Synopsis: Wembley and Boober find the “perfect blue rollie,” a super rare pebble. The legend behind it says it’s the greatest gift you can give. Boober instead tries to keep it. He ends up alone with just his stuff until his cave of stuff collapses and his friends save him. See? Friends are more important than things.
Original air date: February 17, 1986
Boober and Wembley are a perfect pairing for this story–Wembley’s openness and joy that focuses outward on others and making them happy. And Boober’s existential dread and inward search for meaning and how to be happier.
Roaring Ravine has run to a trickle because of a heat wave, and Wembley and Boober find all these beautiful smoothies and rollies that have been covered up by the water. Including the perfect blue rollie, “the rarest pebble in the universe.” Boober is drawn to having it. Maybe it is the thing he is missing in his life. Wembley happily gives it to him, introducing the legend that it is the greatest gift you can give. Then Wembley sets to work gathering other pebbles and rollies for their friends while Boober finds a way to hide the pebble in his “hidey-hole,” a cave he dug on his own to put his stuff.
The Fraggles dance and sing exuberantly after Wembley passes out the rollies, all about the joy of passing things on to friends. And truly, I feel this is Wembley’s favorite thing. He is a Fraggle-pleaser who loves to see his friends happy and be the source of that happiness. He also tells everyone about the perfect blue rollie and Boober painfully admits that not only has he hidden the rollie, but that he created a whole place to hide things. The others force him to show them.
Look, I don’t begrudge Boober wanting to have something of his own and a place where he can organize things. He’s an introspective, quiet guy who likes control but he lives in a chaotic Fraggle commune where everything seems to belong to everyone and the vibe is generally peppy. He is criticized for wanting to own things, but most of the things he owns in his hidey-hole are odd socks and buttons and lint he has collected from doing everyone else’s laundry. Most things he collects others don’t care about and don’t understand, which is why he hides them away. And he veers seriously into Bert territory when he is giving a tour of his things. Like the two of them could fill a satisfying afternoon showing each other their collections of string and bottle caps. And swapping stories about boisterous roommates.
I get that thinking things will bring your life meaning are not a path toward peace and happiness. I think Boober does, too. But the others force him to dig in rather than bring him around and he ends up throwing them out of his cave saying he wants to keep the rollie as they threaten him about the legend.
Has anyone recently tried to get someone to change their mind by just telling them how wrong they are. Did it work? Did that Thanksgiving dinner go better? Gobo and Wembley basically tell Goober he isn’t seeing things right and say that the pebble isn’t more important than friends. Boober throws them out again, but not before he breathes on the pebble to polish it then breathes like a snake hiss at them as they leave the cave in a fine little moment.
So Gobo and Mokey dress up Wembley like lint to steal the pebble. But if friendship is more important than that pebble then why are they jeopardizing their friendship with Boober to steal it? And he shared his special place with them and showed him his lint collection and now they are just using that against him. They could also take the high road here and say fine, show it when you are ready. They are now into a “means to an end” situation that will have them do anything they want for what they think is right even if it is hurtful to Boober. Boober, of course, catches Wembley and points out that he doesn’t “need friends who creep into my hidey-hole dressed as lint.” I mean, he does need them, but good on Boober for calling out that they aren’t acting so great either.
And Wembley responds as a good friend should—he doesn’t lie when he is caught. He feels bad about sneezing and sending the rollie off its pedestal. And even after Boober throws him out, Wembley immediately runs for help when he hears the rocks falling inside the cave. Slight plot question here–did Gobo and Mokey really send their friend dressed as lint in to steal a rare pebble and just take off without waiting until he came out?
But it does buy time for Boober to lie under a rock and note that here he is entombed in his hidey-hole with all his stuff. And the blue rollie rolls to rest right by him and can’t help him. He traded in his friends for things that will surround him as he dies and now doesn’t have friends to save him. “Now I’m going to get what I deserved,” were his last words. And then Boober dies, alone with his thoughts as he always knew he would. Surrounded by his organized laundry.
Except of course he didn’t because Fraggles don’t die–they just think about it a lot. And the other half of this pair is Wembley who is way more optimistic. Wembley gets the friends and Mokey reaches in just in time to pull Boober out so he can declare he is done with stuff. And I like the way he says “stuff.”
He and Wembley share a great Fraggle hug and the rollie rolls on out, so Boober can give it to Wembley and Wembley can give it to everyone. Boober faced down death and learned a lesson. Did anyone else learn a lesson about how to be a better friend to Boober? Anyone?
MVF (Most Valuable Fraggle): Wembley. He’s a great friend. He doesn’t hold a grudge or get upset. Sharing makes him happy. And that little grunt thing in “Pass it on” is pure joy.
Most Classic Moment: The whole Fraggle opening:
Wembley: Another perfect day in Fraggle Rock. I can’t think of anything to add to it or improve it.
Boober: I wouldn’t be so sure about that… I just have that nagging feeling that something important is missing from my life.
Musical Highlight: “Pass It On” and not just because it was the only song and was in “A Muppet Family Christmas.” I love it. I sing it. No notes.
Coolest Puppetry Effect: I love Boober’s initial reaction to the pebble. He just stares at it and you feel the longing from him. All the more impressive because we can’t see Boober’s eyes.
Fraggle Lore: The legend of the blue rollie.
One More Thing…: Uncle Traveling Matt doesn’t seem to have much to do with the story, but I enjoyed watching him thrown into a river.
Okay, One More Thing…: Sprocket is adorable. When Doc wants Sprocket to sit still in plaster of paris to make a statue mold and Sprocket is like, nah, you first, and locks him in the cabinet to make a statue mold of him, he does this eyebrow wiggle that is so cheeky to tease Doc. Also, did Doc really just make a statue of himself to sit out on Ms. Ardath’s lawn? That she will look at while she “lifts weights?”
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by Drake Lucas
