Yo Gabba Gabba!

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Music, dance, and good lessons for preschoolers.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this colorful preschool series highlights life lessons young viewers can relate to, like sharing, being a good friend, trying your best, and being polite. In short, there's nothing to worry about. The energetic puppet characters encourage kids to sing and dance along, and the series' pace and repetitive nature are well suited for 2- to 4-year-olds. All of that said, despite a roster of hip guest stars (like the Shins), some parents may not be quite as enchanted by the beat-driven soundtrack as their rockin'-out kids.

  • The show is more focused on teaching life-lesson tips than academics, but kids will learn about everything from nutrition to being a good friend.
  • The series enforces important life-lesson messages for preschoolers, including staying healthy, respecting others, taking turns, safety, and being friendly.
  • The characters model positive behavior -- like sharing, trying hard, and being polite. They sometimes need help learning how to do these things, but that's very relatable for kids.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

Music-focused series YO GABBA GABBA! invites preschoolers to get their groove on while they learn important life lessons about taking care of themselves, making good decisions, being a good friend, and having fun. The colorful, live-action series stars Lance Robertson as DJ Lance Rock, the magician host who gets the party started by awakening his five buddies (four monsters and a robot) with a resounding cry of "Yo Gabba Gabba!" Once they get going, there's no stopping their mixture of infectious excitement, beat-driven music, and repetitive dance moves -- which will have preschoolers jumping out of their seats to join in. Each episode includes a number of brief segments devoted to the day's themes. Many are musical, featuring the monsters dancing and singing to tunes designed to teach preschoolers lessons like "Get the Sillies Out," "I'm Sorry," Wait Your Turn," and "Bedtime." Other portions of the show teach simple skills like drawing or easy dance moves, and guest stars like Elijah Wood, Sugarland, and Tony Hawk often drop by to join in the fun.


Is it any good?

 

The monster friends are as diverse as the spectrum of colors they come in, and young viewers will easily relate to their individuality. Towering red Cyclops Muno (voiced by Adam Deibert) is always full of fun, but he's also afraid of the shadows he sees in the dark. Natural leader Toodee (Erin Pearce) sometimes forgets that there's fun to be found in sharing, but she always realizes her mistake and makes amends. Foofa (Emma Jacobs) is thoughtful and loving, though she's also been known to throw a tantrum or two. Youngster Brobee (Amos Watene) is often the one in the group to get hurt, but his friends' encouragement gets him going again. And gadget-covered Plex (Christian Jacobs) is always willing to lend a hand to help his friends learn something new.

With its enticingly vibrant characters and simple, retro style, there's no doubt that Yo Gabba Gabba! will beckon to 2- to 4-year-olds, who will revel in the repetition -- which promotes familiarity and confidence. But for the parents of these preschoolers, the show's songs, hip beat or no, may spark decidedly different emotions. Many of the omnipresent tunes are of the one- or two-line variety -- "There's a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy," and "Snacky snack snack snack snack," for example -- that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head for hours. (Don't worry, you can always oust it with something by the Wiggles if you get desperate...)


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the lessons the characters learn in each episode. Kids: What problems did the monsters encounter today? Did it affect one or all of the friends? How did they work through the problem? How did they work together to help each other?

  • Have you ever experienced problems like the monsters'? What did you do? Who are the people you trust when you're in trouble? How do you try to be a good friend?


This review was written by Emily Ashby
Parent of 4 year old
March 12, 2011
 
Awful show - do not watch
I do not let my child watch this show. The characters are freaky looking and one of them looks very inappropriate (i.e. like an adult toy) in my opinion. I wish this show would get removed from the airwaves.

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Parent of 3, 5, 11, and 12 year old
December 11, 2010
 
Creepy but great!
This has to be one of the weirdest kids shows ever, but they love it. The characters are definitely strange and kind of creepy. But it has positive messages and fun music so why not.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
this show is supid
ok im 6 but this show is supid

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Parent of 2 year old
November 30, 2010
 
If you miss old-school Sesame Street, give Yo Gabba Gabba a try!
My 2 year old loves Yo Gabba Gabba and now sings many of the songs on her own, reinforcing the positive messages (e.g., please/thankyou, don't be afriad, keep trying, etc.). Sometimes I adapt these songs to new circumstances, for instance, "don't bite your friends" becomes "don't throw your toys" or "don't touch your poo." I also appreciate how the animated jingles also expose my child to various styles of art and design, much like Old School Sesame Street or 1960s-1970s children's picture books.

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Parent of 3 year old
January 14, 2011
 
A fun, quirky show with an edge parents can appreciate!
Yo Gabba Gabba is my daughter's favorite show and my husband and I love it! It's focused on things preschoolers really need to know (i.e., don't bite your friends) with a realistic perspective for kids (i.e. it's nice to win, it's ok to lose). The non-sequitur cartoons alternate between retro and ultra mod, but either way are consistently fun and quirky. And although the music can be, well, mind numbing, the songs are surprisingly catchy and the lyrics are simple and repetitive enough for a toddler to really master them. As a plus for parents, hip bands and celebrity dancey dance friends are featured in every episode. And besides, who can resist the adorable sight of your preschooler attempting to beat box along with Biz Markie? Not this momma!

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Parent of 2 year old
January 18, 2011
 
fun for kids and hip parents
i enjoy this program almost as much as my daughter. love the styling, the positive messages, and the cool guests. not as educational as other programs, but fun to get up and move to.

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Parent of 2 year old
July 6, 2009
 
Great show for my whole family
We absolutely love this show as a family. Myself and my husband are generation-x-ers all grown up and this really strikes us as something seriously appropriate for our son, but also really cool. I think it sits well with adults without having any weird jokes to go over your little ones' heads. We love the songs. My husband wants to be Brobee. We love DJ Lance Rock. My son loves to dance to the music, and we love to dance with him. We think it's genius!

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
IT'S FRESH!!!
My family loves this show. The music is a FRESH departure from the watered down Barney tunes and the almost nonsense the Wiggles project. The characters are cute and relatable which makes the lessons they teach easier for kids to believe and accept. Yes the songs are addictive..and fun. I believe this show will cultivate creativity and also boost self confidence. I love the approach and the execution is perfect, composition and content are right on....and those beats are FRESH!!!

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Parent of 4 and 8 year old
May 14, 2009
 
Best Childrens Show to Come Along in a While
I knew the instant I saw the promo spots for Yo Gabba Gabba, that it would be one of my, I mean, my childrens' favorite shows. It is full of color, music, life lessons, and most of all: fun! Everytime it comes on, my 2 year old daughter gasps and squeals in excitement. She knows most of the songs and cannot be seen without one of her five favorite friends. :) And my six year old son gets such a kick out of the music and cool tricks. I recommend this to kids of all ages.

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Parent of 4 year old
July 20, 2009
 
Perfect for little ones & parents!!!
LOVE IT! Super fun & I cannot tell you how many of these songs help us throughout our day! It's absolute crazy business.. very silly. My little girl loves it & I appreciate the thought the producers put in to the messages each episode. "Goodbye.." "Clean it up.." "Don't be afraid.." "Dancy Dance!!.." It's our fave! But probably quite annoying for older kids- it's def for the little ones.

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This review was written by Emily Ashby
This review was written by Emily Ashby
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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