The Shins on Yo Gabba Gabba

Yo Gabba Gabba is TEH AWESOME!

September 2009

Any TV show featuring people dressed in colorful monster costumes singing and dancing is sure to be a hit with little children, but not always with parents. Thanks to that stupid show Barney, not only were we tortured with that terrible "I Love You, You Love Me" song (I bet that song is now stuck in your head and you hate me now), society has also been subjected to a generation of kids who were encouraged to use their OUTSIDE VOICE. (Oh yay...)

Well, Yo Gabba Gabba focuses more on teaching social etiquette like Barney than being educational like Sesame Street, but this show is great for adults to enjoy too, and my wife and I love it. It's all about having fun and enjoying life as a child to the fullest, while learning to cooperate with others for harmonious relationships. I think this is what happens when the Generation X'ers like myself are adults, having children, and wanting to make cool TV shows for their kids that they themselves will enjoy. Yo Gabba Gabba seems to have parents in mind just as much as children. Here are several reasons why it is so cool to me:

    1. The title of the show is derived from lyrics of The Ramones' song "Pinhead."
    2. It's all about action figures/dolls-- the characters of the show are figurines that come to life.
    3. Reading comic books-- the one they always read on the show is called Super Martian Robot Girl. (lol!)
    4. Playing classic vintage video games-- Children are superimposed into animated sequences that look like Atari / Colecovision / Intellivision game graphics (influences I've recognized have included Donkey Kong, Toobin', Dig Dug, Paperboy, shooters (shmups) such as Gradius, and Bust-A-Move), complete with retro chiptunes!
    5. Making up goofy dances-- Celebrities often appear to show off silly dances they've made up. Elijah Wood's appearance on the show became a Youtube viral addiction for awhile, and I've also recognized the goofy skinny guy from Nacho Libre.
    6. Listening to awesome music-- I freaked out when I saw The Shins play on the show. Since then, I've been introduced to so many great bands, like The Postmarks, Shiny Toy Guns, and The Ting Tings! They seem to focus on indie-label acts, which is what I love.
    7. It features Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo! He draws pictures that come to life. I bet he's a grandpa by now. Whip it!
    8. The show also features wind-up toys like walking dinosaurs and robots. My daughter loves those.
    9. DJ Lance Rock is probably one of the coolest people alive. I wish I had a hat like that. Maybe then people will respect me and I'd get the promotion I deserve! All shall love me and despair!

The show is on Nick Jr., which is Nickelodeon's educational channel for stuff like Blues Clues, Ni Hao Kai-Lan and such. It's geared towards toddlers, so don't expect anything terribly enlightening. My favorite character on the show is Muno, the introverted cyclops fellow who looks like a big red pickle (or sex toy, if you have a dirty mind---I know I sure don't. How can you think of such things?).

Who would have known that the best music on TV would be found on a kids' show? The Shins, Apples In Stereo, Tahiti 80, Supernova, Cornelius, Ladytron... the list goes on and on.Here are a couple webpages I found on the subject:
http://kidsmusic.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/yggmusicalguestsseason1.htm
http://stereogum.com/archives/video/more-indie-rockers-visit-yo-gabba-gabba_023741.html

Here's a quick list of bands I think would be a perfect fit for the show:


I'm sure I can think of some more later. This show is just too cool!

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