Ma Gorg

Template:Performer3

Ma Gorg

Tish Leeper (with Frank Meschkuleit as Junior Gorg) taking a break from performing Ma Gorg.

Ma Gorg is the mother of the Gorg family, and the self-proclaimed Queen of the Universe on Fraggle Rock. She is married to Pa Gorg, and they have a son, Junior. Her mother was Queen Esmerelda.

The most sentimental member of the family, but also the most commanding, Ma, through threats of tears or nagging, can generally compel Pa to cave in to her whims (said whims usually delegated to Junior). However, Ma is truly nurturing and loving towards her little family, and a first-class Gorg cook and seamstress. She has a fear of Fraggles, evocative of the stereotype of housewives and mice. However, on rare occasions, as in "A Friend in Need," her motherly instincts and desire to help overcome her fears.

Behind the Scenes

Ma is performed by two puppeteers: one person in the Gorg costume, and another performing the voice and moving the character's eyes and mouth by remote control.

Trish Leeper performed Ma's body throughout the series' run. In the first season, Myra Fried performed her voice and face. Cheryl Wagner took over the character from season 2 on.

Evolution

Ma Gorg, as seen in the first episodes of Fraggle Rock. Her long bangs were initially radio-controlled so that they could move sideways to cover or expose her eyes. This effect was later replaced with blinking eyelids

Ma Gorg is given a facelift; she carries a slight smile on her face (compared to the original puppet's visible frown), her skin becomes brighter, and her hair is set in a bun.

Filmography

• Fraggle Rock
  • Episode 102: Wembley and the Gorgs
  • Episode 103: Let the Water Run
  • Episode 105: The Thirty-Minute Work Week
  • Episode 107: I Want to Be You
  • Episode 109: The Lost Treasure of the Fraggles
  • Episode 114: The Challenge
  • Episode 116: Capture the Moon
  • Episode 119: The Great Radish Famine
  • Episode 120: The Garden Plot
  • Episode 122: Mokey's Funeral
  • Episode 203: The Trash Heap Doesn't Live Here Anymore
  • Episode 209: Sir Hubris and the Gorgs
  • Episode 210: A Friend in Need
  • Episode 213: Red's Club
  • Episode 216: Junior Sells the Farm
  • Episode 219: Doomsday Soup
  • Episode 224: The Invasion of the Toe Ticklers
  • Episode 305: Blanket of Snow, Blanket of Woe
  • Episode 308: Believe It or Not
  • Episode 314: The Great Radish Caper
  • Episode 315: Born to Wander
  • Episode 316: The Battle of Leaking Roof
  • Episode 318: Bored Stiff
  • Episode 321: A Dark and Stormy Night
  • Episode 401: Sprocket's Big Adventure
  • Episode 403: Sidebottom Blues
  • Episode 405: Junior Faces the Music
  • Episode 413: Boober Gorg
  • Episode 501: Mirror, Mirror
  • Episode 505: The River of Life
  • Episode 509: Ring Around the Rock
  • Episode 511: The Gorg Who Would Be King
  • Episode 513: Change of Address

See also

• Ma Gorg (animated)