There are many who knew late puppet pioneer Jim Henson who say that he would undoubtedly have embraced the leaps in modern technology in movie making and would have incorporated them into his projects where appropriate if it were not for his untimely death back in 1990. While his characters and methods are still very much apparent in the industry now, one of his beloved Fraggles is branching out in a new way that proves just how popular his puppet creations were. The next time take a car ride and use Waze, you can have your journey co-piloted by hyperactive Red Fraggle in their latest voice update.

The new Fraggle Rock addition to the Waze library joins the numerous celebrity voices that you can have to direct you on our commute, which includes everyone from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jay Leno, Kevin Hart and even Colonel Sanders. In the new Red Fraggle update, you can also have a customised Waze app display which will change the image of your car into a travelling Doozer truck. What more could any fan of Henson ask for, and although we have yet to see exactly what has been built into the app, Red is the fraggle known for being both headstrong, over ambitious in her wants and has a habit of being reluctant to handle her mistakes, so woe betide the person who take a wrong turn under her guidance.

The new release is part of the Jim Henson Company's on-going celebration of the legendary creator's 85th birthday, which would have been later this month. So far there have been new releases of figures, books, and numerous events based on Hensons work from the Muppets, through the likes of Labyrinth and the Dark Crystal, to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more. The scope of Henson's work both before and certainly after his death is emphasised by the legacy of his company, which continues to be involved in a huge number of practical effects in some of the biggest blockbusters of our time.

The arrival of Red Fraggle on Waze follows in the wake of last years successful reboot of Fraggle Rock by Apple TV+ in Fraggle Rock: Rock On, which managed to record and put together a whole series of short episodes which saw Red, Gobo, Mokey, Boober and Wembley back on screens in new material for the first time in almost 35 years. The popularity of the shorts was enough for Apple to commission a brand new full series of Fraggle Rock, which went into production earlier this year and sees the return of many of the original cast members, including Dave Golez and Karen Prell, who provides the voice of Red in the series.

Red Fraggle's inclusion in the Waze app also adds to the app's child friendly collection of voices which last month saw Paw Patrol join their fight against travel boredom, and for a limited time allows journey's to be completed with Ryder, Skye, Marshall and Chase, who can direct the driver while offering some additional entertainment on the app itself for as long as the option is available.