History WesternAnimation / TheBackyardigans

* SoftGlass: The skylight Tasha and Uniqua escape through in "Break Out". It practically vanishes on contact.

* KangaroosRepresentAustralia: Austin.

* MissionControl: Again, Tyrone and Tasha in "Mission to Mars". Austin provides a unique variation in "Break Out"-- he's a portable magic mirror possessed by Tasha and Uniqua, yet obeys the trope and its associated clichés almost perfectly.

* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: OK, Tyrone and Pablo get a pass, but what's up with Austin and Tasha?

* MissionControl: Again, Tyrone and Tasha in "Mission to Mars".

* PokeThePoodle: Justified. The MoralGuardians aren't about to let preschool characters do anything genuinely evil.

* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: At the end of "Caveman's Best Friend", the characters clap during the last song and cheer for Austin to try and whistle.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Backyardigans.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Clockwise from bottom center: Pablo, Tyrone, Tasha, Austin, Uniqua.]]

For some, [[MuppetBabies]], this general idea, [[Rugrats]] sounds familiar. However, the [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome excellent music alone]], an expertly affectionate tribute to the genres in question, makes this show a standalone winner. It has also managed to pick up a sizeable PeripheryDemographic as one of the few current children's programs to work on child and adult levels simultaneously by actively using the characters' innocence to spoof genre cliches. Refusing to use {{noninteractivity}} or otherwise [[EdutainmentShow trying to hammer home a lesson]], the show is probably the last pure celebration of intelligence and imagination available to preschoolers.

For some, [[MuppetBabies this general idea]] [[{{Rugrats}} sounds familiar]]. However, the [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome excellent music alone]], an expertly affectionate tribute to the genres in question, makes this show a standalone winner. It has also managed to pick up a sizeable PeripheryDemographic as one of the few current children's programs to work on child and adult levels simultaneously by actively using the characters' innocence to spoof genre cliches. Refusing to use {{noninteractivity}} or otherwise [[EdutainmentShow trying to hammer home a lesson]], the show is probably the last pure celebration of intelligence and imagination available to preschoolers.

* HeyItsThatVoice: There are joke drawings on DeviantArt showing Pablo cosplaying as [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Aang]], because they're both voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen (at least Pablo was during the first season). In the first four seasons, Austin was voiced by Jonah Bobo, who also played Todd in ''[[Disney/TheFoxAndTheHound The Fox and the Hound 2]]''. Austin's singing voice for the first three seasons, Thomas Sharkey, also played Baby Jaguar in ''Go, Diego, Go''. And in Japan, Tasha is voiced by KanaUeda of all people.

* DropWhatYouAreDoing: Tasha drops some planks in "Ranch Hands From Outer Space" when she finds out that Zablo and Zuniqua (Pablo and Uniqua) made a fence going to the sky. In "Elephant on the Run", Uniqua drops her most prized cookie jar when she sees Tyrone and Pablo jumping off her plane with the elephant.

* UnusualEuphemism: In "The Great Dolphin Race", the characters exclaim "[[TheLittleMermaid Jumping jellyfish!]]", "Leaping lobsters!" and "Holy cowfish!". During "International Super Spy", the Lady in Pink (Uniqua) uses "Oh, for [[ForTheEvulz evil]]'s sake!". There's also the episode title "For the Love of Socks!".

We open on one or more of the characters in the backyard playing "pretend", setting up the scenario for the viewer in a song and dance which also reveals the episode's musical genre. Then things segue into a sort of [[StarTrekTheNextGeneration holodeck-style]] fantasy -- whether in the kids' imaginations or literally isn't quite clear -- in which the backyard is transformed into the setting of the story and the characters dressed in appropriate costumes. From here the quest is treated entirely as if it were real...albeit clearly based off a child's logic...and frequently interrupted by musical asides.

Many episodes feature typical kiddie fantasy scenarios -- cowboys, superheroes, pirates, explorers -- but some are more sophisticated, and in later seasons especially several are full-on parodies of adult action-adventure: [[JamesBond Bond]], StarTrek, IndianaJones etc. Further [[MrImagination blurring the line between reality and imagination]], the setting they create doesn't always stay within their control. Characters who weren't seen initiating the fantasy frequently show up within it, occasionally operating completely unbeknownst to the others, and the different plotlines collide in unexpected ways. The only absolute requirement is that a story contain no more than five characters, since no other speaking parts appear (excepting a couple one-offs in specials).

* TheStoic: Austin in the ''StarTrek'' parody episode "Garbage Trek". A clear instance of this is when the U.S.S. Collector is about to be sucked by the black hole; Uniqua and Tasha scream for their lives while he remains silent like he's deep in thought or something.

* EverythingsBetterWithKangaroos: Austin.

Pablo: "Egregious!"

* FiveManBand: Although they switch character type on a regular basis.

* DolphinsDolphinsEverywhere: In "The Great Dolphin Race".

* BarefootCartoonAnimals: Uniqua and Austin. Uniqua wears pink polka dot overalls an Austin wears a short-sleeve polo shirt and blue khaki shorts.

* BarefootCartoonAnimals

* VillainSong: Expect any episode with a "good versus evil" thematic to have at least one. Honorous mentions go to Lady in Pink's song from "International Super Spy".

* OmegaCast

* BarefootFunnyAnimals

* CopyCatSue (Or FunTShirt if you prefer): Austin's shirt is ''exactly'' the same as Horrid Henry's! And by a staggering coincidence, the kid who does UK version of Austin's voice also does the voice of Horrid Henry.

* FridgeLogic: The entire "Great Dolphin Race" episode. How could they breath underwater anyways?
** [[{{Atlantis}} They're Atlantides]].

* PokeThePoodle: Justified. The MoralGuardians aren't about to let preschool characters do anything genuinely evil.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Backyardigans.jpg

-->''"We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore..."''