In the early days of development, the script called the Fraggles "Woozles" pending the devising of a more suitable name.

"[4] The program proved accessible to audiences of all ages, and used the fantasy creatures as an allegory to deal with serious issues such as prejudice, spirituality, personal identity, the environment, and social conflict.

That concept grew out of Jim Henson's experience adapting Sesame Street to the requirements of foreign markets.

The Fraggles and Doozers live in a system of natural caves called Fraggle Rock that are filled with all manner of creatures and features and which connect to at least two different areas: One of the main themes of the series is that, although the three species depend on the other for their survival, they usually fail to communicate due to vast differences in their biology and culture.

For example, Uncle Traveling Matt is a reference to the traveling matte technique used with blue screen to give the impression a character is somewhere they are not; Gobo is named after a shaped metal grill placed over a theater light to produce interesting shadows (window shapes, leaves, etc.)

Fraggles are small anthropomorphic creatures, typically 18 inches (46 cm) tall,[9] that come in a variety of colors and have fur tuft tipped tails.

Within Fraggle Rock lives a second species of small humanoid creatures, the pudgy, green, and industrious Doozers.

Doozers build their constructions out of an edible candy-like substance (manufactured from radishes) which is greatly enjoyed by Fraggles.

The Doozers also seem to have little knowledge of the universe outside Fraggle Rock; early in the series, they are unaware of the existence of the Gorgs or their garden.

Outside another exit from Fraggle Rock live a small family of Gorgs, fat furry humanoids standing about 180 inches (4.6 m).

[9] The husband and wife of the family, Pa, and Ma, consider themselves the King and Queen of the Universe, with their son Junior Gorg as its prince and heir-apparent, but to all appearances, they are simple farmers with a rustic house and garden patch.

In January 2013, ITV broadcast two episodes of this version as part of its Old Skool Weekend feature on the CITV channel.

In 2019, Fraggle Rock debuts along with the Henson classic content on Amazon Prime Video in North America, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Finland, and Iceland.

Twelve UK episodes were released on VHS and DVD by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment in April 2004.

[7] HiT Entertainment has tried unsuccessfully to locate the missing episodes, including extensive inquiries with The Jim Henson Company both in the UK and the US.

In addition to the unknown fate of the physical master material, much of the original TVS production paperwork and sales documentation has been lost during the intervening years.

[22] In December 2020 TV preservation company Kaleidoscope announced via their Facebook page that VHS copies of all episodes had been located and transferred from the collection of producer Victor Pemberton.

In 2009, Lionsgate Home Entertainment reached a deal with The Jim Henson Company to release Fraggle Rock on DVD.

[23] On the same day, the "Complete Series" collection was re-released with new packaging (due to numerous complaints about the previous release).

[24] In 2013, Vivendi Visual Entertainment acquired the license to release Jim Henson Company DVDs, including Fraggle Rock.

On July 11, 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they would be releasing a complete series set of Fraggle Rock on Blu-ray in honor of the show's 35th anniversary.

In 2012, The Jim Henson Company and DHX Media announced a computer-animated spin-off to Fraggle Rock, titled The Doozers, targeted at children between ages 4 and 7.

[32] In October 2006, Darkhorizons.com reported "Henson's company has hired executive producer Ahmet Zappa (The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless) to write a treatment for the film which will be a full-length live-action musical fantasy starring the underground dwellers who venture out into the human world.

Episodes follow the Fraggles living in separate caves during a period of social distancing, and interacting with each other using a video chat system that was installed by the Doozers.

Other cast members include Donna Kimball as Mokey Fraggle and Frankie Cordero as the voice of Wembley.

Every episode featured two or three original songs co-written by Canadian poet Dennis Lee and Philip Balsam, as well as incidental music.

[43] During the show's original run, a re-recorded, extended version of its opening theme was released as a single that reached number 33 on the British chart[44] in March 1984.

The collection also included "special liner notes featuring rarely seen photos, contributions from the original composers and even sheet music for select songs".

[46] The main portion of these liner notes, called "Getting Down at Fraggle Rock", features an interview with Philip Balsam and Lawrence S. Mirkin and is written by Mike Petersen and Saul Pincus.

Originally, the first series was to be drawn by Marty Taras, the creator of Baby Huey, and the cover of the first published issue of the Fraggle Rock comic is done by him.