The fraggles are preparing for their annual holiday that takes place around the Winter Solstice. They call it the "Festival of the Bells" and believe that by ringing bells and doing the dance of the Weebabeast, they can keep the Rock from slowing down & stopping thus allowing time to continue as usual.
In the land of the Silly Creatures, Doc (Gerry Parkes) and his dog Sprocket (Steve Whitmire) are excitedly getting ready for Christmas. Doc decides that they will learn about other Winter Solstice traditions as a part of their celebration and brings home a pinata and other items.
Sprocket is ready for the holidays!
Everyone except Gobo (Jerry Nelson) is excited about the coming holiday. Gobo isn't really feeling the holiday spirit, in fact, he's feeling like it's all a big waste of time.
Gobo is an unenthusiastic Weebabeast head.
He has found an old map that shows many ancient tunnels and doesn't see the Great Bell that is said to be located "at the heart of the Rock." His friend Wembley (Steve Whitmire again) notices a bell shaped cavern near the center of the map and wonders if that might be the great bell.
Wembley and Gobo check out the map.
A wise and mystical fraggle named Cantus (Jim Henson) arrives to kick off the festivities.
Cantus arrives.
Much to the dismay of Red and the other fraggles, Gobo announces that he is going to go find and bring back the Great Bell.
He asks that the fraggles wait to ring their bells and celebrate until he returns and Wembley rashly promises that they will all wait for him.
Gobo makes a cold and lonely journey in search of the Great Bell.
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Cantus tries to dissuade Gobo from searching for the Great Bell, saying that there is no need and that the tunnels will soon be too cold for anyone to travel safely. Gobo doesn't want to listen and sets off on his quest. Cantus offers to go look for Gobo and bring him back.
Cantus talks to Gobo
Will Gobo be successful in his quest to find the Great Bell? Will Sprocket ever break open the pinata? Will the Rock stop turning? You'll have to watch to see!
RigbyMel says:
I am not sure that I saw "The Bells of Fraggle Rock" when it first aired, but I certainly remember watching and enjoying the Fraggle Rock program when it aired on HBO. I probably did see this episode, but it would have been out of season and hence, it didn't make as big an impression on me the first time around.
Red, Mokey, Boober and Wembley trying to keep warm as the Rock slows down
Gobo's quest to find the Great Bell reminds me of children who are beginning to have questions about Santa Claus. Cantus acts as a parental figure (albeit a mystically comedic one) and tries to explain that the idea behind the Great Bell is just as important -- perhaps MORE important -- as any physical manifestation. But Cantus is also wise enough to allow Gobo to discover the truth about the Great Bell and the real "heart of the rock" in his own way.
The seasonal themes continue with a Christmas Carol-esque hint of spooky when Gobo returns to find that his friends seem to have been frozen in time. Fortunately, the freezing proves reversible when Gobo -- like Scrooge -- manages to find his holiday spirit.
Gobo discovers a frozen Wembley.
The Fraggles' story dovetails nicely with the interaction between Doc and Sprocket as they talk and learn (and teach viewers) about other Winter Solstice customs.
Doc explains how axial tilt creates the Winter Solstice.
As is typical in most episodes of Fraggle Rock, we also get a postcard from Gobo's Uncle Traveling Matt where he shares his perspectives on "Outer Space" and the "Silly Creatures" (aka the viewers' everyday world) and more thoughts on different Solstice traditions.
Uncle Traveling Matt wonders why the "Silly Creatures" don't know about the Weebabeast.
Although there is obviously a message being shared through these interlocking stories, the warmth and tolerance of the storytelling give the message real resonance. It also serves as a good introduction to various winter holiday traditions for younger audiences.
RigbyMel's rating:
3 candy canes
J.A. Morris says:
I can't add much to what RigbyMel said, but I have to mention that I enjoyed the original songs, written by Phil Balsam and Steve Whitmire. "There's A Promise" is very catchy and festive. Another song, "Weeba Weeba" performed by the young fraggles as they practice the Weebabeast dance, is amusing. It consists of nothing but the words "Weeba Weeba" shouted over an 80s synthesizer accompaniment. Not very complicated, but it sounds like a song kids would sing and it's also a been stuck in my head since I watched "The Bells Of Fraggle Rock."
Wembley rings a bell at the festival.
Gobo's seasonal depression is something that adults and kids alike can relate to around the holidays. His disillusionment with the festival also recalls Charlie Brown's attitude in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
"The Bells Of Fraggle Rock" is a good holiday episode that teaches a nice lesson about faith and also shows how different cultures celebrate Christmas and other Winter holidays.
Sprocket and Doc wish each other a Merry Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, a toy tiger named Rugby (Dave Goelz) remembers last Christmas.
He was the favorite toy of a little girl named Jamie (Marsha Moreau). He recalls how excited she was when she opened a present to find Rugby inside. He presumes that will happen again and tries to get from the playroom down to the living room, aided by Mew (Steve Whitmire) the catnip mouse, who belongs to the family cat.
Jamie meets Rugby for the first time the preceding Christmas
The other toys excitedly prepare to receive new members into their little community and want to make the incoming toys feel welcome.
Belmot the Rocking Horse (Richard Hunt), Balthazar the Teddy Bear (Jerry Nelson) and Apple the Doll get ready to welcome new toys to the playroom.
A doll named Apple (Kathryn Mullen) tries to explain to Rugby that he is confused about Christmas. Jamie will open up a new toy on Christmas morning that will likely take Rugby's place as her favorite. Rugby doesn't believe her and leaves the playroom, determined to take what he sees as his rightful place under the family Christmas tree. Mew follows him to try to help.
When toys are caught out of place, they are "frozen forever".
The problem is, if toys are ever found out of position by humans, they will be "frozen" and no longer able to talk to other toys or move on their own volition. Rugby and Mew have some close encounters with humans en route to the Christmas tree in the living room.
Rugby hides in some laundry so he isn't found out of place
Rugby finds a big box and prepares to get inside. He opens the lid and finds that the box contains a doll -- Meteora, Queen of the Asteroids (Camille Bonora)! She does not realize she is a toy and believes she's arrived on a new planet, seeing the other toys as aliens.
Meteora, Queen of the Asteroids! Conqueror of the living room.
She also seems unwilling to get back into her box!
Apple and a couple of the other toys from the playroom decide to mount a rescue mission for their missing comrades.
Did someone wake up and hear them?
Will all the toys make it back to the playroom? Will Meteora usurp Rugby as the new favorite Christmas toy?
RigbyMel says:
This under-appreciated special features cute, beautiful puppets from the Henson workshop and an entertaining storyline. The plot bears a similarity to a certain Pixar movie that was made a few years later, but the two are not carbon copies and there is certainly room for both stories!
SO CUTE!
I first discovered The Christmas Toy on VHS in the late 1980s and it quickly became regular viewing for my family around the holidays. I think that Rugby and Mew are utterly adorable without being cloying. I particularly enjoy some of the small touches that the Muppeteers include in this special - such as Rugby's mild vanity and cat like grooming and the fact that Mew uses some tricks he learned from the family cat to help them out of a jam or two. (Also, the fact that the mouse is named "Mew" makes perfect sense as he is a cat's toy!)
Rugby and Apple underneath the Christmas tree trying to figure out how to return Meteora to her gift box.
There's also a nice little lesson about tolerance (cat toy vs. people toys) and love embedded in this special without it clonking people over the head with The Message.
If there is anything to criticize, I think it is Meteora herself -- we are not really given much of a chance to get to know her, but then again, it isn't really her story. There is also an element of darkness to the tale what with the impiled "death" of toys who are caught out of place, but without tension, we do not have much plot and there is a happy ending (of course) which keeps this from being too scary.
This is a charming special from the Henson workshop and is definitely well worth seeking out. There is a version of it that is available on DVD, but be aware that it is a bit edited.
RigbyMel's rating:
3 and a half candy canes.
J.A. Morris says:
The Christmas Toy is another good holiday special from Henson's crew.
Baltazar tells the toys that more toys will joining them at Christmas.
Rugby is a very cute and likable protagonist (even when he's acting self-centered in the beginning) and his relationship with Mew is endearing. The scene where Jamie opens the box containing Rugby brought back my own memories of one or two extra special toys I received as a child.
Dave Goelz (best known for performing Gonzo) does a nice job as the "lead" Muppet in this special. Other regular Muppet performers like Nelson, Mullen, Whitmire and Hunt are good as usual.
RigbyMel mentioned the acceptance subplot. We also get a good scene where Rugby mourns a friend who has been frozen. Rugby regrets that he never told his friend how much he loved him. This can serve as a lesson to viewers of all ages to make sure that we tell people how we feel about them.
Mew convincingly imitates the cat's meow!
The Christmas Toy features several new songs, written by Jeff Moss. His name might not be familiar, but Moss wrote many songs
featured on Sesame Street, including "Rubber Duckie", "I Love Trash" and
"The People In Your Neighborhood." Moss also served as the show's head
writer and helped create Cookie Monster. Moss' best song here is "Together At Christmas". It's a touching Christmas song that expresses the joy of being with loved ones during the holiday season. It's a shame it was never recorded by a famous singer, because it deserves to be better known. The song pops up a year later in A Muppet Family Christmas, so I get the feeling Henson liked it.
The DVD that's currently available is different than the version that aired on TV and VHS. In its original form, The Christmas Toy was introduced by Kermit the frog (Henson) and Kermit made an appearance at the end where he joined the toys to sing "Together At Christmas." Kermit is currently owned by Disney, while the rest of the characters in the special are still owned by the Henson company.
Kermit sings & dances with Rugby & friends.
The Christmas Toy isn't the best Muppets Christmas special, but it's touching, funny and features a memorable holiday song. Maybe someday Kermit will be freed from the corporate tentacles and the special will once again be available intact as Henson intended.
