Yo Gabba My Gabba

My name is Sandra and I like to DANCE!

This was the status update of one of my mates on FB recently (you made me laugh A!) and it got me giggling, but also got me thinking... is Yo Gabba Gabba not the coolest kid's show to come about since the Muppets??

DJ Lance Rock (Image LA Mag)

First, there is the ever groovy DJ Lance Rock. His dance antics in his luminous orange trakkies are a joy to watch alone, not to mention the orange furry hat and nerdy glasses - he is one cool cat.

Then there are his mates-in-a-boombox... Muno the lumpy cyclops ('he's tall and friendly'), Foofa the pink one with a flower on her head ('she's pink and happy'), Brobee the stripey green one with strangely long arms ('the little green one'), Toodee who looks a bit like a blue cat ('she likes to have fun') and Plex the retro yellow robot ('the magic robot'). They each have their own little realms in Gabbaland. The show is a mixture of animated and musical segments, with a central educational theme running through the whole thing (eg. Birthday, Space or Differences).

The Gabba Gang (Image CID Entertainment)

The show is different because it was devised by musician & writer parents as opposed to network executives. It was created by Christian Jacobs (from the band The Aquabats) and Scott Schultz after they themselves became parents in 1999 and were disappointed with the children's television programming at the time (so don't blame them, still disappointing for the most part, with a few bright spots here and there!).

The awesomeness comes through with the retro video game styling, the fact that kids are constantly told to get up and dance, how great music is, the bright colours and simple message for kids each time. Plus there's the Super Music Friends Show! Each episode usually features an indie band singing a fab song, like The Ting Tings singing 'Happy Birthday' or Hot Hot Heat with 'Time to go Outdoors', this is the segment I watch for!

Jack Black on Yo Gabba Gabba (Image via Lunch.com)

Yo Gabba Gabba also have loads of friends come on and do a Dancey Dance, like Elijah Wood and Jack Black, or show us their Cool Trick, like Rhys Darby doing his robot moves. This and the music makes the show popular with kid's parents as well the kid's themselves, and apparently popular with teens due to the high calibre of musical acts they feature.

Plus they have cool merch, check out Lucas' funky Muno socks from my friend L...! Too cute.

Very cool Muno socks - thanks L!

And remember, "Listening and Dancing to Music is AWESOOOOMME!"