This week’s Flashback Friday is brought to you by radishes and Doozers.
Coming of age in the era of cable meant way more televisual options for rugrats. Where once there were specific times and places for children’s programming, in the early 80s, it suddenly became possible for kids to veg out in front of the TV at all times of day, especially if their parents—like mine—sprung for the premium channels.
in 1981, HBO introduced Fraggle Rock, which ran for five seasons and was totally awesome by virtue of the fact that it was a Jim Henson joint. I must say though, as an adult looking back, that there are some major communist undertones on Fraggle Rock.
Fraggles are the leisure class, the bourgeoisie if you will, living quite literally off the labor of the Doozers. Doozers are a proletarian species of automatons who manufacture building materials called Doozer sticks from radishes and create intricate structures which Fraggles then eat. There was one episode where the hippy Fraggle, Mokey, told the others to stop eating Doozer structures, until they came to realize that the Doozers want the Fraggles to eat the structures and, without the Fraggles rampant consumption, they no longer have room to build and lose their life’s purpose. Now I’m not sure if Fraggle Rock was communism-yay like so many others seem to say, or if it was anti-communist propaganda. I mean, aren’t they saying that the proletariat ENJOY giving their labor to support the ruling class?
My brain hurts now, so now you should just tell me who your favorite Fraggle was, and why, in the comments. Mine was Red because, like her, I’m pushy, bossy and tomboyish.
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