Review: "Yo Gabba Gabba!": Not just for kids

 by Jordan Wendt
 published on Wednesday, February 20, 2008

OK, so technically "Yo Gabba Gabba!" is a children's television show. However, it has a cult following of young parents, stoners and ska fans large enough to deserve a closer look.

This musical kid's show was created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, who are both musicians themselves. Christian Jacobs is the frontman of ska/cult rock band The Aquabats, while Scott Schultz is the lead singer of electronica band Majestic. The two claim to have been working on material for a kid's show for years, but couldn't get a deal until Nickelodeon picked up their show last year.

"Yo Gabba Gabba!" (a name inspired by baby gibberish) has a very unique production style that won't be found on any other children's television show. With its retro and sometimes psychedelic animation, the imagery is often too bizarre to forget.

The main characters are four strange-looking monsters and a robot. The show is hosted by DJ Lance Rock, a smiley guy who wears an orange jumpsuit and wields a ghettoblaster boombox.

The show's soundtrack is equally unique with its lo-fi beats and catchy hooks. One of the shows most beloved songs is "Party in my Tummy," which shows vegetables as friendly and animated beings who enjoy being eaten.

The show teaches preschoolers the alphabet, colors and numbers, but the other bits make it interesting to those above the age of four.

One segment, "Super Music Friends Show," has included musical acts as diverse in genre and popularity as The Shins, The Aggrolites and Sean Kingston. Notable non-musical guests have included Tony Hawk, Laila Ali and Elijah Wood, who can be seen on YouTube for his segment teaching children how to dance like a puppet master. In "Biz's Beat of the Day," beatboxing legend Biz Markie, of the '80s hip-hop collective Juice Crew, teaches young children how to beat box.

Overall, this show is a flamboyant mix of brilliance and horror that must be judged by each individual viewer. The airtime of the new episodes will soon be announced, but there are plenty of YouTube clips to ease the wait.

— jordan.wendt@asu.edu