Yo Gabba Gabba! is crack for children

There are very few things that will take hold of my daughter's attention to such a degree that she becomes bewitched. That's the result of a hyperactive father and a mother who claims to be ADD, undiagnosed of course.

One of those things, as we have found out over the last week or so, is the phenomenon known as Yo Gabba Gabba!, or as I like to call it, Crack for Children.

If you're unfamiliar with the show, consider yourself lucky. For parents of older children or grandparents who lived through the Age of Barney, it's sort of like that. Lots of colorful characters who sing and dance and drive parents crazy (see video at bottom of post). Here's the primer from Wikipedia:

Hosted by a character named DJ Lance Rock, the series features a mix of live-action segments featuring cartoonish costumed characters—Muno (the red cyclops), Foofa (the pink flower bubble), Brobee (a little green monster), Toodee (the blue cat-dragon) and Plex (the magic yellow robot)--and many short animated sketches and musical numbers.

Now, that doesn't entirely explain the grasp it holds on children like Kaitlyn, so I've provided some exhibits:

Exhibit A: You will notice in the background that Yo Gabba Gabba! is on, namely the little pink thing that goes by the name of Foofa.

Exhibit B: As you see, Kaitlyn is in a trance while watching this show, which from this point forward will be termed "The Gabba Coma."

The Gabba Coma can be broken, of course. Here are the steps: First, turn off the television. Second, listen as your child throws the temper tantrum of her little life, which includes crocodile tears, screams of "No!" and "Gabba!", and hysterical breathing. It's sort of like when mom sees this.

Here's my advice: If you have not introduced Yo Gabba Gabba! to your toddler, do not do so until they are fully aware that television shows have beginnings AND endings. If your toddler has symptoms of The Gabba Coma, use up all of the space in your DVR and put recorded episodes on continuous playback until your little one falls asleep.