INCITE
A thin black man wearing an orange tracksuit, struts into view carrying a big boom box. He looks like a throwback to the 70's when similar caricatures of inner-city African-Americans were popular on network television and blaxploitation movies of cinema.
The Breakout Stars of their shows
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| Antonio Fargas as Huggy Bear Jimmie Walker as JJ Evans Lance Robertson as DJ Lance Rock Starsky and Hutch, 1975-1979 Good Times, 1974-1979 Yo Gabba Gabba! 2007-2015 |
This new incarnation is different. He is lighter on his feet and doesn't hesitate to smile as he looks directly at you through the camera. He peers left to right and back left as if to make sure the coast is clear. He then swings open the front of what he was frontin' as a portable transistorized music player. Inside are monochromatic toy figures, padded like expensive camera equipment. No, he's not here to sell you stolen goods, or drugs. He's here to "Edutain(1)" your toddlers.
With three nonsensical words,
DJ Lance Rock brings to life his toy monsters and starts this week's musical adventure.
DJ Lance Rock brings to life his toy monsters and starts this week's musical adventure.This clip shows the title sequence and a toddlers excitement for it.
That's one way to interpret the title sequence of this quirky half-hour show. That is not what I saw in 2007 when I chanced on it while surfing cable TV. What I saw was Peter Pan as a 90's NYC Club Kid, a full-of-life life-sized Muppet, and the Mister Rogers of Gabba Land.
Yo Gabba Gabba! (YGG!) is an anomaly of a television program. Its target audience is 2-5 yr old preschoolers AND adult fans of Indie Pop music. DJ Lance, the show's host, appeals to both demographics. As a seemingly queer black man he simultaneously triggers sensitivity to ethnic and gender representation AND avoids any criticism by the PC police.
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| The show creators Scott Shultz (bottom left) and Christian Jacobs (bottom middle) have been collaborating since they were kids. |
To date, the 66 half-hour episodes produced in 4 seasons have aired on Nick Jr. for 8 years. Viacom's Nickelodeon Group who runs Nick Jr. is exercising its Right of First Refusal about a 5th season. Nielson gestimate 600K+ tune in weekly, and Nickelodeon streams 1.3 million clips per month. But considering their thumb-sucking audience loses interest at around the age of 5 preschool programs like YGG only need 4 seasons of material. In perpetual re-runs, they would always have an audience who is viewing the material for the first time.
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| Anecdotal evidence: Children lose interest in YGG! at about the age of 5 |
INSIGHT
INSIGHT
Fast forward 10 years, and up 13 floors to a crowded restaurant in a downtown Los Angeles, where Lance Robertson, the performer who plays the role of DJ Lance Rock, explains that his on-screen look was inspired by Deee-Lite, and their 1990 music video, Groove is in the Heart.
So this TV persona is less Pam Grier, blaxploitation icon Foxy Brown, and more Lady Miss Kier, founding members of Deee-Lite. The similarity of their family names, Grier and Krier, is an unavoidable design distraction. Here's the animated wallpaper inspired by their public personas and matching names.
Ethnic Representation...
Ethnic Representation...
EPISODES ANALYSED (3 of 66)
Season 1, Episode 14; Car
Season 4, Episode 13; Day Camp. This episode introduces siblings of the monster and DJ Lance and may give some insight into the shows gender bias. DJ Lance Rock's effervescence goes flat and his character deepens as he shows signs of sibling rivalry.
Season 1 Episode 1; Eat (The first show of the first season includes a physically challenged child, Lauren, in thereoccuring "I Like to Dance" segment of the show)
Season 1, Episode 14; CarSeason 4, Episode 13; Day Camp. This episode introduces siblings of the monster and DJ Lance and may give some insight into the shows gender bias. DJ Lance Rock's effervescence goes flat and his character deepens as he shows signs of sibling rivalry.
. . . of Children on the Television Program
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| These kids like to dance and make faces! |
. . . of the Children in the Live Show vs in the Audience
A breakdown of the live holiday show may be even more telling, as it juxtaposes the children on screen with real audience members.
ACTORS FANS
. . . of the Children in the Animated Shorts
Another group of children is shown or represented in the weekly animations. Note in this animation, the parents of the blonde girl and boy are a white man and black women. And the kid with the bad attitude is shown as a monkey.
Ethnic and Gender representation on YGG! is consistent with its audience and the general population.
The hegemony of the show may be an assumption of abundance, In the Storytime segment of the Shopping episode (Season 4 Episode 07), Mama's hair comb is a living butterfly ready to disperse cash on command.
This carries through from the make-believe money in the animated short to the real world. Ticket prices to the live performances are high considering they are for toddlers. So is all the merchandise. The toys made by KidRobot have sold out and are now considered collectibles.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Does Television programming discriminate based on Abundance, rather than Race or Gender?
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| ACTORS FANS |
. . . of the Children in the Animated Shorts
Another group of children is shown or represented in the weekly animations. Note in this animation, the parents of the blonde girl and boy are a white man and black women. And the kid with the bad attitude is shown as a monkey.
Ethnic and Gender representation on YGG! is consistent with its audience and the general population.
The hegemony of the show may be an assumption of abundance, In the Storytime segment of the Shopping episode (Season 4 Episode 07), Mama's hair comb is a living butterfly ready to disperse cash on command.
This carries through from the make-believe money in the animated short to the real world. Ticket prices to the live performances are high considering they are for toddlers. So is all the merchandise. The toys made by KidRobot have sold out and are now considered collectibles.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Does Television programming discriminate based on Abundance, rather than Race or Gender?
Pop Pops Pop Yo Gabba Gabba!
The socioeconomics of the 2 parent family shifted in the past decade. The number of stay-at-home fathers doubled since the 1970s to about 550,000 men, and that figure is expected to grow, especially as more wives take on the breadwinning role in their marriages and the cost of childcare holds intolerable for many families.
From the perspective of the adult fans, Yo Gabba Gabba! is a musical variety show. Show regulars include Biz Markie, who Beat Boxes the sound of the day, and Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh, whose drawing that comes to life. The show also features emerging Indie Pop bands and established Hollywood actors, many of whom are parents. The rave-like appearance and activities of the program appeal to both demographics - who are likely watching the show together.
Jack Black fell in love with the show while watching it with his son. His wife contacted the show to see if he could have a cameo appearance. This link takes you to the Google video Search results on "Jack Black Yo Gabba Gabba"
In the first episode, Lex beams Elijia Wood into Gabba Land to teach his dance The Puppet Master.
YGG! a measure of coolness in Hollywood
During an appearance in 2011 on The Late Late Show, American comedian Jeffrey Tambor announced a bold career move. He will play the role of the Mini King on YGG! With a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild, and two Emmy Awards, Tambor knows an appearance could win him the ultimate prize of brownie points from his 2-year-old twin boys, and perhaps raise his coolness factor with his fans.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Since celebrities can also be fans, then where in Fandom Study's Hierarchy of Fans do they sit? A better understanding of their synergistic relationship may explain the cross-demographic popularity of Yo Gabba Gabba!
From the perspective of the adult fans, Yo Gabba Gabba! is a musical variety show. Show regulars include Biz Markie, who Beat Boxes the sound of the day, and Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh, whose drawing that comes to life. The show also features emerging Indie Pop bands and established Hollywood actors, many of whom are parents. The rave-like appearance and activities of the program appeal to both demographics - who are likely watching the show together.
Jack Black fell in love with the show while watching it with his son. His wife contacted the show to see if he could have a cameo appearance. This link takes you to the Google video Search results on "Jack Black Yo Gabba Gabba"
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| In the first episode, Lex beams Elijia Wood into Gabba Land to teach his dance The Puppet Master. |
During an appearance in 2011 on The Late Late Show, American comedian Jeffrey Tambor announced a bold career move. He will play the role of the Mini King on YGG! With a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild, and two Emmy Awards, Tambor knows an appearance could win him the ultimate prize of brownie points from his 2-year-old twin boys, and perhaps raise his coolness factor with his fans.
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Since celebrities can also be fans, then where in Fandom Study's Hierarchy of Fans do they sit? A better understanding of their synergistic relationship may explain the cross-demographic popularity of Yo Gabba Gabba!
CITED
ILLUSTRATION NOTES
In the original photograph of DJ Lance Rock, he is pointing his finger at the camera. It doesn't read very well and it may be misread as a gesture of shooting a gun. On the television program and during the live shows, DJ Lance Rock is always giving high-fives. As a still image high-five looks like waving hello/goodbye, or swearing-in. So I changed it to the more contemporary, and less-germy, hello gesture - the fist-bump- [N1] not to be mistaken for the Clenched Fist icon [N2] of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Jared Hess, the director of the feature film Napoleon Dynamite (NP), saw the pilot online and recommended it to Brown Johnson, the executive vice-president and executive creative director of Nickelodeon Preschool. [N3] Though Mr. Hess did not work on or own any part of YGG!, his recommendation played a critical part in its success. Hence the change of the text on iconic image from NP from "VOTE FOR PEDRO" to "VOTED FOR PEDO."
FACT SOURCES
(1) Selling Learning Towards a Political Economy of Edutainment Media Buckingham and Scanlon 2005
(2) Tips for Teaching Toddlers
A difference in the way preschoolers and 1st graders are taught is that play becomes more organized and routine-based. from: What They Learn in 1st Grade, PBS Parents, Education, Grade by Grade
(3) Everyone Is Different: Why Being Different Is Great!, Simon and Schuster, May 2012
Yo Gabba Gabba experiences Growing Pains on Nick Jr., by Dave Itskoff, Nov. 2009
‘Yo Gabba Gabba! Live’ frolics into town, Las Vegas Review-Journal , Steve Bornfeld, Nov. 2011
Study: More men on the 'daddy track', by Rich Morin, Pew Research Center, Sept 2013
Study: House Husbands more common than ever, by Maya Rhodan, TIME magazine, Sept 2013
Stay-at-Home Fathers: Definition and Characteristics Based on 34 Years of CPS Data, Karen Z. Kramer, Erin L. Kelly, Jan B. McCulloch, First Published September 12, 2013
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Guest Jeffrey Tambor, Oct. 21, 2011
Yo Gabba Gabba! Season 4 Ep. 11, Quest, MiniKing segment, Released Oct 12, 2015, Running time:23:11
IMDB; Jeffery Tambor, Awards page
Nickelodeon’s Stepchild, Eager for More Love, by Dave Itzkoff, NY Times, November 19, 2009
2010 US Census Shows America's Diversity, US Census Bureau, March 2011
Television the Critical View, Edited by Horace Newcomb, Oxford University Press, 2000
Charm the Children, Tickle the Parents, by Dave Itzkoff, NY Times, Aug 12, 2007
CITED
ILLUSTRATION NOTES
In the original photograph of DJ Lance Rock, he is pointing his finger at the camera. It doesn't read very well and it may be misread as a gesture of shooting a gun. On the television program and during the live shows, DJ Lance Rock is always giving high-fives. As a still image high-five looks like waving hello/goodbye, or swearing-in. So I changed it to the more contemporary, and less-germy, hello gesture - the fist-bump- [N1] not to be mistaken for the Clenched Fist icon [N2] of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Jared Hess, the director of the feature film Napoleon Dynamite (NP), saw the pilot online and recommended it to Brown Johnson, the executive vice-president and executive creative director of Nickelodeon Preschool. [N3] Though Mr. Hess did not work on or own any part of YGG!, his recommendation played a critical part in its success. Hence the change of the text on iconic image from NP from "VOTE FOR PEDRO" to "VOTED FOR PEDO."
Jared Hess, the director of the feature film Napoleon Dynamite (NP), saw the pilot online and recommended it to Brown Johnson, the executive vice-president and executive creative director of Nickelodeon Preschool. [N3] Though Mr. Hess did not work on or own any part of YGG!, his recommendation played a critical part in its success. Hence the change of the text on iconic image from NP from "VOTE FOR PEDRO" to "VOTED FOR PEDO."
FACT SOURCES
(1) Selling Learning Towards a Political Economy of Edutainment Media Buckingham and Scanlon 2005
(2) Tips for Teaching Toddlers
(2) Tips for Teaching Toddlers
A difference in the way preschoolers and 1st graders are taught is that play becomes more organized and routine-based. from: What They Learn in 1st Grade, PBS Parents, Education, Grade by Grade
(3) Everyone Is Different: Why Being Different Is Great!, Simon and Schuster, May 2012
Yo Gabba Gabba experiences Growing Pains on Nick Jr., by Dave Itskoff, Nov. 2009
Study: More men on the 'daddy track', by Rich Morin, Pew Research Center, Sept 2013
Study: House Husbands more common than ever, by Maya Rhodan, TIME magazine, Sept 2013
Stay-at-Home Fathers: Definition and Characteristics Based on 34 Years of CPS Data, Karen Z. Kramer, Erin L. Kelly, Jan B. McCulloch, First Published September 12, 2013
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Guest Jeffrey Tambor, Oct. 21, 2011
Yo Gabba Gabba! Season 4 Ep. 11, Quest, MiniKing segment, Released Oct 12, 2015, Running time:23:11
IMDB; Jeffery Tambor, Awards page
Nickelodeon’s Stepchild, Eager for More Love, by Dave Itzkoff, NY Times, November 19, 2009
2010 US Census Shows America's Diversity, US Census Bureau, March 2011
Television the Critical View, Edited by Horace Newcomb, Oxford University Press, 2000
Charm the Children, Tickle the Parents, by Dave Itzkoff, NY Times, Aug 12, 2007
(3) Everyone Is Different: Why Being Different Is Great!, Simon and Schuster, May 2012
Yo Gabba Gabba experiences Growing Pains on Nick Jr., by Dave Itskoff, Nov. 2009
‘Yo Gabba Gabba! Live’ frolics into town, Las Vegas Review-Journal , Steve Bornfeld, Nov. 2011
Study: More men on the 'daddy track', by Rich Morin, Pew Research Center, Sept 2013
Study: House Husbands more common than ever, by Maya Rhodan, TIME magazine, Sept 2013
Stay-at-Home Fathers: Definition and Characteristics Based on 34 Years of CPS Data, Karen Z. Kramer, Erin L. Kelly, Jan B. McCulloch, First Published September 12, 2013
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Guest Jeffrey Tambor, Oct. 21, 2011
Yo Gabba Gabba! Season 4 Ep. 11, Quest, MiniKing segment, Released Oct 12, 2015, Running time:23:11
IMDB; Jeffery Tambor, Awards page
Nickelodeon’s Stepchild, Eager for More Love, by Dave Itzkoff, NY Times, November 19, 2009
2010 US Census Shows America's Diversity, US Census Bureau, March 2011
Television the Critical View, Edited by Horace Newcomb, Oxford University Press, 2000
Charm the Children, Tickle the Parents, by Dave Itzkoff, NY Times, Aug 12, 2007
A brief history of the "clenched fist" image, by Lincoln Cushing, Docs Populi
Origin Myth - the Ramones believe the title of the TV program was taken from their song, which was admittedly taken from movie Freaks.
A brief history of the "clenched fist" image, by Lincoln Cushing, Docs Populi
Origin Myth - the Ramones believe the title of the TV program was taken from their song, which was admittedly taken from movie Freaks.
Casual dinner conversation with Lance Robertson, Nov 11, 2017, Los Angeles, CA
Photograph of Cyrus and Elaine ValaNejad and Lance Robertson by Kurosh ValaNejad
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YO GABBA GABBA and all related titles, logos and characters (other than DJ LANCE ROCK) are trademarks of GabbaCaDabra, LLC.
DJ LANCE ROCK is a trademark of Lance Robertson. All rights reserved.
Casual dinner conversation with Lance Robertson, Nov 11, 2017, Los Angeles, CA
Photograph of Cyrus and Elaine ValaNejad and Lance Robertson by Kurosh ValaNejad
YO GABBA GABBA and all related titles, logos and characters (other than DJ LANCE ROCK) are trademarks of GabbaCaDabra, LLC.
DJ LANCE ROCK is a trademark of Lance Robertson. All rights reserved.
