Down in Fraggle Rock!

I had mentally prepared myself for the dreaded but necessary excursion to Costco. If you see me walking in there, shoulders hunched in defeat, you know that we have either run out or almost run out of diapers. Normally, I move with precision to navigate the oversized cart straight to the diaper and wipe area, stopping perhaps for some bulk oatmeal along the way, but today I had another stop to make: the movie aisle.

My sister had tipped me off to Costco's cheap movies when I was lamenting the cost of classic Disney films the other day. I browsed the bins of movies, mostly either the latest box office hit just released or some children's straight-to-video, sub-par sequel to a Disney classic, but as I reached for a Peter Pan video (the original!) another box set caught my eye. There on the cover was an old friend whom I hadn't seen in years: Gobo Fraggle.

There were two box sets, actually. The Complete First Season and the Complete Second Season. They were about $25.99 each (much cheaper than Amazon), and I snagged them quicker than you could say Doozer. I wasn't a big TV kid. Many cultural references sail right by me unnoticed. But for some reason, I did watch the Fraggles when they aired on HBO. I think I must have seen every episode. It was like Sesame Street, only better.

Not familiar with them? They are a Jim Henson creation. Fraggles are cute little creatures (like muppets) that live underground. They coexist with the Doozers, busy little guys who are always constructing something. The Fraggles themselves are like little kids, exploring and singing through their days. Unlike many children's songs out there (I could kill Barney to stop his "music"!), the Fraggles' songs are actually pretty good. As I popped the first DVD into the player for a trip down memory lane, I immediately started grooving along, singing "Down in Fraggle Rock!"

I hope Esme and Emil enjoy these videos as much as I do. I hope Jacob does too. Cause they're all going to have to watch them. Repeatedly. I have no illusions: I bought them for me as much as for my kids!