Boober Fraggle

PERFORMER	Dave Goelz
DEBUT	1983
DESIGN	Michael K. Frith designer
	Leslee Asch builder

Boober doing laundry.

"Down at Fraggle Rock."

Boober with Mokey Fraggle.

Boober with Jim Henson.

Boober Fraggle is one of the five main Fraggles in Fraggle Rock. He has bluish-green skin and fur, red hair, and no visible eyes. He usually wears a brown cap and scarf.

Unlike other Fraggles, Boober does not like fun and games and spends most of his time worrying about doom and disease. When he's not worrying about himself, he's busy warning others. He is easily frightened and suffers from a variety of phobias (as shown in "Beginnings," Boober owns a book of superstitions). Because of his fears, he is very knowledgeable about health and superstition. He has a lucky charm for just about anything — often multiples.

Aside from his friends, there are only two things in life that Boober is very fond of: laundry and cooking. Among Boober's laundry is an assortment of socks, although most Fraggles (except for Uncle Traveling Matt) are never seen wearing any footwear. Boober's socks are the subject of the 1986 storybook, The Case of the Missing Socks.

Boober lives on his own in a hole. He often hangs out with Wembley Fraggle and is easily annoyed by Red Fraggle's endless enthusiasm.

Although Boober denies having a sense of humor, even priding himself in being unable to guffaw, he has a fun alter ego named Sidebottom who appears in his dreams. In "Scared Silly," Boober repeatedly plays tricks on Wembley in order to test his baloobius (the tuft on a Fraggle tail which flares out when scared).

Profile

According to Henson.com's 2006 featured character profile:

“According to Boober Fraggle, there are only two things certain in this world: death and laundry. Boober is terrified by the former and fascinated by the latter. He is also paranoid and superstitious. According to Boober, anything that can go wrong surely will; when it does, it will inevitably happen to him. Boober denies that he is a hypochondriac; he claims he is just practicing the symptoms because he’s bound to get the diseases. But Boober’s negative attitude has a big plus – he can see real trouble coming a mile away, a useful attribute in a land of eternal optimists. Boober’s two joys in life are doing the Fraggle laundry and cooking. He loves spending a fine morning washing socks, an action-packed afternoon watching them dry – and a delightful evening baking up a delectably light radish soufflé to serve to his friends.”

Outside Fraggle Rock

Boober appeared in A Muppet Family Christmas with the other four Fraggles when Kermit and Robin visit Fraggle Rock. Boober warns his friends from getting too close to the frogs, suspecting that they're noted germ-carriers. After the Fraggles sing "Pass It On," Boober gives Robin a pebble in a show of friendship. Later, he and his friends pop up in Ma Bear's farmhouse when they overhear the Annual Carol Sing.

In 2012, Boober appeared with the other Fraggles in the Ben Folds Five music video "Do It Anyway" (puppeteered by Sean Johnson).

Dave Goelz reprised the role of Boober for the 2020 webseries Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, providing the voice while John Tartaglia performed the puppetry. In Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Goelz once again voices Boober with Frank Meschkuleit puppeteering him. Meschkuleit performed Boober (both puppetry and voice) for a live appearance at Dragon Con in 2024.

In the Back to the Rock episode "The Glow," Boober discovers his baloobius is glowing. Initially fearful, Boober learns from The Archivist that it's a special gift and reveals it to his friends.

Notes

• In "Sprocket's Big Adventure," it is revealed that Boober is allergic to dogs.

• Boober was named after an angry cow encountered by one of Jim Henson's daughters in Devon. In the language of the ancient Fraggles, "Boober" means "Tie 'em to a rock!"

• According to an interview included on the Fraggle Rock: Complete First Season DVD set, Jerry Nelson originally wanted to play Boober and asked Jim Henson for the role, but Henson had Gobo in mind for Nelson and convinced him to play that role.

Filmography

• Fraggle Rock
• Fraggles Look for Jobs
• A Muppet Family Christmas
• Do It Anyway
• Fraggle Rock: Rock On!
• Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock

See also

• Boober Fraggle (animated)
• International Boober Fraggle
• Boober Fraggle songs