Yo Gabba Gabba!

My daughter is a little obsessed with stuffed animals, and a few months ago she picked out this little green monster with long arms. A friend came over with her son and held the little guy up, “Have you seen this show?” She asks.
“No,” I say, I didn’t know it was a show, I just knew my daughter liked the monster.
“It is really weird.” She says, and throws the little monster, who I have since learned is Brobee, back into the pile of stuffed animals in my playroom.

Maybe two months later, we discover “Yo Gabba Gabba!” on the Noggin channel. Huh. I don’t lie, the first time you watch this show, you either think one of two things. 1) NO. Or 2) What drugs was the creator on when he thought this show up? And you flip on over to PBS Kids or Playhouse Disney. But after a while, I get sick of the same shows, and while I could just go do something else, there are certain times of the day when we watch television, so I put it back on Noggin. Now we live to hear DJ Lance Rock in his retro 70’s orange disco suit say “Yo Gabba Gabba!”

For those of you who have more control over your life and kids, DJ Lance Rock walks up to the play table, opens his radio/toy box and says the magic words, “Yo Gabba Gabba!” Then his five plastic toys come to life and sing, dance, and teach young children lessons. Muno is a bumpy red Cyclops. Toodee is a blue part dragon/ part cat sweetie. Foufa is pink and puffy with a flower on her head. Plex is a robot, and Brobee is the weird looking green one with the long arms that ended up in my basement playroom originally without my knowledge of his fandom or popularity.

Even if Noggin didn’t put their little disclaimer at the beginning of each show about why it is ok for my child to watch one of their programs, I could figure out that my kids are learning something in addition to being entertained while I talk on the phone or read Outlander. The songs are up there with the Wiggles and (gasp!) The Imagination Movers when it comes to teaching. “Don’t be Afraid,” “Get the Sillies out,” and “There’s a Party in my Tummy,” are some good ones, but the best ones are the ones that you think should be common sense to a preschooler but they aren’t, such as “Don’t bite your friends,” “Be Careful,” and “It’s Your Turn.” Good stuff, and I hum it all the time. I have also found here lately that if I use DJ Lance Rock’s intonation, I get really good results from my children. Try it, “Know what time it is? It’s time to take a bath!” We should try this on adults, “It’s almost time to do the taxes…”

Yo Gabba Gabba has great little segments. One is “Super Martian Robot Girl,” and she definitely appeals to my science fiction fantasy loving side, and shout out for making her a female. They also have ‘cool tricks’ that people can do, and my son and daughter spent at least two hours trying to balance a spoon on their noses after that one. Their extra special, the reason everyone tunes in, segment is the “Dancey-Dance.” That is when Plex the robot zaps someone into Gabba Land to teach a dance. My own children do indeed get up for the dancey dance. I saw it a couple of times before I realized that some seriously famous people were signing up to dance with these weirdos. I mean, when someone says, “Hey everybody! I’m Elijah,” do you really look up from the dishes you are unloading to say “It’s Frodo?” No, you value your time. But then you see Tony Hawke, who you know is a skateboard king from ten years of teaching middle school, Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila , and Jan from the Office, and you think, “What is going on with this show?” And then, it’s him. The one you should have guessed would have been on the show from the beginning. Jack Black!

Jack and I go way back, starting with my first year of marriage when he was but a technology geek in Enemy of the State. Then I loved him in High Fidelity and watched his career sky rocket, culminating with Margot at the Wedding, where he does a nude scene. At first I thought I could go my whole life without seeing Jack Black’s ass, but then I thought, good for Jack for doing it. I mean, I am willing to bet more men look like him than they do Brad Pitt in Thelma and Louise.

There is Jack doing his Dancey Dance and having the time of his life. We all need a Dancey Dance. It is kind of up there with a laughing place and a theme song. If your kids are going crazy and other moms seem to have it together while you are falling apart, just start doing your own Dancey Dance and wash the crazies away.

Don’t we all wish all we had to do was say YO GABBA GABBA and the kids would freeze for a little while and we could put them up and get them back out after about an hour? Maybe once? It would be nice. I’ll say it if no one else will.


As far as education goes, Yo Gabba Gabba has one concept nailed. In 1997, when I started teaching, I had my first observation and conference with my prinicipal Sue King. She told me to always “Cement” my lesson. You always want to end with a review to make sure that the students “got it”. DJ Lance Rock does that every day. My kids know it is coming and they can’t wait to help him “break it down.”

Now not only do we have Brobee in our basement of unloved stuffed animals, but also all of the Gabba Gabba friends. I can hear my kids down there playing Gabba Land and fighting over who gets to be DJ Lance. Maybe some day we will start our own Super Music Friends show too. Of course, maybe someday I will be a good mom and put the television in the garage, but until then, Noggin has it going on.

I must get ready for my glitter hands workout, so more later…..