than a screaming one-note hyperactive. I had a lot to learn.” Karen gained background puppeteering experience the next year on The Muppet Show. “I was just fan-geeking out working with all my heroes.” When asked to audition for what would become Fraggle Rock, Karen identified more with peace- ful Mokey Fraggle. “I was shocked when Jim called me and said I would be performing Red. I thanked him, hung up the phone, and freaked out. Jim was good at seeing the potential inside people that they hadn’t seen in themselves. It was a very challeng- ing show to work on technically. Jim always wanted to push the envelope and was good at inspiring us. I was new but treated as an equal. There was lots of teamwork and collaboration. In addition


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So how did this series come about in the midst of a global pandemic? Enter executive producer Halle Stanford, president of television for The Jim Henson Company. A lifelong Fraggle fan, Halle always knew she wanted to tell stories like her idols Jim Henson, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. As a film major at Wesleyan, Halle realized that her passion wasn’t in directing but producing. She began as a creative assistant with The Jim Henson Company in 1993. “It was an incredibly energetic time. A lot of the heavy grieving (for Jim) had turned into, ‘we will take the legacy and blow it out of this world!’” Working on Muppet Treasure Island, Farscape, and Muppets Tonight, Halle realized that television was her medium of choice. After developing programs with other companies, Halle was invited by CEO Lisa Henson to return to The Jim Henson Com- pany. “The Muppets had been sold, and it was an incredible opportunity to create new franchises, such as The Pajanimals and Sid the Science Kid.” It was Halle who convinced Lisa to create a televi- sion prequel to The Dark Crystal and developed The Doozers, a Fraggle Rock spinoff for preschool- ers (now streaming on Hulu). “My job is to make and sell television. Making is so exciting. The other part is selling: building relationships, tim- ing; it’s like pushing a fragile rock up a hill and knowing when you have to push harder and let everyone join you. A few years ago, I met with Apple, who had formed a new entertainment division. They wanted to raise the new change makers of the world and make ‘hope’ cool again. I was tired of ‘surviving’ TV like Game of Thrones and was excited to hear such positive thinking. They said ‘whatever happened to Fraggle Rock?’ That began the conversa- tion, and I started working John Tartaglia on ideas for a series. When the lockdown happened, I got a call from Apple looking for something that entertains but speaks to issues that everyone is facing right now. [I realized] this is the path!” And so, the whirlwind began. John’s knowledge of all things Fraggle, an instinct to bring the puppets home when everything shut down, and a contact list that includes celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris helped the shorts to come about so quickly. “We said, ‘what have we got?’ A kitchen, a dog, a refrigerator,” ex- plains Halle. Once ideas were pitched in a virtual group meeting,


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