Surf’s Up, ho, daddy!
So sing the latest kiddie sensations: five CGI cartoon animals who seem to live in a very fantasmical suburbia where their imaginations are allowed to roam. And the word is: COOL!
The characters — Pablo, a beany-wearing penguin, who is, as creator Janice Burgess puts it, wound up a little too tight, Uniqua, a bold and confident adventure-seeking bug (at least I think she’s a bug), Tyrone, a fun-loving moose, Austin, a laid-back Kangaroo, and Tasha, a princess-y Hippo — evidently are neighboring preschoolers who use their imaginations to transform their collective backyards into fascinating adventures. They are pirates, vikings, monsters (and monster detectives), ancient Egyptians, ghosts, and yes, surfers. The stories stem from Burgess’s own childhood memories of playing in the various backyards of her neighborhood.
The stories are amusing — especially for the preschool set — but the hook for both kids and parents is the music. The songs, composed or co-written by Evan Lurie, cover a single musical genre each episode: twenties-style music for a ghost story, reggae for a story about pirates, surf-pop music for a surfing adventure, and a killer sixties-garage-band sound for the story about a soccer monster, whose songs remain constantly in my head like those on the first Ramones album (one song uses the melody from “When the Saints Go Marching In” done in this garage-band style, with lyrics to fit the narrative). The tunes are irresistible, and I can’t help but sing along, much to my daughters’ frustration. They love to sing them too but not when the show is on! These are the best songs on a tv show I’ve seen since becoming a parent. Musically speaking, I’m sick of Dora, don’t care much for the Wiggles or JoJo’s Circus, and Bear in the Big Blue house seems so ancient now to me. Sesame Street can still deliver, but man, these Backyardigans rock! I’m serious. Those soccer monster songs are just fab. and I am always singing about the “Mystery Lifeguard of Tikki Beach”!
Nick Jr has released a CD of songs from the show, but, having not seen all the episodes, I don’t recognize all the titles, and it seems that my favorites are not on this thing; this is sad, because I can’t imagine a second collection — but I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
Wipe out!