Nick Jr. Begins Production on Season Two of Acclaimed Live-Action Preschool Music Series Yo Gabba Gabba!, Produced by the Magic Store and W!LDBRAIN, Beginning Monday, May 12

NEW YORK, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Nick Jr. will commence production on the second season of the hit live-action preschool music series Yo Gabba Gabba!, created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz and produced by The Magic Store and W!LDBRAIN. Production on 20 new half-hour episodes of the series will kick off Monday, May 12, in Los Angeles with the second season scheduled to premiere on Nick Jr. in fall 2008. Yo Gabba Gabba!, which premiered in August 2007, is the number-one program on all of commercial television among kids 2-5 in its time period (11:30 am, ET/PT), and currently reaches 21 million P2+ viewers (Nielsen Cume 1Q08). In addition, the series has generated 25 million video streams on Nickjr.com since July, 2007 (Omniture July '07 - April '08).

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Musical guests The Shins will perform an original Yo Gabba Gabba! song in a brand-new episode premiering Friday, May 23, at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nick Jr. In the episode, titled "Imagine," The Shins perform "It's OK, Try Again," and the Gabba gang discovers how to use their imaginations, cheer up a friend, and learn about the different muscles in the body. Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) is featured in his recurring "Mark's Magic Pictures" segment and additional songs in the new episode include "Pretend," "Tell the Truth," "Balloons" and "Body Parts."

"Yo Gabba Gabba! delivers meaningful preschool lessons through fresh, fun entertainment to those already gaga for Gabba and future fans waiting to discover its magic," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "Millions of preschoolers and their families have been beat-boxing, singing and dancing along to the infectious lyrics and high-energy soundtrack on the show, and we have a lot of surprises in store for season two."

"W!LDBRAIN is thrilled to be working with Nickelodeon again to bring enthusiastic fans another season of Yo Gabba Gabba!," said Charles Rivkin, W!LDBRAIN president and CEO. "Yo Gabba Gabba! has a proven track record for generating an audience across all platforms. As we approach production for season two, we look forward to building on the success that made Yo Gabba Gabba! one of the breakout hits of the year."

Through an original beat-driven soundtrack and innovative retro style, Yo Gabba Gabba! highlights simple lessons in the lives of preschoolers, like sharing and healthy eating. The series' unique magazine format features original animation, vibrant walk-around puppets, real kids, diverse music genres, and celebrity and musical guest appearances in every episode.

In the first season, Yo Gabba Gabba! features a recurring role by Hip Hop legend Biz Markie in a "Biz's Beat of the Day" segment teaching preschoolers how to beat-box, and a recurring role by singer, illustrator and composer Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) in a "Mark's Magic Pictures" drawing segment. Additional guest stars include, Elijah Wood, Tony Hawk, Laila Ali, Sean Kingston, The Shins, Sugarland, Mya, Rahzel, Nikki Flores, Hector Jimenez, The Aquabats, Smoosh, The Aggrolites and Cornelius.

Yo Gabba Gabba!, executive produced by Charles Rivkin and Jon Berrett, stars host DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) who brings to life four friendly monsters and a robot in a colorful land of music and laughter. The series highlights simple life lessons for preschoolers, through original song in short thematically linked segments, featuring animation, walk-around puppets and real kids. Yo Gabba Gabba! features an eclectic mix of music genres for preschoolers including, Pop, 80s, Electronic, New Wave, British Invasion, Hip Hop and more. Each episode culminates with an original music remix that summarizes the lessons learned. The characters are: Muno the red cyclops, Foofa the pink flower bubble, Brobee the little green one, Toodee the blue cat-dragon and Plex the robot, who are all ready to sing, play and dance along with the viewers as soon as they hear the magic words, "Yo Gabba Gabba!" They physically engage preschoolers with interactive play and encourage them to get up and dance to the music. Yo Gabba Gabba! also features pretend-along games that teach shapes and colors, ask questions and teach new dance steps while keeping preschoolers laughing throughout the episode.

The Magic Store was founded in 2005 by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, the 30-something dads, musicians and creators of the hit series Yo Gabba Gabba!, which was initially produced independently in two half-hour episodes. After creating an online viral frenzy with the trailer, the show ultimately found a home on Nick Jr. The Magic Store's mission is to produce ground-breaking, fresh, wholesome and fun entertainment properties that parents can enjoy along with their kids.

Founded in 1994, W!LDBRAIN (http://www.wildbrain.com/) is an award-winning entertainment company that develops and produces unique and compelling content across the media spectrum. Powered by its distinctive pool of talented animators and directors renowned for blending traditional animation methods with state-of-the-art computer graphics, the studio and its creative team have consistently won top industry awards. In film, W!LDBRAIN has garnered numerous awards including an Annie for its computer graphics short film Hubert's Brain and currently has a number of film projects in development. In television, the studio has produced an exceptional slate of original work including the hit series Yo Gabba Gabba!, airing weekdays on Nick Jr., Nickelodeon's award-winning programming block for preschoolers and Higglytown Heroes, the top-rated and critically acclaimed animated series airing daily on the Disney Channel. As one of the nation's foremost producers of animated commercials, W!LDBRAIN has won Clios, Addys, BDA Awards and Annies for their commercial work, reinvigorating classic brands and developing cutting-edge spots for leading companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Honda, Kraft and Nike. Additionally, W!LDBRAIN creates and distributes collectible merchandise through its subsidiary Kidrobot, planet Earth's premier creator and retailer of limited edition toys, clothing, mini-figures, artwork and books.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.'s Emmy, Peabody and Parents' Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. .