Okay, so you know I’m passionate about children and stimulating their little growing minds, whether through books or music or dancing or watching certain things on TV. Not just my kids, but all kids! I get SO annoyed when I see preschool-age kids mindlessly zoning out in front of some of the stupid, poorly animated cartoons they have on TV - I’m like, haven’t you ever heard of Sesame Street? Only the best kids’ show ever made, people! It actually cracks me up how fiercely I’ll protect “the good shows” like that - if you only KNEW how many times I stood up for Barney from about 1996-1999! Yeah, he might have been purple and goofy, but he taught Kayley about cleaning up, brushing her teeth, understanding her feelings, etc. And don’t even get me started about Mister Roger’s Neighborhood! I cried when he died - he was such a huge part of my own childhood! I think it just really touches me when people put true effort and dedication into making something for our kids that’s really special, that’s really going to teach them something and entertain them at the same time.

So, naturally, when I found out about a new live-action music show for kids called Yo Gabba Gabba! on Nick Jr., I was excited to check it out. It turns out, the creators of the show put the trailer on the net and used viral marketing to get the word out about their project, which was eventually picked up by Nick Jr. Their company, The Magic Store, was formed by a couple of skater guys who are my age! I love thinking about a couple of “Gen X” dads who direct skateboarding and music videos turning to the children’s television industry. And the show is awesome - it has such a fun, comfortable, completely retro feel, I have found. It really reminds me of some of the stuff we watched when we were kids. And the music is by The Shins! How could you not love it?

We received a DVD from Nick Jr. of the premier episode, “Eat”, and my kids have watched it literally a dozen times now. They are obsessed with the music and as soon as any of the songs begin, they’re off the couch, jumping around and dancing. Mallory loves the little girls on the show who wear cute little dresses and make funny faces and dance around - she wants to BE one of them. Nick Jr. has printable iron-ons from the show available on their site, so I might make her a little matching jumper dress like theirs so she CAN be one of them! Our younger twins love it too; they keep coming up to me, saying, “Wan’ watch Dabba Dabba Dabba!” And I think it’s GREAT for autistic kids like Pablo - he loves the big, bright characters, and there’s just enough repetition throughout the show that it keeps his attention and keeps him engaged in the dancing and music. There’s a segment in the premier with Elijah Wood in it, showing the kids how to do this simple little fun dance called The Puppet Master, and all four of my kids have mastered it and do it right along with the TV. I was going to get a picture of them doing it last night, but I left my camera in the van - d’oh!

I can’t wait to see more episodes now. They have lots of cool guest stars, too - I already mentioned Elijah Wood - the episode guide lists Mya, The Shins, Sugarland, Rahzel, Tony Hawk, Laila Ali, Sean Kingston, Nikki Flores, Hector Jimenez, Smoosh, The Aquabats, The Aggrolites, and Cornelius. And Biz Markie is going to be in a recurring role, teaching preschoolers how to Beat Box!

The show revolves around the host, DJ Lance Rock, and his set of toy monsters (and one robot), who he brings to life in each episode by saying, “Yo Gabba Gabba!” The characters include Muno the red cyclops, Foofa the pink flower bubble, Brobee the “little green one”, Toodee the blue cat-dragon, and Plex the robot. They sing and dance and go through little life lessons, and it’s never lame or boring. I find myself singing the songs later on, especially the “Party in my Tummy” song!

Mark your calendars, people! The show is premiering on Monday, August 20th, in a simulcast on Nick Jr. and Noggin at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time. In the meantime, you can see a brand new music video from the show every Friday until then during the “Nick Jr.’s Dance Party” lineup, and yesterday, they started showing episodes and videos on OnDemand! Check it out - I’ll bet you will LOVE it, and your kids will too. Like I said, my kids are completely obsessed already, and we’ve only watched the first episode!

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