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
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