The Frackles are a group of Muppet monsters who first appeared in the 1970 special The Great Santa Claus Switch as the henchmen of Cosmo Scam, the villain who tried to replace Santa Claus.
The group included Snivelly, Boppity and Gloat, among others. Several of the Frackles were later reused or reworked for other projects, including The Muppet Show. And some changed to monsters or other creatures - such as Gonzo (originally known as a cigar box Frackle) who moved away from the Frackle label to become a "whatever".
Five Frackles were mentioned by name in the lyrics of a song featured in The Great Santa Claus Switch. However they were never mentioned by those names again; their names were either changed or not mentioned at all thereafter. When the Frackles were referred to after that special, they were either named after their performer, color, shape or design. The Jim Henson Company does not have any official files, publications or material with the song's names included. Boppity and Gloat, for example, were officially known within the Henson organization as Blue Frackle and Green Frackle, respectively. The Frackles became nameless and personalityless monsters, similar to Whatnots, Anything Muppets, and Anything Monsters. They often changed appearance, performer, name and gender depending on the sketch. The Frackles had no distinct traits or personality, and functioned as utility monsters.
Six new Frackles debuted in the fifth season of The Muppet Show, similar in design to the established Frackles. In 2001, when the Muppets appeared on Family Feud, a new Frackle named Mo was introduced.
When Fraggle Rock was in development, the question arose of choosing a name for the characters' species. According to Michael K. Frith, Jerry Juhl kept returning to the moniker "Frackle," which when softened to "Fraggle," became the final choice.
Members[]
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Blue Frackle |
A blue Frackle was one of the standard Frackles on The Muppet Show. He was first used as Boppity in The Great Santa Claus Switch. His design was changed since the Vincent Price episode (changes include a better eye focus, a lighter beak and an adjusted ear shape). Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |
|
Green Frackle |
A green Frackle was one of the standard Frackles on The Muppet Show. He was used as Gloat in The Great Santa Claus Switch. Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |
|
Snake Frackle |
A green Frackle was used in the background of The Great Santa Claus Switch, as well as The Muppet Show, The Ghost of Faffner Hall and other programs. |
| Cigar Box Frackle |
A crook-nosed Frackle was used as Snarl in The Great Santa Claus Switch and would later become the basis for Gonzo. | |
|
Dripsnout Frackle |
A Frackle design used for Snivelly, Droop, and others. Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |
|
Blue Bird Frackle |
A blue bird-like Frackle (shown on the right) was seen in the 1970 special The Great Santa Claus Switch as Scoff. In early seasons of The Muppet Show, it was often seen paired with a Green Frackle. The puppet was referred to as "Blue Frackle" in a sketch drawn by Jim Henson. |
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|
Green Bird Frackle |
A green bird-like Frackle (shown on the left) was seen in early seasons of The Muppet Show. The Frackle was occasionally portrayed as a female monster, but unlike other Frackles, only the voice changed in this respect and not the physical appearance of the character. |
|
Mo Frackle |
A green Frackle named Mo appeared with the Muppet team on Family Feud in 2001. He was built by James Wojtal, and was originally named Skankin. Unlike other Frackles, Mo has live hands. |
|
Scabby Frackle |
A teal Frackle built by James Wojtal. The character was originally named Rankin, and was featured in Macy's Windows. |
|
Red-Fuchsia Frackle |
A fuchsia Frackle debuted in the Glenda Jackson episode of The Muppet Show. Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |
|
Royal Purple Frackle |
A light purple Frackle with yellow eyes debuted in the Glenda Jackson episode of The Muppet Show. Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |
|
Grey-Lavender "Elderly" Frackle |
A Frackle with light purple skin, grayish fur, no ears, and claws debuted in the Glenda Jackson episode of The Muppet Show. Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |
|
Jade Green Frackle |
A dark green hunchbacked Frackle debuted in the Glenda Jackson episode of The Muppet Show. On the 2011 muppet film, "The Muppets," it is revealed that his name is JG. Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |
|
Emerald Green Frackle |
A green long-beaked Frackle debuted in the Glenda Jackson episode of The Muppet Show. With a longer, darker green beak and olive-colored fur, this Frackle bore a slight resemblance to the Snake Frackle. Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |
|
Apple Green Frackle |
A green-furred Frackle made his debut in the Glenda Jackson episode of The Muppet Show. With green fur ears and head but a fleshy face which changed between orange and pink, this Frackle bore a slight resemblance to the Blue Frackle. Also appeared on Mopatop's Shop. |