Five Things we learned from Yo Gabba Gabba

Collaborating with Nick Jr. dance show Yo Gabba Gabba has been a huge thrill for all of us at WGBH. Before Yo Gabba Gabba! debuted in August 2007, Us ZOOMers had already been entertaining and educating kids all over the world in there mid-90s and early 2000s. We always admired their songwriting, their talent as 5 weird costumed characters and a DJ, the way that their early education backgrounds informed their songs, and the respect with which they treat children and families. Here are a few things we learned from working with Yo Gabba Gabba’s team.

Be Kind

From our first meeting, every person from Yo Gabba Gabba's organization we’ve met with has been so nice and easy to work with. From the band themselves, to management, to their social media team…the whole crew acts as a family and have treated us like old friends. Yo Gabba Gabba is incredibly busy, touring the world and producing new songs and shows and videos. They are working all the time but have always been so generous with their time with us, and every interaction has been a pleasure. You can see why they’ve been able to maintain such a great connection with their fans. Being kind is part of their team culture.

Be Open

When dealing with a brand as big as Yo Gabba Gabba, Baby Einstein, or The Wiggles, there is some reasonable expectation that things are going to be done their way. However, The Gabba is incredibly open and flexible to trying new things, and actively encourage experimentation and thinking outside of the box. “We’d love to do a playlist together with you, Baby Einstein, and the Wiggles. What else can we do? Shoot a guest spot on And Now A Word from Us Kids? Absolutely! Let us know what we can do to help!” That openness allows them to make connections with their fans (and make new connections) in ways that are convenient to the fans.

Be Earnest

Yo Gabba Gabba really really cares about what it does. Everybody on the team is all in. One thing that we’ve always loved about YGG is that they stay very true to who they are. They entertain and educate children. They also happen to have guest musicians, so parents enjoy their music as well, but it’s unapologetically for kids.

Give it Your All

We initially had scheduled a day for The ZOOMers to shoot a segment of Yo Gabba Gabba! in April of 2019. On the day Evie and John shoot their YGG segment, it was an unusually warm day and the studio heated up. But they were so gracious and generous with their time during the shoot. When you see that kind of professionalism up close, it makes it easy to understand how The Gabba has stayed at the top of its game since 2007.

Have Fun

The Gabba Gang clearly loves what they do. It’s infectious. When Evie and John themselves visited the Gabba set, they had such a great time singing and dancing together. Their love of music and entertaining shines through at all times.

We had an amazing time working with Yo Gabba Gabba for And Now A Word from Us Zoomers. We hope you’ll subscribe to their YouTube channel and catch their concert next time they are in your town. You’ll have a great time, guaranteed.