Yo Gabba Gabba isn't one of my favorites out of the Nick Jr bunch or preschool shows in general, but I still like it regardless. I loved this show when I was a kid, and I still have a soft spot for it to this day! It is a hip, fun, quirky, educational, and "retro" show (more about that later)! When I was little, DJ Lance Rock and Toodee were the only main characters I called by their actual names. I called Plex "Flex" because I thought that was his actual name, and I've always heard his name incorrectly at the time, but I was close. "Bluto" is what I called Muno at the time, for the same reason I used to call Plex "Flex." Yes, I actually thought the former was named after Bluto from Popeye. I called Brobee "Billy" because that's what my grandma told me his name was. And finally, Foofa was "Gabba Gabba." I didn't know her name during the first three or so times I watched the show, and I assumed one of the characters had to be named Gabba Gabba because of the show's title, Gabbaland was the main setting, and I already "knew" the rest of the characters' names. Also, I had no idea what the characters were saying whenever they said "Foofa." Now I know that Yo Gabba Gabba (also known as the Gabba Gang) is the name of the band the main characters are in.
The series has received a lot of positive reception, partly because of its famous guest stars who appear in little to no other kid's shows (Weezer, Weird Al, etc.) I'd have to agree, they make it worth watching! Many of these guests do a "dancey dance" and sometimes appear on the segment, The Super Music Friends Show. My favorite episode is the one where the main characters meet Jack Black. There's a segment called "Biz's Beat of the Day," starring Biz Markie (RIP), and he beatboxes a new beat in every segment. It's what taught me how to beatbox and introduced me to the concept of beatboxing in general. There is also a segment called "Mark's Magic Pictures," starring Mark Mothersbaugh. He shows his audience how to draw, and his drawings often come to life at the end of the segment. How can one go wrong with a segment like that? There's also a segment about Brobee coloring pictures. This is one of the only shows I've seen that shows how to draw or color, and I've enjoyed doing both of those things for all my life.
The songs are catchy, funky, and memorable! The music sounds like music from old video games, and that's one of the best things about YGG! In case it isn't obvious, I am a video game lover! My favorite YGG song is Brobee's song, Party in My Tummy. The dance songs encourage movement and body language, making them expressive, like many of the songs and dances from The Wiggles. There are segments with no singing where DJ Lance shows and tells the audience how to do certain dances. Many of the songs and episodes' plots teach important life lessons. For example, the song Don't Bite Your Friends teaches not to bite your friends, hence the title. There's also a song about not taking things that don't belong to you, and one about how to fight germs. This is one of many musical preschool shows I've seen, but it's a literal MUSIC show, and the characters don't sing to say their daily routine, unlike most of the others.
I've come across a number of shows and movies that combine live action and animation together, but none quite like Yo Gabba Gabba. Some of the objects around the main characters are seen coming to life. They're animated characters, and they have cartoony designs. They are even animated segments and dream sequences with the Gabba Gang as cartoon characters! I don't know how else to describe the way the show combines live action and animation. The art style in one of the main animated segments resembles old video games. In the segment, the characters jump on bricks that resemble bricks in a video game, and there is a video game-like sky too. These segments make me like the show even more, and they're another one of the best things about it! The Gabba Gang's homes are live action and have cartoony designs, and they each represent a different season (e.g., Muno Land represents summer, Brobee Land represents fall/autumn, Foofa Land represents spring, and Toodee Land represents winter). The Gabba Gang have cartoony designs as well. I always liked their toy forms because 1. Most of them are action figures with fur, which is original and unusual, and 2. They don't look much different than their living forms. I've never seen action figures like them before. The sets and animation are bright, colorful, and have a lot of detail. Brobee is very expressive, even though he's a costume based character with an inanimate face. For example, somehow Brobee's face can change from smiling to frowning or the other way around, unlike most mascot/walkaround characters with inanimate faces. The entire format somewhat reminds me of Sesame Street's format because both shows are sketch comedy shows for kids, provide brief animated segments (mostly ones about early childhood education concepts like the alphabet, numbers, etc.), start with a main plot about puppets (mostly monsters), show the segments/sketches during a break from the main plot, and later go back to the main plot.
I recommend Yo Gabba Gabba. It's not the most entertaining Nick Jr show, but not the most annoying either, though it's good for the most part. Older audiences are more likely to be fans of YGG than Dora and Diego.
The series has received a lot of positive reception, partly because of its famous guest stars who appear in little to no other kid's shows (Weezer, Weird Al, etc.) I'd have to agree, they make it worth watching! Many of these guests do a "dancey dance" and sometimes appear on the segment, The Super Music Friends Show. My favorite episode is the one where the main characters meet Jack Black. There's a segment called "Biz's Beat of the Day," starring Biz Markie (RIP), and he beatboxes a new beat in every segment. It's what taught me how to beatbox and introduced me to the concept of beatboxing in general. There is also a segment called "Mark's Magic Pictures," starring Mark Mothersbaugh. He shows his audience how to draw, and his drawings often come to life at the end of the segment. How can one go wrong with a segment like that? There's also a segment about Brobee coloring pictures. This is one of the only shows I've seen that shows how to draw or color, and I've enjoyed doing both of those things for all my life.
The songs are catchy, funky, and memorable! The music sounds like music from old video games, and that's one of the best things about YGG! In case it isn't obvious, I am a video game lover! My favorite YGG song is Brobee's song, Party in My Tummy. The dance songs encourage movement and body language, making them expressive, like many of the songs and dances from The Wiggles. There are segments with no singing where DJ Lance shows and tells the audience how to do certain dances. Many of the songs and episodes' plots teach important life lessons. For example, the song Don't Bite Your Friends teaches not to bite your friends, hence the title. There's also a song about not taking things that don't belong to you, and one about how to fight germs. This is one of many musical preschool shows I've seen, but it's a literal MUSIC show, and the characters don't sing to say their daily routine, unlike most of the others.
I've come across a number of shows and movies that combine live action and animation together, but none quite like Yo Gabba Gabba. Some of the objects around the main characters are seen coming to life. They're animated characters, and they have cartoony designs. They are even animated segments and dream sequences with the Gabba Gang as cartoon characters! I don't know how else to describe the way the show combines live action and animation. The art style in one of the main animated segments resembles old video games. In the segment, the characters jump on bricks that resemble bricks in a video game, and there is a video game-like sky too. These segments make me like the show even more, and they're another one of the best things about it! The Gabba Gang's homes are live action and have cartoony designs, and they each represent a different season (e.g., Muno Land represents summer, Brobee Land represents fall/autumn, Foofa Land represents spring, and Toodee Land represents winter). The Gabba Gang have cartoony designs as well. I always liked their toy forms because 1. Most of them are action figures with fur, which is original and unusual, and 2. They don't look much different than their living forms. I've never seen action figures like them before. The sets and animation are bright, colorful, and have a lot of detail. Brobee is very expressive, even though he's a costume based character with an inanimate face. For example, somehow Brobee's face can change from smiling to frowning or the other way around, unlike most mascot/walkaround characters with inanimate faces. The entire format somewhat reminds me of Sesame Street's format because both shows are sketch comedy shows for kids, provide brief animated segments (mostly ones about early childhood education concepts like the alphabet, numbers, etc.), start with a main plot about puppets (mostly monsters), show the segments/sketches during a break from the main plot, and later go back to the main plot.
I recommend Yo Gabba Gabba. It's not the most entertaining Nick Jr show, but not the most annoying either, though it's good for the most part. Older audiences are more likely to be fans of YGG than Dora and Diego.