Aquabats are living out their fantasy as heroes
Critic's Notebook: The superhero band and its spinoff TV series "The Aquabats! Super Show!' and 'Yo Gabba Gabba!' are connecting with kids of all ages.
Adult life is made up mostly of expected things, to keep our minds from exploding. But when the unexpected thing does occur, if it is not harmful or tragic, it can bring with it feelings of incredible happiness. Such was the moment when I first encountered "The Aquabats! Super Show!," the Saturday-morning, live-action superhero show whose second season began June 1 on the Hub and whose first season has just been released on home video by Shout Factory.
Chad Larson, left, Richard Falomir, James Briggs, Ian Fowles and Christian Jacobs of "The Aquabats! Super Show!" (Hub Network / June 9, 2013)
Who are these masked men? They are the M.C. Bat Commander, otherwise known as Christian Jacobs; Crash McLarson, a.k.a. Chad Larson; Ricky Fitness, born Richard Falomir; Jimmy the Robot, sometimes called James Randall Briggs Jr.; and EagleBones Falconhawk, whose driver's license reads Ian Fowles.
They are in their 30s and 40s, and before they were saving the world Saturday mornings on the Hub, they were simple punk-ska-neo-new-wave-surf-pop musicians from Southern California, who dressed as superheroes and fought monsters onstage. For that matter, they still are.
Jacobs is also the co-creator of the strange and lovely "Yo Gabba Gabba!," a show for small children and anyone who has kept a capacity for delight, which has aired on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. since 2007. It takes place in an endless white space, in which a man named DJ Lance Rock overlooks a kind of diorama world where colorful creatures with names like Muno, Brobee, Foofa and Toodee and Plex sing and dance and have adventures. The Aquabats appear there sometimes too, to sing "Pool Party!" or "Counting to Five."
I recently visited the Aquabats in their new secret lair, in an office park in Santa Ana, which as secret lairs (and office parks) go is very green and airy. Crash and Ricky were not present, but Joel Fox, whose actual name is Joel Fox, was. He works on both "The Aquabats! Super Show!" and "Yo Gabba Gabba!," animating and filming things. When I walked in, without so much as a secret knock, he was blowing up balloons.
On the walls were posters for old movies; rugs designed by Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh — a "Gabba!" regular who'll also appear this season in "The Aquabats! Super Show!" — were on the floor. Propped in a corner was a surfboard painted by Jacobs — as they were in their mild-mannered alter egos, I will call them by those names — in the one-eyed, two-toothed likeness of Muno, with the word "Rad" painted across his chest. "Rad" is a word you hear a lot from the Aquabats. ("Super Rad," from 1997, was the band's biggest single.) It is the great approbation of their generation.
"It just kind of always seemed like a TV show even when we performed live," said Briggs; we were gathered in a kind of lounge decorated with paintings of the "Gabba" monsters. "We even had a theme song." There were "commercials" too, in the stage shows, between the songs.
Jacobs agreed. "It always just felt like the child of television. Everyone in the band felt the same way, like, 'Dude, if we can pull it off, let's do it."
"When we first started developing the idea for the TV show," said Jacobs, "it was more in line with what the 'South Park' guys were doing, it was a little edgier — for man-boys, like that whole Adult Swim thing. Because it's so full of references and retro stuff, I felt it would be a perfect show for 'our age' to watch. Maybe kids would like it. But it was when I started having my own children that I shifted to, 'Oh, this could totally work for kids, absolutely.' But the idea was to make something that had an all-ages vibe."
It has the quality of superhero games kids might play, given a budget; it also has the quality of superhero games childlike adults might play, given not too big a budget. Frequently cash-strapped, the Aquabats travel the highways in their Battle Tram, playing shows and battling monsters — a cactus monster, a cobra man, a floating eyeball of death.
"Some of the characters that show up on 'The Aquabats' we"ve been fighting in our concerts for years," said Jacobs. Muno and Brobee, now friendly monsters on "Yo Gabba Gabba!," also got their start onstage.
Bobcat Goldthwait directed a pilot for Disney in the late '90s, "but it felt like a compromised mission," said Jacobs, using a spy term. The band's fortunes tumbled as the bottom fell out of ska, with which they'd become identified. "We"d play shows and, like, 20 people would show up."
Then came "Yo Gabba Gabba!," which Jacobs created with friend Scott Schultz (with whom he"d produced skateboard videos in the 1980s); they mortgaged their houses to make the pilot. After its first season they returned (with "Gabba" collaborator Jason deVilliers) to the Aquabats, scraping together money for a new pilot, Jacobs said, "finally doing it ourselves and doing it right."
Stylistically, it resembles an accurate take on similar kids shows of the 1970s and '80s, with a Japanese influence via "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." Like "Batman" or "Get Smart!," from an earlier time no less important to the show's creators, you can watch it as pure adventure even while in on the parody and self-awareness. That the stars are enthusiastic amateurs — apart from Jacobs, who was a child actor – gives it a special flavor.
"It"s like the punk-rock thing," said Fowles. "Now these kids are going to watch and be like, 'I can be an actor, sure!'"
The collaborative, self-starting ethic of the show is something they learned from the music scene, and also from skateboarding.
"As a teenager," said Jacobs, "with divorced parents and going against the grain — if I was just into punk I would have probably been eventually just into drugs. But skateboarding was such a positive thing. You're always going forward thinking about the next thing, looking at things differently — like that bus bench, all the things you could do with it, or those stairs, all the things you could do down the stairs or up the stairs, all the different things you could do with four wheels and a board. Skateboarding opened my eyes not just to the tricks you could do on a skateboard but what you could do in the world. It gave our generation, the skateboard generation, confidence without ... school."
Appropriately, the new season opened with appearances by skating legends Tony Hawk and Eric Koston. (Jacobs has known Hawk since they appeared together in "Gleaming the Cube.") It will end with a "Road Warrior" homage co-written by Gerard Way, lead singer of the recently disbanded My Chemical Romance. There are helicopter shots.
If the future is not perfectly certain — there are only five episodes in the new season — the present is bright. The show has been nominated for a daytime Emmy. The band is joining the Vans Warped Tour this summer. At a pair of recent performances in the U.K., audiences were singing along to songs they could only have heard on "The Aquabats! Super Show!," and, says, Jacobs, "there was more yelling out for Jimmy the Robot or EagleBones — people identified with individual characters way more than I've ever felt before."
Still, it is very much the sum of its parts. "I think if you add all our voices together like a chord, we're all playing this thing together even though we're hitting different notes. I think with 'Gabba' and the Aquabats, not only in the band but behind the scenes, we're all involved with playing with each other for so long, literally and figuratively, it does create a singular voice, and it feels different — and it feels pure."
Sunday, June 16, 2013
The Los Angeles Times Interviews Christian Jacobs, Co-Creator Of Nick Jr.'s "Yo Gabba Gabba!" And The Hubs "The Aquabats! Super Show!"
The Los Angeles Times, a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, USA, has unveiled a exclusive interview they recently held with Christian Jacobs, a co-creator of Nick Jr.'s popular award-winning preschool show "Yo Gabba Gabba!", on their official website, LATimes.com, in which Christian Jacobs talks about "Yo Gabba Gabba!", including how Muno and Brobee got their starts onstage, and his new The Hub original series "The Aquabats! Super Show!":
Mexico's Televisa Acquires "Peppa Pig" Broadcast And Consumer Products Licensing Rights From eOne
The children's entertainment and media news website Kidscreen is reporting the "Peppa Pig" news that the international entertainment business Entertainment One Family has sold the television broadcast and consumer products licensing rights to Nick Jr. UK and Ireland's popular Astley Baker Davies-produced animated preschool series "Peppa Pig" to the Mexican Free-to-Air (FTA) broadcaster Televisa.
Televisa will begin airing episodes throughout Mexico by the end of 2013. And in conjunction with the broadcast launch, the multimedia mass media company company will be developing a full L&M (Licensing and Merchandising) campaign for the preschool property. Consumer products and promotions for "Peppa Pig" are likely to debut in Mexico in 2014, with a soft launch starting in Q3 [third quarter] and a full product launch hitting Mexican retail in Q4 [fourth quarter] 2014.
eOne has also partnered with Exim Licensing Group to develop a major consumer products program for the Intellectual Property (IP) in South America, where "Peppa Pig" will air on Discovery Kids Latin America. The firm will look to develop toys, publishing and home entertainment categories throughout the region. The first line of products is slated to launch at retail in 2014 in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador:
Televisa will begin airing episodes throughout Mexico by the end of 2013. And in conjunction with the broadcast launch, the multimedia mass media company company will be developing a full L&M (Licensing and Merchandising) campaign for the preschool property. Consumer products and promotions for "Peppa Pig" are likely to debut in Mexico in 2014, with a soft launch starting in Q3 [third quarter] and a full product launch hitting Mexican retail in Q4 [fourth quarter] 2014.
eOne has also partnered with Exim Licensing Group to develop a major consumer products program for the Intellectual Property (IP) in South America, where "Peppa Pig" will air on Discovery Kids Latin America. The firm will look to develop toys, publishing and home entertainment categories throughout the region. The first line of products is slated to launch at retail in 2014 in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador:
Televisa gets into the Peppa Pig business
Free-to-Air broadcaster Televisa has acquired broadcast and consumer products licensing rights to eOne Family’s hit preschool property Peppa Pig for Mexico.
Televisa will begin airing episodes throughout Mexico by the end of 2013. And in conjunction with the broadcast launch, the company will be developing a full L&M campaign for the property. Consumer products and promotions for Peppa Pig are likely to debut in Mexico in 2014, with a soft launch starting in Q3 and a full product launch hitting Mexican retail in Q4 2014.
eOne has also partnered with Exim Licensing Group to develop a major consumer products program for the IP in South America, where Peppa Pig will air on Discovery Kids Latin America. The firm will look to develop toys, publishing and home entertainment categories throughout the region. The first line of products is slated to launch at retail in 2014 in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador.
Tags: eOne, Exim Licensing, Mexico, Peppa Pig, Televisa
Imira Entertainment Taps Exim Licensing Group To Represent "Lucky Fred" Brand In Latin America
The children's entertainment and media news website Kidscreen is reporting the Nickelodeon Latin America and Brazil news in the following article that Spain's Imira Entertainment has inked a deal with Exim Licensing Group to represent the popular "Lucky Fred" property for licensing across Latin America.
"Lucky Fred" is an original Imira Entertainment animated co-production with Televisió de Catalunya and Rai Fiction that is currently shown in the LatAm region on Nickelodeon Latin America and Nickelodeon Brazil (Brasil). The animated series is about a young boy named Fred and Friday, his shape-shifting robot. The property has a global licensing program, and the deal with Exim covers key Latin American territories including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile.
Exim will represent "Lucky Fred" apparel and accessories, stationery and paper products, toys and games, party goods, health and personal care, food and beverage, along with other licensed "Lucky Fred" products to roll out over the coming months:
"Lucky Fred" is an original Imira Entertainment animated co-production with Televisió de Catalunya and Rai Fiction that is currently shown in the LatAm region on Nickelodeon Latin America and Nickelodeon Brazil (Brasil). The animated series is about a young boy named Fred and Friday, his shape-shifting robot. The property has a global licensing program, and the deal with Exim covers key Latin American territories including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile.
Exim will represent "Lucky Fred" apparel and accessories, stationery and paper products, toys and games, party goods, health and personal care, food and beverage, along with other licensed "Lucky Fred" products to roll out over the coming months:
Imira Entertainment taps Exim to rep Lucky Fred
Spain's Imira Entertainment has inked a deal with Exim Licensing Group to represent its Lucky Fred property for licensing across Latin America.
Lucky Fred is an original Imira Entertainment animated co-pro with Televisió de Catalunya and Rai Fiction, that features young boy Fred and Friday, his shape-shifting robot. The property has a global licensing program, and the deal with Exim covers key Latin American territories including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile.
Exim will represent apparel and accessories, stationery and paper products, toys and games, party goods, health and personal care, food and beverage, along with other licensed products to roll out over the coming months.
Currently, the series runs on Nickelodeon in the region.
Tags: Exim Licensing Grouo, Imira Entertainment, Lucky Fred
Nickelodeon UK To Premiere Brand New Episodes Of "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures" In July 2013
Nickelodeon UK and Ireland has announced and confirmed to NickALive! the very exciting Nick UK News that, after nearly a nine month hiatus, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK, the number one commercial kids TV network in the UK, will be premiering and showing more brand new episodes of the Nickelodeon original comedy series "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures" in July 2013, as part of Summer on Nickelodeon UK 2013 (exact transmission (TX) air dates, air times and episode names to be announced by Nickelodeon UK)!
Some of the remaining "Bucket & Skinner" episodes still to air on Nickelodeon UK include "Epic Break-Up", which guest stars Nickelodeon Stars Jennette McCurdy ("iCarly"), Patrick Gallagher, Cody Simpson, and Matt Shively ("True Jackson, VP", "The Troop"), the Australian pop singer Cody Simpson, and the Canadian actor Patrick Gallagher (Disney XD's "Pair of Kings" and Attila the Hun in "Night at the Museum"), "Epic Copycat" and "Epic Cupids".
You can currently watch "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures" on Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK every Saturday and Sunday morning at 6.30am (repeated at 7.30am on Nick UK's plus one (+1) timeshift channel, Nick+1).
Some of the remaining "Bucket & Skinner" episodes still to air on Nickelodeon UK include "Epic Break-Up", which guest stars Nickelodeon Stars Jennette McCurdy ("iCarly"), Patrick Gallagher, Cody Simpson, and Matt Shively ("True Jackson, VP", "The Troop"), the Australian pop singer Cody Simpson, and the Canadian actor Patrick Gallagher (Disney XD's "Pair of Kings" and Attila the Hun in "Night at the Museum"), "Epic Copycat" and "Epic Cupids".
You can currently watch "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures" on Nick UK and Ireland and Nick HD UK every Saturday and Sunday morning at 6.30am (repeated at 7.30am on Nick UK's plus one (+1) timeshift channel, Nick+1).
Nickelodeon South East Asia To Premiere New "House of Anubis" Special "The Touchstone of Ra" On Wednesday 19th June 2013
Nickelodeon South East Asia has announced in a post on their official Facebook profile page, facebook.com/nickasia, the very exciting Nickelodeon International news that Nickelodeon SEA will premiere and show the brand new thrilling 90-minute "House of Anubis" movie special "The Touchstone of Ra", on Wednesday 19th June 2013 at 9:30pm, and to celebrate, Nick Asia has added episodes from Nickelodeon's hit mystery series "House Of Anubis" to the channels' official "House Of Anubis" show website on the networks' official websiite, which Nickelodeon fans and viewers located in Asia can watch here on nick-asia.com!:
Hey SIBUNAs! Touchstone of Ra will be airing on 19 June @ 9:30pm! Do you know you can watch back episodes of House of Anubis season 3 here at http://at.nick.asia/11qJ5YJ?
Entertainment One Announces New UK "Peppa Pig" Licensing Deals
The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry news magazine The Grocer is reporting the exciting "Peppa Pig" news in this article on the magazines official website, thegrocer.co.uk, that Entertainment One Family has announced a raft of brand new UK licensing deals for Nick Jr. UK and Channel 5 Milkshake!'s popular preschool television series "Peppa Pig" as part of the shows L&M program [Licensing and Merchandising program].
The Nick Jr. UK megastar and popular cartoon character, who has starred in over 200 five-minute TV episodes, has already appeared on products including cake mixes, pasta shapes and iced lollies, and is now set to extending her supermarket presence with a host of licensing deals and extensions.
From September 2013, Peppa Pig will make her debut on branded cartons of healthy fruit juice in a range produced by supplier Appy Food & Drinks, which will also launch a Nickelodeon branded fruit juice line in July 2013.
Symington's, which produces "Peppa Pig" cake mixes, will be extending its licensed range later this year to include "Peppa Pig" porridge pots ("Yummy Porridge Bowl"), which will include a strawberry flavour choice and feature finely milled porridge, and bread sticks.
Plus, existing products are also gaining new listings, with lollies from Icefresh rolling out to Morrisons and The Co-op shops, and gingerbread biscuits launched by Cheshire baker Frank Roberts as a Waitrose exclusive last year (2012) will now be sold in Morrisons and Asda stores.
The Nick Jr. UK megastar and popular cartoon character, who has starred in over 200 five-minute TV episodes, has already appeared on products including cake mixes, pasta shapes and iced lollies, and is now set to extending her supermarket presence with a host of licensing deals and extensions.
From September 2013, Peppa Pig will make her debut on branded cartons of healthy fruit juice in a range produced by supplier Appy Food & Drinks, which will also launch a Nickelodeon branded fruit juice line in July 2013.
Symington's, which produces "Peppa Pig" cake mixes, will be extending its licensed range later this year to include "Peppa Pig" porridge pots ("Yummy Porridge Bowl"), which will include a strawberry flavour choice and feature finely milled porridge, and bread sticks.
Plus, existing products are also gaining new listings, with lollies from Icefresh rolling out to Morrisons and The Co-op shops, and gingerbread biscuits launched by Cheshire baker Frank Roberts as a Waitrose exclusive last year (2012) will now be sold in Morrisons and Asda stores.
Sneak Peeks At "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", "Rocket Monkeys", "Big Time Rush" Season 4, "Monsters Vs. Aliens" And More - All In Episode 9 Of Nickelodeon's "N-View"!
What do you get when you mix monkeys, turtles, monsters, aliens, an evil genius, and a Nickelodeon's hit boy band? It can only be the latest episode of N-View! In the ninth brand new episode of Nickelodeon International's children's entertainment magazine television series "N-View", currently premiering on Nickelodeon channels globally (see below for air-dates), Nick has got some super-special sneak peeks at what's new in movies, TV, gaming and more!
First up, Nickelodeon is giving you a preview of the all-new movie "Despicable Me 2". Your favourite evil genius is back for a new adventure — and of course, he's bringing his minions with him! Find out what's in store for Gru in the sequel.
And those minions aren't the only creatures causing mayhem! Meet the Rocket Monkeys, Gus and Wally, from the brand new hit Nick show — and check out an exclusive never-before-seen adventure!
Then, find out what's in store for the fierce foursome known as the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Their battle with the Krang is about to reach a whole new level... and Nick has got the inside scoop! Plus, Nick'll give you some tips on playing the aweslime new TMNT game "Rooftop Run", the new and exclusive Nickelodeon app. And Nickelodeon also pays a visit to Nicholas Groves, the design manager for LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the LEGO designers who turn the Heroes in a Half Shell into Legos and find out how they do it. Pretty cool job, right? Booyakasha!
And after all that, there's still more fun in store! Nickelodeon is giving you a sneak peek of the brand-new CGI-animated Nicktoon series "Monsters Vs. Aliens"! Yes, all our favourite characters from the movie are headed for our TV's later this year!
Finally, the icing on the cake, the Creme de la Creme: An exclusive sneak peek at the first episode of the upcoming brand new fourth season of Big Time Rush (season 4), called "Big Time Invasion"! Find out what happens when Carlos, Kendal, Logan and James face competition from another boy band from Britain. Surely this won't split them up, right...right?!?!
You don't want to miss this out-of-this-world episode of N-View! Check the International air-date list below to see when your local Nickelodeon channel will be showing N-View episode 9!:
Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand Saturday 15th June 2013
Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK: Saturday 22nd June 2013 at 6.30am (repeated at 7.30am on Nick UK's plus-one timeshift channel, Nick+1), and on Sunday 23rd June 2013 at 1.00pm (2pm on Nickelodeon+1)
Can't wait? You can watch a online streaming video of the Australian and New Zealand version of the ninth edition of Nickelodeon's N-View here on Nick AUS & NZ's official N-View website, nick-nview.com.au!
It is currently unknown whether Nickelodeon UK and Ireland presenter Anna Williamson will present the British and Irish version of issue 9 of N-View.
[Nickelodeon News via NickUKHub]
First up, Nickelodeon is giving you a preview of the all-new movie "Despicable Me 2". Your favourite evil genius is back for a new adventure — and of course, he's bringing his minions with him! Find out what's in store for Gru in the sequel.
And those minions aren't the only creatures causing mayhem! Meet the Rocket Monkeys, Gus and Wally, from the brand new hit Nick show — and check out an exclusive never-before-seen adventure!
Then, find out what's in store for the fierce foursome known as the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Their battle with the Krang is about to reach a whole new level... and Nick has got the inside scoop! Plus, Nick'll give you some tips on playing the aweslime new TMNT game "Rooftop Run", the new and exclusive Nickelodeon app. And Nickelodeon also pays a visit to Nicholas Groves, the design manager for LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the LEGO designers who turn the Heroes in a Half Shell into Legos and find out how they do it. Pretty cool job, right? Booyakasha!
And after all that, there's still more fun in store! Nickelodeon is giving you a sneak peek of the brand-new CGI-animated Nicktoon series "Monsters Vs. Aliens"! Yes, all our favourite characters from the movie are headed for our TV's later this year!
Finally, the icing on the cake, the Creme de la Creme: An exclusive sneak peek at the first episode of the upcoming brand new fourth season of Big Time Rush (season 4), called "Big Time Invasion"! Find out what happens when Carlos, Kendal, Logan and James face competition from another boy band from Britain. Surely this won't split them up, right...right?!?!
You don't want to miss this out-of-this-world episode of N-View! Check the International air-date list below to see when your local Nickelodeon channel will be showing N-View episode 9!:
Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand Saturday 15th June 2013
Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK: Saturday 22nd June 2013 at 6.30am (repeated at 7.30am on Nick UK's plus-one timeshift channel, Nick+1), and on Sunday 23rd June 2013 at 1.00pm (2pm on Nickelodeon+1)
Can't wait? You can watch a online streaming video of the Australian and New Zealand version of the ninth edition of Nickelodeon's N-View here on Nick AUS & NZ's official N-View website, nick-nview.com.au!
It is currently unknown whether Nickelodeon UK and Ireland presenter Anna Williamson will present the British and Irish version of issue 9 of N-View.
[Nickelodeon News via NickUKHub]