As @whollenbeck8 said, seems to be worldwide, I'm in the United Kindom if that is relevant. Never considered subsribing to apple TV but for this I clicked on the link quick, shame it's not working.
Hey everyone! This is Morgana Ignis, who was on Mokeys right arm! Just to clarify, jumping in to assist the incredible Donna Kimball on Mokey was a last minute surprise for me (which I was beyond honored to do and had an absolute blast with). This was fully Donna and Johnnys interview time as it should be. I adore Adam and the REAL reason I was brought in to the Henson Creature Shop that day will be on Tested soon! Stay tuned, you’ll hear me talk plenty ^__^
I came here to make a comment on the unsung hero in the background, bringing that arm to life every time Donna lifted up Mokey, and here you are! I've loved the Fraggles since I was a kid. The show hit me at just the right age. I've always wanted to operate one of the puppets, and today I realize that even just operating one arm would make my whole year. Well done.
I'm glad you are getting to do something with Tested... I was a little perturbed that you were just in the background working away diligently and not included in the discussion. Which seemed weird and a little rude.
yeah ... I love seeing the behind the scenes and then the real action ... the forgetting they are essentially socks on a hand is such a remarkable experience ...
Donna Kimball is my mom!!! And John Tartaglia and Morgana Ignis have been friends of mine for a long time. They’re all insanely talented and I’m the luckiest kid ever. Thank you Adam and Tested for shining a wonderful and honest light on the often-overlooked art of puppetry!!
Something I love about puppeteers discussing their craft, is when they almost subconsciously stay in character from the shoulder out. The little nods and gestures of the puppet that's not even involved in the conversation at that moment. I wish we'd gotten a bit of a chat with Morgana on the tricks and tactics of a collab character, she's almost prescient back there! @20:49, before Mokey even catches the joke she's reacting!
@@tested Ah cool, i was assuming that she was some kind of understudy or something, because she's sure in tune with the flow. But i also wonder if she's way more introverted than Donna and John, and might not become one of the ultra-extroverted lead characters.
One crazy thing I noticed is that the puppets are built in a way that they always have some residual character left in them even if the puppeteer has them in a relaxed position. They're not moving or anything, but Mokey looked like she was listenening intently to Donna talking about her experiences. I think I'm starting to get what interviewers talk about when they say it's easy to focus on the character and not the puppeteer. It's not that the puppeteer disappears, it's that there are two people there.
LOL Don't worry! Getting to assist on Mokey was actually a last minute surprise for me. Keep your eyes on the Tested channel for the REAL reason I was brought in that day ^__^
It's a real testament to the craft that no matter how much you learn about the puppeteers or behind the scenes, it never ruins the "magic"... They always seem real.
There’s a running gag where Muppet performers cover the ears of their characters when talking about the constructed nature of them, and Muppets having an existential crisis when they learn they’re artificial. I love it so much. Committing to the bit.
As a kid born in the 70s, growing up through the 80s, I cannot overstate how integral Muppets were in my childhood. I absolutely loved this episode. I could watch behind the scenes stuff like this for hours.
Me too, I have been watching The Muppet Show on Disney Plus recently. I have so much respect for what Jim Henson accomplished in his life. He was incredibly creative and imaginative, like Walt Disney.
I loved that Mokey was one of the puppets in the clip. I watched Fraggle Rock when it was on TV in early 90s. Dubbed to my first language, Swedish. I remember snippets of the show but Mokey is imprinted in my brain for a specific reason. At one time I had a planned annual check up in a hospital away from home. On my birthday. On that morning nurses and patients who I had grown to know over years entered singing to me. And on a tray with breakfast was a 2in figurine of Mokey holding a flower. Found the figurine in storage this year and now it lives on a bookshelf right behind where I sit right now. Where I see her everyday.
Every actor who says they've worked with puppets, all say the same thing. You forget the puppeteer is on the floor, and you buy into talking directly with the puppet. I love that, they are so good that people join a new reality where the puppets are in control. It's an art form that is only held back by ones imagination!
Fraggles in the thumbnail?? 🤩🤩🤩🤩 My dad worked as a scenic artist on the original CBC production of Fraggle Rock, and my siblings & I were allowed to join him at the wrap party. We got to meet all the fraggles and their handlers. Yes, the fraggles themselves were partying! 🤗 Seeing this has expanded my heart with joy. Thank you Adam, and thanks to all three muppeteers (even tho we didn't hear from the third one). 💖
Wow, it's amazing to see how just a the slightest motion and positioning makes them go from "just puppets" to "totaly alive". Fraggle rock is one of my most cherished memories from childhood, and it was even better when I rewatched it as an adult (but damn, some of those episodes were DARK!). Haven't seen back to the rock yet, but I will! And I really like the new design for Mokey!
To this day, since I've raised 3 children, I enjoy the magic and mechanics behind the Doozers on fraggle rock. They have to be my all time favorite. Big thanks to the artists that bring these things to life.
I cannot being to explain how important a role Fraggle Rock and The Muppet Show played in my childhood. This was a delight to watch and I'm going to be riding these happy feelings all week.
One of my favourite vids ever. The fact that they can’t turn the performance off when the puppets are up!! The out takes from muppets and the like have always been the best. When Ms Piggy stuffs her lines and gets angry it’s Ms Piggy that curses and gets angry with herself. Frank is just holding on for dear life..:)
"How dare you..." Perfect line. I love watching Muppeteers do what they do, it's so rare that the Henson company actually lets people see this side of their characters, mostly to maintain the illusion that they are characters and not props, but this is amazing. Can't wait to see more from this visit.
The first movie I ever watched in a theater was "The Muppet Movie." The second was "The Empire Strikes Back." Jim Henson and Frank Oz and the rest of the Muppets have inspired and shaped me from the beginning. Thanks a lot, guys. Based on this interview, It's obvious that not much has changed in the love and care that this generation of Creature Shop performers and technicians put into the art.
I remember watching John Tartaglia on Johnny and the Sprites on the Disney Channel! I never thought I would see him as an actual puppeteer several years later!
It’s interesting to me that Donna has difficulty switching voices while Mokey is on her shoulder but as soon as Mokey comes down, her natural voice comes back. I had the privilege of meeting Karen Prell and Red Fraggle several years ago. They are such a great team.
I'm finding it quite surreal watching the puppets and the puppeteers both talking at the same time with how alive and animated the puppets appear to be. Brilliant work on their behalf
I was 17 in 1985, and I had a serious motorcycle accident, I fractured my femur and ended up in hospital on traction, for the best part of 3 months. As I was stuck in bed 24hrs a day for most of my stay, I was allowed a portable TV from home next to my bed. It had a 12inch B+W screen, and every week day at 10am Fraggle Rock was on TV, the episodes with Fulton MacKay as the lighthouse keeper. It brightened up every day and kept me sane. It's great to see it back. Thanks Adam
I'm 43, grew up with those guys. And seeing them again makes me giggle like a child. Thank you so much. And a special thanks to the original puppeteers, you made my childhood a magical place. I never think of puppeteers when I see that kind of shows, which means they do a perfect job. Never go CG, please. Don't ruin the magic.
I went to the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, and seeing Muppets in person, including DOOZERS! I highly recommend seeing muppets in person in any capacity. Awesome video Adam.
What a great episode!! When I started in ‘64, it was with marionettes and ended up working around the country with Sid & Marty Krofft in theme parks (and later their own park) with these massive puppet spectacles! We did have Hand & Rod puppets from time to time but mostly marionettes which also had their own problem when animating. I loved being around when the Muppets began. In fact, I met Kermit Love backstage at one of their touring shows and after talking to him for a while about my history, he asked me about possibly joining their team. This was back in the mid 70’s but I was already booked with Sid & Marty for the next few years. Such amazing memories!
I was having a rough day last week and my partner and I started singing “Dance your cares away” and then we started clapping and dancing, and then we got out a violin. It was awesome.
Thanks for the amazing video. I wish Disney would let the their Muppet performers do more interviews with their puppets. I always loved when Jim Henson would go on talk shows with his characters. It was a real treat! Also: When they talked about the pond, it reminded me of an old story about how Jim Henson had to perform the swamp scene in the original Muppet Movie while being stuck in a tank underwater with a monitor to see his performance and a hose for air.
Shout out to Morgana Ignis, who must be a very attentive listener to be able to express someone else's intent, through a puppet's hand no less! Very impressed, hope she has her own puppet as well to show off her skills. No ego, just supporting a story, understanding the group effort knowing her skills elevate the story to a higher level. Amazing stuff. I don't want to diss the others but it just blew me away and taught me yet again how important team efforts are! EDIT: Morgana, just saw your comment, I look forward to your visit @ Tested!
I am SO ENVIOUS of you, Adam! My love for the Muppets and all of the Henson Creature Shop’s amazing work knows no bounds. The puppeteers are remarkable artists/actors and the myriad components necessary to create a great performance are mind-blowing.
As a kid growing up in the 70’s this is so awesome. Would love to be a puppeteer. They must have strong shoulders and great orthopedist. That shoulder position has always impressed me to that job. ❤❤Bravo
Adam Savage and the Jim Henson Company is such a wonderful fusion between two very influential parts of my childhood. These are the people who make me sure that there is magic in real life.
It brings my heart joy to see all the artistic subtleties of playing to the camera with silly animal dolls that Jim Henson developed are being kept alive by such dedicated performers.
Born in the late 60s, I learned to read from Sesame Street and I adored the Muppet Show (though somehow I never watched Fraggle Rock, but my little sister did). I wanted to be a Muppeteer and got really into the idea in high school. But then I did some puppeteering my senior year and realized it wasn't for me. What talented and amazing folks that bring the Muppets to life! Thanks for this interview so much!
This is FANTASTIC! So informative. One of the rare moments where a behind the scenes doesn't kill the magic and just makes me love these childhood friends more.
I'm very good friends with a rather famous puppeteer whom I've worked with on various projects. His skills and talent are beyond measure. He works on small local projects with children and volunteers as well as on Broadway. He definitely doesn't get paid enough based on the skills and effort he brings to the table, but it's a labor of love. That's why I do what I do, because I love it, but from concept to creation, he just blows me away! I've always hoped that one day an opportunity to do something like Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal crosses his path because as a filmmaker myself and one of his co-workers, that would be a dream to work on together! I grew up with The Muppet Show, I've always loved them, can't get enough. Breathing life into an inanimate object and seeing them as real as you and I... is a skill few possess.
Even seeing them holding the puppets and how they switch back and forth from the different voices it still seems like the puppets are completely seperate!! Only then do you realize how difficult it is to be a puppeteer .. and my respect for people who hone this craft grows ever more!
I could watch videos about puppetry every single day. As a puppeteer, I went to the Atlanta Puppetry Museum during their Dark Crystal and Labyrinth Promotion a few years ago, and it is something I will never forget.
Watching the puppets in conversation, you see the incidental movement of hair and tails. This article (thank you Adam for sharing with us) shows how much of an all-body experience it must be to bring these puppets to life. Awesome work everybody!
OMG!!! I loved Fraggle Rock when I grew up. I am in my early 50's and was in my teens when it came out. My favorite character was BooBer. I lived on a farm growing up and named one of my pets after that character.
Growing up Fraggle rock was my favorite tv show and seeing that they are still around and that talented people have the mantel makes me very happy. So glad that this video was produced and put out for us ^.^ Thanks guys
I didn't know they still did this show either but it isn't the same show really. It has to be a reboot because Fraggle Rock hasn't been running continuously for 40 years.
Wow! What an amazing opportunity to visit the Creature Shop and experience real Fraggles! I grew up watching them and all of Henson's amazing work. I even have my own puppet that I performed with several times in a musical group decades ago (yes, I kept him!). That question people ask, "Who from history would you like to have lunch with?" has always been answered with Jim Henson for me. I am truly envious of Adam in this video.
as a digital puppeteer I love this. I had a friend work on this show here in calgary. I wish i could have had the chance to see behind the scenes. This episode of tested made me very happy. 42 year old me turns into a kid again. Ive worked as a painter for props and theming for a place here in calgary many years ago. seeing the industry pick up again.
John's Gobo actually sounds very similar to Jerry Nelson, which makes my heart happy. Some of the muppeteers who've come along to replace the original performers don't sound much like their counterparts. I know they do the best they can, but it means so much to me that John sounds like Jerry.
This is wonderful. I just love Jim Henson❤ I have my Kermit. I just remembered of his passing and thinking how we lost someone who was far beyond their time. I'm glad his family and friends were able to keep his work alive.
This is great. I've loved the Muppets since I was a kid, and it's amazing to see what goes into it. Totally understand you fanboying out over this visit, Adam!
For years, and I mean YEARS, I wanted to learn more about how the puppets worked and how they were filmed...I was just fascinated even as a kid. Thank you to you and your team Adam for bringing us along on your visit, I absolutely loved this.
In 1989 Jim Henson had a short lived series called The Jim Henson Hour. Only ran for 12 episodes. They did an episode called Secrets Of The Muppets that goes behind the scenes. All the episodes of Jim Henson Hour can be found on youtube
My parents were professional puppeteers back in the 1980s and this was so fun to watch. So many good memories! I loved watching this interview and it it made me miss my parents. Thank you!
The best joke name for a character in Fraggle Rock was Travelling Matt. A lot of film compositors must have enjoyed that. I went to the muppet exhibit when I was a teenager and got to see the Fraggles in action before the series aired. It was so cool.
This whole interview was so awesome! I couldn’t help but grin like a complete idiot as I relived my childhood memories of watching fraggle rock and the muppets. Thank you for making the internet a better place with content like this.
What I love about the Muppets is: even when they are not talking they look so alive, I watched a interview with...Kevin Clash with Elmo recently and even though I could see Kevin Elmo looked so alive and animated even when Kevin was talking. It really is quite impressive.
Used to love Fragle rock!!!!..... Everyone always forgets about the genius puppetry on Farscape. And how it was connected to Jim Henson's company. The Piolet was probably one of the biggest puppets ever. Probably had five or six people all squished inside...
Like all millennials all of Jim's work meant a lot to me, and Fraggle Rock really meant a lot to me. It wasn't until I was watching the show again with my daughter that I realized exactly how much of my personal world view was specifically shaped by Fraggle Rock. Such a wonderful show.
Loved the Muppets all my life, especially The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Fraggle Rock, Wembley was always my fave. Thank you for sharing this Adam & Friends.
So I grew up with Muppets, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock, and literally everything else you listed, and I just have to say I spent this entire video smiling.
Wow, their improv performances fully in character just left a huge smile on my face. Such talented, fun, creative people. Thanks for sharing the coolest art, creators and insight with us.
I grew up on the Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street as a kid. This is such a treat to see this aspect of it. I have always imagined how the puppets were operated but I never knew it was as technical and demanding as this. My hat is off to the folk t the Jim Henson Creature shop, and to Adam from bringing this to us. I'm gonna go watch the Dark Crystal now. :)
One of the most interesting aspects of puppetry is getting the hand motions right within the mouth. Syllables have shapes and you have to try to match that shape. There are also inflections which carry facial and body movements as well. So it isn't just about moving the fingers. Sometimes, the head has to twitch slightly one direction or another, the eyes have to move, a shoulder has to droop, or an arm or hand flik. Adam used the term "sympathetic motion" to describe their habit of animating the puppet as they spoke and matching what they were doing. It isn't unlike a piano player or organist or drummer learning how to disassociate the movement of one limb from the other (independent motion)... It really is incredibly demanding even before you consider holding your hand over your head for four hours. Just try that alone and you'll gain an enormous amount of respect for these people! It's like a band director. Never arm wrestle a band director! It takes muscle to flap your arms like that all day long! 😅 From their descriptions of what you have to do to move around and align yourself in a shot, I can imagine that a scene of then performing behind a pair of ladders with a 2x4 strung between them as the "set", with the camera showing full frame the whole group, that this must be HILARIOUS to watch! Also... no conversation with the assistant, sitting there bored out of her skull holding this stick attached to the puppets arm, trying her damndest not to be seen? 😁
I love the Muppets! Always awesome to see interviews with professional puppeteers. And yes, the arm position is probably the worst part; takes me about 2-3 hours to do the voiceover parts of my videos and I'm slowly getting used to it, but I imagine that this pain is never going away, no matter how long you train for it. Little known fact: it is actually much easier to mirror a CRT TV (just reverse the horizontal deflection coil) than it is a modern LCD (needs proper software rewrites) - so I think the original motivation wasn't a technical limitatino but rather an artistic choice: Images do look quite different when flipped, so the puppeteer doesn't get the exact same feedback about the look of a shot as it is with the normal image. And that reversing on the monitor is something that one takes up rather quickly.
Thanks for the memories Adam. I so remember watching the original Fraggle Rock. I think a lot of it was initially filmed in Canada, then later to UK. So much fun.
I grew up watching fraggle Rock and all the Muppet movies. To this day I still love to see them. I absolutely love it when famous people get a chance to hang out with Muppets. Seeing chef Gordon Ramsay hang out with the swedish chef and other Muppets was just awesome. Or having Lindsey Stirling with Josh Groban performing with all the Muppets was phenomenal.
Sweet jebus this hits me in the childhood. Henson was my childhood. I didn't discover The Story Teller till I was in my 30s, and that so revitalized my love of the art. I was so disappointed Dark Crystal series didn't continue.
I didn't know Fraggle Rock has a new series! I was so excited to tell my mom & besty Maggie about this video today. Mom grew up in the '70s & Maggie in the '80s. I look forward to new adventures & friends.
This entire video just makes me smile, it’s absolute proof that a lot of people put a lot of work into making me - and others - laugh and enjoy themselves as children (and adults). And the love, life and effort everyone involved - and particularly the puppeteers - put into bringing those characters to life, almost subconsciously, is a testament to the brilliance of the art. Thank you to everyone involved.
Man, I remember watching the Muppet Show and Sesame Street as a kid and my favorite puppet was Howdie Doodie! Thank you for showing us the kid side of all this fun stuff!
THIS! I've been waiting for this video! So amazing! I think my dream job honestly is puppeteering. Every time I come across a puppet in a store I instantly start playing and discovering its voice.
Saw John in Avenue Q a few times. It was amazing how the puppeteers were on stage, but they all vanished behind their characters. Obviously it’s different than doing this to a camera.
I just happened to have watched the "Making of the Muppet Show" which I believe was made in 1982 the day before seeing this video. "Making of the Muppet Show" was narrated entirely by Jim Henson. At one point, he said it takes a year to go from no experience with puppets to being able to work in front of camera. He said the reason it takes so long is that you have to get to the point where you can work a puppet subconsciously without giving it any thought. Otherwise, all the things you have to do at the same time as you see here is just too much to do effectively. Truly very talented people who put themselves through a lot to do what they do.
Watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock on @AppleTV +: tv.apple.com/us/show/fraggle-rock-back-to-the-rock/
kk is so funny
THIS SHOW IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE?
As @whollenbeck8 said, seems to be worldwide, I'm in the United Kindom if that is relevant. Never considered subsribing to apple TV but for this I clicked on the link quick, shame it's not working.
@@whollenbeck8 must be a weird glitch, how odd.
Its on apple tv i just watched it
Hey everyone! This is Morgana Ignis, who was on Mokeys right arm! Just to clarify, jumping in to assist the incredible Donna Kimball on Mokey was a last minute surprise for me (which I was beyond honored to do and had an absolute blast with). This was fully Donna and Johnnys interview time as it should be. I adore Adam and the REAL reason I was brought in to the Henson Creature Shop that day will be on Tested soon! Stay tuned, you’ll hear me talk plenty ^__^
I came here to make a comment on the unsung hero in the background, bringing that arm to life every time Donna lifted up Mokey, and here you are! I've loved the Fraggles since I was a kid. The show hit me at just the right age. I've always wanted to operate one of the puppets, and today I realize that even just operating one arm would make my whole year. Well done.
I kept waiting for you to be acknowledged in the video. Did I miss it?
@@thelongingforflight9644 Yes!
Credit to the filming, I didn't even notice until seeing your comment! Lol
I'm glad you are getting to do something with Tested... I was a little perturbed that you were just in the background working away diligently and not included in the discussion. Which seemed weird and a little rude.
It doesn't matter how much I know about behind the scenes, as soon as they go into character, I believe they are alive.
"It doesn't stop being magic just because you know how it works." - Terry Pratchett
That's because they are. They absolutely come alive when the performers want them to.
yeah ... I love seeing the behind the scenes and then the real action ... the forgetting they are essentially socks on a hand is such a remarkable experience ...
That's what separates muppets from puppets
@@k1ngk4gl3
Puppets in general are the same. Puppets don't have to be Muppets to have that magic, and that's coming from a lifelong Muppets fan.
Donna Kimball is my mom!!! And John Tartaglia and Morgana Ignis have been friends of mine for a long time. They’re all insanely talented and I’m the luckiest kid ever. Thank you Adam and Tested for shining a wonderful and honest light on the often-overlooked art of puppetry!!
Lucky you!
This was such a special and amazing day for us. Truly!
Do you have an interest in puppetry?
@@tested I can’t wait to see what they do with the 5 nights at Freddy’s movie.
You have the best mom ever
Something I love about puppeteers discussing their craft, is when they almost subconsciously stay in character from the shoulder out. The little nods and gestures of the puppet that's not even involved in the conversation at that moment.
I wish we'd gotten a bit of a chat with Morgana on the tricks and tactics of a collab character, she's almost prescient back there! @20:49, before Mokey even catches the joke she's reacting!
Morgana is featured in a different video - stay tuned!
@@tested I suspected she might be ;p
@@tested Ah cool, i was assuming that she was some kind of understudy or something, because she's sure in tune with the flow.
But i also wonder if she's way more introverted than Donna and John, and might not become one of the ultra-extroverted lead characters.
One crazy thing I noticed is that the puppets are built in a way that they always have some residual character left in them even if the puppeteer has them in a relaxed position. They're not moving or anything, but Mokey looked like she was listenening intently to Donna talking about her experiences. I think I'm starting to get what interviewers talk about when they say it's easy to focus on the character and not the puppeteer. It's not that the puppeteer disappears, it's that there are two people there.
LOL Don't worry! Getting to assist on Mokey was actually a last minute surprise for me. Keep your eyes on the Tested channel for the REAL reason I was brought in that day ^__^
The Jim Henson Scrunch™ is such a powerful puppeteering tool.
It's a real testament to the craft that no matter how much you learn about the puppeteers or behind the scenes, it never ruins the "magic"... They always seem real.
So well said! 👏
I loved Fraggle Rock as a kid and watching all these videos has just brought back all that magic I saw as a kid.
I love how when asked about "How many muppets are made?"
John responds with "How dare you!" as himself *and* Gobo at the same time!
There’s a running gag where Muppet performers cover the ears of their characters when talking about the constructed nature of them, and Muppets having an existential crisis when they learn they’re artificial. I love it so much. Committing to the bit.
Where was this
@@Project_Worm @16:08
@@fluffycritter “How are babies made?”
“How are Muppets made?”
46 years old and I still get tears of joy from the Muppets.
I'm 45 and crying now just reading your comment!
64 and also tears. What would the world be without Muppets.
I'm 43 and I'm also crying now. It's so nostalgic.
I loved Fraggle Rock when I was a little kid in the 80's and
I still love them now.
I'm 49 years old and I love them too!
The magic trick puppeteers pull off every time they trick me into caring about some foam and ping pong balls never gets old.
Right?!
As a kid born in the 70s, growing up through the 80s, I cannot overstate how integral Muppets were in my childhood. I absolutely loved this episode. I could watch behind the scenes stuff like this for hours.
Me too, I have been watching The Muppet Show on Disney Plus recently. I have so much respect for what Jim Henson accomplished in his life. He was incredibly creative and imaginative, like Walt Disney.
I loved that Mokey was one of the puppets in the clip. I watched Fraggle Rock when it was on TV in early 90s. Dubbed to my first language, Swedish. I remember snippets of the show but Mokey is imprinted in my brain for a specific reason. At one time I had a planned annual check up in a hospital away from home. On my birthday. On that morning nurses and patients who I had grown to know over years entered singing to me. And on a tray with breakfast was a 2in figurine of Mokey holding a flower. Found the figurine in storage this year and now it lives on a bookshelf right behind where I sit right now. Where I see her everyday.
Every actor who says they've worked with puppets, all say the same thing. You forget the puppeteer is on the floor, and you buy into talking directly with the puppet. I love that, they are so good that people join a new reality where the puppets are in control.
It's an art form that is only held back by ones imagination!
I was an adult when Fraggle Rock came out. Now I'm an elderly adult and still love it!
Adam, thanks for sharing your many interests!
The type of "magic" that muppets have keeps us young at heart.
Fraggles in the thumbnail??
🤩🤩🤩🤩
My dad worked as a scenic artist on the original CBC production of Fraggle Rock, and my siblings & I were allowed to join him at the wrap party. We got to meet all the fraggles and their handlers.
Yes, the fraggles themselves were partying! 🤗
Seeing this has expanded my heart with joy.
Thank you Adam, and thanks to all three muppeteers (even tho we didn't hear from the third one). 💖
Gosh I want more stories!! I bet those fraggles really know to party 🎉
Wow, it's amazing to see how just a the slightest motion and positioning makes them go from "just puppets" to "totaly alive". Fraggle rock is one of my most cherished memories from childhood, and it was even better when I rewatched it as an adult (but damn, some of those episodes were DARK!). Haven't seen back to the rock yet, but I will!
And I really like the new design for Mokey!
To this day, since I've raised 3 children, I enjoy the magic and mechanics behind the Doozers on fraggle rock. They have to be my all time favorite. Big thanks to the artists that bring these things to life.
I cannot being to explain how important a role Fraggle Rock and The Muppet Show played in my childhood. This was a delight to watch and I'm going to be riding these happy feelings all week.
Mad props to Morgana in the background just being a total professional.
One of my favourite vids ever. The fact that they can’t turn the performance off when the puppets are up!!
The out takes from muppets and the like have always been the best. When Ms Piggy stuffs her lines and gets angry it’s Ms Piggy that curses and gets angry with herself. Frank is just holding on for dear life..:)
"How dare you..." Perfect line. I love watching Muppeteers do what they do, it's so rare that the Henson company actually lets people see this side of their characters, mostly to maintain the illusion that they are characters and not props, but this is amazing. Can't wait to see more from this visit.
I love, love, love how they reflexively emote with the puppets. Just an extension of their thoughts.
The first movie I ever watched in a theater was "The Muppet Movie." The second was "The Empire Strikes Back."
Jim Henson and Frank Oz and the rest of the Muppets have inspired and shaped me from the beginning.
Thanks a lot, guys. Based on this interview, It's obvious that not much has changed in the love and care that this generation of Creature Shop performers and technicians put into the art.
Muppets were my childhood, my parents were divorced but my dad had HBO and getting to watch Fraggle Rock was always one of the highlights of my visits
I remember watching John Tartaglia on Johnny and the Sprites on the Disney Channel! I never thought I would see him as an actual puppeteer several years later!
It’s interesting to me that Donna has difficulty switching voices while Mokey is on her shoulder but as soon as Mokey comes down, her natural voice comes back.
I had the privilege of meeting Karen Prell and Red Fraggle several years ago. They are such a great team.
You're so lucky. I'd give anything to meet them.
You met Karen prell oh my goodness
Update, I actually wrote to Karen via fan mail last month. I hope she responds!
@@morganmusto361 Feeling the same, mate... *jealous fangirl noises*
Adam, I love your exuberance. Your love of what you get to do shines through. Thank you for bringing a smile to my day.
Speaking of exuberance....the young woman who has to just stand around and be a hand is funny as hell lol
He kept together very well. I would have cracked up with laughter.
Aughra is definitely my favorite puppet work from Donna! Love her!!
I'm finding it quite surreal watching the puppets and the puppeteers both talking at the same time with how alive and animated the puppets appear to be. Brilliant work on their behalf
I’m 37 years old and watching this brings me right back to original Fraggle rock I love it. Awesome memories thank you for your pain.
I was 17 in 1985, and I had a serious motorcycle accident, I fractured my femur and ended up in hospital on traction, for the best part of 3 months. As I was stuck in bed 24hrs a day for most of my stay, I was allowed a portable TV from home next to my bed. It had a 12inch B+W screen, and every week day at 10am Fraggle Rock was on TV, the episodes with Fulton MacKay as the lighthouse keeper. It brightened up every day and kept me sane. It's great to see it back. Thanks Adam
This was brilliant. I am a beginner puppeteer but have loved Jim Henson and muppets since Sesame Street.
Thank you Adam.
Note how even at like 5:25 Donna has Mokey looking straight at her, even when they're not acting. True professionalism
You are right
I’ve nose gestures that my kids recognize from the muppets…my whole life watching you, I love you guys!!! You have made so many kids happy…!!!!
There should totally be a "Maker Fraggle" based on Adam, who makes crazy contraptions that (somehow) actually work (most of the time)!
Wholeheartedly agree with this.
Petition to make a Smada Fraggle (Adam S. Spelled backward) !!!!
The joy that exudes is absolutely infectious when they talk about the puppets.
I'm 43, grew up with those guys. And seeing them again makes me giggle like a child. Thank you so much. And a special thanks to the original puppeteers, you made my childhood a magical place. I never think of puppeteers when I see that kind of shows, which means they do a perfect job. Never go CG, please. Don't ruin the magic.
I went to the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, and seeing Muppets in person, including DOOZERS! I highly recommend seeing muppets in person in any capacity.
Awesome video Adam.
Fraggle Rock was always the best of the "Muppet" shows when I was a child.
I always loved watching Sprocket bouncing round.
What a great episode!! When I started in ‘64, it was with marionettes and ended up working around the country with Sid & Marty Krofft in theme parks (and later their own park) with these massive puppet spectacles! We did have Hand & Rod puppets from time to time but mostly marionettes which also had their own problem when animating. I loved being around when the Muppets began. In fact, I met Kermit Love backstage at one of their touring shows and after talking to him for a while about my history, he asked me about possibly joining their team. This was back in the mid 70’s but I was already booked with Sid & Marty for the next few years. Such amazing memories!
I was having a rough day last week and my partner and I started singing “Dance your cares away” and then we started clapping and dancing, and then we got out a violin. It was awesome.
...this is...everything I've ever wanted in a RUclips video. You are beautiful humans. All of you.
Thanks for the amazing video. I wish Disney would let the their Muppet performers do more interviews with their puppets. I always loved when Jim Henson would go on talk shows with his characters. It was a real treat!
Also: When they talked about the pond, it reminded me of an old story about how Jim Henson had to perform the swamp scene in the original Muppet Movie while being stuck in a tank underwater with a monitor to see his performance and a hose for air.
Shout out to Morgana Ignis, who must be a very attentive listener to be able to express someone else's intent, through a puppet's hand no less! Very impressed, hope she has her own puppet as well to show off her skills. No ego, just supporting a story, understanding the group effort knowing her skills elevate the story to a higher level. Amazing stuff.
I don't want to diss the others but it just blew me away and taught me yet again how important team efforts are!
EDIT: Morgana, just saw your comment, I look forward to your visit @ Tested!
I am SO ENVIOUS of you, Adam! My love for the Muppets and all of the Henson Creature Shop’s amazing work knows no bounds. The puppeteers are remarkable artists/actors and the myriad components necessary to create a great performance are mind-blowing.
Fraggle Rock is my all time favorite Muppets series.
As a kid growing up in the 70’s this is so awesome. Would love to be a puppeteer. They must have strong shoulders and great orthopedist. That shoulder position has always impressed me to that job. ❤❤Bravo
Adam Savage and the Jim Henson Company is such a wonderful fusion between two very influential parts of my childhood. These are the people who make me sure that there is magic in real life.
It brings my heart joy to see all the artistic subtleties of playing to the camera with silly animal dolls that Jim Henson developed are being kept alive by such dedicated performers.
Born in the late 60s, I learned to read from Sesame Street and I adored the Muppet Show (though somehow I never watched Fraggle Rock, but my little sister did). I wanted to be a Muppeteer and got really into the idea in high school. But then I did some puppeteering my senior year and realized it wasn't for me. What talented and amazing folks that bring the Muppets to life! Thanks for this interview so much!
This is FANTASTIC! So informative. One of the rare moments where a behind the scenes doesn't kill the magic and just makes me love these childhood friends more.
I'm very good friends with a rather famous puppeteer whom I've worked with on various projects. His skills and talent are beyond measure. He works on small local projects with children and volunteers as well as on Broadway. He definitely doesn't get paid enough based on the skills and effort he brings to the table, but it's a labor of love. That's why I do what I do, because I love it, but from concept to creation, he just blows me away!
I've always hoped that one day an opportunity to do something like Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal crosses his path because as a filmmaker myself and one of his co-workers, that would be a dream to work on together! I grew up with The Muppet Show, I've always loved them, can't get enough. Breathing life into an inanimate object and seeing them as real as you and I... is a skill few possess.
Even seeing them holding the puppets and how they switch back and forth from the different voices it still seems like the puppets are completely seperate!! Only then do you realize how difficult it is to be a puppeteer .. and my respect for people who hone this craft grows ever more!
John and Donna seem like the most likeable people ever. What a team!
I could watch videos about puppetry every single day. As a puppeteer, I went to the Atlanta Puppetry Museum during their Dark Crystal and Labyrinth Promotion a few years ago, and it is something I will never forget.
Watching the puppets in conversation, you see the incidental movement of hair and tails. This article (thank you Adam for sharing with us) shows how much of an all-body experience it must be to bring these puppets to life. Awesome work everybody!
OMG!!! I loved Fraggle Rock when I grew up. I am in my early 50's and was in my teens when it came out. My favorite character was BooBer. I lived on a farm growing up and named one of my pets after that character.
Growing up Fraggle rock was my favorite tv show and seeing that they are still around and that talented people have the mantel makes me very happy. So glad that this video was produced and put out for us ^.^ Thanks guys
I didn't know they still did this show either but it isn't the same show really. It has to be a reboot because Fraggle Rock hasn't been running continuously for 40 years.
Wow! What an amazing opportunity to visit the Creature Shop and experience real Fraggles! I grew up watching them and all of Henson's amazing work. I even have my own puppet that I performed with several times in a musical group decades ago (yes, I kept him!). That question people ask, "Who from history would you like to have lunch with?" has always been answered with Jim Henson for me. I am truly envious of Adam in this video.
as a digital puppeteer I love this. I had a friend work on this show here in calgary. I wish i could have had the chance to see behind the scenes. This episode of tested made me very happy. 42 year old me turns into a kid again. Ive worked as a painter for props and theming for a place here in calgary many years ago. seeing the industry pick up again.
Oh my gosh
John's Gobo actually sounds very similar to Jerry Nelson, which makes my heart happy. Some of the muppeteers who've come along to replace the original performers don't sound much like their counterparts. I know they do the best they can, but it means so much to me that John sounds like Jerry.
This is wonderful. I just love Jim Henson❤ I have my Kermit. I just remembered of his passing and thinking how we lost someone who was far beyond their time. I'm glad his family and friends were able to keep his work alive.
As excited as children as they talk about what they do, how wonderful is that?♥️
This is great. I've loved the Muppets since I was a kid, and it's amazing to see what goes into it. Totally understand you fanboying out over this visit, Adam!
For years, and I mean YEARS, I wanted to learn more about how the puppets worked and how they were filmed...I was just fascinated even as a kid. Thank you to you and your team Adam for bringing us along on your visit, I absolutely loved this.
In 1989 Jim Henson had a short lived series called The Jim Henson Hour. Only ran for 12 episodes. They did an episode called Secrets Of The Muppets that goes behind the scenes. All the episodes of Jim Henson Hour can be found on youtube
Long live the magic of the legendary Jim Henson!
I remember getting to see some of Jim Henson's original Muppets, Fragile Rock, and Dark Crystal puppets and sketches. Absolutely amazing work!
You have so many memories
My parents were professional puppeteers back in the 1980s and this was so fun to watch. So many good memories! I loved watching this interview and it it made me miss my parents. Thank you!
You have really cool parents
10:00 I love it when they dance. It's so... life-affirming! These are high quality puppets and actors.
They're just such good dancers.
Best Tested ever! Amazing how easy they can jump into character like that.
I'm so happy they brought back Fraggle Rock. I loved that show as a kid.
The best joke name for a character in Fraggle Rock was Travelling Matt. A lot of film compositors must have enjoyed that.
I went to the muppet exhibit when I was a teenager and got to see the Fraggles in action before the series aired. It was so cool.
This whole interview was so awesome! I couldn’t help but grin like a complete idiot as I relived my childhood memories of watching fraggle rock and the muppets. Thank you for making the internet a better place with content like this.
What I love about the Muppets is: even when they are not talking they look so alive, I watched a interview with...Kevin Clash with Elmo recently and even though I could see Kevin Elmo looked so alive and animated even when Kevin was talking. It really is quite impressive.
I've seen Jim Henson doing an interview and Kermit was reacting the whole time Jim was talking to the host. It's really incredible.
Kevin does uncle Traveling matt for Dave Goelz
Used to love Fragle rock!!!!..... Everyone always forgets about the genius puppetry on Farscape. And how it was connected to Jim Henson's company. The Piolet was probably one of the biggest puppets ever. Probably had five or six people all squished inside...
Like all millennials all of Jim's work meant a lot to me, and Fraggle Rock really meant a lot to me. It wasn't until I was watching the show again with my daughter that I realized exactly how much of my personal world view was specifically shaped by Fraggle Rock. Such a wonderful show.
Loved the Muppets all my life, especially The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Fraggle Rock, Wembley was always my fave.
Thank you for sharing this Adam & Friends.
So I grew up with Muppets, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock, and literally everything else you listed, and I just have to say I spent this entire video smiling.
Wow, their improv performances fully in character just left a huge smile on my face. Such talented, fun, creative people. Thanks for sharing the coolest art, creators and insight with us.
I grew up on the Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street as a kid. This is such a treat to see this aspect of it. I have always imagined how the puppets were operated but I never knew it was as technical and demanding as this. My hat is off to the folk t the Jim Henson Creature shop, and to Adam from bringing this to us. I'm gonna go watch the Dark Crystal now. :)
One of the most interesting aspects of puppetry is getting the hand motions right within the mouth. Syllables have shapes and you have to try to match that shape. There are also inflections which carry facial and body movements as well. So it isn't just about moving the fingers. Sometimes, the head has to twitch slightly one direction or another, the eyes have to move, a shoulder has to droop, or an arm or hand flik. Adam used the term "sympathetic motion" to describe their habit of animating the puppet as they spoke and matching what they were doing. It isn't unlike a piano player or organist or drummer learning how to disassociate the movement of one limb from the other (independent motion)... It really is incredibly demanding even before you consider holding your hand over your head for four hours. Just try that alone and you'll gain an enormous amount of respect for these people! It's like a band director. Never arm wrestle a band director! It takes muscle to flap your arms like that all day long! 😅
From their descriptions of what you have to do to move around and align yourself in a shot, I can imagine that a scene of then performing behind a pair of ladders with a 2x4 strung between them as the "set", with the camera showing full frame the whole group, that this must be HILARIOUS to watch!
Also... no conversation with the assistant, sitting there bored out of her skull holding this stick attached to the puppets arm, trying her damndest not to be seen? 😁
Lol I wasn’t bored at all, I was very focused ^__^
I love the Muppets! Always awesome to see interviews with professional puppeteers. And yes, the arm position is probably the worst part; takes me about 2-3 hours to do the voiceover parts of my videos and I'm slowly getting used to it, but I imagine that this pain is never going away, no matter how long you train for it. Little known fact: it is actually much easier to mirror a CRT TV (just reverse the horizontal deflection coil) than it is a modern LCD (needs proper software rewrites) - so I think the original motivation wasn't a technical limitatino but rather an artistic choice: Images do look quite different when flipped, so the puppeteer doesn't get the exact same feedback about the look of a shot as it is with the normal image. And that reversing on the monitor is something that one takes up rather quickly.
I love John Tartaglia! From Johnny and the sprites, to Broadway to this! He is super talented with puppeteering!
Thanks for the memories Adam. I so remember watching the original Fraggle Rock. I think a lot of it was initially filmed in Canada, then later to UK. So much fun.
I grew up watching fraggle Rock and all the Muppet movies. To this day I still love to see them. I absolutely love it when famous people get a chance to hang out with Muppets. Seeing chef Gordon Ramsay hang out with the swedish chef and other Muppets was just awesome. Or having Lindsey Stirling with Josh Groban performing with all the Muppets was phenomenal.
I wish this was longer! I think I could watch puppeteers for hours and hours… can’t wait for season two🎉
John Tartaglia is an absolute legend!!!!! Johnny and the Sprites holds as one of the greatest kids shows ever in my opinion!
He also originated the roles of Princeton and Rod from Avenue Q during the show's original, Tony Award-winning Broadway production in 2003.
And he followed the legend who first brought Gobo Fraggle to life in Jerry Nelson. Always a tough thing to do.
Sweet jebus this hits me in the childhood. Henson was my childhood. I didn't discover The Story Teller till I was in my 30s, and that so revitalized my love of the art. I was so disappointed Dark Crystal series didn't continue.
I didn't know Fraggle Rock has a new series! I was so excited to tell my mom & besty Maggie about this video today. Mom grew up in the '70s & Maggie in the '80s. I look forward to new adventures & friends.
Poor girl, that one on the background, had to stay hunched over holding the puppet's hand for the whole video! haha
Pfft, this was nothing. I'm assistant puppeteering Mokey! I could do that all day! ^__^
This entire video just makes me smile, it’s absolute proof that a lot of people put a lot of work into making me - and others - laugh and enjoy themselves as children (and adults).
And the love, life and effort everyone involved - and particularly the puppeteers - put into bringing those characters to life, almost subconsciously, is a testament to the brilliance of the art.
Thank you to everyone involved.
Man, I remember watching the Muppet Show and Sesame Street as a kid and my favorite puppet was Howdie Doodie!
Thank you for showing us the kid side of all this fun stuff!
I am 45 years old and I am watching this enthralled like I am 6, this was cool
THIS! I've been waiting for this video! So amazing! I think my dream job honestly is puppeteering. Every time I come across a puppet in a store I instantly start playing and discovering its voice.
Is there anything as pure as Adam Savage and Fraggles... This needs to be a show- Savage Fraggles.
Saw John in Avenue Q a few times. It was amazing how the puppeteers were on stage, but they all vanished behind their characters. Obviously it’s different than doing this to a camera.
The new Fraggle Rock makes me so happy. I'm astonished to find out most of the voices aren't the original people, they sound so perfect.
I was so awestruck from that first outside shot of Fraggle Rock. I had no idea it would hit me that hard. I had to rewind after I recovered!
I just happened to have watched the "Making of the Muppet Show" which I believe was made in 1982 the day before seeing this video. "Making of the Muppet Show" was narrated entirely by Jim Henson. At one point, he said it takes a year to go from no experience with puppets to being able to work in front of camera. He said the reason it takes so long is that you have to get to the point where you can work a puppet subconsciously without giving it any thought. Otherwise, all the things you have to do at the same time as you see here is just too much to do effectively. Truly very talented people who put themselves through a lot to do what they do.
Loved fraggal rock when I was a kid, can still remember the theme song.