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Yo Gabba Gabba!

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Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba! title card
GenreChildren's television series
Created byChristian Jacobs
Scott Schultz
Developed byKay Wilson Stallings
Directed by
StarringLance Robertson
Voices of
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes66 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMichael Polis
Jon Berrett
ProducersJustin Lyon
Rita Peruggi
Running time25 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
Nick Jr.
ReleaseAugust 20, 2007 –
November 12, 2015

Yo Gabba Gabba! is an American live action/puppet children's television show starring five costumed toys-come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock. The Gabba gang explores a single topic in each episode, e.g. "Adventure," "Friends," and "Dance," through songs and short storylines in the half-hour program. Additionally, the show teaches children life and social skills, such as sharing and trying new foods. It also encourages viewers to move along with and dance with the characters in the program. The show is noted for its indie-culture guest stars and bands, and for drawing visual inspiration from 8-bit video games and H. R. Pufnstuf, among other classic television shows. Created by Christian Jacobs (lead singer of the Aquabats) and Scott Schultz, the show is written to appeal to children and their parents. The television program has spawned a touring live stage show, various toys and branded clothing. Trademarks relating to Yo Gabba Gabba! and its characters are held by GabbaCaDabra, LLC.

Overview

Hosted by a character named DJ Lance Rock, the series features a mix of live-action segments featuring cartoonish costumed characters—Muno (the red cyclops), Foofa (the pink flower bubble), Brobee (a little hairy green monster), Toodee (the blue cat-dragon) and Plex (the magic yellow robot)—and many short animated sketches and musical numbers.[3]

Popular artists who have appeared on the show include Mos Def, Bootsy Collins, Ladytron, The Killers, Enon, The Clientele, Jimmy Eat World, Solange Knowles, Taking Back Sunday, Datarock, The Aquabats, Devo, Anne Heche, Joy Zipper, Of Montreal, Chromeo, My Chemical Romance, Weezer, Hot Hot Heat, The Faint, The Roots, Mates of State, MGMT, Jack Black, Tony Hawk, Elijah Wood, Peter Bjorn and John, The Shins, The Aggrolites, The Flaming Lips, Mýa, Biz Markie, Blitzen Trapper, The Ting Tings, Money Mark, Mariachi El Bronx, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Erykah Badu, and Lil Wayne. Other non-musical special guests to have appeared include Jason Bateman, Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, Laila Ali, Bill Hader, and Anthony Bourdain.

Among the varied animation sequences during the show is Super Martian Robot Girl, designed by indie cartoonists Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer.[4]

The toy models of the characters that appear at the beginning and end of each show were made by Kidrobot.

History

Yo Gabba Gabba! was developed by two Southern California fathers, Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, who first started working together as teenagers, producing and directing skateboarding videos. Their goal was to design a kids' show that was entertaining while featuring real artists and real performers. Both had no previous experience writing for television, let alone children's broadcasting or education.[5] In developing the show they took inspiration from a number of sources including Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Pee-wee's Playhouse, as well as Sid and Marty Krofft puppet shows Banana Splits and H. R. Pufnstuf.[6]

In 1999, after becoming parents, Jacobs and Schultz started playing around with ideas for children's television and produced a pilot independently financed by small loans from friends and family. Yo Gabba Gabba! did not get much attention until it started circulating on the Internet.[7] Jared Hess, the director of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, saw the pilot online and recommended it to Brown Johnson, the executive vice president and executive creative director of Nickelodeon Preschool.[8] Yo Gabba Gabba! premiered on Nickelodeon on August 20, 2007.

Production

The show is produced by The Magic Store Productions and Wild Brain. Yo Gabba Gabba! airs on the Nick Jr. cable network in the United States and the Nick Jr. networks in the United Kingdom & Ireland, Italy, France and Australia as well as Treehouse TV network in Canada and RTE2 on RTÉjr in Ireland. The series premiered August 20, 2007 on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block, and began broadcasting in reruns on February 23, 2008 on the Nick Jr. TV channel. They have not yet renewed for a fifth season.

Characters

  • DJ Lance Rock – A DJ who is the narrator and friend of the other characters. He is portrayed by Lance Robertson.
  • Muno – A friendly male red cyclops. He's the tallest, is somewhat clumsy and has a close bond with Foofa (though she also bonds with Brobee in the same way). He is also the band's guitarist. In the episodes "Family", "Circus", and "Baby", his family makes an appearance. During Super Bowl XLIV, he appeared in a commercial for the Kia Sorento. His realm resembles the moon, another planet, or a desert and he has a pet horse. He has three stomachs as seen in the X-ray in the Season 1 episode "Halloween" (#13). However another X-ray in the Season 1 episode "Imagine" (#20) shows him with one stomach, a normal heart and lungs. He is voiced by Adam Deibert.
  • Foofa – A female flower bubble character who's "pink and happy." She loves flowers, rainbows and unicorns and can play the tambourine. Her realm is a spring or summer meadow. She is voiced by Emma Jacobs.
  • Brobee – He is the smallest and the youngest of the gabbas, a small, male green monster and the baby of the gabbas. He is the drummer for the Gabba band. He is the only "primary" character whose facial expression changes depending on the situation; his usual smile turning into a frown, and vice versa. He is often subjected to trying new foods. His realm is a vast autumn forest. It is mentioned that he is four years old. He is voiced by Amos Watene.
  • Toodee – A blue female arctic cat-dragon who likes to have fun. She has a close bond with Plex and is the bassist for the Gabba band. She lives in a winter arctic realm, with icicles. She is voiced by Erin Pearce.
  • Plex – A male magic yellow robot and the oldest of the gabbas. He is portrayed as being smart and as the leader of Gabba Land. Plex usually teaches lessons to his friends and is a father figure to the gang. He can also use his special ray to bring things into existence. He plays the keytar. He has no realm in particular, though he seems to have a "docking station" between Foofa and Brobee's realms. In "Gabbaland Begins, Plex is the last in DJ Lance's original creations after he goes through Muno, Foofa, Brobee, and Toodee, although, Brobee is supposedly a four-year-old in the show. He is voiced by Christian Jacobs.

Regular segments

  • Mark's Magic Pictures, featuring Mark Mothersbaugh, drawing simple pictures that often come alive at the end of the segment.
  • Biz's Beat of the Day, starring Biz Markie, demonstrating new beatboxing beats.
  • The Super Music Friends Show, featuring musical guests and introduced by John Reis as "The Music Swami".
  • Dancey Dance Time, featuring celebrity guests performing dance moves with the characters
  • Cool Tricks, in which a child or adult demonstrates a special talent (e.g., gymnastics, breakdancing, playing a theremin, cup stacking or another cool trick.)
  • Storytime, where a child narrates a story (e.g., Goon Fishin', Goodnight Moon or another story.)
  • Super Martian Robot Girl, featuring a helpful comic book-style superhero who saves the day, but only solves extremely contrive misunderstandings of ignorant citizens, instead of battling crime.
  • Learn with Plex, a solo segment in which Plex teaches basic daily skills like brushing your teeth, making lemonade, putting on pajamas, etc. (three times by saying "it's fun to" do whatever he is teaching) in chants, using four repeated steps.
  • Play Pretend with Muno, in which Muno encourages viewers to pretend along with him, as he imagines himself as various creatures and objects.
  • Listen with Toodee, in which Toodee listens to sounds and encourages the viewer to help her identify them.
  • Color with Brobee, in which the viewer guesses what color Brobee is thinking of by the examples he gives.
  • Play Games with Foofa, in which Foofa solves simple puzzles, such as mazes and matching games, and encourages the viewer to help her find the solution.
  • DJ Lance Dance, in which DJ Lance Rock teaches the viewers a different dance.
  • Funny Faces, in which DJ Lance Rock encourages viewers to make funny faces.
  • Knock-Knock Joke of the Day, a segment where Jack McBrayer and Paul Scheer tell knock-knock jokes. This segment first appeared in season two.
  • Look Back At Today, each episode ends with a music video recap of that episode, featuring special effects, and a remix of every song featured in that episode. (Season two and Season three have DJ Lance remembering the things he and the gang did in that episode before the music video starts.)
  • Jingles, each episode has animated music videos featuring music by a guest musician and animation by guest artists, designers, and animators. They often happen after the first segment in an episode. (One episode does not have the segment.)

Episode list

Main article: List of Yo Gabba Gabba! episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired (U.S. dates)
First aired Last aired
Pilots 2 2006 (2006)
1 20 August 20, 2007 May 23, 2008
2 20 September 22, 2008 October 16, 2011
3 13 March 8, 2010 September 20, 2011
4 13 December 18, 2011 November 12, 2015


Video releases

DVD Collections[9]
Title Released Episodes
The Dancey Dance Bunch[10] October 14, 2008 "Friends", "Eat", "Dance", "Happy"
New Friends April 7, 2009 "New Friends", "Share", "Find", "Greetings"
Halloween! August 25, 2009 "Halloween", "Scary", "Fun", "Careful"
Meet My Family October 20, 2009 "Family", "Games", "Together", "Imagine"
Birthday Boogie[10] February 2, 2010 "Birthday", "Dress Up", "Talent", "Ride"
Clubhouse[10] June 15, 2010 "Clubhouse", "Adventure", "Summer", "Animals"
Superhero October 14, 2010 "Superhero", "Train", "Adventure", "Bugs"
Doctor January 11, 2011 "Doctor", "Teeth", "Clean", "Car"
Circus[11] June 14, 2011 "Circus", "Treasure Hunt", "Flying", "Fun"
Party in a Box[10][12] July 12, 2011 Three disc set of The Dancey Dance Bunch, Birthday Boogie, Clubhouse in a slipcase.
Music Makes Me Move August 9, 2011 "Band", "Move", "Differences", "Train"
Merry Christmas! August 9, 2011 "Christmas", "A Very Awesome Christmas", "Fairytale", "Boat"
Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!:
There's A Party In My City! 		March 13, 2012 Live show in Los Angeles with bonus features
Super Spies April 17, 2012 "Super Spies", "Mystery", "Space", "Big"

Soundtrack releases

Four albums have been released featuring songs from the show performed by the cast and the "Super Music Friends Show" segment.

  • Music is... Awesome! (2009)
  • Music is... Awesome! Volume 2 (2010)
  • Music is... Awesome! Volume 3 (2011)
  • Music is... Awesome! Volume 4 (2012)

ABC for Kids released a CD in 2010 titled Yo Gabba Gabba! Party In My Tummy.

Stage shows

The world premiere live concert tour of Yo Gabba Gabba! took place in Australia in May 2009. DJ Lance Rock, Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee and Plex performed in Wollongong, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney with an indie house-band and secret special guests at each show. Additional tours in the United States and other countries have been performed throughout 2013. Shows have been toured including three presented by Kia Motors and a special Christmas one presented by Citi, Just Dance Kids & Toys for Tots.

  1. "Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: There's a Party in My City!" (2010-2011)
  2. "Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! 2: It's Time to Dance!" (2011)
  3. "Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! 3: Get the Sillies Out!" (2012)
  4. "Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! 4: A Very Awesome YGG Holiday Show!" (2014)
  5. "Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! 5: Music Is Awesome" (2015)[13]

Nick Jr. Australia released a tour in 2009 called Yo Gabba Gabba: LIVE on Stage!

Critical reception

On April 30, 2008 the television show received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling.[14] The show has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy in both 2008 and 2009 for Best Costume Design. Time magazine's James Poniewozik, who said the show "will convince you someone slipped something into your Fruity Pebbles" named Yo Gabba Gabba! one of the Top 10 new TV series of 2007, ranking it at #8.[15] In November 2008, the Yo Gabba Gabba! production team won a BAFTA Children's Award, International.[16] The show has also become popular among some college-age young adults because of the artists often featured.[17] Due to the show's popularity amongst both adults and children, they performed at Coachella 2010 as special guests.[18] Their live touring show also won a Creative Content Award at the 2010 Billboard Touring Awards.[19] The Television Critics Association Awards have nominated Yo Gabba Gabba! for Outstanding Achievement in Children's/Youth Programing. The years include 2008-2012. Yo Gabba Gabba! won for the year 2009 and 2010.[20] In February 2013, Yo Gabba Gabba! won two Kidscreen Awards for "Best Non-Animated or Mixed Series 2013" and "Best Music 2013"[21]

In other media

  • In 2009, the cast was featured in their own float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[22]
  • Muno was featured in a commercial for the Kia Sorento that aired during the 2010 Super Bowl and a subsequent Kia commercials in 2011, also the character Brobee appeared in an 2011 advertisement for Wonderful Pistachios.
  • The cast appeared in the Big Time Rush episodes "Big Time Audition", "Big Time Halloween" and "Big Time Cameos."
  • Yo Gabba Gabba! appeared in True Jackson VP in the episode "Trapped in Paris."
  • Garry Lyon, of the The Footy Show, an Australian Football League panel show, performed an interpretive cycle (Yo Gabba Gazza!) based on the Yo Gabba Gabba! dancing style after losing a humorous bet. The choice of the Yo Gabba Gabba! dance was based on a number of physical similarities to Brobee, including Bushy Eyebrows and Excessive Androgenic Hair.
  • In the Mad episode "So You Think You Can Train Your Dragon How to Dance / Yo Gagga Gagga!," Lady Gaga hosts Yo Gagga Gagga! featuring her dolls – Taylor Swift, T-Pain, Miley Cyrus, and Triple H – and the cast is seen watching a monster movie at the end.
  • In 2011, the cast appeared in the Raising Hope episode "Sabrina Has Money."
  • The title of the Futurama episode "Yo Leela Leela" parodies this, as does the show in the episode, known as "Rumbledy Hump".
  • On June 9, 2012, The Fresh Beat Band's 14th episode "Yo! Fresh Beats Go Gabba Gabba!", the "Gabba Gang" gets beamed into the episode by way of a malfunctioned Plex has with robotic hiccups which was caused by Gearmo: a gear who always causes trouble.
  • Insane Clown Posse recorded a cover of the song Hold Still for the 2012 album Smothered, Covered & Chunked.
  • The South Park episode "Taming Strange" features Foofa becoming a spoof of Miley Cyrus after Kyle's younger brother, Ike, attends a "Yo Gabba Gabba Live!" performance and "tames Foofa's strange" in front of everyone seeing the show.

References

  1. ^ Schneider, Michael. "DHX Media acquires Wildbrain". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  2. ^ "OMDC Success Story: DHX Media". Ontario Media Development Corporation.
  3. ^ Garofoli, Joe: "Preschooler TV goes hip with 'Yo Gabba Gabba'", San Francisco Chronicle, 17 August 2007
  4. ^ evandorkin: The Last Round-Up (Pre-TCAF)
  5. ^ "Christian Jacobs & Scott Schultz: Co-Creators, Yo Gabba Gabba!" (PDF). Wild Brain. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Keveney, Bill. "'Yo Gabba Gabba!' is monstrous fun for kids, adults". USA Today. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  7. ^ Frauenfelder, Mark (June 2, 2006). "New kids' show: Yo Gabba Gabba". Boing Boing.
  8. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (August 12, 2007). "Charm the Children, Tickle the Parents". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Yo Gabba Gabba! Episode Guide 2010 Season 3 – School, Episode 6". TV Guide. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c d Kirby, Alicia. "Yo Gabba Gabba Party In A Box DVD Set Review". The Mama Report. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  11. ^ Gagnon, Robin. "Yo Gabba Gabba! : Circus ~ DVD Review". MomFoodie at Blommi.com. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  12. ^ Lott, Rod. "Yo Gabba Gabba!: Party in a Box!". Oklahoma Gazette. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  13. ^ Gundersen, Edna. "Yo Gabba Gabba! gets 'Awesome' on new tour". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  14. ^ "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces 35th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations", April 30, 2008
  15. ^ Poniewozik, James: "Top 10 New TV Series", Time, 2007
  16. ^ BAFTA Children's Awards Winners ""Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)", BAFTA, 2008
  17. ^ Friedman, Emily "Nickelodeon Cartoon Draws Unusual Fans", ABC News, May 7, 2008
  18. ^ Glazer, Joshua. "Coachella Backstage With Yo Gabba Gabba". Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  19. ^ Lipshutz, Jason. "U2, Gaga, Metallica, Swift Win Big at Billboard Touring Awards". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  20. ^ "'Yo Gabba Gabba' (2007) - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  21. ^ Goldman Getzler, Wendy (February 6, 2013). "And the 2013 Kidscreen Awards winners are…". Kidscreen. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  22. ^ Mannino, Brynn. "'Yo Gabba Gabba!' Makes Its First Float Through Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade". Woman's Day. Retrieved February 24, 2014.

Official sites

Channels

Others

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