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From the Vault

The Tuba Polka

August 13th, 2008

1 Comment

Having a young baby means you are lucky enough to get to watch have to endure kid programs. Some are better than others, but nearly all of them are painfully repetitive. Shows like Dora the Explorer are, at first glance, mind-bendingly boring. But after a while, you start to appreciate the little nuances and differences, such as when a bad guys gets away with something they usually don’t (like that bastard Swiper Fox). I’ve grown to appreciate The Wonder Pets and even Pinky Dinky Doo. But my new favorite kids show is The Backyardigans.

Your backyard friends

This is the basic premise: in each episode, some subsection of five talking, dancing, young animals meet in their backyard(s) for a pretend adventure. They “imagine” the adventure, and along the way, they sing songs – not just kids songs, the show is a musical. Each episode also features a new genre of music, some as simple as “Rock N Roll,” but others are as specific as “zydeco.” Along the way, they dance, and the dances are actual animations of real kids dancing fed through some process to make a computer representation.

The thing is, the songs are pretty catchy. And what’s worse, some of them are really catchy. I’ve googled it, and scores of people are searching for the lyrics to some of these songs. The theme song is one of the most annoying and most popular out there, but my kid loves it. And then there’s this little number called either “The Tuba Polka” or “The Worman Polka.” Although the closed captions read “Dance little worman polka,” I’m convinced that the below lyrics are correct.

I love to play the tuba and do the polka dance
Makes me feel so happy in my cowboy polka pants
Do the tuba polka! Do the tuba polka!

We’re heading west to play a polka party for our friends
All the way to Cheyenne where the dancing never ends

Dance to the worman polka! Yip! Yip! Yip! Yip! Dance to the worman polka!

When Sherman’s brother gets there, we’ll yell “Surprise!” real loud
And all those western Wormans will dance the polka proud

Dance to the worman polka! Yip! Yip! Yip! Yip! Dance to the worman polka!

If you get a chance and you either have a young chil who will appreciate this or you’re just a music fan looking for a genre that most of your behind-the-curve friends won’t yet have discovered, check out The Backyardigans.

My recommendation for best song: “He’s Green” from “The Swamp Creature” episode, “Boinga,” from the “Mission to Mars” episode, and “The Tuba Polka” from the “Polka Palace” episode.