Friday, April 1, 2005

   Higglytown Heroes II: The Backyardigans
Here is the long awaited sequel to my previous post. today i will be informing the masses about the childrens series 'The Backyardigans'. This show revolves around four animals who share a big backyard (maybe they're to poor to each afford one?). Pablo is a blue punguin with a propeller hat and bowtie; Austin is a purple kangaroo with a sky blue and yellow striped shirt and navy blue pants; Tyrone is an orange moose wearing a red and blue shirt; Tasha is a yellow hippo with a floral mumu; and finally, Uniqua is a magenta colored indistinguishable creature(hence the name) with pink polka dots and antenae(I'm not sure if she even wears clothes). But, those are the characters. The shows pretty much involves them playing make-believe in their yards.

The show starts with the singing of the Backyardigans theme song, which goes like:
"And we're,
Your backyard friends, The Backyardigans
Together with The Backyardigans
In the place where we belong
Where we'll probably sing a song
And we'll maybe dance along
We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore
We've always find things we've never seen before
That's why everyday we're back for more
With your friends, The Backyardigans".

Then from there, they proceed to some small song. I will follow the course of an episode where Tasha becomes Princess Cleotasha, ruler of Egypt. After the fruity theme song, Tasha comes out and says "I'm Princess Cleotasha" then begins to sing some song about how she "loves being a princess". All of a sudden, we're in ancient Egypt and she's wearing a necklace and some hat thing and doing their generic dance where they sway from side to side and once in a while to a ballerina twirl. Soon, she decides to call upon her servants Pablo, Tyrone, and Austin. She asks them for various fanning and nourishment. These servants, though loyal, complain to each other how "The bad thing about Princess Cleotasha is that she never says please","Or thank you...".She asks servant Austin for a glass of water, only to find that the Nile River dried up(at the moment we're putting aside the fact that it is the longest river in the world and it emptoes into Lake Victoria, a considerably large lake). Servant Austin says the only way to bring back the river is to find the Sphinx and ask her the secret of the Nile. But the Sphinx does not merely GIVE away the secret, oh no, she needs three presents.

The first present is the Jewel of the Waters, kept in the Hidden Pyramid. So they set of, Cleotasha on horseback, to find the Hidden Pyramid, singing the second of five songs in this 25 minute show. The subject of this one is how they need 3 presents for the Sphinx. They get to the Pyramids and they need to find the Hidden Pyramid. Cleotasha sits on a rock and tells servant Tyrone to fan her. He does so and leans on the air; everone asks "How are you doing that?!?!". They find out he was leaning on the Hidden Pyramid, which is called that because its invisible(though I could swear as they came to the pyramids they walked/rode right through it...). They open it but the Princess is reluctant, "I'm not going in there by myself!", so Tyrone agrees to accompany her. The two get inside and see four jewels. "Oh!!This would go great with my dress!!", but servant Tyrone intervenes, "No Princess!! You muust only take the Jewel of the Waters, or all will be lost!!"(All what?!?! Their dignity, sanity, ability to dance, chance in society, or non-faggotyness? Thats all gone all ready!) Back to Cleotasha, "Which one could be the right one...". Tyrone drops a helluva hint towards one. "Look! I found the Jewel! You hold it servant Tyrone.". They go back out and the servants have a conference, "did you help Cleotasha find the jewel?", "Yup, but you know the Princess", "She never says please.", "Or thank you.".

Now the Princess sings the next song "I want my river back, I want my river back...(need I say more?)", then back to, "We need 2 more presents for the Sphinx".

Next on the agenda is the yellow lotus flowerand the go through the same skit. Cleotasha won't go by herself, Pablo goes with her, only the yellow flower or all will be lost, he finds it for her, no please or thank you. Now they sing that they need one more present etc. etc. Finally, they go to the Secret Oasis that just happens to only appear exactly when they get there. They need water from the oasis and servant Austin "helps" get the water with a huge cup he happens to have in his back pocket. But Cleotasha can't drink the water or, claaaass? Thats right, all will be lost. but Cleotasha never says please, or thank you.

They find the Sphinx, who just happens to be Uniqua, and give her the three presents. "Did you find these gifts all by your self?", "No Sphinx, my servants helped some.", "Did you say please or thank you?", "Well, no, but O great Sphinx, what is the secret of the Nile?", "The secret of the Nile is(just guess)please and thank you!" So she says thank you to the servants for helping her find the three presents and all the other stuff they did, and the River magically appears!! Then guess what happens, they sing how
"Please and thank you are the secret of the Nile".

Then Princess Cleotasha asks Austuin for something to eat. He responds "We can eat a snack at my house, we're having cheese and crackers!". Then Egypt dissapears and they rush into a house and then those word things go down the screen and Uniqua shows us how to do a tango.

There
The long awaited sequel, hope you get a good laugh.