The Review
The Backyardigans have been doing there thing both on CBS and Nickelodian since 2004, and they are starting to release entire seasons of the show on DVD while still creating new episodes. In January 2010, they released “Join The Adventurers Club,” where four of the friends imagine themselves in an Indiana Jonesian mystery to find a flying pony. But the real mystery is this:
What exactly is Uniqua?
Everyone else is accounted for: Pablo is a blue penguin, Tasha a yellow hippo, Austin is a purple kangaroo, and Tyrone is an orange moose. But Uniqua? She is pinkish creature with large, round purple hives and two curled antennas. My daughter theorizes that she is a giant ladybug, but I cannot confirm nor deny her hypothesis. If I had my way, Uniqua would be renamed “Ambigua,” which would at least assure the audience that the creators of the show are equally confused. (Ed’s Note: If you think you know what Uniqua might be, leave your guess in the comments. Most unique answer gets a prize. Maybe. But probably not, really. Only if it’s really good.)
At any rate, the five animal friends live next door to one another in a convenient Canadian culdesac. From their surroundings, we can presume that there is no crime to speak of in their upper-middle class neighborhood, and that their parents are off cajoling at Panera Bread while the kids are left at home to playfully imagining better, more interesting lives until their stomaches growl. Would an asiago cheese bagel with sundried tomatoe cream cheese be too much to ask, mom? Seriously.
Despite their negligent family situations, the 5 Backyardigans put a good face on for the camera. As they sing in the most recent episode, “Things could always be worse.” And so they imagine themselves doing better things like racing around the world, going on dangerous spy missions, and singing and dancing all the while.
It’s a smart and simple formula. Once in their imaginary realm, the five take on various characters in order to act out a new adventure. There will likely be a hero, a sidekick, a villain and an obstructionist. Sometimes all five will be involved, and other times just three or four will be present. You can count on there being at least one meltdown from Pablo the Penguin and one new general catchphrase per episode, to be repeated at least eighteen and a half times.
But the real reason for this show is the music. The five friends have apparently learned to live with the vicarious pressure of their parents to excel in music theory, and are thus able to handle complicated melodies, harmonies and dance steps ranging from round the globe. If their slave-driving parents would only put their skim chai latte’s down and pay attention, they would certainly be impressed. These are actual child actors that do the singing, which means it won’t sound perfect, but it will be authentic. Better still, unlike other pre-school cartoons featuring tunes recorded on My First Casio (Fresh Beat Band, I’m talking to you!), the Backyardigans music represents actual musical art. The kids perform about four different numbers per episode, with styles ranging from southern blues to European waltzes to Hasselhoffian anthems. That’s not to say you won’t occasionally be annoyed by the songs. Sometimes they can be a little too catchy if you know what I mean. But you will at very least appreciate the musicianship and the obvious effort that the songwriters put into a children’s cartoon. You might even consider it overkill.
At the end of each episode, the plot resolves nicely, hugs are dispersed, and the radiant world of make believe fades back into the colorless land of latchkey suburbia. We don’t know what happens after the credits roll, and it’s a good thing too. I suspect we would see all five colorful friends passed out on Uniqua’s living room floor while watching old VHS copies of LIttle House on the Prairie, until Austin’s big brother comes to the rescue with food delivered from Panda Express. Then there would be a few rounds on the Wii until moms and dads reclaimed their long-suffering children, taking them home to practice Chopin before bedtime at 8:15. And next time they would be “back for more with your friends, the Backyardigans.”
The Kids
My girls have been watching it for the past 3 years, and now at ages 8 and 6, they still enjoy it. However, not all kids enjoy singing and dancing. Older kids will almost certainly be bored with the show’s repetition. But pre-schoolers will be thoroughly entertained.
The Verdict: Queue It!
I doubt any grown up is going to cancel his weekend at the lake to watch Backyardigans, but the fact is, it’s not terrible. It’s actually pretty decent. The music and dialogue is a little repetitive, and sometimes the tunes get unhappily lodged in your head. But overall, it’s a nice little show that aims for excellence in music and imagination. If you watch it with your kids, you’ll already be a better parent than the invisible parents of Uniqua. That much is certain.
What is Uniqua?
Leave your answer in the comments section. Best answer gets a remote shot at a probably lame prize.
Maybe she’s an ant/lizard spawn that fell into a vat of pink chemical waste.
She’s a pink dung beatle. I can’t account for her color however.
She is some kind of overgrown african ant who tried to disguise herself with a coat of pink paint. She looked at herself, didn’t like the shade of pink that she picked, and decided to go with a darker shade. She didn’t have enough of the dark paint to finish, looked at herself and thought, “screw it, its not likely they will ever figure out what I am anyway”.
Awesome, Ben. You’re definitely going to win this one, I think.
The official answer is that Uniqua is a uniqua – she’s the only one, so there’s no name for her species. I hate the answer, and don’t like the show much better. It pegs my annoying-meter.