A new 2024 music video series rebooted The Backyardigans with altered designs and animation.
The Backyardigans was a kids' 3D-animated series that ran on Nickelodeon from 2004 to 2013. It featured an orange moose named Tyrone, a blue penguin named Pablo, and Uniqua, a perfectly unique pink creature.
The show follows five animal neighbors who meet in their shared backyard to embark on imaginative adventures that transform their surroundings and span various genres. Each episode concludes with a return to reality.
The Backyardigans 2024 Reboot Explained
Nickelodeon rebooted The Backyardigans in 2024 with a fresh design for a new series of music videos on the official series YouTube channel.
The first video, a new version of the hit song "Castaways," was released on July 12.
Producer Kate Smeal, who worked on the music for the video, posted on LinkedIn that the project will reimagine the franchise's discography rather than reboot the entire series. More revamped songs are expected to be released soon.
Smeal stated that she's "honored" to be part of this "reimagining of The Backyardigans' discography" and described the team working on this reboot as "insanely talented, thoughtful, and fun to work with:"
"I am honored to have been part of the reimagining of The Backyardigans' discography for Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon Animation. Here is the first song of the series, Castaways! The Nick team on this project is so insanely talented, thoughtful, and fun to work with. They have made this series so special and I cannot wait for you to see what they created."
In addition, she mentioned the late Janice Burgess, who originally created The Backyardigans and passed away in March 2024:
"Janice Burgess, I hope we do you proud with this series. You influenced an entire generation of kids and left your thumb print on the world of children's entertainment. This one is for you!"
This new music video series has a revamped logo, now prominently displaying "Nickelodeon," unlike the original.
Why Fans Are Upset Over New Backyardigans
Social media backlash has been swift, with many users criticizing the new Backyardigans character designs as generic and claiming they detract from the series' original charm and essence.
Max Scobell asked a simple question on X (formerly Twitter), "WHAT DID THEY DO TO BACKYARDIGANS??!!!?!" and shared the new music video.
Another X user, @Ultima_Undead, shared incredibly harsh words about The Backyardigans' new designs, noting how the creator recently died and how major changes have happened.
On Facebook, the page The Rise and Fall of Nickelodeon noted how the YouTube music video is getting thousands of dislikes and called the rebooted music series "soulless:"
"A new Backyardigans song 'Castaways' was released by Nickelodeon, featuring new designs.
It is not being received well, the video is almost at 6K dislikes on Youtube.
Not shocked this isn't being received well, especially after the creators recent passing, this feels... really bad. Soulless even."
In addition, they shared the commonly used meme from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, making Severus Snape the new-look Backyardigans with Harry saying, "How dare you stand where he stood?"
More of these revamped music videos are expected to be released on The Backyardigans' official YouTube channel.
