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.

DVD Review - The Snow Fort

Got this from Netflix.com and my kids love it! They didn't want to watch anything else for several days.

Just like It's Great to Be a Ghost, The Snow Fort has four episodes.

• The Snow Fort - While Ski Patrol members Tasha and Uniqua try to rescue them, Mounties Pablo and Tyrone defend the snow fort against what they think is the girls' attempt to steal the giant snowball.
  
• The Yeti - Tasha, Uniqua and Tyrone track Yeti Pablo.
  
• Knights are Brave and Strong - Queen Tasha sends Uniqua to deliver an important message to King Austin. Pablo and Tyrone join in her quest to become a knight.
  
• Secret Mission - Description

There weren't as many Special Features as before, but they are much better. There are two music videos, Ski Patrol to the Rescue and The Yeti Stomp, and a Previews section which advertises miscellaneous Dora the Explorer, Blue's Room and My Little Pony videos. The music videos are not just clipped straight from the episode where the characters are singing. They show several bits from the episode, tied together by an overarching theme. The Ski Patrol video shows the girls skiing, interspersed with clips from the episode; The Yeti Stomp video focuses on Pablo, with occasional shots of the other three characters that are in that episode.

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.

This is very good video, a must have if you are looking to build up a Backyardigans collection and an excellent choice if you only want one Backyardigans DVD. If I had to choose between this and It's Great to Be a Ghost, I'd choose The Snow Fort.

No, really, I mean it. I really, really am back, this time.

First it was my wrist, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Now it's my knee and a sprain.

That'll teach me to take the kids sledding.

So I've been laid up for way too long, spending all my time on the couch and feeding my family things like pizza and tv dinners. And even that hurt. Do you have any idea how much you use the muscles around your knee, even just to shift position when you're sitting down?

By this point I am completely out of the rhythm of blogging, so bear with me, please, while I get back into the habit of posting regularly.

Meanwhile, I'll be posting my long-promised review of The Snow Fort, today.

Honest, I will!

Trivia - Snacktime

"We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore, now it's time to have a snack, see you next time when we're back, with your friends the Backyardigans."

Ah, but what snack are Uniqua, Tasha, Austin, Pablo and Tyrone going to have? Here's a complete list of the episodes so far and the snacks the Backyardigans have at the end of the episode, as far as we know at least. Special thanks to Backyardiganteen, who did most of the work in putting this together!

• Knights Are Brave and Strong - Pretzels and juice, at Uniqua's house (Ben notes: Tasha is the one that offered the snack, right? Why did they go to Uniqua’s house instead of Tasha’s?)
• The Yeti - Hot chocolate, at Uniqua's house
• Pirate Treasure - Not specified, at Uniqua's house
• The Heart of the Jungle - Pretzels, at Uniqua's house
• Secret Mission - Brownies, at Uniqua's house
• Riding the Range - Cookies, at Pablo's house
• The Key to the Nile - Cheese, crackers and apple juice, at Tasha's house
• The Snow Fort - Not specified, at Tyrone's house
• It's Great to Be a Ghost - Apples, at Pablo's house
• Viking Voyage - Graham crackers, at Uniqua's house
• The Quest for the Flying Rock - Waffles, at Tyrone's house
• Surf's Up - Grilled cheese, at Pablo's house
• Race to the Tower of Power - Granola bars, at Tyrone's house
• Castaways - Applesauce, at Uniqua's house
• Cave Party - Cinnamon toast, at Pablo's house
• High Tea - Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, at Pablo's house (Thanks to Grandpa Phil for this information.)
• Eureka! - Graham Crackers, at Uniqua's house
• Polka Palace Party - Strawberries, at Uniqua's house
• Race Around the World - Chocolate Chip Cookies, at Uniqua's house (Thanks to Grandpa Phil for this information.)
  
• Monster Detectives - Celery with hummus, at Tyrone's house

Brownie points to the first person to post in comments about a noticeable oddity here! Hint: His name starts with an "A".

Backyardigans radio

Want to listen to Backyardigans music but don't have your Backyardigans music CD? You can listen to many of the songs online!

Just go to Nick Jr., and click on the Nick Jr. Playtime link on the upper left side of the screen. This will open another window. Click on the red radio on the upper right, then click on either arrow until you see a picture of the Backyardigans. Click on that picture and you'll be hearing songs from the episodes right away!