'Yo Gabba Gabbaland!': New show brings singing and dancing to a new generation of viewers

When “Yo Gabba Gabba” hit the small screen, it inspired children and their parents alike to sing and dance along. The hit TV show — which premiered in 2007 and ran until 2015 — featured a DJ who brings five toys to life to teach children about lessons about friendship and growth.

Now, the beloved characters Muno, Brobee, Foofa, Toodee and Plex are back in a new iteration on Apple TV+ called “Yo Gabba Gabbaland.” And they’re joined by a new host Kammy Kam.

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Co-creators Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz say they wanted to pay homage to the “golden age of live-action kids’ TV” like “Sesame Street” and “H.R. Pufnstuf.”

“Ultimately this show, it's really a colorful explosion, borderline psychedelic,” Jacobs says, “because that's really the age we grew up watching.”

Each of the five starring characters has a distinct personality — some are bubbly and outgoing, while others are shy or anxious. Jacobs says it’s an attempt to teach children how everyone is different but can come together in meaningful ways.

“They all have things that they can work on together to help them all be able to function together and be a functional family, if you will, of friends and people,” Jacobs says. “That's what we want to carry over, not just into the new show, but also into our world.”

“Yo Gabba Gabba” was also known for bringing on musical guests the whole family could enjoy, including Weezer, The Roots and Devo. “Yo Gabba Gabbaland” is keeping up that tradition, announcing a lineup for the new season including Anderson .Paak, The Linda Lindas and Thundercat.

Schultz says the show chooses its ‘Super Music Friends’ by considering who can participate as the best preschool version of themselves.

“For a preschooler, music is that opportunity to express themselves. It's that emotional expression that's often kind of beyond words in some ways,” Schultz says. “I think for us as parents, it's like, let's be a preschooler with our preschoolers, with our kids. Not just talking down to them or watching them experience, but let's experience the magic of childhood together.”

In the show’s original form, DJ Lance Rock starred as a rockstar in an orange tracksuit who brought the toys to life. But in “Yo Gabba Gabbaland,” 13-year-old Kammy Kam — portrayed by Kamryn Smith — fills the host role.

Smith says she grew up watching “Yo Gabba Gabba.” She danced competitively and knew she wanted to pursue acting and keep performing.

“DJ Lance was such an icon, and when I came into this role, [Jacobs] and [Schultz] didn't really want me to be like him. They wanted me to just be Kammy Kam,” Smith says. “As this role, I wasn't really acting a lot. I was more of just being myself and how mostly my younger self would act to all the Gabba friends because they're like my babies.”