‘Yo Gabba GabbaLand!’ creators talk about its return for a second season : NPR

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

The youngsters’s TV present “Yo Gabba Gabba!” premiered in 2007, and from the start, music was all the time at its coronary heart.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “PARTY IN MY TUMMY (FEAT. SILVERSUN PICKUPS)”)

LANCE ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN JACOBS, SILVERSUN PICKUPS, ET AL: (Singing) There’s a celebration in my tummy. So yummy. So yummy. Now, there is a get together in my tummy. So yummy. So yummy. There’s a celebration in my tummy.

RASCOE: The present introduced musicians on to sing their very own variations of the “Yo Gabba Gabba!” songbook, from Erykah Badu and My Chemical Romance to Anderson .Paak and, as you are listening to now, Silversun Pickups.

RASCOE: The present’s reboot, “Yo Gabba GabbaLand,” has simply entered its second season, and we now have its creators, Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, right here to speak to us in regards to the significance of music to the present’s success. Thank you each for becoming a member of us.

CHRISTIAN JACOBS: Thank you.

SCOTT SCHULTZ: Thanks for having us.

RASCOE: Why was it essential notably for youths to have that fusion of the music and never simply – though, quite a lot of youngsters’ music could be fairly good. Some of it isn’t a lot. We do not wish to identify names, however a few of it may be fairly good.

JACOBS: Yeah.

RASCOE: So why did you wish to have that fusion for youths?

JACOBS: Well, that is Christian. You know, being younger fathers ourselves on the time, we bear in mind “Sesame Street” and the reveals we grew up watching, “Electra Company” and even “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and issues like this that the place the music was such a robust element to the present. But we additionally had been listening to music with our children at house.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “SWITCH IT ON AND OFF”)

LANCE ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN JACOBS, HEMLOCKE SPRINGS, ET AL: (Singing) Turn the sunshine on.

JACOBS: You know, whether or not it was LA disco from the ’80s or early hip-hop, and even, like, Ramones and punk rock stuff, it was type of these easy beats that basically made our children soar round and dance and have a dance get together. And that was actually the impetus to desirous to make a youngsters’ present was actually reacting to what our personal youngsters had been listening to with us at house and what they had been responding to.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “SWITCH IT ON AND OFF”)

ROBERTSON, JACOBS, HEMLOCKE SPRINGS, ET AL: (Singing) Turn on the sunshine. Turn on the sunshine. Turn on the sunshine. Turn the sunshine on.

JACOBS: It simply did not look like, on the time, there was one thing filling that hole for our personal youngsters.

RASCOE: And so now Chicano Batman joined you on the present.

SCHULTZ: Yes.

RASCOE: I feel we now have a clip of that.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “SOMETIMES TURTLES EAT WAFFLES”)

LANCE ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN JACOBS, CHICANO BATMAN, ET AL: (Singing) Sometimes turtles eat waffles. Sometimes. Sometimes eat it within the rain. In the rain, within the rain, yeah. Sometimes turtles eat waffles. Delicious.

(LAUGHTER)

RASCOE: Sometimes turtles eat waffles. Like, what is the lesson of that track?

SCHULTZ: Yeah. This is Scott. I imply, I might say, “Yo Gabba Gabba!”, we simply love absurd enjoyable, simply absurdity and, like, having enjoyable with our children. I feel experiencing life generally is all the educational you want.

JACOBS: Yeah, positively. And considered one of our writers, Alrinthea Carter, got here in someday. She was carrying a shirt that mentioned, generally turtles eat waffles, and it had a humorous turtle consuming a waffle. And it simply made us all snigger, and it simply was type of the spirit of the present, you realize, simply enjoyable and foolish. And just a bit reminder to our children that, like, like turtles, we do not all the time need to eat the identical issues or do the identical issues as everyone else, and generally we will eat waffles or we will eat turtle salad or no matter it’s.

RASCOE: And the unique run had Weezer, Devo, The Roots, Bootsy Collins. “Yo Gabba GabbaLand!” has already featured Thundercat and Portugal, The Man. How do you resolve, or do you forged a large internet and simply see who says sure?

SCHULTZ: Yeah. This is Scott. You know, for us, we had been all the time attempting to do one thing enjoyable and foolish and nontraditional for youths. So for us, we type of forged a large internet, and actually, we’re not selecting folks to be on the present based mostly on their star issue. It’s actually who’s there for the children and who’s having enjoyable with us. That’s type of how we method it, and it has been simply magical the entire approach via with bands.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “THE ORANGE CAT’S SPECIAL TIME OUTDOORS”)

LANCE ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN JACOBS, THUNDERCAT, ET AL: (Singing) I’m an orange cat. I prefer to roam beneath inexperienced timber, beneath the blue skies. I’m an orange cat.

JACOBS: You know, Thundercat, Portugal. The Man – everybody jumped on the probability to come back hang around with us and play within the sandbox a little bit bit. And it actually issues to the present and to the target of the present, and that is, you realize, to assist youngsters and have enjoyable and get them shifting and likewise assist them be taught a little bit bit.

RASCOE: And here is a little bit of the track “Thank You Is Enough.”

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “THANK YOU IS ENOUGH”)

LANCE ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN JACOBS, SANTIGOLD, ET AL: (Singing) So in the event you actually imply it, thank your folks. Now, let’s repeat it. Thank you is sufficient. For actual, say it. Thank you is sufficient. For actual, say it.

RASCOE: And that was Santigold performing it from this season. Why did you wish to get so many artists concerned in this system moderately than depend on some regulars?

SCHULTZ: Yeah. Having these folks on the present which have youngsters and so they type of actually wish to be there for the children is de facto what we’re right here for. So that is the enjoyable for us, is seeing youngsters having enjoyable along with actual music, dancing with their dad and mom, with their brothers and sisters, simply type of experiencing life via music.

JACOBS: This is Christian. You know, we have our principal characters and our host, Kammy Kam, who do an important job singing songs and doing issues theirselves. So there’s simply a lot music in each section of the present. It’s – and it is enjoyable after we are capable of have a Santigold or a Portugal, the Man or Thundercat present up. It simply makes it even funner to bounce with our principal characters. So, yeah, there’s simply tons of music happening on a regular basis within the present as a result of it is musical. It actually is.

RASCOE: When folks take into consideration youngsters’s leisure, it is modified a lot, I imply, even from 2007 to now. How does “Yo Gabba GabbaLand!” method that and take into consideration that as a result of the leisure atmosphere for youngsters has modified a lot?

JACOBS: Scott, you wish to go first?

SCHULTZ: Yeah. I’ll soar in. That’s an important query. I feel the place we’re at is it is much less about attempting to carry youngsters’ consideration and attempting to distract them. And I feel what “Gabba” is providing is, hey, let’s simply take a timeout and dance collectively, hearken to some music, be foolish, play and expertise life. And I really feel like that is what “Gabba’s” providing.

JACOBS: Yeah. And if I may simply soar in too, past the dancing and motion, we additionally wish to introduce youngsters to the notion that you could go on the market and discover new issues and be taught new issues by yourself. But we wish to encourage youngsters to discover, you realize, and to be taught new issues and be enthusiastic about discovering new issues and discovering new methods of dancing and having enjoyable and have a superb time after which possibly, you realize, go discover out a little bit bit extra in regards to the world. That’s actually what we wish to do.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WE’RE SO GLAD WE GOT TO GO”)

LANCE ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN JACOBS, THE AQUABATS!, ET AL: (Singing) We’re so glad we acquired to go.

RASCOE: That’s Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, the creators of “Yo Gabba GabbaLand!” It’s now out there on Apple TV+. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.

JACOBS: All proper. Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Thanks for having us.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WE’RE SO GLAD WE GOT TO GO”)

ROBERTSON, JACOBS, THE AQUABATS!, ET AL: (Singing) Even if our journey’s over, our friendship…

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