A campaign has been launched to help keep Michael Frith’s iconic Fraggles on the island that inspired their creation for a little while longer.

The Bermuda National Gallery announced that it will extend the run of its exhibition The Art of Michael K. Frith: From Pencil to Puppet, originally scheduled to close at the end of April, until the end of August.

However, the gallery said it was looking for support from the public to raise $25,000 to help cover the cost of extending the popular show.

Jennifer Phillips, the BNG’s executive director, said: “We have been blown away by the impact this exhibition has had on the entire community.

“We are pleased to have secured the necessary permissions to extend the loans on most of the puppets in the show, and now we are appealing to the public.

“As a registered charity, BNG relies entirely on community support for all that we do. My hope is that the community will respond to our campaign.

“We will be ‘keeping the Fraggles on the Rock’ for an additional four months and any contribution will be a great help in achieving this.”

Mr Frith, a Bermudian artist, began his career as a children’s book editor and illustrator before joining Jim Henson Productions in 1975, where he designed a variety of characters for The Muppet Show including Dr Teeth and Fozzie Bear.

He later served as the conceptual designer and co-creator of Fraggle Rock, which was inspired by his childhood in Bermuda.

A BNG spokeswoman said that almost 6,000 people had visited the gallery since the show opened in October, making the show one of the gallery’s most popular to date.

In addition to a range of drawings from Mr Frith, the show features the original puppets of The Muppet Show’s Fozzie Bear and Scooter, along with Fraggle Rock’s Mokey, Gobo and Uncle Travelling Matt, which are on loan from the Centre for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.

The BNG said that while four of the five puppets, including all three Fraggles, will have their stays on the island extended, Fozzie will need to leave Bermuda in May to be featured at the National Comedy Centre in New York.

Jill Nash Malool, a museum director at the Centre for Puppetry Arts, said: “After he returns from that loan, he will be on rest for some time so your audience will probably be some of the last folks to see him for a few years as we will make sure that he gets a good ‘nap’ after all of that travel.”

Eve Godet Thomas, the director of exhibitions at BNG, said Fozzie’s earlier departure meant the gallery will be left with increased costs.

She explained: “The puppets are extremely fragile and need to be returned in custom-built crates via air to New Jersey, and from there on to Atlanta in a climate-controlled vehicle.

“Whilst we are thrilled to have secured extensions on most of the puppets, having to return Fozzie separately effectively almost doubles our air, ground and insurance transport fees.”

The extension will also require the BNG to print an additional 2,000 exhibition catalogues, which are free for gallery visitors.

Ms Godet Thomas added: “Given the breadth of the show, the catalogue runs to 20 pages, which is more than double the length of our usual catalogues.”

The funds raised will also support the cost of printing more activity booklets for children, of which the gallery has so far distributed over 650, as well as restocking supplies in the BNG puppet workshop and theatre, where more than 750 children have made their own puppets inspired by the show.

Mr Frith said: “From the beginning, the BNG embraced the idea that this exhibition could be something more than simply a display of drawings, but rather a celebration of creative process and artistic collaboration, an opening for viewers to think about their own creative potential in ways they may not have done before.

“So, it's been hugely gratifying to see that along with the general public, so many educators and students have found their way here.

“It has been such a pleasure and an honour to be a part of this programme, especially here in this place, among those that mean so much to me.”

To support the campaign, visit bng.bm/fraggles. Corporate donors can contact Ms Phillips at director@bng.bm or on 295-9428.