Honestly I had no idea what Yo Gabba Gabba was before today, other than a kids’ show. By name and appearance alone — just because the Con has taught me to judge everyone and everything this way from now on out –  it looked like little else than a lamer version of SpongeBob or something. It was almost like the SpongeBob characters had been crossed with the guys from a Troma movie, like The Toxic Avenger, and maybe a couple from Futurama. But they look neat, which is pretty much the bottom line. And today, the Gabba panel at Comic-Con today proved there could be some cool programming for kids outside a few gems like Sesame Street and Pee Wee and The Electric Company. Yes, YGG is without a doubt one of the hippest, most parent-friendly kids shows to come around since Spongebob, and also infinitely less annoying.

Countless A-List celebs like Brad Bitt, Jack Black, Sara Silverman have appeared on the show, many because their kids have already fallen in love with it. One of the show’s creators, Christian Jacobs, (aka Aquabats frontman, The MC Bat Commander) said, “We went back to the shows we watched as kids, and found that there was a difference between the ones on now and the ones we watched then. We just thought that the shows we watched when we were kids had more intellect.” If only to prove his point, Christian and company then showcased a montage of their influences, and after watching the first thing to cross my mind was: The Yo Gabba Gabba Team are the Quentin Tarantinos of childrens’ shows.

From Japan to Sweden, everything from HR Puffinstuff to Pee Wee’s Big Adventure to some of the most bizarre-yet-hypnotic sheize you’ll ever see, like robots fighting giant turtles Godzilla style and stuff that my brain is both trying to recall and experiencing shutdown in trying. It’s so much on so many levels –  an anarchic blend of hip DJ music and cleverly written kids’ lyrics/tunes. An unabashed display of seizure-inducing bright colors and trippy, quasi-psychedelic imagery I’m sure Timothy Leary would have a field day with (or maybe he’d just get up and dance). Now the show is live and on tour across our country, bringing out legions of moms and dads all too happy to dance weekday mornings away with their young ones.

Scott, also from The Aquabats, talked for a bit about his quest as an indie artist (seems like he’s doing all right for himself). At the conclusion of the panel, the dance-fest was had. Parents got up to boogie with their youngins, which kinda just… made me want kids. Noticing this freakish and unwanted feeling, I sought to get out ASAP — Nonetheless, I reluctantly acknowledge having had said emotions, and have to credit the panel and show highlights as evidence of a welcome change: Yo Gabba Gabba genuinely brings out the kid in us, and that’s better than the homicidal urges brought out by the likes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers or Barney or any number of similarly wretched ‘toons that hopefully will psychically scar this earth’s children no more. It’s just further proof that, deep down, even your kids just wanna dance.

Words by Jeff Nau, Photos by Zoetica Ebb