Someday they’re going to make a version of Yo Gabba Gabba! for kids. This Nick Jr. show is aimed straight for overgrown kids overwhelmed with pop culture fun. Can a five year old really understand the importance of Biz Markie laying down his beat of the day? What about the head Devo impersonating Bill Cosby’s time on Captain Kangaroo? The songs seem to be simple tunes devised by Mercury Rev. The show is hipper than Brooklyn. Of all the shows my toddler likes to watch, Yo Gabba Gabba! is the only one I don’t switch off when she leaves the room. They had Anthony Bourdain playing a doctor allowed to give pills to the characters. That’s so devious. Yo Gabba Gabba!: Super Spies contains four stealthy episodes.
“Super Spy” has Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) as an evil spy out to spoil the day by stealing all the balloons the Gabba gang had made for a party. Can they track the guy down and take back their party favors? Bateman even sings. The Super Music Friends Show segment features Peter, Bjorn and John singing “I Wish I Was a Spy.” “Mystery” is full of them including where did Foofa go? Plex and Toodee investigate her disappearance. They have to overcome a fear of bats to solve the mystery. The musical guest is Ladytron. “Space” launches the critters and DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) into orbit. Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock gives another knock-knock joke. The musical guest is Electrocute with “Rocket Run.” “Big” make the squat sweater-riffic Brobee want to grow huge. He gets to swap sizes with DJ Lance, but quickly realizes that he can’t handle the size. Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh breaks out his magic marker to thrill the kids with art. The musical guest is Jem with “Some Things Are Big, Some Things Are Small.” She left out that something things are medium height.
Yo Gabba Gabba! can really be enjoyed by people without rugrats in the house. The show is so bizarre with the costume characters bouncing around that it becomes relaxing when you want to chill out. It is a better show if you do have kids around so they can excited at the weirdness and the musical numbers. It’s like H.R. Punfnstuf for the 21st century. Yo Gabba Gabba! Super Spies is made for kids, but tastes good for kids of all ages.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are sharp enough that you can enjoy the creature costumes and the dazzling colors. The audio is Dolby Digital stereo. The mix is fine so that the music feels rich. The episodes are Closed Captioned.
No bonus features.
Yo Gabba Gabba! Super Spies packs four episodes of prime weirdness on a single DVD. While this is considered a kid show, it deserves a place with Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and Sid and Marty Krofft shows that appeal to goofy grown ups. Jason Bateman’s evil spy might scare small kids at first, but he doesn’t stay evil the whole episode.
Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Entertainment present Yo Gabba Gabba! Super Spies. Starring: Lance Robertson, Jason Bateman, Mark Mothersbaugh and Biz Markie. Boxset Contents: 4 episodes on 1DVDs. Released on DVD: April 17, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
