The Backyardigans

The Backyardigans
Genre	Adventure Comedy Musical
Created by	Janice Burgess
Directed by	Bill Giggie Mike Shiell Dave Palmer
Voices of	LaShawn Tináh Jefferies Jake Goldberg Christopher Grant, Jr. Gianna Bruzzese Jonah Bobo
Composer(s)	Evan Lurie Douglas Wieselman
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	100 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Janice Burgess Michael Hirsh Robert Scull Jonny Belt Kay Wilson Stallings
Running time	21–23 minutes
Production company(s)	Nickelodeon Animation Studio Nickelodeon Studios Florida (pilot) Nick Digital (pilot) Nelvana
Distributor	Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (United States) Nelvana International (International)
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon Nick Jr. Treehouse TV (Canada)
Original release	October 11, 2004 (2004-10-11) – present
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Search The Backyardigans on Amazon.

The Backyardigans is a computer-animated musical children's television series created by Janice Burgess. The series is written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It centers on five animal neighbors who imagine themselves on fantastic adventures in their backyard. Each episode is set to a different musical genre and features four songs, composed by Evan Lurie with lyrics by McPaul Smith. The Backyardigans' adventures span many different genres and settings. The show's writers took inspiration from action-adventure movies, and many episodes are parodies of movies.

Nickelodeon called the show "a home-grown Nick Jr. property," as "the whole creative team... [had] been part of the Nick Jr. family for years." Creator Janice Burgess had worked as Nick Jr.'s production executive since the mid-1990s. The Backyardigans originated as a live-action pilot episode titled "Me and My Friends," filmed at Nickelodeon Studios Florida in 1998. The characters were played by full-body puppets on an indoor stage. The pilot was rejected by Nickelodeon, and Burgess decided to rework the concept into an animated series. In 2002, a second pilot was animated at Nickelodeon Digital in New York. The second pilot was successful, and the series entered production.

Since 2018, This series is a longest running series.

Plot

The show centers around a group of five animal neighbors: Uniqua, Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, and Austin. They share a large backyard between their houses. In each episode, they meet in the backyard and imagine themselves on a fantastical adventure. Their adventures span a variety of different genres and settings; many episodes involve visiting different parts of the world, traveling back or forward in time, and using magic or supernatural powers. The characters give themselves different jobs or roles depending on the episode's imaginary setting, such as detectives, knights, or scientists. From the second season onward, many episodes are parodies of action-adventure films such as James Bond, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, and Ghostbusters.

The openings and endings of the episodes follow a similar pattern. The stories begin with the characters in the backyard, introducing themselves and explaining the scenario they are about to imagine. When the Backyardigans finish their adventure, the fantasy sequence fades, restoring the original backyard setting. The characters sing a closing song, then walk inside their houses for a snack and close the door. As the episode ends, at least one character reopens the door and shouts a phrase related to the adventure.

The show follows the format of a stage musical. Each episode is set to a different genre of music and features four songs. The characters sing and dance to the songs with original choreography. The song and dance routines are often used to introduce a character's imaginary role, further the plot, or explain a problem. In addition to singing songs in a new genre each episode, the show's background music changes to match, scoring all of the Backyardigans' actions.

Characters

Main article: List of The Backyardigans main characters

The main characters (left to right): Tyrone, Pablo, Uniqua, Austin, and Tasha.

Each of the five characters on the show has two voice actors: one for speaking, and the other for singing. Live-action dancers first perform the dancing on the show, and their movements are later transported to animation. The choreographer, Beth Bogush, described the process: "What we do is we film the live footage in the studio, send that off, and they do a Leica, and then they send it to the animators. The animators watch and were pretty precise. What we film for that day is pretty close to what you see in the character." but they can added to the siblings

Main

• Uniqua is a pink-spotted creature who is curious, self-confident, and adventurous. She likes to tell jokes and make her friends laugh. The series uses the name "Uniqua" for both the character and her species. She wears pink, polka-dotted overalls and has a pair of swirled antennae on top of her head. She usually imagines herself having roles that require brains and courage, such as a scientist or pirate captain. Creator Janice Burgess describes Uniqua as the child she wishes she was like as a child. She is the only main character to appear in every episode.
• Pablo is a blue penguin with a yellow beak who is high-strung, frenetic, and tends to overreact. He wears a blue bow tie and a propeller beanie. Due to his energy and impetuousness, he often goes into a "panic attack" when he faces an obstacle, running around in circles and telling everyone not to worry until someone gets his attention by calling his name three times. Pablo's panic attacks became less prominent after season one.
• Tyrone is a red-haired orange moose who is laid-back and cool-headed. He wears a red-and-blue striped shirt. He is best friends with Pablo, and he is almost the complete opposite of Pablo in terms of personality, with his calm and easygoing character. Tyrone is known for his sarcastic comments, one of them being "That certainly was convenient." At the end of most episodes, he says, "That was an excellent (type) adventure, don't you think?". Despite not appearing to wear trousers, Tyrone somehow manages to put his hands in his pockets.
• Tasha is a strong-willed yellow hippopotamus who is rational, skeptical, and highly motivated to get her own way. Tasha wears red Mary-Jane shoes and an orange dress with a flower pattern. She is the most serious of the Backyardigans, though she can be just as easygoing as the others from time to time. Her catchphrase is, "Oh, for goodness sakes." Nickelodeon describes Tasha as "deceptively sweet" and "tough-as-nails."
• Austin is a shy but fun-loving purple kangaroo. In season one, he is reserved and soft-spoken due to recently moving into the neighborhood. In later episodes, Austin becomes more outgoing and is revealed to be smart and imaginative. Austin rarely appears in the spotlight, but takes the role of the lead character in several episodes. Beth Bogush described him as "the one pulling up the rear. He's kind of a get-along guy."

Recurring

• Sherman (voiced by Oliver Wyman) is a small, orange-spotted yellow worm. Sherman is easily scared due to his small size. He appears in "The Heart of the Jungle," "Polka Palace Party," and "Attack of the 50 Foot Worman".
• The Wormans are a fictional species of colorful, worm-like creatures who speak in squeaks and gibberish. They appear in all the seasons of the show.
• The Aliens are green-colored aliens with eyestalks appear four times: "Mission to Mars," "News Flash," "Los Galacticos," and "The Big Dipper Diner."
• The Giant clam is a hungry, irritable clam who appears in "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters" and "The Great Dolphin Race." It is very protective of its pearl. It pants and acts like a dog.
• The Voices were included in the episodes "Secret Mission" and "It's Great to Be a Ghost!" that do not come from any shown character.
• Robot Roscoe is a robot owned by Austin, who appears three times in the fourth season (the movie "Robot Rampage" and the episode "Elephant on the Run"). Evan Mathew Weinstein provides his voice.

Episodes

Main article: List of The Backyardigans episodes

Production

I really enjoy a big adventure. I think Die Hard is one of the greatest films ever, not to mention Terminator 2. I love those big films... I wanted to bring some of that fantastical nature to young children, but to do it in a way that is safe, hopefully not scary, and not 'imitatable' except in your head.

— Janice Burgess on the inspirations for The Backyardigans

Janice Burgess, creator of The Backyardigans

Janice Burgess drew inspiration from action films when writing episodes of the show, as she wanted to adapt high-stakes stories for a young audience. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Burgess was asked what inspired the show; she responded, "I know this is going to sound very strange, but the things I really draw upon are action films. I like Die Hard, Star Wars, the Tolkien movies ... I thought it would be fun to take kids on that big adventure." The character of Uniqua was based on how Burgess viewed herself as a child; as a result, Uniqua was written as the leader of the Backyardigans, and Uniqua was the only character who appeared in every episode.

Before Nickelodeon ordered the first season, two pilot episodes of The Backyardigans were made. The first was a live-action pilot titled "Me and My Friends," filmed at Nickelodeon Studios in September 1998. The characters were played by full-body puppets who danced on an indoor stage. The pilot was rejected by Nickelodeon, and Janice Burgess decided to rework the concept into an animated show. In 2002, a second pilot was created; it was a computer-animated short produced at Nickelodeon Digital. The second pilot was greenlit by Nickelodeon to become a full-length series. Nickelodeon called the show "a home-grown Nick Jr. property," as "the whole creative team... [had] been part of the Nick Jr. family for years."

Reception

The Backyardigans received eight Daytime Emmy Award nominations, and Janice Burgess won the 2008 Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program. In a 2016 article for The Chicago Tribune, drama critic Chris Jones called The Backyardigans "a fabulously inventive TV show." DVD Talk's John Crichton gave the show a "hearty recommendation," citing its "enjoyable (and varied) music score, the character voices (both spoken and singing) and the impressive visual presentation." Slate named the Backyardigans episode "The Swamp Creature" one of the best episodes of children's television.

Critics noted that the series held broad appeal to older viewers, due to its high-quality music and focus on character-driven, non-educational stories. Susan Stewart of The New York Times said "it's hard to say whether The Backyardigans is a fantasy for children or for their parents," commending the show's animation and storytelling. Common Sense Media's Emily Ashby wrote, "It's not always easy to find a show you like as much as your youngsters do, but The Backyardigans definitely has the potential to fit that bill." Journalist Virginia Heffernan wrote, "with each episode devoted not just to a separate quest but also to a different musical genre...the show blows you away with its artistic exactitude."

In 2021, the songs "Castaways" and "Into the Thick of It" went viral on TikTok, with the former appearing in more than 745,000 videos and the latter appearing in more than 46,000 videos as of June 2021. Due to their success on TikTok, "Castaways" and "Into the Thick of It" reached number 5 and 13 respectively on the Spotify viral 50 chart in the US for the week beginning on June 10, 2021.

Related media

Live events

The Backyardigans is adapted into several stage shows. These included 2008's "Tale of the Mighty Knights" and 2010's "Storytime Live!" (an event featuring other Nick Jr. characters from Dora the Explorer, Wonder Pets! and Ni Hao Kai-Lan, as well as hosts Moose and Zee). In Canada, separate live shows called "Quest for the Extra Ordinary Aliens" (2008) and "Sea Deep in Adventure" (2009) were created.

Merchandise

Activision released a The Backyardigans PC game, "Mission to Mars," in October 2006. Also, there are interactive Backyardigans games available for the LeapPad and VTech's V.Smile consoles. There is also a LeapFrogClickStart game titled "Number Pie Samurai," teaching children the necessary computer skills.

From 2005 to 2007, Kohl's had a section devoted to the series' merchandise, including a clothing line and toys exclusively in-store.

Over one hundred storybooks (both original stories and episode-based) were released throughout the series' run. Most of these were released in both Canada and the United States; however, a 2006 series of educational books were exclusively sold in Canada under the license of Treehouse TV.

Fisher-Price produced numerous plush toys and interactive character toys (mostly Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone). There are also Beanie Babies of all the main characters available.

Home media

In the United States, the show's episodes are released across a series of numberous DVD releases. Ten episodes of the first season were also released to VHS across five volumes. Viacom's Paramount Home Media Distribution published all of the show's video releases. Outside North America, Paramount released DVDs under a separate deal with Nelvana, with this worldwide deal later transitioning to Fremantle Home Entertainment.

Main releases

Name	Release Date	Number of Episodes	Episode Titles
It's Great to Be a Ghost!	August 30, 2005	4	"It's Great to Be a Ghost!" "Monster Detectives" "The Key to the Nile" "Pirate Treasure"
The Snow Fort	November 8, 2005	4	"The Snow Fort" "The Yeti" "Knights Are Brave and Strong" "Secret Mission"
Polka Palace Party	January 24, 2006	4	"Polka Palace Party" "High Tea" "The Heart of the Jungle" "Viking Voyage"
Cave Party	March 7, 2006	4	"Cave Party" "Race Around the World" "Eureka!" "Castaways"
Surf's Up!	May 30, 2006	4	"Surf's Up!" "Riding the Range" "Race to the Tower of Power" "The Quest for the Flying Rock"
Mission to Mars	October 10, 2006	4	"Mission to Mars" "Samurai Pie" "Scared of You" "Ghost of the Hour"
The Legend of the Volcano Sisters	February 6, 2007	4	"The Legend of the Volcano Sisters" "The Swamp Creature" "Horsing Around" "Special Delivery"
Movers & Shakers	May 29, 2007	4	"Movers of Arabia" "Cops and Robots" "Sinbad Sails Alone" "Best Clowns in Town"
Whodunnit	October 31, 2007	3	"Whodunnit" "Attack of the Spotty Town" "Train Bandits"
Le Master of Disguise	October 31, 2008	4	"Le Master of Disguise" "Who Goes There?" "News Flash" "Catch that Butterfly"
Attack of the Funnyman Boogeyman	October 25, 2008	4	"The Funnyman Boogeyman" "Flower Power" "The Old Switcheroo" "Zippy City"
Super Secret Super Spy	December 18, 2009	3	"International Super Spy" "The Secret of Snow" "Train Bandits"
Singing Sensation!	August 4, 2009	21	Songs: "A Pirate Says Arrr" "Sinbad the Sailor" "Viking Song" "A Message, A Message" (tune: "A-Tisket, A-Tasket") "On Top of the World" "Ready for Anything" "Bad Bots" "Can't Stop the Cops" (tune: "Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me") "Find Me" "Front Page News" "Going to Mars" "Riding the Range" "Go, Go, Go" "The Yeti Stomp" "International Super Spy" "The Lady in Pink" (featuring Cyndi Lauper)
Amazing Inventors	March 30, 2010	4	"To the Center of the Earth" "For the Love of Socks!" "Los Galacticos" “Robin Hood the Nice and Friendly"
Christmas with The Backyardigans	October 5, 2010	4	"The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve" "What's Bugging You?" "The Two Musketeers" "Le Master of Disguise"
The Two Musketeers	December 15, 2015	4	"The Two Musketeers" "Funnyman Boogeyman" "Pirate Treasure" "Samurai Pie"

Episodes on Nick Jr. compilation DVDs

Name	Release Date	Number of Episodes	Episode Titles
Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 2	October 18, 2005	1	"The Quest for the Flying Rock"
Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 3	February 7, 2006	1	"Race to the Tower of Power"
Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 4	June 6, 2006	1	"Pirate Treasure"
Nick Jr. Favorites Holiday	September 26, 2006	1	"The Snow Fort"
Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 5	March 13, 2007	1	"Knights Are Brave and Strong"
Nick Jr. Favorites Vol. 6	August 7, 2007	1	"Monster Detectives"

CD releases

Main article: Backyardigans discography

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There are The Backyardigans albums released in North America.

The Adventures Begin...

Released September 2004, this CD promoted the series' debut. Because this was a promotional album sent via mail, it was not sold in stores. It contains four tracks from the first season, including the opening theme. The songs would later be included in the next album. In the United Kingdom, this CD was released under the title "Join in the Adventures..." and replaced "Please and Thank You" with "Questing, Questing."

1. "The Backyardigans Theme Song"
2. "Yeti Stomp!"
3. "Secret Agent"
4. "Please and Thank You" (tune: "Shine On, Harvest Moon")
5. Preview

The Backyardigans

Released on July 12, 2005, under Nick Records' label. This is the first album sold in stores. It contains nineteen tracks from the first season, including the opening theme. The CD also contains a bonus video track titled "Go, Go, Go!"

1. "The Backyardigans Theme Song"
2. "You and Me to the Rescue"
3. "Castaways"
4. "Questing, Questing"
5. "A Pirate Says Arr"
6. "Yeti Stomp!"
7. "Queens Are Never Wrong"
8. "Those Bones" (tune: "Dem Bones")
9. "Buffalo Girls & Boys" (tune: "Buffalo Gals")
10. "Trudge, Trudge, Trudge"
11. "Secret Agent"
12. "Laser Limbo Tango" (tune: "Limbo Rock")
13. "Row Your Boat" (tune: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat")
14. "Into the Thick of It"
15. "P.U.! (Stinky Swamp Song)"
16. "Flying Rock Song (II)" (tune: "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here")
17. "When I'm Booin'" (tune: "When You're Smiling")
18. "Please and Thank You" (tune: "Shine On, Harvest Moon")
19. "Rockabilly Lullaby"

Groove to the Music

This second CD was released on July 11, 2006, under Nick Records' label. It contains eighteen tracks from seasons one and two.

1. "Hold on Tight"
2. "Gotta Get the Job Done"
3. "Shake Your Body"
4. "Rad Moves"
5. "We're Going to Mars"
6. "Drumming Song"
7. "Eureka!"
8. "The Rules"
9. "Tree to Tree"
10. "What's So Scary 'Bout That?"
11. "The Ballad of the Brave Pink Knight"
12. "I Love Being a Princess"
13. "Aha!"
14. "Skate Ahead"
15. "We'll Get You What You Want"
16. "Ski Patrol to the Rescue"
17. "Super Heroes vs. Super Villains"
18. "Oh, My Sherman" (tune: "Oh My Darling, Clementine")

External links

• Page on NickJr.com (archive)
• The Backyardigans on IMDb Search this movie on

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