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Mokey Fraggle is a fictional puppet character created by Jim Henson. She is one of the five main characters in Henson's television series Fraggle Rock,[1] well as its 2022 reboot Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.[2] She is performed by Kathryn Mullen in the original series,[3] and by Donna Kimball in Back to the Rock.[4] Mona Marshall voiced her in the animated series.
| Mokey Fraggle | |
|---|---|
| Fraggle Rock character | |
 Mokey in a publicity shot | |
| Created by | Jim Henson |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Fraggle |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation |
|
Mokey is one of the main characters in Fraggle Rock, alongside Gobo, Wembley, Boober, and Red. She is the best friend[5] and roommate[6] of Red Fraggle. Mokey is dreamy and artistic. She loves writing poems, singing songs, and painting. She has a pet plant named Lanford, who is strongly disliked by Red. Mokey is the tallest and oldest [citation needed] of the Fraggles. It is her job to journey into the Gorgs' garden to retrieve radishes, the Fraggles' primary source of food.
Development edit
Mokey was designed by Michael K. Frith[7] and built by Jan Rosenthal. She was allegedly named after a childhood friend of Jim Henson.[8] Kathryn Mullen was cast to play the character. During rehearsals, Mokey was originally performed by Karen Prell, who would later play Red.[9]
Behind the scenes edit
Mokey is a live-hand puppet, which means that her arms are glove-like sleeves into which the puppeteer places their real arms to move the puppet's hands. Mokey was the only character on Fraggle Rock to be a live-hand puppet, while the others were rod puppets. (Other notable live-hand puppets include Sesame Street's Ernie and The Muppets' Fozzie Bear and Rowlf).[10] Kathryn Mullen performed Mokey's left hand, while her right hand was performed by Trish Leeper (also the on-set performer for Ma Gorg).[11]
One of Mokey's unique features is her eyelids, which she can lift up to show surprise or other emotions. She was one of only a few puppets on the show to have this ability (the rebuilt Gobo Fraggle puppet being another).
Donna Kimball has voiced Mokey since the 2020 short-form TV series Fraggle Rock: Rock On!"[12]
Reboot edit
Mokey's portrayal in the 2022 reboot TV series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock is significantly different from her portrayal in the original series. The Mokey puppet was redesigned heavily, now wearing a green dress instead of her gray robe, and sporting a blue beehive-like ponytail. Her eyelids are also less prominent, and she is now strictly a rod puppet, like the other characters. This version of Mokey was performed by Donna Kimball, who had previously portrayed her in the short-form TV series Fraggle Rock: Rock On! for Apple TV+. John Tartaglia (the performer for Gobo on the new series) commented on the design change during a Fraggle Rock Q&A on his Instagram stories, stating, "Mokey is super creative and artistic and she wanted a new look - she's always in touch with the creative vibes of the Rock!"[13] Tartaglia went into more detail about the reasons for the redesign in an interview with MegaPodTastic [14]
References edit
- ^ "Jim Henson's world of Fraggle Rock set to return as remastered version".
- ^ "Gobo Fraggle & Mokey Fraggle on 'Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock' and the Best Advice They've Ever Gotten from the Trash Heap".
- ^ "Mokey Fraggle Speaks: The Kathy Mullen Interview, part 2".
- ^ "Interview: Mokey and Red from"Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock" Season 2".
- ^ "Do Mokey & Red Fight? Inside Their 'Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock' Friendship (VIDEO)".
- ^ "A Cave of One's Own".
- ^ "Interview: Red And Mokey Fraggle Of "Fraggle Rock"".
- ^ Fraggle Rock: The Ultimate Visual History.
- ^ "Fraggle Rock: The Complete First Season bonus features".
- ^ "Jim Henson's Red Book entry (1/25/64)".
- ^ "Trish Leeper".
- ^ "'Fraggle Rock' is back! Here's the scoop on the characters".
- ^ "Tough Pigs forum post".
- ^ "18:10 mark of YouTube video".
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