Who are the Backyardigans?

The Backyardigans is an animated musical-adventure children's TV series, created by Janice Burgess and animated using CGI (computer-generated imagery), shown on Nick Jr. Debuting in 2004, it currently has 20 episodes. Music for the show is written by Evan Lurie, of The Lounge Lizards, and Douglas Wieselman.

In each episode, the show's five high-spirited preschool friends--Uniqua, Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, and Austin--rely on their vivid imaginations to transform their backyard into a fantastical 3-D landscape and together they embark on amazing epic journeys. Such adventures range from finding the secret of the River Nile to discovering uncharted lands as Vikings. The show is a musical, and each episode has four songs (sometimes reprised more than once in an episode), some of them reworkings of traditional tunes.

These lovable characters will inspire children to sing and dance along, and to stretch their imaginations as they climb up mountains, slide down glaciers, and sail across oceans. Each episode is driven by an exciting, age-appropriate story and enlivened by original music, a different musical genre is featured in every episode--including Big Band, R&B, Jazz, Tango, Reggae, Rockabilly, Bossa Nova, and Hip-Hop--and by professionally choreographed dance numbers.

Pablo is the excitable blue penguin. Tyrone is the laid-back (though sometimes fearful) orange moose. Uniqua is the confident, polka-dotted one-of-a-kind creature. Tasha is the bossy but amiable yellow hippo. Austin is the somewhat shy purple kangaroo. The members of the voice cast are actual children. Even though the show uses CGI, the dance scenes are based on live-action dancers and choreography by Beth Bogush.