Fraggle Rock...What would you say if I told you...

[ghostie79]

What would you say if I told you that Fraggle Rock is set to come out on DVD as soon as next month?!

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Fraggle Rock - Back with official release info, and a LOT more about Fraggle Rock on DVD!
Posted by David Lambert
6/25/2004


In early April we passed on this news that a deal was made between The Jim Henson Company and HIT Entertainment for rights to several properties which were left in Henson Co.'s hands, after most of their other properties had gone to Disney earlier in the year in a separate transaction. Fraggle Rock was among the properties that HIT bought the rights to.

Two weeks ago, we posted a story indicating that HIT was working on the first release of Fraggle Rock on DVD, but we later removed that news post at the request of the ultimate source of the info, because HIT Entertainment hadn't authorized the disclosure.

Now we've been informed that HIT released information late last week to the folks at MuppetCentral.com (a fan-originated site). Here's what their news article says:

Fraggle DVD coming this summer in the US

First Fraggle disc, "Where It All Began", will test the market for future releases

Courtesy of HIT Entertainment
Updated: June 18, 2004

"Dance your cares away. Worries for another day. Let the music play. Down at Fraggle Rock."

Since DVD debuted in 1997, fans have been waiting for the day to watch Fraggle Rock in glorious hi-resolution.

Multiple sources have confirmed that the first US Fraggle DVD will be released as soon as late July, and it will contain two early Fraggle episodes ("Beginnings" and "Let the Water Run". No extras are planned outside of some promotional trailers for other discs from HIT's library. The working title of the DVD is "Fraggle Rock Where It All Began".

If this DVD sells well, HIT will continue to release future discs or possibly even box sets of the entire series. While the release date and suggested retail price has not yet been announced, the disc will likely have a suggested retail price of $12.99-16.99. The disc will have a runtime of 50 minutes, with the two episodes at 25 minutes each.

Even if you were longing for Fraggle Rock season-by-season box sets, purchase this disc when it is released so that HIT can see there is a demand for the entire Fraggle series on DVD. The more titles HIT sells, the more likely we will see more Fraggles on DVD in the future. Cast your vote in a Fraggle DVD poll on our forum.

In "Beginnings", Gobo's Uncle Matt discovers the opening to Outer Space and sets off to explore it, leaving Gobo behind to explore Fraggle Rock and pick up the postcards Matt will send. In "Let the Water Run", Red's Swimming Extravaganza is canceled when the pool goes dry and there's no water to fill it.

The Jim Henson Company and HIT Entertainment established a worldwide distribution and production venture on April 1. HIT acquired the rights to distribute Henson Family Classics such as Fraggle Rock, The Hoobs, Mopatop's Shop, Mother Goose Stories and Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas.


Cool news, eh? Then, on top of that, a MuppetCentral reader sent to HIT an e-mail asking about the Fraggle Rock DVD, and reported that they received this reply from HIT:

Thank you for your recent inquiry on Fraggle Rock. HIT Entertainment is pleased to announce the release of Fraggle Rock Where It All Began on VHS/DVD. You will be able to purchase this title at Wal-Mart at the end of July. You may also visit our webstore at the end of July to order directly from our company. [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

Thank you for your interest in HIT Entertainment.

Kris
HIT Entertainment Consumer Relations


However, one aspect of this last note may have been premature, since at the same time reports such as this one were surfacing that the UK-based HIT Entertainment had just issued a stock warning to their London Market investors that profits would be lower than expected, due in large part to the cutback of shelf space for their products by a major U.S. retail partner identified as Wal-Mart.

Don't worry, though! Other U.S. chains such as Best Buy are also known to carry HIT videos, and of course TVShowsOnDVD will have links available to purchase the Fraggle Rock (and other HIT Entertainment DVDs) through major online e-tailers Amazon.com, Amazon.ca (Canada), DVDEmpire.com, and DVDPlanet.com. Those will be available just as soon as the title is officially announced, and those sellers start to list them.

We encourage Fraggle Rock fans to purchase the intial DVD releases and show support for the franchise. However, we've already heard from a lot of Fraggle fans that they don't want individual episodes on DVD; they want season sets. These sentiments are reflected in the TVShowsOnDVD voting for the show: 97% of our voters want season sets, and only 21% indicate they would even consider "individual episode" releases. How many voters does this show have? Well, it's in the top 2% of all shows on the site! Yikes! Yes, it's one of the "Hot 100" most-popular TV series that is unreleased-on-DVD (so far) at this website...and the voters want season sets.

This idea is echoed over at MuppetCentral.com, where the fans there have set up this discussion thread to talk about the Fraggle Rock release, including the Wal-Mart news, the choice of episodes on this initial release, the almost-27,000-signature petition asking for a DVD release of the show, and of course the choice of individual episodes vs. season sets. In fact, they have a poll there for registered members of their forum to vote on "how much would you would pay for a 24-episode Fraggle season box set?", with the indication that results of the survey would be provided to HIT.

Of course, you can always tell HIT directly what your preferences are by going to their "Contact Us" webpage, located here.


Our thanks to Marco Biscotti for informing us about the update at the MuppetCentral fansite. Stay tuned, and we'll have more about Fraggle Rock on DVD, just as soon as the info is available. We'll also have the specific street date, price, and cover art for the 1-disc, 2-episode July DVD release the moment that HIT provides it.

[Rayann]

I remember watching this show alot when I was a kid.
I wonder if my DD would enojy it, or if she's too old for it now.

[ghostie79]

how old is your dd?
i played the theme song for my dd's (6 & 2) and they LOVED it, so if that's any indication, they should love the show as much as I did when I was young.

[Rayann]

My DD is 11.... see I think she may be too old for it. I can't really remember what age group it is targeted to.

One of her favorite movies is "Labyrinth"(David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly)which is a movie with Muppets and music. Labyrinth isn't for small children though , cause it is a little bit dark at times.