Thoughts on Cantus

[Saironi]

Personally, I think Cantus comes off as the most mature of his kind. He knows how to enjoy himself, but also knows that there's a time and place to be silly and frivilous. He may also be aware of how confusing others find him and uses it to his advantage when saying there are only 5 Minstrels as far as he knows and he "knows pretty far".

He also strikes me as a serious and strict person when it comes to showing the 5 Fraggles the errors of their ways. The most prominent in my mind is when he makes Red take him up to the surface after she loses his pipe. Cantus doesn't seem to suffer from the same phobia of the shaggy giants as most of his kind does and when Red whimpers "That Gorg will KILL ME!!" he just carelessly looks at Jr. before returning his gaze on Red and tactlessly retorts "Says who?", and wags his finger sternly at her as she whimpers at how seemingly heartless he's being. To me, this was obviously his way of punishing her.

Since he doesn't seem to fear Gorgs, he even speaks with Jr., though possibly using his shadow to appear larger, so he isn't entirely careless.

I'll also say that it's likely it's only Red who can come close to cause Cantus to lose his temper, as he is on the edge of fuming when she still doesn't understand what he said by "Her song", then snaps that all Fraggles have songs, but does so in a somewhat gentle way. Obviously he seems more tolerant of the other main Fraggles than of Red.

If anyone has anything to add, go ahead.

[heralde]

Cantus doesn't seem to suffer from the same phobia of the shaggy giants as most of his kind does and when Red whimpers "That Gorg will KILL ME!!" he just carelessly looks at Jr. before returning his gaze on Red and tactlessly retorts "Says who?", and wags his finger sternly at her as she whimpers at how seemingly heartless he's being. To me, this was obviously his way of punishing her.

Since he doesn't seem to fear Gorgs, he even speaks with Jr., though possibly using his shadow to appear larger, so he isn't entirely careless.



Yeah I like that part, when Red tells Cantus where she dropped the pipe. She's kind of expecting him to get it for her, or at least help her. But he's the parental figure who's telling her to take personal responsibility for her mistake.

He's pretty blunt about that, which is great. Fraggles are general, very light hearted and need a kick sometimes to do anything. Earlier, Mokey innocently tried to make excuses for Red saying, "What if it was all a misunderstanding and it could happen to anyone?" Cantus counters with, "It could not happen to anyone. There was no misunderstanding."

Cantus' impression of Junior seems very similar to the Trash Heap's. Instead of being afraid of Junior, he sees his potential.

[Frogster]

Since he doesn't seem to fear Gorgs, he even speaks with Jr., though possibly using his shadow to appear larger, so he isn't entirely careless.

I noticed that after the blanket fell, he just moved over with the rest of the Fraggles to blend in. He was calm about it, though... like, oh well, my cover's blown, lol.

[Saironi]

Cantus' impression of Junior seems very similar to the Trash Heap's. Instead of being afraid of Junior, he sees his potential.He also doesn't share the same predjudice that Gorgs are violent, dumb giants that just care about themselves. I don't think he would have even CONSIDERED approaching Jr. if he thought that. Cantus recognizes that Jr. is also a living thing with responisbilities and dreams, and despite his superior size to either Pa or Ma, Jr. is just a child. Also, like Mokey, he understands that there is some good in Jr.

[Super Scooter]

Cantus does seem to be one of the most mature Fraggles, but he also gives alot of crap-wisdom... which is simply hillarious!

I don't think he's really as bright as he makes himself seem, but his nonsense stories and fortune cookie wisdom... it so often makes alot of sense for some reason. He's one of Jim's best characters in this regard.

[Sylinde Bren]

Cantus does seem to be one of the most mature Fraggles, but he also gives alot of crap-wisdom... which is simply hillarious!

I don't think he's really as bright as he makes himself seem, but his nonsense stories and fortune cookie wisdom... it so often makes alot of sense for some reason. He's one of Jim's best characters in this regard.

I'd have to politely disagree on that... I, personally, feel that Cantus is very much as wise as he makes himself out to be. Spiritual and keenly aware of a lot of the hidden forces behind the scenes. I mean, he even knew that Gobo had to touch Doc (not just physically touch, but on an emotional, higher level) for him to see.

When I was a child, I used to think that Cantus was possibly immortal or maybe even more ancient than The World's Oldest Fraggle. Not that The World's Oldest could be a proper representative of all of the elderly Fraggles in the Rock, but Cantus seems to be much wiser, more knowing and experienced than that of The Oldest. Could it be so far-fetched that the "mysterious and invisible" being that gave Cantus his magic pipe could have also had the power to make him immortal or, more realistically, longer-lived than any ordinary Fraggle has the right to be?

Just a thought.

[Super Scooter]

I'd have to politely disagree on that... I, personally, feel that Cantus is very much as wise as he makes himself out to be. Spiritual and keenly aware of a lot of the hidden forces behind the scenes. I mean, he even knew that Gobo had to touch Doc (not just physically touch, but on an emotional, higher level) for him to see.
Well, I do agree that he's probably the wisest Fraggle, but alot of what he says is just nonsense... like I said, nonsense that makes sense... I feel as confused as the minstrels.

In the episode "Mokey and the Minstrels" he does seem to be very wise, and then the minstrels all act like he's full of it... like he's so wise that he's beyond them. Maybe I'm just not smart enough for Cantus. :p

"Listen."

[Saironi]

I get the feeling Cantus has been with the other four for long enough for them to tolerate his occasional episodes of being overbearing or spouting what they feel is nonsense. I'm not sure if Brio or Murray was the first Minstrel to join Cantus, most likely Murray, since he seemed closer to Cantus than the other three, even if he didn't seem to understand him all the time.

Brio possibly admired him for seeming so wise and mature. Possibly saw him as a role model and thought he had a lot to teach.

Balsam I'm not too sure about, and he looked pretty ancient himself, and who knows why Brool joined.

Now that I think of it, all four of the other minstrels look pretty old themselves, so maybe if the pipe has power to give longevity, Cantus bistowed it upon them, or if not, the races Murray, Balsam and Brool belong to are just older than Fraggles.


I also always noticed Cantus seemed covered in orange fur except just up to his neck, shoulders and hips, leading me to think he was a different breed of Fraggle. Either he is and is the last of whatever breed succeeded the bald-headed Fraggles, or he's an "evolved" Fraggle.

[MokeynSprocket]

I like Cantus' personality, but every episode I have seen him in has been entirely boring. I have only watched Season 1 and Season 2. I do not recall episodes beyond Season 2. Anyway, from what I have saw, Cantus and the Minstrels are boring to watch. The episodes are all centered around them, and they act as if being a minstrel is better than being a normal fraggle. When I see Cantus and the Minstrels, I think of them as a group of homeless people wandering from city to city trying to ask for money or simply annoy someone. Yes, they look dirty, and they are annoying to watch. They are boring, and I get tired of hearing Cantus' weird comments and responses. Please don't attack me with brutal comments, because the name of this thread is "Thoughts on Cantus," so I am only supplying my thoughts. Thanks!

By the way, the number one character on Fraggle Rock is SPROCKET!

[Super Scooter]

I think I'm partly wrong on my analysis of Cantus. I suppose my usage of the word "nonsense" was out of place. I just re-watched some Cantus episodes, and I guess I wouldn't describe it as nonsense, but rather confusing. It makes sense, but it's weird.

At the same time, I must apologize. I also re-watched a Convincing John episode, and realized I was mixing the two characters together during my analogy. :o oops!

[heralde]

It's ok, I think it's easy to dismis Cantus as nonsense, because he's so far beyond the normal Fraggle's (and human's) way of thinking. Plus, he doesn't want Fraggles to take life TOO seriously, it's important to enjoy life.

And he knows it's important for Fraggles to figure lessons out for themselves, rather than him making everything neat and obvious for them.

Like when he says, "She has a long way to go, though the journey is short." The answer is right in front of you, but you must go through the whole process of figuring it out yourself, even if it takes a long time.

[superboober]

You have to wonder who influenced him to become who he is. An episode looking back at his formative years may have been interesting to watch.

Cantus is perhaps most representative of the Jim Henson I envisioned growing up in the 80s: an ominpresent force who knew more than anyone (but never got arrogant about it) and who basically could do no wrong.

[Saironi]

Bren brings an interesting subject to add to this; Cantus looks especially ancient and mystical because his body seems covered in orange fur. Where this could lead some to think of him as a hippie, I think perhaps he's lived longer than anyone else and could be an ancient breed of Fraggle. Perhaps when the Fraggles began to grow hair and laughing was no longer a crime, could the new leader (can't remember her name) have created and given it to him?

[Emeowrald]

I think that out of the two characters that Jim Henson played in Fraggle Rock I think that he enjoyed playing Cantus a bit more. Cantus was wise and a bit philosophical because you get the idea that there was something more to him then just the fact that he was a minstrel. I also think that Cantus may not entirely be a Fraggle either, but rather a hybrid of some kind. I think that while I'm sure that Henson did like playing Convincing John that Cantus was a more likely his choice for an alter ego as far as Fraggle Rock is concerned. I think that he sort of represented the sort of mysterious and majical anything-is-possible sort of air that Jim Henson seemed to have.

[Super Scooter]

Cantus travels constantly. I'll bet he just hasn't shaved in a long time... going for that Grizzly Adams look. :D

[Giar Fraggle]

Query: Is Cantus a Fraggle?

Boy, we could have a huge discussion on this one.

Personally, I don't think he is. Although his body structure is similar to a Fraggle's, his fur and feathers are different, and I don't believe he has a tail. He's just...him.

And yes, he is nonsensical, but I think nonsense has been given a negative connotation over the years as meaning simply not making any sense, and therefore not worthwhile. Lewis Carroll's writings were very nonsensical, but they masked engaging logical and mathematical puzzles. To me, nonsense is a mental and linguistic tool that, when used properly, can be used to mask higher forms of thought so that only those in the right mindset can appreciate the message.

Which is what Cantus did.

And that's why come he's so awesome.

[Saironi]

"Feathers"? I guess you can say Cantus has feathers, for want of a better word for those bright things on his head. Personally, I often thought he'd styled his hair.

[heralde]

Honestly, I always thought Cantus was a Fraggle, just that they took liberties with his appearnce to make him look special and stand out. If they didn't want him to be a Fraggle, they would have made sure he didn't look like one. That's what I think anyway.

[Giar Fraggle]

I always considered them feathers, seeing as that's what they're made of. :smirk: