Semper on the set of A Muppet Family Christmas with Boober Fraggle and Wembley Fraggle
John Semper was one of the story editors of the animated Fraggle Rock, along with Cynthia Friedlob. As such, Semper and Friedlob worked with Michael K. Frith to create the series' writer's bible,[1] in addition to writing many episodes of the series.
Semper also wrote a script for a direct-to-video project for Henson titled "Puppy Love," which eventually evolved into the television special Dog City. However, Semper left the production due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike and was uncredited in the final special's original airings.[2][3]
Semper has worked as a writer and/or story editor on many animated programs, often in collaboration with Cynthia Friedlob, including several Scooby-Doo series, My Little Pony, Shirt Tales, Pink Panther and Sons, The Smurfs, Snorks, The Jetsons, Kissyfur, DuckTales, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Spider-Man: The Animated Series (on which he was also a producer), Rugrats, Jay Jay the Jet Plane, and the animated Kid 'n Play series. The last credit, on which he worked with Friedlob, led to the pair writing the screenplay for the rap duo's 1992 film Class Act. Semper also wrote episodes of The Puzzle Place, as well as the English-language adaptations for the Hayao Miyazaki films Kiki's Delivery Service and Laputa: Castle in the Sky.
Writing credits[]
- Fraggle Rock animated series
- "No Fraggle Is an Island" (with Barry O'Brien and Cynthia Friedlob)
- "Big Trouble for a Little Fraggle" (story, with Pam Dovale)
- "The Great Radish Round-Up" (teleplay, with Betty Birney and Cynthia Friedlob)
- "Where No Fraggle Has Gone Before" (story)
- "Gobo's Song" (story, with Cynthia Friedlob)
- "Homebody Matt" (teleplay, with Cynthia Friedlob)
- "The Great Fraggle Freeze" (with Anthony Adams and Cynthia Friedlob)
- "Laundry Never Lies" (with Kathryn Mullen, Larry Parr, and Cynthia Friedlob)
- "Mokey's Flood of Creativity / What the Doozers Did" (story for both, with Cynthia Friedlob)
- "Fraggle Babble" (story)
- "The Funniest Joke in the Universe" (story, with Cynthia Friedlob)
- "Wembley's Trip to Outer Space" (story, with Mike Joens and Cynthia Friedlob)
- Dog City (story, with Tim Burns and Cynthia Friedlob; uncredited on original airings)
Sources[]
- ↑ "9/–/1987 – 'Fraggle Rock Animated goes on NBC. Muppet Babies are 90 minutes. 8:30-10 AM.'" Jim Henson's Red Book, posted September 3, 2013.
- ↑ Facebook post from Semper
- ↑ "11/1-18/1988 – 'VTR – Dog City – Toronto.'" Jim Henson's Red Book, posted November 5, 2012.