There are few things better than dancing your cares away, and there are few things that are more pure than Fraggle Rock. I love it with all that I have, and I love that we are in the midst of such a fun action figure line to support that legacy. Boss Fight Studio has revamped some of their initial Fraggle figures into a new basic line, and it might be just what you need.
These are certainly amazing times to be an action figure collector and Jim Henson fan. We have these Fraggles from BFS, but also Sesame Street from NECA, with a Muppets line (also from NECA) coming later this year. The fact that all of these figures fit (and will fit) together pretty seamlessly is wilding exciting. The main reason for that is because everything is being handled so well, and right now the Fraggles are deepest in terms of releases.
As such, you likely know that Gobo, Red, Wembley, and Boober have all been previously released via the standard FR line. The figures themselves have been repurposed to be released in this new Basic line, which forgoes accessories and swappable parts for budget pricing. I think this is a good move as it allows more casual collectors to build the core Fraggle group without having to commit to more than they need. Even absent of accessories, $19.99 price point feels pretty good these days, especially when it can be accomplished by an independent company.
So, if you have not dipped your toe into the Fraggle Rock line, now is absolutely the time to do so. These figures are colorful, fun, and very well conceived. It is stunning to me how everyone handling these big three Henson licenses are the absolute perfect people to do so, and it really shows. These can take a little corner of your display and stand out wonderfully while adding a playfulness to everything.
Now, if you have the previous releases, you might be thinking you don’t need to dip in here, but not so fast, my Fraggle friends. There are some differences with these figures. Some of those things are easy to spot, but some are not, so I want to be clear about how these are different. I was getting these regardless so I could build out a classic show and a “Back to the Rock” display (you might want to do that, too!), but I am very pleasantly surprised by these. Some of the changes I would absolutely say are improvements.
The most obvious difference is that these are, in fact, basic releases. There are no included accessories or swappable parts. Furthermore, some of the things that are retained here, such as Boober’s tail and Red’s pigtails have been affixed so those pieces are NOT swappable on these releases. I mention this just to help ensure you don’t go forcing anything, and since there is nothing to swap in these releases, this keeps things straightforward.
The joints on these figures are better as well, and pretty much across the board. For one, the discs are not painted, they are cast in the solid matching color, which makes a huge difference. Also, some of the previous releases, particularly Wembley and Boober from series two, had some loose joints. Those have been ostensibly eliminated and all the joints are better engineered. So, these are some things to consider.
Finally, and most obvious, are the aesthetic differences. Gobo and Red are, for the most part, exactly the same as the previous figures. However, Wembley has had a correction in that his upper arms (that go into the sleeves) are accurately painted this time around. If you never noticed it before, the previous figure had a mistake in that the arms were white, so that has been improved. Boober is the biggest and most obvious change and that is he is just more accurate in terms of color now. He is bluer, which just flat out matches the palette better. So, if you are only going to get one, make it Boober. He is the best Fraggle anyway. I said what I said.
These figures are releasing soon, so if you want to jump in with some Fraggle goodness, you can do so in affordable fashion now. For fans like me, these are also essential due to the updates and ability to build out more of a display. A classic Mokey and Cavern of Lost Dreams Gobo are due up next, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds. Radishes for all!
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