Sale on Beanie Babies

If you've been coveting the complete set of Backyardigans Beanie Babies (Uniqua, Tyrone and Pablo) here's your chance! Nick Jr. is offering a deal where, if you buy all three, you get 20% off. The sale lasts until March 6.

Cute, aren't they?


Backyardigans Beanie Babies

Backyardigans Fruit Snacks

Everyone has been talking about the new Kellogg's Backyardigans Fruit Flavored Snacks that have shown up in the stores. So far they've been seen at Target and Walmart. I found some yesterday, at Food Lion.

The box I got came packaged with 10 pouches of snacks. They have all five characters and a red star, although the picture on the front of the box and on the pouches features only the Big Three: Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone. If you're looking around the shelves for it, you'll probably notice the light green background first, though.

They come in four flavors, strawberry, grape, orange and cherry. Tyrone is colored orange. Austin is purple, Tasha is yellow, Uniqua is pink, and Pablo is blue.

My kids are ecstatic. When I put the box in the cart, my oldest grabbed it and carried it around the store for the rest of the shopping trip, clutched in her arms like a doll. They taste pretty good, too. (Of course I tried them! Research, you know.)

If you see them at other stores, let me know! I'll keep a running list, here, of where they can be bought.

Update (2/24/06): They've been see at Winn-Dixie, too!

DVD Review - Polka Palace Party

It's finally here! I normally would have gotten this DVD from Netflix.com, but that didn't work out this time, so Tuesday morning I hopped over to Blockbuster and picked one of their two copies. The good thing about that is I have to return it tomorrow, so there isn't the temptation to put off writing this, like there would be with a copy from Netflix!

Polka Palace Party follows the Backyardigans DVD pattern. Four episodes, one of them previously unaired on Nick Jr. The episodes on this DVD are:

• Polka Palace Party - Tyrone is on his way to the Cheyenne Polka Palace with Sherman the Worman, to play his Tuba at Sherman's brother's birthday party. Along the way, he picks up Uniqua, Pablo and Austin, to make the perfect polka playing band.
  
• High Tea - When Tyrone, Pablo and Uniqua can't decide what to play they agree to let Tasha decide. They're not too thrilled when Tasha decides on a tea party, but she manages to make the experience as exciting as any of them could wish. Austin shows up at the end, as a meloncholy Ming emporer.
  
• The Heart of the Jungle - The episode that introduced to Sherman the Worman. Austin, Pablo and Tyrone are all Tarzans, helping Uniqua to return Sherman to his worman home, in the jungle.
  
• Viking Voyage - Pablo, Uniqua and Tyrone are Vikings, searching for a new land to discover. Tasha is a mermaid, determined to stop them. Is there any doubt who'll prevail?
  

High Tea was interesting, I thought. It had more the feeling of kids pretending together than any of the other episodes I've seen. I can remember playtimes like that when I was a kid, with one of us leading the others along in a game of make-believe. I liked it alot.

There was only one item in the Special Features section this time, apart from the previews, which was disappointing. Nickelodeon just can't seem to get this part of the Backyardigans' DVDs right. This time the special feature was a music video from Viking Voyage, Hold on Tight. It's a clip direct from the episode with no special editing. (Not that any was needed. It really is great all on its own.)

What I was really hoping was that they'd include one of the great music videos they show on Nick Jr. every so often, which I haven't seen used except to advertise the show. We do, however, have one more DVD scheduled for release (Cave Party, 3/17/06) and hopefully at least one more to come after that, so there is yet time for Nickelodeon to get this section right.

In the Previews section, a new Go, Diego, Go DVD, The Great Dinosaur Rescue is advertised, as well as three Dora the Explorer DVDs: Dora's Pirate Adventure, Fairytale Adventure and Dance to the Rescue. Blue's Clues/Blue's Room DVDs Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, It's Hug Day and Alphabet Power, are advertised as well.

To quote my last review, "You can play the DVD in English or French. You can Play All, which will play each of the episodes and then automatically restart through the entire thing, or choose one episode at a time, which will not automatically start again upon finishing. Leave it too long on the menu page (15 seconds) and it will automatically go into Play All."(Which has the potential to get the DVD looping over and over again. Which meant I had to stop it fast, after letting the girls watch it all the way through, to avoid the crying and pleas to let them watch it all just one more time? Please? We promise we won't cry next time it ends ...)

A great DVD, and right now, the only way to watch High Tea that I know of, if you're in the United States. An invaluable addition to your Backyardigans collection, if only for that one episode.

Lyrics - Eureka

Eureka! Eureka,
When you find-a what you seek-a
Eureka, Eureka
Everybody shout
Eureka, eureka, eureka, eureka!

Eureka! Eureka,
It's a word from ancient Greek-a
Eureka, eureka
Everybody shout
Eureka!

It's the best dang word
Eureka Eureka
That we have ever heard
Eureka Eureka
When you're just about to freak-a
shout it out, Eureka!

Eureka!

It's a scientist's delight
And we do pronounce it right
when you take-a that first peek-a
shout it out, Eureka!

Eureka! Eureka,
We'll sing this song a week-a
Eureka, eureka
Everybody shout
Eureka!

Eureka! Eureka,
From the top of the highest peak-a
Eureka, eureka
Everybody shout
Eureka!

It's the perfect thing to shout
when you're diggin' treasure out
when you find-a what you seek-a
shout it out eureka

It's the word you'll hear us shriek
when we find the the bones we seek
When you take-a that first peek-a

It is time to shout
Eureka!
It is time to shout
Eureka!
It is time to shout
Eureka!

Brand-new Episode?

I was surfing around looking at Backyardigans products for sale and found something interesting at Amazon.

Mars, Here We Come!

This is a 16 page board book, due to be released Aug. 29, 2006. Looking at the date, I'm guessing that we might be looking at at least one new episode coming out next fall. Maybe?

Anyone want to join me in anticipatory speculation?

Lyrics - Questing, Questing

From The Quest for the Flying Rock episode. This song can be found on the Backyardigans CD.

Questing, questing, questing
Never resting
Questing, questing, questing
Racing to the rock!

We're jungle questers
Fast and swift,
When it comes to racing,
We have a gift.
As long as we follow
Our ancient map
We'll reach StoneStep Hill
In a snap!

Questing, questing, questing
Never resting
Questing, questing, questing
Racing to the rock!

We're desert questers
Quick and smart
When it comes to racing
We've got the art.
As long as we follow
Our ancient map
We'll reach StoneStep Hill
Like a zap!

Backyardigans store at CafePress

From the good people who brought you the BackyardiganFans bulletin board, now there's a Backyardigans store, over at CafePress.

What they've done is take some of the most popular quotes from the show and slap them on everything from t-shirts to mousepads and clocks. So far the quotes include:

"That is certainly convenient!"
"Snack Time!"
"Half a map is better than no map at all"
"Watch out for Yeti droppings"
"A pirate says 'Arrrrr!'"

Missing your favorite line? Stop over at BackyardigansFans and let them hear about it! They're still looking for great lines, so maybe they'll decide to use your suggestion.

Tasha

Tasha is a princess at heart and whenever there is royalty to be played, you can bet she'll be in the middle of it all, enjoying the pageantry. A light yellow hippo, Tasha knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. Stubborn as she is, though, she'll usually listen to Uniqua. Eventually.

Tasha wears red Mary Jane shoes (the only Backyardigan who wears shoes) and a sleeveless orange dress with light orange flowers. She is voiced by Naelee Rae, sung by Kristin Klabunde and danced by Darlene Dirstine.

Interactive Calendar

If you're looking for a calendar for the new year, you might want to check out the Nick Jr. 2006 Create-A-Calendar. This is a small program that you download to your desktop. Double click the icon you'll find there (it's labeled 2006_create_a_calendar.exe) and it will open up the program.

What you get is a pretty basic calendar program. Click on a day to type in reminders. Hit Next to move from month to month. You can save what you've typed in and print out your calendar pages as many times as you like.

"So?" you might say. "What does this have to do with the Backyardigans?"

Well, when you've got everything printed out and have put it together, you'll have something like a traditional wall calendar, complete with the picture above the month's calendar. And in this calendar, those pictures are coloring pages, pictures of characters from Nick Jr. shows. Three of the pages are Backyardigans.

May's picture has Tasha pushing Uniqua in a two-wheeled cart filled with flowers. July has Uniqua and Tasha at the beach, building a sand castle. January 2007 (the calendar goes to February, 2007) has Tasha and Austin playing in the snow. Tasha is skiing and Austin is sledding on a snow saucer.

As far as I can tell, it isn't possible to print out just the coloring pages, without printing out the calendar page as well. It's two at a time, or nothing. But, if you're using the calendar as it was intended, that isn't a problem.

You do have a be a Nick Jr. member to download this, as it is a member exclusive. Also, for those of you who are Apple devotees, bad news. This program only runs on Windows 95/98/2000/NT.