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The Backyardigans

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So, I know I’m totally going to give you the idea that all my kids do is watch TV, and this is completely one hundred percent not true.

However, the TV they do watch gives me something to write about, so here it is.

Forget Lazytown (as though I could forget it—it’s my single most popular entry ever)—Sophia got bored with Lazytown because it’s been the same five episodes in rotation for the past two months. The show to watch is The Backyardigans. How much do I love this show? I am tempted to watch it when the kids aren’t around. I sing the songs as I do the dishes. There are only nine episodes so far and I have all nine on our TiVo. I force people just visiting our house to watch some of this show.

I love this show.

backyardigans.jpg

Tyrone, Tasha, Pablo, Uniqua, and Austin

The Backyardigans is a show about five friends—Tyrone the moose, Tasha the hippo, Pablo the penguin, Uniqua the ladybug, and Austin the kangaroo (actually, I’m not sure what Austin is, and he’s the Backyardigan we see the least of anyhow)—who get together every day and have some theme to their play: ghosts, Tarzan, knights and quests, Mounties, Vikings. They all take roles in their adventure that pretty well fit with their personalities. At the end, they repair to one kid’s house for snacktime.

In between, there’s singing, dancing, and general silliness. What’s extremely excellent about this show is that there’s stuff in there for grownups that’s not sneaky or salacious: it’s just on a level most kids aren’t going to find funny in the same way. For example, three Backyardigans are chasing the Yeti across the North Pole:

             TASHA
          We need kayaks to cross
          this water.

     They suddenly spy three KAYAKS on the bank of
     the river.

             TYRONE
          Well, that certainly is
          convenient.

That line cracks me up everytime.

The songs in this show are incredibly memorable. While doing the dishes I like to sing the songs the Vikings sing as their Viking ship rounds a very powerful whirlpool, “You’ve Got To Hold On Tight”:

You've got to hold on tight
Hold on tight
You've got to hold on tight
Hold on tight
You've got to hold on tight with all your Viking might.

Darin’s favorite bit is when they sing a limbo while trying to avoid the laser beams during a super-secret spy mission.

This show has reignited my love of musicals, which has been dormant for some time. (My insistence on musical-only writing music has been helped by the fact that I dug out our CD collection and ripped about 150 of them recently. Of course, I can’t find the one I’m looking for, Linie 1. Sigh.) I want to write a children’s musical, I’m so inspired by this show.

Anyhow: The Backyardigans is on Nick Jr. I highly recommend checking it out.

(Tyrone the moose is my favorite, by the way. In case you’re wondering.)

 

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Update 2/16/05: Wow, lots of comments here! This entry is listed pretty high on Google when you search for “The Backyardigans” so I’m going to assume someone from Nick Jr. has found it. (Hi there! More Backyardigans episodes, please!)

A number of people have posted asking about Backyardigans-themed birthday supplies and other merchandise. As far as I’ve been able to find on the Web, there isn’t any! It might not be licensed yet or might not have gotten to stories yet. All I can say is: Hurry it up! You’ve got lots of customers waiting. If anyone does know of legit Backyardigans stuff, let me know and I’ll put it on this page.

I found a number of Backyardigans songs on LimeWire. I don’t know where they’re from, since a few things tell me they’re not recorded right off of the show. If the production company wanted to put out a CD with each and every song from the show on it, they’d have a bestseller. I think there are plenty of parents out there who wouldn’t mind putting that music on for their kids, and I’d rather pay royalties to the songmakers!

Evidently a new bunch of episodes will start airing in a week or two. I can’t wait…and I think the kids are excited too. All I can say is, keep ’em coming! More! More!

Update 8/11/05: The Backyardigans’ eponymously named CD is now out! The Backyardigans has 19 great songs on it, although it doesn’t include my personal favorite, “You’ve got to hold on tight.” I had downloaded some of these songs from Limewire, but I’m much, much happier having the actual CD in my hot little hand now.

Update 1/28/06: Wow. This entry has 747 comments!

There are a couple of Backyardigan DVDs out now, which means you don’t have to keep every episode on your TiVo any more.

The Snow Fort: Contains “The Snow Fort”, “The Yeti”, “Knights Are Brave and Strong”, and “Secret Mission”.

It’s Great To Be A Ghost: Contains “It’s Great To Be A Ghost”, “Monster Detectives”, “Key to the Nile”, and “Pirate Adventure”.

Polka Palace Party: Contains “Polka Palace Party”, “Heart of the Jungle”, “Viking Voyage”, and one I haven’t seen before — having tea in the Gobi desert. (Maybe it hasn’t aired yet?)

 
Update 1/05/09: Yowsa. I am amazed at how lively this entry still is!

In response to many (many, many) comments on here: I came up with the idea that Uniqua is a ladybug from my then-4-year-old (who’s now about to be 9, but still loves the Backyardigans). I’m in complete agreement with everyone who says that Uniqua is just that: unique. I wasn’t paying a whole bunch of attention at the time, and I went with my 4-year-old’s assessment of Uniqua’s identity, ‘kay?

Filed Under: TV

Comments

  1. The backyardigans are awesome. They are the cutest little things. I am a mother of 6,4 and 2 year olds and we all watch this show over and over. It is great. I wish they would make more episodes.

  2. I love the backyardigans i watch it with my 2 yr old grandson he is amazed with the backyardigans .anyway my question is where do you find merchandise ,besides ebay i have found many things but not like s
    ome of the other shows like dora spongebob.

    .

  3. When I went to visit some friends a couple weeks ago, a toddler who’s quite special to me had his ears in an MP3 player the whole time I was there, and when I asked what he was listening to, the answer was “Yawdgins!”

    Mommy translated this for me, and I figured if someone as cool as him likes it, it’s worth looking into. I was right. This is a great little show for kids that maintains interest without crossing over into the annoying region that certain purple dinosaurs who shall remain nameless rule over. It certainly put a smile on my face, and I’d be happy to recommend it to other kids’ parents.

  4. Hey there, my son (8 months) loves the backyardigans… hes watched it since he could see properly.. lol… And Austin is a kangaroo lol… On a bunch of other sites they say that uniqua is jus a unqique looking pink person lol… i got… The Snow Fort, Surfs Up, Its great to be a Ghost, Mission to Mars, and The Volcano sisters… So far.. I need Polka Palace..

  5. Hi fellow Backyardigans fans! A new Backyardigans DVD comes out tomorrow (5/29/07) called “Movers and Shakers.” It contains the episodes: “Movers of Arabia,” “Cops and Robots,” “Sinbad Sails Alone,” and “Best Clowns in Town.” My favorite is the Sinbad episode, where Uniqua is a siren.

  6. Im 23 years Old and Have I dentical twin boys !9 months. We absolutly love the backyardigans! I am having a very hard time finding the lyrics to their songs though… IF there is anyone who can help me please let me know! And also Im not sure what Uniqua is…But I do know that Austin is a Kangaroo…

  9. Stores need to get the idea that children and adults love this show!!!! my daughter is about to have her first birtday and i could only find one place for a backyardigan cake and no decorations!! I mean how dumb is that! My son(whos two) wiggles around to the songs and when they lay down for a nap im still watchin it! Its awesome!

  10. Backyardigans birthday supplies at BirthdayExpress.com.
    Allaboardtoys.com also has birthday supplies, but the best selection is birthday express. My daughter will be 4 in July, we have Backyardigan marathons on rainy days. My Husband and I walk around the house singing there songs, it drives our daughter crazy.

    Another Fan.

  11. The Backyardigins is extremely educational and I am often saddened to not see this show get more airplay. It really should be on daily and if funding is an issue I would be surprised, because its track record with the fans is outstanding. Perhaps we could draft a letter to express this and everyone could sign on to to get the show more support. The show promotes diversity and I love that. If people show interest I will draft a survey in the morning that we can all sign on to.

  12. We love this show as well. I have a three year old daughter who is deaf. She never liked anything on television which is really strang for a toddler. We found out why when she was diagnosed. She had cochlear implant surgery around the first of the year and started learning how to hear. This is the first and only show that will hold her attention. She will sit and watch it for as long as we will allow her to. It is great. The funny thing is, that the first episode that we ever saw was “Knights are Brave and Strong” where Tasha is “your majesty”. My daughter Emily to this day thinks that the show is called “Majesty” in her “deaf voice” it comes out as “Mah-yee!”. No matter what episode we watch, it is “Mah-yee”. We finish watching an episode and all she says is “More Mah-yee please”.

    Anyway, this silly little show will always hold a special place in our hearts. And it really isn’t bad for me to watch either.

  13. I don’t know if anyone else has commented on this, as there are *several* comments to this post; but Uniqua is not a ladybug. She doesn’t represent an animal at all. She’s just Uniqua….unique.

  14. Of all the children shows out there, Backyardigans is the only thing that my son will watch that actually holds his attention. He will be one on the 20th of this month. I found most of the Backyardigans party decorations at Party City. I even found cute little Backyardigan fruit snacks at Target that I was thinking about putting in the party bags. I couldn’t find anywhere that makes the cake so I had to special order it for lmost $100. I find that the show comes on a lot. I have Direct TV and I get it on three channels (Nick1, Nick2 and Noggin) all day. The last show airs a 4:30CST. Because of this I went out and bought all 6 dvds. It is also the only way he goes to sleep. Backyardigans is a great show. My favorite episode is “Surf’s Up”.

  15. My kids love this show, and it’s taught them how to dance better, and I love the 1920’s sounding songs, the lessons they learn, and they use their imagination so good, loves it. I love that they know them all by name, each have their own cute personalties, and hope to see these in theatre’s.

  16. Does anyone know where to find sheet music for any of the Backyardigan songs? Thanks for your help.

  17. well Im 19 years old I have a 1 year old daughter and we love the Backyardigans I think she has almost every toy there is and next we are getting the potty seat (its really cute) But i saw there was some people who wanted backyardigans birthday stuff and there is birthday stuff and if you go to http://www.birthdayexpress.com they have different birthday packages they have everything u need thought that could be helpful

  19. My name is India. I am five years old. I like the Backyardigans, too! Did you know there is a new movie called The Volcano Sisters? It has great music. Did you know there is a new movie coming out it’s called Super Secret Super Spy. I like Pablo. Pablo’s my favorite Backyardigan. I have all of the videos. Goodbye! From India.

  20. You can find party supplies on E-bay or Oriental Trading.com. They have everything you might need. Does anyone know where I can get Backyardigans fabric besides E-bay. I am in great need for my grandson.
    Cindy

  21. im a big backyardigans fan myself im 37 yrs old i enjoy watching it with my 2 yrs old grandson there is 2 new movies coming out you can pre order them from target thet are super secret super spy coming in sept and into the deep coming out end of july ist of aug

  22. I Agree!!! Backyardigans RULE!! I Wish I had it when I was little, I am 26 by the way but my just turned 2 year old baby girl has to watch PABO! LOL!! 🙂 I love this show too, UM FORGET TELETUBBIES WHEN SHE WATCHED IT IT RUINED HER SPEECH LEARNING! BACKYARDIGANS ALLLLLL THE WAY! 🙂 LOL! For real though, it taught her baby gibberish during the time she was learning to talk she couldnt speak nothing but GIBBERISH!! >:( But one day me and her daddy said thats enough!!!! no more T-T!!! So we took her off, and he found backyardigans and said “hey baby look, whats this show?” and I didnt know and she started giggling and learned words slowly but surely and started talking better, and dancing like the Backyardigans and I was soooo Excited! And now she has tapes full of them 🙂 Thank you!! 🙂 Please dont let your kids watch teletubbies, it keeps them from learning TRUE English, its been known to be a german film so kids cant learn english with them things running rapid lol. ok ok , everyone take care. and LOVE BACKYARDIGANS! 🙂

  23. eBay: NEW ADULT PABLO THE BACKYARDIGANS MASCOT GREAT BIRTHDAY … Find NEW ADULT PABLO THE BACKYARDIGANS MASCOT GREAT BIRTHDAY in the Everything Else , Gifts Occasions , Costumes , Other category on eBay.
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  24. Another addict present. Absolutely love the backyardigans. It’s a family addiction. My mother loves it, my boyfriend loves it, I love it, and most importantly, my 2 girls love it. They are 5 & 2. We dance around as a family when it comes on and if I don’t dance, next thing I know the 2 year old is repremanding me. “Mama dan Pabo” (Mama, dance Pablo). It’s adorable because she starts to boogy around when my 5 yr old is yanking me back onto the floor to join in.

    Enough can not be said about how great this show is.

  25. My daughter LOVES the Backyardigans I have them on my iPod so anytime we’re needing a break or stuck in a waiting room for they are there for us (I wish to thank them) And for anyone who hasn’t seen Superspy (I’ve had/gotten to watch it 78 times and counting LOL) Rush out and get this movie it’s so cute! DD can’t get enough. which is how I found this blog-I’m trying to put together a ‘Lady In Pink’ halloween costume. no, you cannot steal our idea, we want to be the only lady in pink on the block -TeeHee
    P.S. does anyone know where to buy size 7 white go-go boots (WINK)

  27. i think that the backyardagins and the plain white t’s and maroon 5 are the best things that have ever happened to me….i mean the consentration that it must take to be into a show is amazing which means all of us backyardagin lovers have total consentration on the show. i know i do!!! how about any of you??? i think that any one who is anyone is in love with the show especially tyron…he is my favorite!!!!i love his ears they are the cutest alogn with his shirts!!!i love all the characters even pablo, the hyper-active nervous one…:) i think i might be in love with this show, i mean it teaches speech well unlike that show wonder pets, i mean tellatubbies is okay because they don’t really talk at all, i think that the backyardagins is the best show for kids adults and teenagers even though no one can get them to watch it! LOL! 🙂 i think that even though this show is for kids and mostly kids any one can get into it…even youngers in their twenties!!! haha, haven’t thought about being that young for a while!!! 🙂

  28. i think that the backyardagins and the plain white t’s and maroon 5 are the best things that have ever happened to me….i mean the consentration that it must take to be into a show is amazing which means all of us backyardagin lovers have total consentration on the show. i know i do!!! how about any of you??? i think that any one who is anyone is in love with the show especially tyron…he is my favorite!!!!i love his ears they are the cutest alogn with his shirts!!!i love all the characters even pablo, the hyper-active nervous one…:) i think i might be in love with this show, i mean it teaches speech well unlike that show wonder pets, i mean tellatubbies is okay because they don’t really talk at all, i think that the backyardagins is the best show for kids adults and teenagers even though no one can get them to watch it! LOL! i think that even though this show is for kids and mostly kids any one can get into it…even youngers in their twenties!!! haha, haven’t thought about being that young for a while!!! I Agree!!! Backyardigans RULE!! I Wish I had it when I was little, I am 26 by the way but my just turned 2 year old baby girl has to watch PABO! LOL!! I love this show too, UM FORGET TELETUBBIES WHEN SHE WATCHED IT IT RUINED HER SPEECH LEARNING! BACKYARDIGANS ALLLLLL THE WAY! LOL! For real though, it taught her baby gibberish during the time she was learning to talk she couldnt speak nothing but GIBBERISH!! >:( But one day me and her daddy said thats enough!!!! no more T-T!!! So we took her off, and he found backyardigans and said “hey baby look, whats this show?” and I didnt know and she started giggling and learned words slowly but surely and started talking better, and dancing like the Backyardigans and I was soooo Excited! And now she has tapes full of them Thank you!! Please dont let your kids watch teletubbies, it keeps them from learning TRUE English, its been known to be a german film so kids cant learn english with them things running rapid lol. ok ok , everyone take care. and LOVE BACKYARDIGANS!My daughter LOVES the Backyardigans I have them on my iPod so anytime we’re needing a break or stuck in a waiting room for they are there for us (I wish to thank them) And for anyone who hasn’t seen Superspy (I’ve had/gotten to watch it 78 times and counting LOL) Rush out and get this movie it’s so cute! DD can’t get enough. which is how I found this blog-I’m trying to put together a ‘Lady In Pink’ halloween costume. no, you cannot steal our idea, we want to be the only lady in pink on the block -TeeHee
    P.S. does anyone know where to buy size 7 white go-go boots (WINK)

  29. Okay. First I have to say I love Pablo! Also, Pablo and Tyron can’t sing together well. (listen to them in questing, questing, questing.) My favorite saying that Pablo does is in the song ‘Rad moves’. I love when Pablo say’s “check it out Hey!”

  30. Uniqua is not a ladybug… she is a unique species…. thats whay her name is UNIQUa. I read it on nick Jr.

  31. omg! i luv tyron, he is my absolute favorite. i mean he is like a moose!! wut is better then a moose? my skool mascot is a moose!!! omg i mean like mooses r my fifth favorite horned animal, don’t ask. then pablo then uniqua then austin and then the yellow one, does n-e-1 no her name? i forget it. well then there is there snack time which i dont get cuz they like live in there own houses!!! they like dont have parents!!!
    thnx 4 listening!

  33. backyardigans season 3 has been made. dont know if its been released yet.. theres 20 new ones and they all sound interesting. go to http://www.tv.com/the-backyardigans/show/28687/episode.html and theres 3 pages worth of a list of every episode (from season 1 to season 3). theres 60 eps now in all, and that includes a double length one in the 2nd season (international superspy) and a double length one in the 3rd season called the mighty egg sitters. This 3rd season prob wont be released in australia for like a year.. but i dont know about like canada and america etc

  34. I am a single mom! My four year old little girl, nineteen year old sister and I love the Backyardigans! This show is amazing! My daughter loves to watch it. She sings the songs and does the Dances. It has really excited her creativity. She has at least six Backyardigans DVDs. I am a supervisor and my team name is the Backyardigans. They are a reminder of how muvch fun life has in it for all of us! I love the music. My daughter has two CDs and we bond together singing and dancing too them sll the time. My favorite two are Tyrone and Uniqua. But I do love Austins song Mystery Lifeguard! This show is a refreshing change from the garbage created for children to watch that is trying to make them grow up too fast. This show reminds them to have an imagination and enjoy being children!

  35. Wow! I only see my grandson a couple of times a year, but was not aware of Backyardigans. It’s been fun reading all the wonderful comments and the excitement is contageous. I am going to have to watch this program. Maybe my grandson will like it, but from the comments here, I want to find it and watch it for myself!

  36. Well! Who would’a thunk it? My grandson watches the bkyrdgns, my wife watches the bkyrdgns, and you know who watches the bkyrdgns. I’m a 50+ year old truck driver and I find myself singing what lyrics I can remember. I like Spongebob better in general as an adult cartoon, but the backyardigans can’t be beat for entertaining music, dance, and lyrics. I especially like ‘Riding the Range’, ‘Into the Deep’ and ‘Secret Mission’, but I haven’t found one yet that I don’t like; I just like those three above the others (that I’ve seen so far). I am doubly impressed by the quality of the music and the choreography considering this is a half hour children’s show.
    Does anybody know who does the singing? I s’pose I could just roll the credits and freeze them as necessary, but I’d rather do it the hard way and search online and ask strangers.
    They’re DVR’d here and are on about four hours a day, mostly as background, but I notice my grandson (eight mos.) stopping whatever he’s doing for favored songs.
    A big improvement over the usual fare.

  37. The Backyardigans is the best show ever. I like pretty much like all musicals except for high school musical. High school Musical just seams to be like a less cute version of the show barney because all they do is sing and the plot isn’t really that complexed. The backyardigans always has an interesting plot though. Like in the ‘who goes there?’ episode, it is very similar to the movie ‘Night at the Museum’. I like how all the voice actors and singing actors are kids. My favourite character is Pablo because he is cute, short, and he panics a lot. I also like him because he has the same name as a famous artist. I like how the backyardigans has 4 new songs every episode. I noticed there are some people who don’t like Tasha because she is sometimes bossy and a jerk. I think if the show didn’t have a villian or a bossy character, it would be like the typical kid show where there is no conflict and everyone is happy throughout each episode. And Austin hasn’t been on much on the first season, but in the second season he has been on more. Now it seams he is not on much in the third season either. I never really liked Austin though because his character sometimes irritated me and his face looked a little freaky sometimes. The backyardigans is an amazing show overall.

  39. Sorry A little spelling mistake in my last comment. Here is the correction:I play Tyrone not Tyro. Any Backyardigans Fan could see that!!

  40. I LOVE the Backyardigans. I think even more so than my kids. My husband thinks I am crazy. I watch it without my girls. Its just so amazing. I bought the Backyardigan toys and they are great! I love how the guitar plays songs from the show. The infamuos Vikings song. My fav. episode would have to be Surfs Up or Who Dunnit. =) I am glad to see I am not the only mom who watches it without the kids around!!

  44. hahahaha! funny. i was excited then you said it was a joke.. thought i might ask for an autograph or something hahaha! by the way, i play Tasha! hahahahahhahahah!!!!

  45. I LOVE THE BACKYARDIGANS! IT IS SAD THAT AUSTIN IS NOT IN MUCH OF THE THIRD SEASON BEACUSE HE IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER. I AM 35 YEARS OLD AND STARTED WATCHING THE BACKYARDIGANS TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO. MY CATS ARE THE REASON WHY I STARTED BUYING THE DVDS. EVERYTIME THE BACKYARDIGANS CAME ON NICK JR ON CBS, THEY WOULD BE QUIET AND LOOK AT THE TV AND ACTUALLY WATCH THE SHOW. I PLAY THE DVDS WHEN I AM AT WORK SO THEY CAN LISTEN AND LOOK AT THE CARTOON. THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE WHEN IT IS ON TV. AND PLEASE PEOPLE THIS IS A CHILDREN CARTOON SHOW NOT “CAN WE GUESS WHAT RACE THE CHARACTERS ARE”. WE NEED TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO BE TOLERANT AND RESPECTFUL TO THE DIFFERENCES OF ALL THE DIFFERNT COLORS OF OUR SKIN…AS HUMAN BEINGS. GROW UP!!! OR HAVE THE INNOCENCE OF A CHILD!

  46. Reading the comments to see what people think. I think that Uniqua is UNIQUE, hence the name. As to “Wikipedia says..” you do realize that Wikipedia has entries that ANYONE can write and change right? You can’t believe EVERYTHING that is on that site.

  47. Omg! Me and my daughter watch this show everyday and we love it a lot. Austin is a kangeroo. The new movie is coming to nick jr. january 14th 2008 at 7:00pm. You can find backyardigan birthday supplies by looking up Backyardigan toddler beds. Pablo and austin are my favorite ones. there so cute!

  48. What happened to the Tale of the Mighty Knights mysteriously not showing on January 14th and not being advertised for Saturday (the 9th or at 9) not sure which.

  49. our hole class is the backyardigans haha we love that show we watch it every day..
    Tyrone..Brannon
    Tasha..Honey
    Pablo..Sean
    Uniqua..Kigidi
    Austin..Kani
    Ohh Yeahh! ha!