The Backyardigans

The Backyardigans is an animated children’s TV series created by Janice Burgess. The show, which aired between 2004 and 2013 via Nickelodeon in the US, followed the adventures of five animal-shaped characters: Uniqua, Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, and Austin. Each character had two voice actors: one for talking and one for singing and the cast included Jake Goldberg, Jonah Bobo, and Zach Tyler Eisen, among others. During its nine years on the air, the show received eight nominations for the Daytime Emmy Awards and Janice Burgess won an Emmy in 2008 for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program. The Backyardigans have also toured extensively throughout the US and Canada with the theatrical performances Musical Playdate (2006), Quest for the Extra Ordinary Aliens (2008), and See Deep in Adventure (2009). Composed by American songwriter Evan Lurie, the music of the show was released in four separate albums: The Adventures Begin… (2004), The Backyardigans (2005), Groove to the Music (2006), and Born to Play (2008). In 2021, “Castaways” and “Into the Thick of It” from the eponymous 2005 album went viral on social media, re-entering the charts in the US as well as in countries like Singapore and Indonesia.