When our dudes' attention spans blossomed to the point of being able to stomach a full tv show, we were very ecstatic to introduce Yo Gabba Gabba. Engaging story lines, amazing animation, and radical musical guests.. CHECK. Being able to show my kids how good Rocket From the Crypt and Dr. Dog are through a lens that they can really appreciate was truly magical. Fast forward a year or two, and those sweet dudes have grown to want more action packed adventure on their TV tasting palette. Enter, The Aquabats Super Show: a program with enough excitement, a dash of campy 60's Batman, and some over the top awesome tunes, created by the MC Bat Commander, AKA Christian Jacobs, AKA the Co-Creator of Yo Gabba Gabba. It seems like it's a natural evolutionary step to go from Yo Gabba to the Aquabats Super Show. We were thrilled when the dudes jumped right aboard and became mega Aquabat fans. We've followed the show around on the now-defunct Hub channel, and have since downloaded every single episode via iTunes. The best part of all, is that our kids are now listening to the same music that my wife and I were glued to when we first met. Pretty dang rad. And now, both of our older dudes have MULTIPLE real deal rock shows under their belts. If you have an opportunity to take your little one to an Aquabats show, I couldn't recommend it more. Our kids especially dug the live show after listening to the cds in the car a bit and becoming familiar with a handful of songs. Some of our obvious faves are: "Super Rad", "Shark Fighter", "My Skateboard" and "Hey Homies". The Aquabats are very appreciative of the wide age range within their audience and take extra care that everyone is having the best time, especially the young ones. Get out and get to a show! Bring your kids!
Over here at the house of rad, we love Valentine's Day. It's our chance to let everyone know how much we care. And it's a killer vehicle to get CANDY (or other good stuff)!
The dudes are big fans of Valentine making because we always try to flex some creative muscles and make something fun and unique. We decided to brainstorm "stuff we are into", to get some Valentine design ammo. Cooper immediately settled on Pokemon, being an active trainer himself these days. Charley was all over the place. Starting with superheroes, we thought we nailed it with Superman, but then he came out of the blue with MONKEYS. And at the last minute, wanted to throw the Aquabats in the mix.
So.... we took some quick head shots, then came up with some cupid-worthy slogans to click with the themes the dudes chose.
Of course, Charley ended up with three valentines, because they were actually pretty cool. Fortunately he's having two parties at school, so each fiesta will get a unique one! We taped some Fun-Dip packages on the back of them. That is all of them but Charley's monkey design. Those sweet little monkeys got taped to some fresh bananas!
Hug someone you love! Happy Valentine's day y'all!
I'm a fan of the television. I don't like to spend all my time there, but a little bit doesn't hurt. And with technology like Apple TV and Netflix, it seems like we've got all the shows we could ever to want, right? Seems as though we got a little too much. Coop knows his way around Netflix like a champ. And while he's found some killer classic shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ren & Stimpy, he's also been lured into the world of Power Rangers (I guess you could say I don't like that show). I've been doing my best to keep an open mind about the new shows that are out there, and I'm proud to reveal here, for the first time ever: MY FAVORITE KID SHOWS. Not necessarily my kids' favorite shows, but ones that I really dig, and the kids dig enough to watch 'em with me!
In no particular order:
Phineas and Ferb- This one might be a no brainer to those who are well-versed in the Disney Channel. This show has been around for a while now, but it's still awesome. There are so many episodes out, that it seems everytime it's on, there's a 50/50 chance I haven't seen it... those are good odds! The characters are awesome. The storylines are fun. And the dialogue is great and witty.
Gravity Falls- I know I said no particular order, but this one is totally my favorite right now. It's premise is a brother and sister head out to the woods to live with their uncle at his 'Mystery Shack' (road-side attraction kinda place) in the woods. When they arrive, they find out the shack isn't the only thing shrouded in mystery, but the whole area of Gravity Falls, Oregon as well! The animation is amazing, and the stories and dialogue are almost Adult Swim level stuff. A lot of the jokes go over my little dudes' heads, but they really love the crazy stories and fun characters.
The Aquabats Super Show! - Ever since Cooper seemed to move on from Yo Gabba Gabba, it bummed me out a bit. But the world was right once again when the Aquabats show finally came to our TV set. It's probably been about 10 years in the making, but at last they did it, and they did it right! The Aquabats Super Show takes a page from the 1960's Batman tv show with some very colorful enemies and over the top dialogue. Watching the show has also led the Aquabats music to our cars, which has made me ecstatic, as well as a bit nostalgic. The show is wild, zany and keeps the kids interested. It has also inspired Charley to be an Aquabat for next Halloween. Stoked! They just started airing season 2 recently, and season 1 is available on iTunes and DVD.
Sanjay and Craig - this is a new show for me and the little dudes, but so far we love it. It's a Nickelodeon show about a kid named Sanjay and his talking pet snake, named Craig. The creative staff on this show is what brought me to it... It was created by one of my current favorite artists, Jay Howell and his buddy Jim Dirschberger. AND, it's produced by Will McRobb & Chris Viscardi, the creators of The Adventures of Pete & Pete (another amazing Nickelodeon show from when I was a kid, that I actually somehow got Coop to watch the entire boxed set with me, AND HE LOVED IT.) We've only watched one episode of Sanjay and Craig, but I'm a sucker for just about everything Jay Howell does.. especially his workwith Vans. I'm excited to get a little deeper into this one but so far, it's radical.
and lastly, here's one I've only seen the title sequence for, but i'm stoked. It's another Disney cartoon called "Wander Over Yonder". looks promising!
so yeah! watch some cool shows with your kids, but only in moderation!
growing up in Southern California has had a few long lasting effects on me. I can't stay away from the beach, I could eat mexican food for just about every meal, aaaaaaand I'm a huge fan of just about everything John Reis, AKA Swami, AKA Speedo, etc. does. And what could be cooler but to share my love for one of his bands with my little dudes. Yep. Rocket from the Crypt is back with a new tune after about 7 years of quiet. They're one of a handful of awesome bands that are found on the new Yo Gabba Gabba: Music is Awesome, Vol 4 cd.
Rocket from the Crypt lends a new one (written by Adam Deibert of Yo Gabba, formerly of the Aquabats) called "He's A Chef". The video includes a rad cameo by Thomas Lennon (Reno 911, Wet Hot American Summer, the State). I'm a fan of it all. Also on the record are some killer tunes from Peter Bjorn & John, Belle & Sebastian, Mariachi El Bronx, Biz Markie, and a whole grip more. I've found these Yo Gabba cds have been huge in opening my little dudes up to other music. The Aquabats contributed a song called "Pool Party" to the Volume 2 cd, and now all the rest of the Aquabats cds are on rotation in the car on the way to school. Who knows, maybe tomorrow Rocket from the Crypt, tomorrow Drive Like Jehu? Check out the cd from Amazon right over heeeeeeeere. And while you're clickin on stuff, check out the video for "He's A Chef" below!!
