The Backyardigans

The Backyardigans is a computer-animated musical children's TV series created by Janice Burgess. The series was written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio, with animation provided by Nelvana. It centers on a group of five anthropomorphic best friends who use their imaginations to embark on fantastic adventures in their shared backyard. Each episode is set to a different musical genre like reggae, country, or rock, and features at least four songs, performed by the characters with original choreography.

The series was based upon a live-action pilot produced in 1998 titled Me and My Friends. The pilot featured life-sized puppets who danced to songs on an indoor stage. In 2001, Nickelodeon's studio in New York retooled the concept into an animated pilot, using motion capture techniques to animate the dances. The newer pilot was greenlit, and the series entered production as a co-production between Nickelodeon and Nelvana. 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."

A total of 80 episodes were produced across four seasons, each containing 20 episodes. The series first previewed on Treehouse TV in Canada on September 11, 2004, followed by its official debut on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block on October 11, 2004. The fourth season wrapped production in 2010 and finished airing on Nick Jr. on July 12, 2013.

## Plot

Each episode follows a similar pattern and centers around a group of five animal friends: Pablo, Tyrone, Uniqua, Tasha, and Austin. The characters introduce themselves in their backyard before imagining a new location to enter. The group is often presented with multiple dilemmas along the way to accomplishing a certain goal or priority, or may be challenged with a major single obstacle to defeat or problem to solve. After season one, there is usually a villain in the episode, mainly played by one of the Backyardigans (thus another Backyardigan plays the role of the hero), but the villain of the episode always reforms in the end. The program also follows a musical format, featuring multiple musical numbers performed in the style of a different genre and sung throughout the course of an episode regarding whatever imaginary predicament in which the characters have situated themselves or perhaps a challenge that they have met, every episode opening and concluding with a particular song. The adventures get more advanced after the first season. When the Backyardigans have achieved their mission or defeated any disadvantages, the fantasy sequence fades, restoring actuality to the setting of the episodes as the closing song is sung, the characters scurrying to their houses for a snack. The main character or characters then opens the snack host's house door, fence, or around the corner, and shouts the main catchphrase for the last time and then closes the door. The picture then is lifeless with some background bird noises often heard as iris closes, ending the episode before the credits roll.

## Characters and Voice Cast

* Pablo - Zach Tyler Eisen (season 1), Jake Goldberg (seasons 2–4)
* Tyrone - Reginald Davis Jr. (season 1), Jordan Coleman (seasons 2–3), and Christopher Grant, Jr. (season 4)
* Uniqua - Lashawn Tináh Jefferies
* Tasha - Naelee Rae (seasons 1–2), Gianna Bruzzese (seasons 3–4)
* Austin - Jonah Bobo