The group included Snivelly, Boppity and Gloat, among others. Several of the Frackles were later reused or reworked for other projects, including The Muppet Show. And some changed to monsters or other creatures - such as Gonzo (originally known as a cigar box Frackle) who moved away from the Frackle label to become a "whatever."
Five Frackles were mentioned by name in the lyrics of a song featured in The Great Santa Claus Switch. However, they were never mentioned by those names again; their names were either changed or not mentioned at all thereafter. When the Frackles were referred to after that special, they were either named after their performer, color, shape, or design. The Jim Henson Company does not have any official files, publications or material with the song's names included. Boppity and Gloat, for example, were officially known within the Henson organization as Blue Frackle and Green Frackle, respectively (it should be noted that the Blue Frackle and the Snake Frackle both have the name "Scoff" on their concept art, as well as "Snickery" on the Snake Frackle's). The Frackles became nameless and personality-less monsters, similar to Whatnots, Anything Muppets, and Anything Monsters. They often changed appearance, performer, name, and gender depending on the sketch. The Frackles had no distinct traits or personalities, and functioned as utility monsters.
Six new Frackles debuted in the fifth season of The Muppet Show, similar in design to the established Frackles. In 2001, when the Muppets appeared on Family Feud, a new Frackle named Mo was introduced.
When Fraggle Rock was in development, the question arose of choosing a name for the characters' species. According to Michael K. Frith, Jerry Juhl kept returning to the moniker "Frackle," which when softened to "Fraggle," became the final choice.[1]
The definition of what is a Frackle, rather than a generic monster, narrowed over time. It appears that as originally sketched for The Great Santa Claus Switch, all of Cosmo Scam's henchmen could be called Frackles, and in a 1971 Dick Cavett Show appearance, Jim Henson offhandedly refers to Lothar and Thog in this way. However, dialogue by Cosmo Scam in the special seems to suggest that only the smaller creatures are Frackles. By the time of The Muppet Show, only the birdlike creatures were referred to as Frackles, and any new Frackles created resemble Boppity and Gloat, thus defining what exactly a Frackle is.
A blue Frackle was one of the standard Frackles on The Muppet Show. Sporting large bat-like ears, he was first used as Boppity in The Great Santa Claus Switch, where he had yellow eyes, a large round body, and a long tail. He was then given white eyes for The Muppet Show, losing his tail and getting a more trim body shape. He was completely rebuilt for episode 119 (changes include a better eye focus, a two-toned face, and an adjusted ear shape). In 1986 the original puppet was used in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years refurbished with new eyes - for this appearance they were suggested to be female, as the puppet wore a gold choker and a silver hair ribbon. The puppet was later rebuilt in the late '90s by the time he appeared on Mopatop's Shop. In The Muppets Character Encyclopedia, he's listed as "Bolshy blue Frackle."
A green Frackle was one of the standard Frackles on The Muppet Show. He was first used as Gloat in The Great Santa Claus Switch, where he originally had yellow eyes and a blue inner mouth (lips). For The Muppet Show, he was given white eyes, a green inner mouth (lips), and numerous upper fangs. He was rebuilt for Mopatop's Shop. In The Muppets Character Encyclopedia, he's listed as "Grumpy green Frackle."
A blue bird-like Frackle was seen in the 1970 special The Great Santa Claus Switch as Scoff. In early seasons of The Muppet Show, it was often seen paired with a Green Frackle. The puppet was referred to as "Blue Frackle" in a sketch drawn by Jim Henson.
A green bird-like Frackle was seen in early seasons of The Muppet Show. The Frackle was occasionally portrayed as a female monster, but unlike other Frackles, only the voice changed in this respect and not the physical appearance of the character.
An emerald green Frackle debuted in episode 507 of The Muppet Show. With a longer, darker green beak, smaller eyes closer together, and bright emerald fur, this Frackle bore a slight resemblance to the Snake Frackle.
A green-furred Frackle made his debut in episode 507 of The Muppet Show. With green fur ears and head but a fleshy face which changed between orange and pink, this Frackle bore a slight resemblance to the Blue Frackle. This Frackle was also refurbished for Mopatop's Shop.
A green Frackle named Mo appeared with the Muppet team on Family Feud in 2001. He was built by James Wojtal, and originally named Skankin. Unlike other Frackles, Mo was built with live hands.
A teal frackle built by James Wojtal. The character was originally named Rankin, and was featured in Macy's Windows. The puppet was later used in the Muppet Labs sketch featured in The Muppets Take the O2.
