Anytime a Jim Henson project is released on DVD, it’s like the heavens opened for me. My dream job while I was growing up was to work for Jim Henson. It didn’t matter in what capacity; I would have swept floors for the man. I watched "Sesame Street" religiously as a child and as such was fascinated by puppets and puppetry. It’s interesting to note that even now as an adult, I still consider any opportunity to work for Henson Studios to be a dream job. I even sent in a résumé a few years back to the New York offices, hoping for a reply. I was elated when I received one telling me that they would keep it on file and that if I was ever in New York I should stop by. Of course, being married and somewhat settled down, it was very difficult to make the trek for a job I wasn’t sure would even exist. (To this day I wonder if it was a mistake not to go…)

I always considered Jim Henson to be a genius. I was so into his work with the Muppets and still love the films “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth.” So it should go without saying that I loved pretty much anything that his imaginative mind came up with. Everything from "The Muppet Show" to "The Storyteller" series was nothing short of genius. Being that I have kids, I'm even allowed to indulge in some of his work geared for younger audiences. One personal favorite was "Fraggle Rock." This particular little series starred little creatures called Fraggles, who lived underground and spent their time pretty much playing, eating and having adventures. They lived alongside the even smaller Doozers, who looked like tiny construction workers, complete with hard hats and tool belts. They were responsible for all of the construction in and around Fraggle Rock.

The Fraggle were rarely seen by humans, though the entrance to the underground world was set in the baseboards of an old inventor's workshop. The inventor, known as Doc had a dog however. And this dog, Sprocket would constantly see the Fraggles and get frustrated every time he tried to get Doc to see them. While there are thousands of Fraggles living there, we mostly see their world through the eyes of five in particular, Gobo, Wembley, Red, Mokey and Boober. We also often hear from Traveling Matt, who is Gobo's Uncle. He travels the world, sending back messages to his nephew.

"Fraggle Rock" is every bit a children's show. Every episode finds the Fraggles learning something new about the value of friendship and caring. The series teaches valuable lessons, and for being made back in the 80's, these lessons are still relevant today. My 4-year old is already watching episodes, thanks to the fine folks at Hit Entertainment and Fox Home Entertainment. They've already released the first two seasons on DVD and are released season three last month. The set comes complete with 24 episodes and more extra features than meet the eye. The quality of the transfers varies, and many of the episodes look like they might have on video, with a little softness and ghosting to the image, but not enough to be annoying.

As for extras, I thought there was only a couple until I put in the discs and started finding more than I though I would. The ones listed on the back cover barely scratch the surface of what is inside. The only way to start is at the beginning. There is an overview of the third season which features interviews with writers Jocelyn Stevenson and Bob Sandler, producer Lawrence Mirkin, and voice actors Karen Prell (Red Fraggle) and Kathy Mullen (Mokey Fraggle). This feature alone runs a little over a half hour. This is followed by Scared Silly, where we hear all about the practical jokes that were played on set by the cast and crew. There are also a couple of HBO promos.

Putting in another disc I found a featurette on the overall production design of the show, another where we learn about the creation of the character Marjory the Trash Heap and a couple more HBO promos. Yet another disc offers up a detailed look at the work of Faz Fazakas and the incredible 'Waldo' system of puppeteering. There are also two featurettes focusing on the design of the Doozers and the Gorgs, as well as another HBO promo. The final set of features deliver lengthy interviews with Michael Frith and actors Kathy Mullin and Gerry Parkes. Oh… and lest I forget, there are also miniature replicas of Michael Frith's original sketches inside the case.

For a show that is largely overlooked as being a part of the Henson canon, "Fraggle Rock" is being given a great DVD treatment by Hit and Fox. I only hope that sales will be brisk enough to greenlight the release of the final season.

Episodes:
Red_Handed and Invisible Thief
Boober and the Glob
The Grapes of Generosity
Blanket of Snow, Blanket of Woe
Pebble Pox Blues
Home is Where the Trash Is
Believe It Or Not
Wembley and the Mean Genie
The Secret Society of Poohbahs
The Branbarrow, The Burden and the Bright Bouquet
Gobo's School for Explorers
Scared Silly
The Great Radish Caper
Born to Wander
The Battle of Leaking Roof
Playing Til it Hurts
Bored Stiff
The Cavern of Lost Dreams
The Incredible Shrinking Mokey
A Dark and Stormy Night
Gunge the Great and Glorious
The Bells of Fraggle Rock
Sprocket's Big Adventure
Wembley's Wonderful Whoopie Water

Extras: The Cave of Fraggle Tales, Under Construction, The Tunnel of Faz-inating Secrets, The Cavern of the Talkative Silly Creatures, Michael Frith's Original Sketches
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 9/11/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Fraggle Rock: Season 3 an A.