#Cantus the Minstrel

[orchid-muppets]

gobo, uncle traveling matt, and cantus the minstrel at the museum of the moving image in queens nyc (2/24/24)🪕✨💗🌈🌟

wanted to post another pic from this trip last yr since some ppl enjoyed my rowlf post :3

[millipedish]

The seniors of Fraggle Rock reblog if you agree

[drama-glob]

This will always be one of my favorite lines from Cantus, as it’s a reminder that if something matters to you, then it’s important, even if others don’t see it that way (or basically everything serves a purpose in this world, whichever way you want to take it ;) ).<3<3<3<3<3

[unchainedroadie]

Cantus as Yoda

[the-gershomite]

Jim Henson and Cantus the Minstrel

[peaceful-mokeyfraggle]

This is Flora. She is Cantus and Mokey's daughter.

[twelvebooksstuff]

CANTUS!!

[riocinn]

hey guys are you rockin w the fragglesona. they are part of cantus' traveling band of minstrels but get separated from them via a cave in one day and have no choice but to travel to OUTER SPACE..........

[hoardingpuffin]

Things that I, as an autistic person, don't understand, in no particular order:

- eye contact. How? Just how? Also why?

- When. The hell. Does someone count as a friend? Like at what point do you cross from "someone I know" territory to "we are friends" territory? (I usually wait until the other people call me their friend first cause I don't wanna call them friends if they haven't yet and it's real awkward, especially when telling my Mum about people)

- why do allistic change a plan last-minute and are totally okay? Where's the anxiety? Where is the hectic scrambling for a calender or journal?

- speaking of journals - how do people, allistic or not, manage their lives without them? [this is sparked by my boss during my museum internship who was surprised and puzzled that I wrote my work schedules and duties for each day into my journal. Madam, you manage part of two museums, how do you not keep a journal?!?!]

- why did Moky give Boober a crown when he lost his hat? Why didn't she realize he didn't want a new hat? Season one Moky Fraggle was a time...

- why can't Philo and Gunge remember where they came from before they were with Marjorie? Were they born in the trash? I must know! The Doozers interacted with their species before, way in the past, but this species seems to be all gone now so what happened in the Fraggle Rock ecosystem for the species to disappear?!

- Where. Did. The. Pipebangers. Go??! We never saw them again after Let The Water Run, and I miss them.

- Why was Doc written as such a bad dog-owner? Whyyyyy? It's so infuriating at times even though I love Doc

- How are Jamdolin and Cantus related? I have a few theories but I must know. Side note, I am very glad they renamed the Minstrels to Troubadours in the reboot... definitely a good choice

[madamegemknight]

@crispycreambacon tumblr is just not letting me post this ask for some reason??????? I legit have no idea why it is wack O_o resorting to this so I can answer it here we gooooooo -

MATT X JOHN: old man yaoi real ehehehe :P no strong feelings on this pairing one way or another, but it's neat to think about and the semi-implications that John knows something about Outer Space would make for an interesting dynamic between the two :)

MATT X JOE: The fact that you haven't gotten to BTTR yet makes talking about this one SO DANG HARD CRISPY because like. I see it!!! I really do!!! I see it so dang bad!!! but I can't tell you why I see it because it's a big old honking spoiler!!!! augh!!!!

JOHN X CANTUS: Honestly I was gonna make a joke about how they're both performed by Jim Henson but now that I'm thinking about it they parallel each other so well...they're sort of mirror versions of each other, both being incredibly powerful figures in the Rock who can change the world around them with their music, but while John uses his abilities to make others do things they would never consider doing otherwise, Cantus' whole thing is leading others to what they're meant to do. There's also the fact that the graphic novels claim that John's dad was a Minstrel, and that John himself was in training to be one as well before discovering his ability to convince others - there's honestly a lot of potential here for a really fascinating dynamic and pairing.

POLY MINSTRELS: Oooh I'd never considered that as a pairing :0 my own personal headcanons about the Minstrels mean that I wouldn't really ship it (I headcanon Brio as MUCH younger than the other Minstrels since her lines in Music Makes Us Real are about her being a "beginner," and I likewise headcanon Cantus as being a sort of father figure for her as a result), but outside of my ridiculously elaborate headcanons for a character who shows up in 3 episodes I see the vision I really do...

GOBO X WEMBLEY: Another one that I don't ship myself due to my own personal headcanons (aromantic Gobo my beloved <3 Gobo and Wembley having a sibling/sibling-esque relationship my also beloved <3) but I can absolutely see why others ship it! They have such a strong and loving bond, and I adore their dynamic :3

DOOZERS?????: uhhhh not that I've seen at least? Shipping territory seems to be pretty dry with the Doozers alack and alas. quick who's the funniest possible character we could ship with architect doozer gogogogogo -

THE GREATEST FRAGGLE SHIP OF ALL TIME: my otp 4ever! my otp 5ever even <3

[crispycreambacon]

HELLO

idk how to name this ship but I would die for them

[signor-signor]

Trending 27th - March 2024

Talking to Craig McCracken

If you had a chance to talk to Craig McCracken, what would you say to him that not only complements him on the work he’s done in the past 30+ years, but also reassures him that there’s still interest in the plans he made for S3?

As someone who grew up watching Cartoon Network in the ‘90s, I would tell him…

“Hi, Craig-o, pleased to meet you! I’ve known your work since the early-mid nineties. I believe you were involved in 2 Stupid Dogs and Dexter’s Laboratory. It must have been a real treat getting to know some history behind Hanna-Barbera. I know it was for me. When I first saw a piece of your own work, it was on the side of a box of Fruity Pebbles promoting World Premiere Toons - one of the characters was Bubbles of the PPG. I gotta say, you’ve been one of my inspirations growing up.”

When it gets to the point where I talk about WOY, I would say this to him…

“I remember when I got into Wander Over Yonder. When I first saw your early sketches of him, I thought of Cantus the Minstrel from Fraggle Rock. And what can I say? I’m a sucker for anything related to Muppets. How about Jack McBrayer? He’s the perfect choice for the character’s voice! WOY marks the first time I got to hear Jack sing. It’s the show that provided the springboard for shows Disney apparently loves best, specifically Star vs. the Forces of Evil and Big City Greens - those shows wouldn’t have been picked up if it wasn’t for Daron Nefcy and the Houghton Bros.’ involvement in the first season. It’s also the first show where Andy Bean provided music for a TV series and where people like Noël Wells got to try their hand at voice acting. The show has made a lot more history than you can possibly imagine, so please don’t take it too lightly.”

Now comes the part where I talk about the elephant in the room, or rather, the ape in the space capsule…

“To be honest, I really looked forward to watching episodes of the show during its run. When I looked at your announcement about the premature cancellation and the plans you’d made for that third and final season, I was totally perplexed. Disney let Fish Hooks go on for three seasons regardless of content - was that because no one turned deaf ears or blind eyes to it? I always assumed they’d treat WOY the same way they treated FH.”

“Somehow it just doesn’t feel right to let your show bite the dust just because the “higher up bosses of bosses of bosses” didn’t see the need to make more, especially not after you made most fans aware of the existence of the plans for S3 and led them to believe it was guaranteed to be amazing. Why do you think I haven’t given up on WOY? And why else would I have Kid encourage viewers to watch the show (Kid Cosmic was great, by the way, one that definitely ended in victory)? I cannot think of any other show that was canceled one week before S2’s premiere, seven months after the S1 finale, five months after writing on S2 wrapped up, five months after your pitch for S3. You, Craig, are one of the most experienced cartoonists in the business and you don’t deserve to be treated like this.”

“To let you know just how determined I am to right this wrong, I worked four months on an Illustrator piece featuring over 140 individuals, built a LEGO Star Nomad (when I showed it to Dave Thomas (@owner-of-wendys), he said, “Dude… that Star Nomad is incredible. Well done!”), and wrote a pre-S3 shorts idea where Andy the Watchdog interviews refugees on the ex-secret planet. Heck, I even had to figure out what Star Force Enforcement Force look like and how the plot of S3 might play out.”

“@peepsqueak started the SaveWOY campaign, and I’m seeing to it that it shan’t be in vain. I know you’re busy with your other projects, but there is still a show waiting to be completed on your own terms. Until the time comes, keep making people smile! Darkest times call for sunniest of smiles!”

[millipedish]

Backstory or Headcanon Thing

In fraggle rock, when adult fraggles want to raise fraggle young, they sing a song that manifests a fraggle egg. This song can be sung by anywhere from one to five fraggles.

John Fraggle and Cantus Fraggle were hatched to the same family. They did not live in Fraggle Rock, but another community. Their parents were always angry and took it out on their sons, and they developed different coping mechanisms. Cantus was a rebel who caused chaos in his community. John was a yes-man who was then referred to as Wembling John. 

When Cantus opened up a portal to the strange country known as Outer Space, he ventured out. Ever worried over his brother, Wemblin John followed him. In that world, they met silly creatures, had many encounters that changed them. 

Cantus fell in with a gang of hippies. He talked to people who, like him, had been hurt by the Way Things Are. They had come together because they wanted to live in a kinder way. He was given a weird, carved pipe by one of his silly creature friends. It had a weird design, with two reeds and two bells, and it wouldn’t make any sound at all. He also was very high when he received it, and he totally forgot who gifted it to him. But Cantus cherished it nonetheless.

Wembling John discovered a silly creature nest(or a nest for human beings, as they preferred to call themselves) known as the Car Dealership. He learned about Money, and that convincing people to part with it was the greatest virtue of all. And he had a skill for it. He was given the nickname Convincing John and it stuck. The Boss Human Being took a liking to him, and brought him to a place dear to him, a place called Church. John was especially enraptured by the music he heard there, and started turning Human Being music into sales pitches. He never really understood the appeal of this money that the human beings desired so much- to him convincing was its own reward!

Cantus found Convincing John at the car dealership. His friends had told him that money was the root of all evil, so he convinced him to leave outer space with him. They came home, one wiser, and one more cunning. 

They split up again. Cantus met many outcast creatures and formed a found musical family with them. Over time, the magic of his world would seep into his outer space pipe. Not only would it make noise now, but it would make a unique sound every time a fraggle blew into it. 

John went on offering his convincing services to anyone who requested them. Three fraggle girls noticed how suggestable he was, and they resolved to travel around with him to protect him. Cantus kept moving around, and John settled on the outskirts of Fraggle Rock.

[ilovebooberfraggle]

CANTUS THE MINSTREL I LOVE YOU!!! I LOVE YOU CANTUS I REALLY DO

[rowlfthedog]

It's so hard for me to narrow down my favorites, my top 3 main muppets have to be gonzo, fozzie, and Cantus the minstrel (ik he's a fraggle but still he's so cool) and my favorite background Muppet is doglion bc I just love his design, very huggable looking. (Also I thought u would like some of the headcanons I posted I stg I'm not trying to self promote I just don't have any muppet friends to get the opinions of🥲)

Fozzie was my childhood favorite!!! I thought he was so cute and I felt bad that everyone made fun of him. Supporting Bears <3

[muppetydyke]

Muppet Mainstage, May 24th, 2024

“Music Makes us Real (Ping!)” was written by Philip Balsam and Dennis Lee for season 2, episode 7 of Fraggle Rock (1984). The song is sung by Cantus (Jim Henson) and the other minstrels (Steve Whitmire as the guitar playing Murray, Tim Gosley as the stringed instrumentalist Brool, Terry Angus as the cymbalist Brio, and Jerry Nelson as the bongo playing Balsam). Together the group explains the life of a traveling musician, through song of course.