What's Not To Love About Yo Gabba Gabba! ?

So, I guess I should explain my unnatural obsession for a show on Nickelodeon called Yo Gabba Gabba! It is in fact the same show that is featured in the ~Eye Candy~ corner of this blog, albeit a little inconsistently. With it's bright colors, catchy tunes and creative segments, I was powerless against it. Imagine Sid and Marty Kroft with a heaping helping of PeeWee's Playhouse and a little Speed Racer on the side. I have truly lucked out, in that I happen to be taking a break from my previous career to start my own business, so I just happened to have a lot of free time during the day to catch this eye-popping, toe-tapping show. So as I continue down this path of anti-adulthood, let me introduce you to one of my current vises.

I love that this show is not only fun and educational, but smart. They know their audience very well-no segment of this 24 minute show overstays it's welcome but it's also not a series of images whizzing past the screen at ADHD levels. The songs will stay with you without driving you insane (there isn't a "I Love You" Barney song in the bunch), the animated videos feature a variety of musical artists, and cameos from celebrities and unique guests keeps you wondering "What's going to happen next?"

 

Yo Gabba Gabba...let me count the ways! Now, picking favorites, whether it's characters or episodes, would be like the much cliched "choosing a favorite among children". So I won't attempt it here. What I will do instead is highlight a few things that make this show a gem.

*DJ Lance Rock-This guy is the coolest cat on the block! DJ Lance is the unofficial host/caretaker of Gabbaland. His "construction cone" orange belted jumpsuit with matching shag carpet covered hat complete with yellow and silver embellishment reminds me of the attire worn by the band Deee-Lite from the 1990's and topped off with enormous black-rimmed glasses in the style of DMC. What's even wackier is the choice they made to (re)dub his voice over the vocals so that it's just a shade off point, giving it that Japanese anime feel. By far my favorite moment (and the only daily predictable part of the show) is when he ushers in the remix for the end of the show, "Yo! It's almost time to go! But first, let's go back and remember what we did today! Can you help me? Can we dance? Then let's do it, a-break it down!"

*Gabbaland Gang-Each one more endearing than the next. In no particular order: 

Muno(Red) is a tenderhearted (he's afraid of the dark) guy who wants so much to do the right thing by his friends but is typically clumsy (crashing into block castles) and immature (biting friends) 

Foofa(Pink) is caring and nurturing and very much a girly-girl. She's encouraging and always there to lend a hand. 

Brobee(Green) is furry and diminutive in stature. Very unsure of himself, he tends to be moody which is visualized by the "fireworks" effect that occurs when he changes from sad to happy. He also happens to be the star of one of my favorite songs "Party in My Tummy".

Toodie(Blue) is a loud, energetic cat-like character. She struggles to find a balance between her enthusiasm for life and her friend's personal boundaries.

Plex(Yellow) is the wise, perhaps elder, robot who is the go-between for DJ Lance and the citizens of Gabbaland. He typically gets involved if there is conflict to help teach important lessons in friendship. Also, he has the power to "beam" guests (like Elijah Wood) to teach a "Dancy Dance" or participate in some activity.

*V.I.P.s-What other kids show can boast the likes of Tony Hawk, The Shins and Laila Ali? And could someone please give the person who hired Biz Markie to teach beatbox beats a raise! I dare anyone to not burst into hysterical laughter after trying to copy "Biz's Beat of the Day". There are a wide variety of musicians who perform on the "Super Music Friends Show" and the "Cool Tricks" segment has featured tap dancers, speedy cup stackers, gymnasts and even a guy who plays the Theremin, yeah, that's right, I said Theremin. (Google It) 

V.I.P.? More like F-U-N!

*The Kids-I'm assuming these are the offspring of the genius behind this show-but whoever they are, the segues that feature them dancing, superimposed making their way through "Atari" type video games or hitching a ride on a wind-up toy are priceless! There is one kid in particular who not only has his own corner of YouTube.com (all you have to do is type in his name!) and he's popped up on E! channel's The Soup, but Nathaniel is a dancin' fool and deserves to be shared with the world! If I were a kid today, being on Yo Gabba Gabba! would equate to my life-long desire to be on the set of Romper Room or The Mickey Mouse Club (the original). If only to be able to wear one of those groovy shirts!

*Silly Segments-There is so much variety to this show, it always has you asking "What will happen next?" There doesn't seem to be a set formula to each episode, and since it's a daily show, it's unpredictability keeps it fresh. Silliness is sprinkled between the songs and activities of the main characters like candy on cupcakes. Although some segments occur more often than others, "Super Robot Martian Girl" is on every couple episodes, Story Time features different tales done by different animators (Moochy and Pooty are particularly cute in their Hello Kitty and Friends style). Many times you'll see an animated video featuring bands like The Shins, GOGO13 and Low. The ska song "Pick It Up" and old-school hip-hop "Let's Dance" are hilarious (and if it's working, you can click the ~Eye Candy~ corner to watch) and the delightful and adoring heart animations for the Beatles-esque "Love Every Living Thing" gives off such a case of warm fuzzies!

*REMIX-Each show ends with a fan-tab-u-lous remix/mash-up that features every song and dance performed during that episode with a montage of dancers, human and Gabba-kind alike. You can't resist gettin' down with your bad self during the final moments of this show!

Now that I've had time to look over all the things that make Yo Gabba Gabba so spectacular, I'm finding some amazing similarities to a show that I hold dear to my childhood-Jim Henson's Muppet Show (and I mean the Muppet Show of the 1970's/80's not so much the revamped one of the late 90's). Music, comedy, celebrity guests, muppet-type characters; however on a much simpler level, you won't find marabou or feathers cluttering their costumes. Well, I guess you can't improve perfection!

It does my soul good to know that a show like this exists today, for the child in all of us. I hope more people see this show, young and old. Sadly, the recent writers strike did little good, and because it is a daily show, it's been like a never ending "Best Of" series as the 20-odd shows get recycled sooner than I'm sure they expected. Yo Gabba Gabba is a great remedy if you, like me, suffer from perpetual-childlike-behavior.    

Rated G for uncontrollable Giggling 

It's like NEW School Supplies on the First Day of School!

     Since this is my first blog (that's pretty sophisticated and hi-tech, right?), and due to the fact that it's taken me hours just to get what little there is on here, I'll start with a topic I could go on for ages about and make it worth your while to read. Anytime I get to do something new and exciting, I'm reminded of getting ready for the First Day of School. That was the BEST! Now, I went to a Catholic school, so there was no ceremonious picking of a First Day of School Outfit. But, better than that, were the fresh smell of school supplies. 

     I grew up in the days before Target and Walmart, and not that it mattered anyway, but I couldn't begin to tell you where we went to pick them out. The store wasn't important. I don't know about my sister, but for me, that glorious list of school supplies, was like a vision into the heavens. 

     No. 2 pencils, which were cropping up in a festival of outrageous colors and design, were coveted to ensure they would last the whole year. Those Pink Pearl erasers, with their odd slanted edges (can anyone please explain why they weren't just rectangular!?) were held in high esteem because of the fancy cursive script printed on them; any company who embellishes their product with that little touch of fancy is #1 in my book! No, I haven't forgotten erasable pens, but I think we all know that was never meant to be. The promise of never having to empty out another pencil sharpener, the reality of bright blue smudges across your paper....

     Although notebooks were probably the first item I went for, their stock rose as I got older and teachers began requesting the notebooks that had separate pockets to distinguish subjects. Folders and binders were not as exciting back then as they are now; so they were usually second in order; I was lucky to find a folder with a cute kitten or a solid color other than something in the primary range. The jackpot was around junior high, when binders started showing up with clear plastic covers that allowed you to place personal items on your binder without worrying about their eminent destruction! Those coveted oilies and puffy stickers you traded half your collection for, the class photos, doodles from friends, etc. were now outliving the binders they were trapped in. 

 

     But the ultimate was when I got to the "art supplies" aisle.::pause to revel in the memory:: Of course, there was that savored moment when I was finally victorious and my mom ceased her resistance to my desperate need for the ginormous box of 96 crayons with the sharpener in the back (I was never dumb enough to use it, I witnessed enough crayon carnage by my friends to know better).   Colored pencils, although exciting, saw a short novelty span. Why use colored pencils when you could use MARKERS! I still remember the squeak of the styrofoam when I pulled off the flimsy cardboard sleeve to my first set of Mr. Sketch scented markers. 

 

     The Holy Grail of school supplies was of course when an insightful and inspired teacher would request a set of watercolor paints. How awesome was the promise of a school year with watercolor paints on the supply list! At the opposite end of the spectrum, were the teachers who would begrudgingly pull out ancient watercolor paint sets with crunchy brushes and paint pots with holes burrowed into the centers; and don't get me started on the doofus who had the set before you and let the yellow turn a puke brown or florescent green! 

    Finally, there were the containers to keep watch over the precious cargo. Plastic zipper pouches were useless, the plastic slide closure came off within weeks if not days, allowing everything to spill into your desk and have to duke it out with your textbooks. Proper metal zipper pouches were good, but lacked penache and heft. Cardboard "cigar" boxes were laughable, the tops were always  prone to rippage. If you could get plastic, it was great, but scarce when I was in grade school unless you wanted it adorned in Hello Kitty. Oddly enough, most of my supplies ended up housed inside boxes that were not intended for the use I so greatly desired. Random wooden boxes with slide top closures were the kind that accompanied me to school with my valuables. At the time, I couldn't have told you what their original cargo was, but a few years ago I found a similar box at my parents house in the hall closet that is part liquor pantry, part kitchen supplies. I'll let you guess which part of the closet my old school supply boxes came from...but what did I care where the box came from-it was the magic that was contained inside that mattered! 

     Of course, being the sophisticated grown-up I am now, I would gladly take the original contents from that box, but only if we can hit the school supply aisle on the way! Hey, it wouldn't be the first time in my grown-up life that I had purchased crayons and a coloring book, you'd be surprised how much fun you can have with a crayon tower that holds 150 (yes! 150) and a PowerPuff Girls coloring book...wait, how old am I?

*ok, ok, I know, I forgot scissors and rulers and glue...I'll sum up. Scissors were metal and supplied by the school-there was always a fight over who got the sharp pointy edged scissors or got stuck with the round edged "safety" scissors. Rulers were wood with slick metal edges (that always gave your fingers zebra stripes if you used markers) or the plastic kind that shattered into a million dagger-like shards when you shoved your books in too forcefully...hey, no one said math wasn't dangerous! Glue, what can I say, it came in white.