Post by paulpogue on May 5, 2009 17:11:42 GMT -8
Okay, not exactly animation, but this seemed to be the closest place to put this.
Anyone else been paying attention to "Yo Gabba Gabba"? I have a two-year-old who's pretty much addicted to it, so it's often on as background noise to me, but lately I've actually been paying attention, and holy crap, this thing borders on sheer genius. Most of the time it's about what you'd expect from someone trying to update 1970s Krofft puppet productions, with added 8-bit graphics (I confess I don't really get THAT part -- I love 8-bit aesthetics, but I'm not the target audience) and just as much hallucinogenics involved in the production. The host looks like a New York DJ transplanted into a kid's TV show, which I understand to actually be the case.
So all in all, it seems on the surface to be a reasonably entertaining bit of preschool fun. But godDAMN, this show has got some serious nerd cred, with a lot of stuff aimed at people in their 30s, but a lot more subtle than the usual "throw in some jokes to keep the parents entertained" gags. The part that really got my attention was when Paul Williams -- songwriter of "The Rainbow Connection" -- showed up to perform the song, in a baby blue tuxedo and a set that perfectly reproduced the aesthetics of the 1970s, right down to the inset shot that shows the face closeup at the same time as a wide bit. That sure got me watching closer all right, and before you know it, I end up seeing Elijah Wood and Jack Black showing up to teach the puppets how to dance. Not to mention Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh dropping in for music every so often. (Yeah, I know he's been doing kid's shows for years, but it still amuses the hell out of me.)
But all of that was nothing compared to the best inside-gag of the entire series -- a running bit where they show the worst knock-knock jokes imaginable, and one of the regulars is Jack McBrayer -- JACK FRAKKING MCBRAYER -- who manages to give a raised eyebrow that does everything but actually make the "waa-waa" sound itself at the awful punchlines. Not to mention that the other half of the knock-knock team is fellow 30 Rock page Paul Scheer. Now THAT is nerd cred!
Anyone else been paying attention to "Yo Gabba Gabba"? I have a two-year-old who's pretty much addicted to it, so it's often on as background noise to me, but lately I've actually been paying attention, and holy crap, this thing borders on sheer genius. Most of the time it's about what you'd expect from someone trying to update 1970s Krofft puppet productions, with added 8-bit graphics (I confess I don't really get THAT part -- I love 8-bit aesthetics, but I'm not the target audience) and just as much hallucinogenics involved in the production. The host looks like a New York DJ transplanted into a kid's TV show, which I understand to actually be the case.
So all in all, it seems on the surface to be a reasonably entertaining bit of preschool fun. But godDAMN, this show has got some serious nerd cred, with a lot of stuff aimed at people in their 30s, but a lot more subtle than the usual "throw in some jokes to keep the parents entertained" gags. The part that really got my attention was when Paul Williams -- songwriter of "The Rainbow Connection" -- showed up to perform the song, in a baby blue tuxedo and a set that perfectly reproduced the aesthetics of the 1970s, right down to the inset shot that shows the face closeup at the same time as a wide bit. That sure got me watching closer all right, and before you know it, I end up seeing Elijah Wood and Jack Black showing up to teach the puppets how to dance. Not to mention Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh dropping in for music every so often. (Yeah, I know he's been doing kid's shows for years, but it still amuses the hell out of me.)
But all of that was nothing compared to the best inside-gag of the entire series -- a running bit where they show the worst knock-knock jokes imaginable, and one of the regulars is Jack McBrayer -- JACK FRAKKING MCBRAYER -- who manages to give a raised eyebrow that does everything but actually make the "waa-waa" sound itself at the awful punchlines. Not to mention that the other half of the knock-knock team is fellow 30 Rock page Paul Scheer. Now THAT is nerd cred!