The Backyardigans

"We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore..."
—Opening theme

A Canadian 3D CGI-animated series broadcast all over the world, mostly at Nick Jr. The series debuted in 2004 and completed in 2010.

The cast are all young Funny Animal friends: enthusiastic yet sometimes frenetic Pablo the penguin, Deadpan Snarker Tyrone the moose, Genki Girl Uniqua the... something, Shorttank Tasha the hippo, and initial Shrinking Violet, later Smart Guy Austin the kangaroo. All five live in what appears to be a suburban cul-de-sac with a large common backyard area.

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 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: Bond, Star Trek, Indiana Jones etc. Further 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).

There seem to be no space or time limits while the fantasy is in progress, but in reality it never lasts longer than an afternoon, since it's always dispelled by somebody's tummy conveniently rumbling just after the adventure ends. They race home for snacks, giggling, the story setting disappearing behind them as they go. The only indication that anything out of the ordinary just happened is Tyrone's comment: "That was an excellent _________ adventure, don't you think?"

Notable for its heavy use of original music (overseen by Lounge Lizards founder Evan Lurie), in a different genre -- and usually not the one you're expecting -- in each episode. The photorealistic dance moves that have likewise become a series trademark are originated by live-action dancers performing as each character to that show's music; according to the creators, this process also gives the characters much of their individual personality.

For some, this general idea sounds familiar. However, the 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 Periphery Demographic 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 Non-Interactivity or otherwise trying to hammer home a lesson, the show is probably the last pure celebration of intelligence and imagination available to preschoolers.

This is either impressive, as it refuses to follow 'standard' children show trends, or heartbreaking, as it is one of the only shows to do so.

Tropes used in The Backyardigans include:

Thanks to its genre-hopping nature, this show tends to run through a lot of standard tropes, often in a single episode:

  • A Boy and His X: Austin and Boy (a dinosaur) in "Caveman's Best Friend", Tyrone and Molasses (a burro) in "Horsing Around", Pablo and Mitty (a bath mit) in "Robin Hood the Clean", and Uniqua with Sea Squirt (a dolphin) in "The Great Dolphin Race".
  • Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Pablo only wears a cap and bowtie.
  • Accidental Art: Tyrone splattering paint on the brand new canvas in "Who Goes There?" results in this.
  • Air Guitar: Tyrone does this during the song "Gotta Get the Job Done" in the episode "Monster Detectives".
  • Airplane Arms: Uniqua does this near the beginning of "Fly Girl".
  • Aliens Speaking English: The aliens in "Mission to Mars", "News Flash", "Ranch Hands from Outer Space" and "Los Galacticos".
  • All Animals Are Dogs: The angriest clam in "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters", and Boy in "Caveman's Best Friend" act like dogs. So does the nice dragon in "The Tale of the Not-So-Nice Dragon."
  • All Bikers Are Hells Angels: Subverted to hell and back with "Special Delivery" and its "Do-Gooders".
  • All CGI Cartoon
  • Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: OK, Tyrone and Pablo get a pass, but what's up with Austin and Tasha?
  • American Gothic Couple: In "News Flash", the first shot of Pablo and Tyrone at their farm resembles the American Gothic painting, intentional or not.
  • Anachronism Stew: Tons.
  • Ancient Egypt: In "The Secret of the Nile".
  • Ancient Greece: In "Match on Mt.Olympus". "Sinbad Sails Alone", oddly enough since the title character is from an entirely different mythology, features Medusa and a Siren.
  • Angry Mob Song: "The Customer Is Always Right" and "Awesomely Bad Time" in "Swamp Creature" may probably count. Probably, because the mob here is made of only two characters.
  • An Ice Person: Tasha as the Ice Lady in "The Secret of Snow".
  • Animals Not to Scale
  • Appease The Volcano Goddesses: "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters"
  • Apologetic Attacker: Austin (on a kid's level) in "The Two Musketeers".
  • Arabian Nights Days: In "Movers of Arabia".
  • Art Evolution: The character designs were retooled a bit for the second season to up the cuddliness level, especially for Tasha and Austin. Here's a proof.
  • Aside Glance: A lot. Especially for Uniqua and Tyrone. The most noticeable one is in "Castaways" when Uniqua -- realizing that Tyrone and Pablo seriously don't realise that it was Austin who helped them -- turns to look straight at the camera and then shrugs her shoulders. Earlier in the same ep, after the coconuts roll in, Uniqua side-glances at the audience for a split second and then says "Maybe we're not alone here after all".
    • Pablo shoots the camera an "I don't believe this" look after Tasha takes credit for finding the Yellow Lotus Flower in "The Key to the Nile."
  • Asteroid Thicket: Tyrone, Uniqua, Pablo, and Tasha all drive through one in "Cops and Robots" and sing a song about it.
  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Parodied in "Attack of the 50 Foot Worman".
  • Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: Pablo in "Pirate Camp" keeps getting distracted by the very shiny red boot.
  • Bag of Holding: Ohhh boy. The ultimate example would probably be Uniqua and Pablo's trunk in "To the Center of the Earth", which could hold several inventions, a telescope, a hammer, a thermos, a lasso, a ladder, a bucket, a net, an umbrella, a sponge mop, a hat stand, a lamp, a rake, poles, skiis, a feather duster, a bike horn, wooden spoons, a large tuba, string, marshmallows, a spring, helium-filled balloons... do I need to go on?
  • Barefoot Cartoon Animals: Uniqua and Austin. Uniqua wears pink polka dot overalls an Austin wears a striped T-shirt and blue khaki shorts.
    • Tyrone and Pablo would also have costumes that apply to this trope 1/3 of the time.
  • Beach Episode: The whole point of episodes such as "Surf's Up" or "Legend of the Volcano Sisters".
  • Bedsheet Ghost: Tyrone becomes one in "It's Great to be a Ghost".
  • Berserk Button: In "Best Clowns in Town". Don't make Ringmaster Tyrone miss his train. Just don't. Especially if you're a clown.
  • Big No: Oh yeah. Bad bot Tasha does this in "Cops and Robots", when Uniqua flips Pablo's back switch, which turns him into a good Bot. Also Pablo in "Blazing Paddles" and Tyrone in "Who Goes There?", "The Magic Skateboard" when the eponymous Magic Skateboard falls down the hill and "Monster Detectives" when Uniqua is about to be turned into a soccer monster.
  • Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: Pablo in "The Yeti", Tyrone in "Fly Girl" and Austin and Tyrone in "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve".
  • Big Red Button: In "Legend of the Volcano Sisters", the title characters threaten to cause the eruption of the volcano by pressing such a button. The doorbells in various episodes could also count, since they are always red.
  • The Blind Leading the Blind: In "The Yeti", Tasha claims to be a Frozen North expert, but she, Uniqua, and Tyrone all get lost while searching for Yeti Pablo.
  • Blow You Away: Pirate Pablo has wind powers in "Super Team Awesome!".
  • Bokukko: Uniqua, due to her wearing overalls and having manly roles in some episodes.
  • Bo Diddley Beat: "The Flipper!" has this as its music genre, with the first song set to the tune of "Bo Diddley".
  • Booby Trap: In "Secret Mission", and "The Snow Fort".
  • Bookcase Passage: In "It's Great to be a Ghost", "Whodunit?", and "The Masked Retriever".
  • Bottomless Pits: In "Fly Girl".
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: In the framing scenes, also inside the fantasy if the main character is alone.
  • Brick Joke: The horse appearing when Tyrone opens the door in "Who Goes There?".
  • The Butler Did It: Tyrone in "Whodunit?", although this could be considered subverted since he actually had permission to 'steal' Lady Tasha's necklace, because it was really just a mystery game.
  • Busby Berkeley Number: "I Get Whatever I Want" from "Robot Rampage".
  • Call-and-Response Song: Pretty much any song involving more than one character is this.
  • Call a Rabbit a Smeerp: Pancakes are called 'zum-zum' by aliens Zuniqua and Zablo in "Ranch Hands from Outer Space".
  • Canada, Eh?: Tyrone, the moose character. Indicated during "Secret Mission" , in which he carries around a bottle of Spy Maple Syrup with an unmistakeable little red maple leaf on the label.
    • Also, in "Race to the Tower of Power", the tower looks remarkably like the CN Tower, a famous landmark in Toronto.
    • In "The Masked Retriever", Uniqua mentions Lake Erie.
  • Can You Hear Me Now?: In "Mission to Mars", a martian from Mars is able to phone Tyrone and Tasha using a cellphone.
  • Captain's Log: Tasha has one in "Garbage Trek".
  • Cartoon Creature: Ah, Uniqua. Word of God says that she is "her own unique species".
  • Catch Phrase: Various, particularly Tyrone's "That certainly is convenient" when a Deus Ex Machina appears, and Tasha's "Oh, for goodness' sakes" when...well, pretty much constantly, actually. Also, "Pablo... Pablo?... PABLO!". In addition, each episode has a setting-specific phrase, featured in the opening song, which also doubles as the show's closing...
  • The Cavalry: Austin in "International Super Spy".
  • Ceiling Cling: Austin can walk on the ceiling in "The Tale of the Mighty Knights". Also Tasha and Pablo in "Cops and Robots".
  • Chekhov's Gun: Parodied. "Spy maple syrup?"
    • Also, the thermos box in "Chichen-Itza Pizza".
  • Christmas Special: "The Secret of Snow" and "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve" episodes.
  • Clap Your Hands If You Believe: At the end of "Caveman's Best Friend", the characters clap during the last song and cheer for Austin to try and whistle.
  • Clark Kenting: Parodied in "Front Page News". Also played straight in "Le Master of Disguise", in which the mystery hinges around Great Detective Austin not twigging that his prey is a little blue penguin who never bothers to conceal his face.
  • Clock Tower / Race Against the Clock: In "International Super Spy", and "Blazing Paddles".
  • Clown Car Base: The clown car in "Best Clowns in Town".
  • Color Coded for Your Convenience: When the not-so-nice dragon is converted to good, he changes from an angry orange color to a pleasant green.
  • Cool and Unusual Punishment: The Tickle Table in "International Super Spy".
  • Cool Plane: Uniqua's propeller biplane in "Fly Girl". It's pink!
  • Cool Shades: Austin wears some at one point in "Surf's Up!", and so do Pablo and Tyrone in "Elephant on the Run!". They're also present during the "You Can Do It" song sequence in "Garbage Trek".
  • The Comically Serious: Mr. Spiffy in "What's Bugging You?".
  • Cuffs Off, Rub Wrists: Tyrone and Pablo in "The Two Musketeers".
  • Cultural Translation: The UK dub has a lot of this, especially when the snack is offered at the end of the episode.
  • Curiosity Is a Crapshoot: Uniqua opening the box in "Movers of Arabia".
  • Cute'Em Up
  • Cute Monster Girl: Uniqua in "Monster Detectives" and "Scared of You", although the latter counts more since she actually looks like a monster rather than looking like herself in a torn soccer shirt.
  • Cute Witch: Uniqua again, in "Escape from Fairy Tale Village".
  • Da Editor: Pablo in "Front Page News!".
  • Dark Horse Victory: In "Horsing Around".
  • Dark Is Edgy: Austin as the Gloom Meister in "Flower Power".
  • Dancing Theme
  • Deadpan Snarker: Tyrone, at times audibly and more often visually. Somehow, despite the character wearing no pants, he manages to give the impression he's slouching with his hands stuck in his pockets.
    • This is particularly helped when he's animated with his hands in nonexistent pockets.
  • Death World: The locations in "Save the Day". "Shark Bite Bay", "Disaster Reef", "Straits of Despair"... need I go on?
  • Defeat Means Friendship: Just about any character who plays a villain role is turned good in the end, since this is a little kids' show and the characters can't be killed off or arrested.
  • Deserted Island: The castaway island variety in "Castaways", the lost world variety in "To the Center of the Earth", and the treasure island variety in "Pirate Treasure" and "Pirate Camp".
  • Deus Ex Machina: Cheerfully Lampshaded about once per episode: "Well, that certainly is convenient!"
  • Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: In "The Two Musketeers", Austin the palace guard makes no secret of his admiration for the Musketeers.
  • Disaster Dominoes: A staple. In "Fly Girl", Uniqua knocks over several pillars; in "Who Goes There?", several mummy sarcophaguses land on each other; and in "To the Center of the Earth", large pillar-like diamonds are knocked over.
  • Disney Acid Sequence: Uniqua/Lady in Pink's Villain Song in "International Super Spy".
  • Don't Look Down: Tasha says this several times in "Chichen-Itza Pizza", as she has a fear of heights.
  • Doomy Dooms of Doom: Shows up quite a lot, surprisingly enough. For instance, from "Tale of the Mighty Knights", during the song "We're Knights":

Tyrone: Next we crossed a river then scaled the cliffs... of doom!

    • Painful Rhyme: The next line goes "Then we took a little break and went to the bathroom..."
  • Dragon Rider: The "Dragon Express" episode. Also, technically, the end of "Tale of the Mighty Knights".
  • Drop What You Are Doing: 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.
  • Egg Sitting: In "The Tale of the Mighty Knights".
  • Embarrassing Last Name: Austin, or at least his character, in "Whodunnit?". Seriously, Austin Frothingslosh?
    • He also does time as 'Austin Stinkypants' in "Robin Hood the Clean". Justified since it's supposed to be a Meaningful Name.
  • Enthralling Siren: In "Sinbad Sails Alone", Tyrone and Pablo encounter Siren Uniqua, who makes them play "Siren Says" in order to get water from her island.
  • Everything Is Big in Texas: Cowboy Tyrone is on his way to Texas for a hoedown in "Riding the Range".
  • Everything Trying to Kill You: Tyrone thinks that everyone's trying to eat him during "Escape from Fairytale Village". (They actually want him to eat with them.)
  • Everything's Better with Dinosaurs: Boy in "Caveman's Best Friend" and "To the Center of the Earth".
  • Kangaroos Represent Australia: Austin.
  • Everything's Better with Motorcycles: The biker gang in "Special Delivery".
  • Everything's Better with Penguins: Pablo.
  • Everything's Better with Princesses: Princess Cleotasha (Tasha) in "The Secret of the Nile" and Princesses Uniqua and Tasha in "Break Out!".
  • Everything's Better with Rainbows: The rainbow in "Sinbad Sails Alone".
  • Everything's Better with Samurai: Tyrone in "Samurai Pie", though it's unclear whether Tyrone is a true samurai or just a baker with samurai moves.
  • Everything's Better with Spinning: Some of the choreography could definitely count as this.
  • Everything's Even Worse with Sharks: The sharks in "Save the Day".
  • Everythings Funkier With Disco: The music genre in "The Quest for the Flying Rock".
  • Everyone Is a Suspect: In "Whodunit?", and "Le Master of Disguise".
  • Evil Laugh: Tasha's in "Scared of You", Pablo's in "Le Master of Disguise", "Blazing Paddles" and "Robot Rampage", and Uniqua's in "International Super Spy". Austin finally gets one in "Flower Power" when he portrays "Gloom Meister," though in a possible bit of Lampshade Hanging, he is forced to admit that it's not his real laugh (he just does it to sound scarier). His real laugh sounds much nerdier.
  • Evil Phone: In "Movers of Arabia", Uniqua's cell phone rings at the worst possible moments.
  • Evil Plan: In "International Super Spy", and "Cops and Robots".
  • Expository Theme Tune
  • Expy: If Hippo traded all his clothes for just a propeller hat and bowtie, he would pretty much look like Pablo.
  • The Fair Folk: Tasha in "The Tale of the Mighty Knights".
  • Fair Play Whodunnit (Or Reverse Whodunnit if you prefer): The "Whodunit?" episode, naturally.
  • Fantasy Helmet Enforcement: Tyrone wears a helmet when he rides his bicycle in "Escape From Fairytale Village", Austin and Uniqua have helmets when riding their skateboard and scooter in "Caveman's Best Friend", and all characters in "The Magic Skateboard" wear helmets as well as elbow pads and knee pads.
  • Fantasy Kitchen Sink: In "Escape from Fairytale Village", "Scared of You", and "The Tale of the Mighty Knights".
  • Faster-Than-Light Travel: The "Zip Speed" in "Garbage Trek".
  • Fastest Gun in the West: Pablo in "Blazing Paddles". Actually, the fastest ping pong skills in the West.
  • Fawlty Towers Plot: "What's Bugging You".
  • Fee Fi Faux Pas: Austin in "Samurai Pie", when he mentions The Great Pie in front of the Empress.
  • Fiery Redhead: Tyrone, especially in "Best Clowns in Town".
  • Fighting Your Friend: They frequently find themselves battling each other ("The Two Musketeers" being a good example) once they start their adventures. Although official best friends Tyrone & Pablo and Tasha & Uniqua are rarely pitted against one another.
  • Five-Man Band: Although they switch character type on a regular basis... and not all of them even show up (in some cases, only three cast members are present in the entire episode).
  • Flashback Effects: Tyrone has one in the form of a thought bubble during "Who Goes There?"
  • Floating in A Bubble: In "Front Page News", Captain Bubbles (Tyrone) makes a giant bubble which traps the giant robot in it.
  • Fluffy Cloud Heaven: In "Match on Mt. Olympus".
  • Football Fight Song: The music genre for "Chichen-Itza Pizza".
  • Forgotten Birthday: Austin thinks this in "Scared of You".
  • Four-Fingered Hands: With the exception of Pablo, who has mitten-like flippers.
  • Fractured Fairy Tale: In "Escape from Fairy Tale Village".
  • Frickin' Laser Beams: The laser beams in "Secret Mission" and "Break Out!".
  • Fully-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Tasha's regular wardrobe applies to this. Some of the other Backyardigans would get full costumes on several adventures.
  • Funny Background Event: In "Newsflash", during one of Uniqua's reports Pablo is having a panic attack in the background. Also, Pablo screaming his head off while being dragged behind a flying carpet as Uniqua takes a phone call from Sultan Tyrone in "Movers of Arabia".
  • Furry Confusion: Episodes sometimes feature the kids alongside non-anthropomorphic animals such as horses and even elephants.
  • Gainaxing: Before you get any ideas, Tyrone's ears. Particularly noticeable in the first-season opening credits.
  • GASP: A Running Gag in "Blazing Paddles".
  • Genie in a Bottle: Austin in "Movers of Arabia".
  • Genki Girl: Uniqua most of the time, and Tasha during "A Giant Problem".
  • Gentle Giant: Tasha, literally, in "A Giant Problem".
  • Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Whenever Pablo has a panic attack -- which was almost once an episode in the first season; much less often in the following three -- one of his friends has to calm him down by calling "Pablo...Pablo?...PABLO!"
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: Let us just say that the producers are aware that a lot sails over their preschool audiences' heads.
  • Ghost Song: The songs in "It's Great to be a Ghost".
  • Gilbert and Sullivan: Used as the musical genre in "Heart of the Jungle".
  • Gilligan Cut: In "What's Bugging You?", when Uniqua and Tyrone are about to make cupcakes:

Tyrone: We just have to make sure that we don't make a mess.
(Cuts to the clean bowl. After a quick clock-spin, the bowl and then the entire room is shown as messy.)
Tyrone: I think we may have made a mess...

  • Girl Group: The music genre in "Break Out!", along with Wall of Sound.
  • Gosh Dang It to Heck: During the song "Fill It Up With Ice", from "The Secret of Snow", one of Tasha's lines is "What the heck's the matter?"
    • Also in their cover of the Black Eyed Peas song "I Gotta Feeling", the line "Like oh my God" is changed to "Like oh my gosh".
  • Gospel Revival Number: "Now Would Be a Good Time to Whistle" from "Caveman's Best Friend".
  • Gratuitous Spanish: In "The Masked Retriever" and "Los Galacticos".
  • Gratuitous Russian: In "Catch That Train".
  • Greasy Spoon: "The Big Dipper Diner" is a Recycled in Space version.
  • Great Detective: Pablo in "Whodunit?".
  • Green Rocks: The flying rock in "The Quest for the Flying Rock" and the Crystal of Power in "Pablor and the Acorns".
  • Green Thumb / Petal Power: Uniqua as Flower Girl in "Flower Power".
  • Growling Gut: The majority of adventures conclude with one of the character's stomachs growling.
    • Recycled Soundtrack: In all but two instances of this, the sound byte is consistent. "Scared Of You" deliberately uses a different version, because it's more intimidating.
  • Grumpy Bear: Queen Uniqua in "A Giant Problem", as well as Pablo, Tasha, and Tyrone in "Fly Girl".
  • The Guards Must Be Crazy: When Uniqua and Austin (as palace guards) are tricked by Musketeer Tasha in "The Two Musketeers", and guards Tyrone and Pablo in "The Masked Retriever".
  • Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Pablo and Tyrone.
  • Hammerspace: Central to the concept... especially the fantasies that happen in interstellar space.
  • Haunted Castle: In "It's Great to be a Ghost", and "Scared of You". Also, technically "Monster Detectives"
  • Heel Face Turn: A common ending for any character portrayed as a villain.
  • Hero Secret Service: The secret headquarters in "International Super Spy".
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: There are joke drawings on Deviant ART showing Pablo cosplaying as 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 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 Kana Ueda of all people.
    • Tyrone is Aang in Italian.
  • Highly-Visible Ninja: A running gag in "Samurai Pie", wherein Pablo keeps losing his balance, eventually falling on a pie tin and giving himself and Uniqua away.
  • The High Queen: Tasha in "Knights are Brave and Strong", and Uniqua in "A Giant Problem".
  • Historical In-Joke: There are a surprising number of them. The art in "Who Goes There?" and Tyrone's combed hair in "To the Center of the Earth" are just a few examples. At one point, Empress Tasha even says "Let us eat cake."
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Austin - on a kid's-TV level - in "The Secret of Snow". He uses the Ice Lady's (Tasha's) ice machine to save Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone, even though he knows that it will get him in big trouble with Tasha.
  • Horny Vikings: In "Viking Voyage", Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone wear the classic helmets. Although Tyrone's horns are his real antlers.
  • Horse of a Different Color: Boy the pet dinosaur in "Caveman's Best Friend", and the racing dolphins in "The Great Dolphin Race".
  • Horse Racing: In "Horsing Around". "The Great Dolphin Race" is an obvious spoof of Seabiscuit.
  • House Inspection: In "What's Bugging You?", Tasha's house is being inspected by Mr. Spiffy (Pablo) so she can join the Spiffy Club. She calls Uniqua and Tyrone from Best Pest Control to get rid of the solitary worman spoiling the perfection. Unfortunately, everything they do seems to attract even more wormans. And then Mr. Spiffy arrives... cue the Fawlty Towers Plot.
  • Hula and Luaus: "Legend of the Volcano Sisters". That is all... well, except that a different set of Hawaiian cliches are laid on thick in "Surf's Up", which features the search for legendary Tiki Beach.
  • Hulking Out: Pablo in the Fourth Season episode "The Flipper". After getting doused in 'space ooze' he transforms into The Flipper whenever he gets overexcited. And this is Pablo we're talking about, so...
  • Hulk Speak: Pablo when he transforms into The Flipper mentioned in the previous trope, which is itself a parody of the Hulk. Tasha also does this in "Super Team Awesome!".
  • Humongous Mecha: The giant robot in "Front Page News".
  • Hyperspeed Escape: In "Garbage Trek", Tyrone and Pablo use "Zip Speed".
  • "I Am Becoming" Song: If there's Character Development in an episode, there will likely be a song about it.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: From "International Super Spy":

Pablo: There's something you should know, Lady in Pink.
Lady in Pink: Oh? And what's that?
Pablo: I'm not ticklish.

  • "I Am" Song: Expect one of these when a character introduces themselves and the role they're playing.
  • If My Calculations Are Correct: Pablo during "Mission to Mars" and "Secret Mission".
  • I Have Your Boss: In "International Super Spy", this was done in the complete 1-7 sequence: 1. Boss (Tasha) is kidnapped. 2. Villain (Uniqua) calls up hero (Pablo) and says "I've got your boss". 3. Tasha yells "Don't worry about me! I can take it!" 4. Uniqua tells Pablo that if he doesn't obey orders, then she will tickle Tasha. 5. Pablo must deliver the secret containers. 6. Pablo succeeds in calling a friend (Austin), who in turn finds out what's going on and swings into action to help... sort of. 7. Eventually, Tasha is released... because Pablo isn't ticklish.
  • Imagine Spot: In "Elephant on the Run", one of the songs takes place in and out of Uniqua's fantasy of having an elephant for a pet.
  • Impossible Thief: Austin the "Grabbin' Goblin", in "The Tale of the Mighty Knights", was able to grab Uniqua and Tyrone's helmets, shields, and finally flashlights...while they were still using them!
  • Incredible Shrinking Man: Austin, and later on, Pablo and Tyrone get shrunk in "Race to the Tower of Power".
  • Inevitable Waterfall: Oh yeah. "Polka Palace Party", "Catch that Butterfly", "The Secret of Snow", "Chichen-Itza Pizza", and "The Tale of the Mighty Knights" are just a few examples.
  • Insane Troll Logic: Standard and unapologetic -- this being a show based around little kids playing pretend, after all. From "To the Center of the Earth":

Uniqua: Tyrone, your penny has fallen into your sandbox, here. (Pulls out a diagram of the Earth's inside and points to the Earth's crust.)
Pablo: And has fallen all the way to the center of the Earth, here. (Points to the Earth's core.)

  • Insecurity Camera: In "International Super Spy".
  • Inspector Javert: Inspector Austin of the Paris Police in "Le Master of Disguise".
  • Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons: In "The Tale of the Mighty Knights", its sequel "The Tale of the Not-So-Nice Dragon", and "Dragon Express".
  • Instant Awesome, Just Add Mecha: The Giant Robot in "Front Page News".
  • Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja: In "Samurai Pie".
  • Instant Costume Change: Tyrone and Pablo do this near the end of "Race to the Tower of Power", Uniqua in "The Masked Retriever", Tasha in "Front Page News", and Pablo again in "Le Master of Disguise".
  • Intrepid Reporter: Tasha in "Front Page News", and Uniqua in "Newsflash".
  • Intro Dump: During the opening song. "Hi, I'm Pablo." "My name's Tyrone..." And so on and so forth.
  • Iris Out
  • It Got Worse: A staple. Exemplified by the scene in "Catch that Butterfly" wherein the stagecoach is floating down a river and piece by piece it breaks apart until only the floor is left...
  • It Has Been an Honor: Pablo in "Who Goes There?".
  • It's Always Spring: In the titular backyard. "The Secret of Snow" doesn't count, for obvious reasons.
  • It's a Small World After All: In "Polka Palace Party", Tyrone, Uniqua, Pablo, and Austin meet up and then note how they all happen to be cowboys/cowgirls, they all happen to like the same kind of music, and that they all happen to be on their way to Cheyenne.
  • It's Probably Nothing: Tyrone (as a guard) in "The Masked Retriever".
  • "I Want" Song: Uniqua and Pablo have one in "The Great Dolphin Race".
  • The Jeeves: Tyrone in "Whodunit?", he even has his hair specially combed like Jeeves' for that episode. Also Pablo in "Catch That Train" -- so utterly utterly devoted to having everything Czar Tyrone needs three seconds before he wants it.
  • The Juggernaut: In "Chichen-Itza Pizza", the boulder chasing Tasha and Uniqua.
  • Jump, I'll Catch You!: In "Pirate Treasure", the other characters say this to Pablo as he hobbles across a log with his peg leg.
  • Jump Physics: In "Pirate Camp", Uniqua and Pablo are launched into the air using only two planks and some crates.
  • Jump the Shark: Spoofed in "Save the Day" when Tyrone jumps over a sea of sharks on a jet ski to save Tasha.
  • Just Trying to Help: Pablo in "Sinbad Sails Alone".
  • Knighting: In "Knights are Brave and Strong".
  • Knight in Shining Armor: Uniqua and Tyrone in "The Tale if the Mighty Knights", and "Knights are Brave and Strong".
  • Lady in Red: Spoofed in "International Super Spy", with Uniqua as the Lady in Pink.
  • Lame Rhyme Dodge: Austin in "The Two Musketeers" does several of these without the rhyme.
  • Laser Hallway: In "Secret Mission" and "Break Out!".
  • Lava Pit: In "The Tale of the Mighty Knights" and "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters".
  • Leitmotif: In season one, Pablo had his own panic attack tune.
  • Lightning Can Do Anything: In "Match on Mt. Olympus", Austin, the God of Laughter, can shoot lightning from his hands that makes his victim laugh uncontrollably.
  • Lightning Reveal: In "Scared of You".
  • Limited Wardrobe: Aside from the thematic costumes they wear during the fantasies, their outfits never change.
  • Mad Libs Catchphrase: At the end of every episode, Tyrone remarks, "That was an excellent [type] adventure, don't you think?"
  • Mad Scientist: Tasha in "Scared of You".
  • Mad Scientist Laboratory: In "Scared of You", complete with cool-looking lab equipment.
  • Magic Countdown: In "Garbage Trek".
  • Magic Misfire: Quite a few in "A Giant Problem", caused by inept court wizards Pablo and Tyrone.
  • Magikarp Power: Tyrone as "Captain Bubble" in "Front Page News" had super bubble power.
  • Master of Disguise: Pablo, in, well, "Le Master of Disguise".
  • Meaningful Name: Uniqua = unique (because she's a Cartoon Creature), and Austin = Australia (because that's where kangaroos come from).
  • Medieval European Fantasy: In "Knights Are Brave and Strong" and "The Tale of the Mighty Knights".
  • Medieval Japan: In "Samurai Pie".
  • Mega City: The name of the city in "Robot Rampage".
  • Merit Badges for Everything: In "Pablor and the Acorns".
  • Minimalist Cast
  • Minion with an F In Evil: Tyrone in "International Super Spy", and Austin in "The Two Musketeers".
  • Mission Briefing: Tasha gives Pablo one in "International Super Spy", and Tyrone and Tasha give one in "Mission to Mars".
  • Mission Control: Again, Tyrone and Tasha in "Mission to Mars".
  • Moebius Neighborhood: Averted with the three houses behind the titular backyard.
  • Monster Mash: The monster dance party near the end of "Scared of You".
  • Morality Dial: In the episode Cops and Robots, all bots have a morality switch that (child logic, gotta love it) can be flipped to 'BAD'.
  • Moral Guardians / Media Watchdog: The reason why, among other things, the kids have a sword fight using telescopes ("Pirate Treasure"), and balloons ("The Two Musketeers"). And the reason why, in "Pirate Camp", "swashbuckling" means "sliding down a rope with a piece of cloth".
  • Mr. Imagination
  • Mummy: Tyrone in "Scared of You".
  • Musicalis Interruptus: In "Super Team Awesome!", Tyrone halts the second song when a boulder comes dangerously close to plugging Old Gushie.
  • The Napoleon: In "Who Goes There?", Pablo (the shortest of the five), plays a Napoleon-esque statue.
  • Naughty by Night: "The Masked Retriever", (obviously) in a non-sexual direction.
  • Never Say "Die": Although they kids have been close to danger, the word has never yet been used.
  • Nice Hat: Pablo's got a nice propeller beanie. In some their imaginary adventures, the characters wear pretty cool hats as well.
  • Nobody Here but Us Statues: A recurring theme in "Who Goes There?" with Uniqua, Pablo, and Austin being actual pieces of artwork. It happens again in "What's Bugging You?" with Uniqua and Tyrone as a pest control service trying to hide from house inspector Mr. Spiffy (Pablo).
  • Non-Singing Voice: Each character has two voice actors; one for speaking and one for singing.
  • No Seat Belts: Both space cars in "Cops and Robots", though usually the show is very careful not to do this.
  • No OSHA Compliance: The ice factory in "The Secret of Snow" and the sock factory in "For the Love of Socks!".
  • Nothing Can Save Us Now: "Save the Day", the "Uh-Oh!" song.
  • Nothing Can Stop Us Now: In "Catch that Butterfly", the "How Hard Can It Be?" song.
  • Odd Couple: Best friends Pablo the tightly-wound and Tyrone the laid-back.
  • Odd Job Gods: In "Match on Mt.Olympus", Austin is the god of laughter, and Uniqua is the goddess of naps.

Austin: Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide. Do you not think it's funny?

  • Ominous Fog: The fog in "Knights are Brave and Strong" and "Whodunit?".
  • The One Who Wears Shoes: Tasha is always wearing shoes of some kind, usually her red Maryjanes. The other characters don't wear shoes at all until they get a costume change in the fantasy, and even then they sometimes don't have them.
  • Only One Name: Except for in "Whodunit", with Austin Frothingslosh and Uniqua Underhood, the characters have no surnames.
  • Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: The Backyardigans drop their fantasy accents when they start singing, likely because their speaking and singing voices are two different people recorded separately.
  • Orient Express: "Le Master of Disguise"
  • The Other Darrin: As of season four, the only remaining cast members from season one are Uniqua's speaking voice, Austin's speaking voice, and Pablo's singing voice. The other characters have had at least one replacement. Tyrone is the biggest victim of this, as gets a new actor/singer every season.
  • Our Dragons Are Different: In "The Tale of the Mighty Knights".
  • Our Giants Are Bigger: In "A Giant Problem", and "Escape from Fairy Tale Village".
  • Our Ghosts Are Different: In "It's Great to be a Ghost" and "Pirate Camp".
  • Our Goblins Are Wickeder: The Grabbin' Goblin (Austin) in "The Tale of the Mighty Knights" and "The Tale of the Not-So-Nice Dragon".
  • Our Mermaids Are Different: Tasha in "Viking Voyage", and then Tasha and Uniqua during "Into the Deep".
  • Our Vampires Are Different: Pablo in "Scared Of You".
  • Our Werewolves Are Different: Uniqua in "Scared Of You" and Austin in "Escape from Fairytale Village".
  • Outlaw: In "Blazing Paddles", we see a wanted poster of Pablo, the "Ping Pong Bandit", with a reward of $500.
  • Out of Order: No two networks seem able to agree to an episode sequence. In the US, Nick Jr. used "Knights are Brave and Strong" as the pilot. Sometimes, episodes will be pushed back and worked into a theme. For instance, "Match on Mt. Olympus" was held back in America, and aired during the 2008 Olympics. This does not mess up any of the aforementioned Call Backs, though.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: Pablo, in The Master of Disguise. All he does is change his clothing, but to the other characters his disguise is perfect.
  • Pantsless Males, Fully-Dressed Females: Tyrone and Pablo don't always wear pants, although Austin always does. Uniqua and Tasha are also fully dressed.
  • Parental Bonus: Deliberate, and clever.
    • "I don't make the weather. I just report it."
  • Pilot Episode: "Fly Girl", if you mean literally. The actual pilot is "Pirate Treasure".
  • Pirate: "Pirate Treasure" and "Pirate Camp". Pablo also played a rather grumpy pirate in "Fly Girl", and a not-so-grumpy superhero pirate in "Super Team Awesome".
  • Pirate Booty: The diamond in "Pirate Treasure", and Captain Red Boots' boot (plus a pile of gold) in "Pirate Camp".
  • Pizza Boy Special Delivery: Not really, but Austin did deliver a pizza in "International Super Spy", and so did Uniqua and Tasha during "Chichen-Itza Pizza".
  • Planet of Steves: During "Mission to Mars", the Couch Gag phrase is "Boinga", which can mean nearly anything. As does "Ugh" during "Cave Party".
  • Played for Laughs
  • Plot Hole
  • Poke the Poodle: Justified. The Moral Guardians aren't about to let preschool characters do anything genuinely evil.
  • Police Are Useless: Officer Pablo justifies this in "Caveman's Best Friend".
  • Power Glows: In "The Magic Skateboard," Tyrone finds the magic skateboard because it glows. The Crystal of Power in "Pablor and the Acorns" also glows.
  • The Power of Rock a lot of musical genres.
  • The Quiet One: Once again, Austin.
  • Recurring Character: The small martian from "Mission to Mars". One appears at the end of "News Flash", three appear at the end of "Los Galacticos" and two of them are major characters in "The Big Dipper Diner."
  • Record Needle Scratch: In "Blazing Paddles". The exciting background music suddenly screeches to a halt when Pablo asks "Uh...when is high noon?".
  • Red Herring: In "Whodunit?", Austin leaves the manor saying that he has to go "feed his cat", looking very guilty indeed.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Inverted with Pablo and Tyrone. Pablo is blue and panicked frequently in the first season. Tyrone is orange, but more level-headed and laidback.
  • Rhymes on a Dime: Austin as the Greek poet Austicles in "Who Goes There?".
  • Riddle of the Sphinx: In "The Secret of the Nile", Tasha has to give Sphinx Uniqua three gifts before Uniqua will tell her the secret of the Nile. Turns out it's just saying please and thank you.
  • Robe and Wizard Hat: Tyrone and Pablo in "A Giant Problem".
  • Robin Hood: Pablo, as the title character in "Robin Hood the Clean".
  • Robinsonade: The episode "Castaways".
  • Robot Buddy: Rover in "Mission to Mars", as well as all of the robots in "Robot Rampage" before they went haywire.
  • Rule of Cute: Not at all overplayed, but there nonetheless (they do have plushies to sell, after all).
  • Rule of Three: Nearly every episode.
  • Running Gag: Pablo's panic attacks.
  • Scout Out: The Acorn Scouts in "Pablor and the Acorns".
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: While on a pizza delivery in "Chichen-Itza Pizza," Tasha decides to quit the job after several Temple of Doom disasters, though she does so in true Backyardigans style - with a flashy college fight song.
  • Sea Monster: A playful one appears in "The Amazing Splashinis".
  • Sequel Episode: "Tale of the Not-So-Nice Dragon" is one for the season three special "Tale of the Mighty Knights".
  • Sesame Street Cred: Alicia Keys, for voicing and singing the mama alien in "Mission to Mars", Cyndi Lauper for singing in "International Super Spy," and Adam Pascal for being a narrator and singer in "Tale of the Mighty Knights". Also, Conan O'Brian as Santa Claus in "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve"!
  • Shave and a Haircut: How Uniqua, Tyrone, and Pablo get Austin's attention in "Polka Palace Party". Austin drums out the "two bits" part himself.
  • The Sheriff: Uniqua, in "Blazing Paddles".
  • Shoe Phone: Pablo's hat-phone in "International Super Spy".
  • Shown Their Work: You can tell that the "Caveman's Best Friend" episode takes place in the Triassic period because of the tar puddles and the fern plants.
  • Shout-Out: Ohhhh boy, where do we start?
  • Shrinking Violet: Austin at first. He opens up later.
  • Shrug Take: Mr. Spiffy's (Pablo) reaction to the wormans in "What's Bugging You?".
  • Skyward Scream: CLOOOOOWNS! (Complete with echo)
  • The Smart Guy: Austin, especially during "Race Around the World" and "Mission to Mars". Uniqua sometimes also fills this role, while Pablo is usually used to parody/subvert it.
  • Smurfing: Almost everything on Mars is 'Boinga'. In case you hadn't heard.
  • Sneeze of Doom: Uniqua (caused by dust while hiding from the Soccer Monster) in "Monster Detectives", and Austin (caused by flowers whlie hiding from Tyrone in a painting) in "Who Goes There?".
  • Space Police: Officer Uniqua and Sergeant Tyrone in "Cops and Robots", as well as Officers Tyrone and Tasha in "The Big Dipper Diner".
  • Special Edition Title: Each double-length episode has one with the theme music in the style of the episode's genre.
  • Special Effects Evolution: You only start to see difficult weather effects (like rain and hailstorms) in season three.
  • Speech-Impaired Animal: The wormans in their first two appearances.
  • Spin Attack: Pablo's "Bandit Slam It" move in "Blazing Paddles".
  • Spin to Deflect Stuff: Uniqua does this in "Blazing Paddles" during the song "I Must Be Ready".
  • Spit Take: Uniqua does this in "Catch that Butterfly", after they've fallen off a waterfall.
  • Split-Screen Phone Call: Uniqua and Tyrone have this in "Movers of Arabia".
  • The Stoic: Austin in the Star Trek 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.
  • Storybook Episode: "Knights are Brave and Strong", "A Giant Problem", "Tale of the Mighty Knights", and "Escape from Fairy Tale Village".
  • Spooky Painting: Spoofed with Pablo in "It's Great to be a Ghost".
  • Stealth Pun: Austin and Rover (namechecking the Austin Rover car) in "Mission to Mars", and the fact that purple Austin starts out as a Shrinking Violet.
  • Stout Strength: Tasha, specifically from the second season onwards. An example is in "Swamp Creature", where she pulls Pablo out of the water by his snorkel with one hand. Just look at her arms; she's a muscular little thing.
  • Straight Man: Usually played by Tyrone with Pablo as his comic foil.
  • Strapped to An Operating Table: In "International Super Spy", Tyrone (accidentally), Tasha, Pablo, and Austin are strapped to a Tickle Table.
  • Streaming Stars: Seen in "Cops and Robots" and "Garbage Trek".
  • Superhero Episode: Four: "Race to the Tower of Power", "Front Page News", "Flower Power" and "Super Team Awesome".
  • Superheroes Wear Capes: Tasha has one as Super Snap in "Front Page News" and Tyrone gets one in "Super Team Awesome!".
  • Super Speed: Tasha as Super Snap in "Front Page News", Uniqua as The Pink Fury in "Blazing Paddles", and Pablo in "Legend of the Volcano Sisters".
  • Super Strength: Tyrone in "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters"; Uniqua as Bug Girl in "Front Page News" and as Strong Blossom in "Super Team Awesome"; Pablo as Tarzan the Very Strong in "Heart of the Jungle".
  • Swiper, No Swiping: While you can't stop the Grabbin' Goblin from taking your stuff just by asking, he will generally give it back if you ask nicely... most of the time.
  • Sword Fight: The first episode "Pirate Treasure", had Austin and Tyrone having a sword fight using their telescopes. In "The Two Musketeers", it gets better with Uniqua and Austin against Pablo, Tyrone, and Tasha with cool parring moves like a Blade Lock, and Sword Over Head... though their swords are made of balloons.
  • Take Over the World: Several episodes have characters wanting this, in particular "Race to the Tower of Power".
  • Take Your Time: In "Sinbad Sails Alone", Tyrone's ship is about to literally fall off the edge of the world within a couple of seconds. Tyrone has gotten his foot caught on a rope, making Pablo their only hope. Pablo just has to turn the wheel which drops the anchor of the ship, but it takes a very long time for him to do this. It seemed like every time the camera cut to show how close the ship was to falling, the ship always seemed be at the same distance, even though it was moving.
  • Talking Animal: All five of the characters, albeit this is almost never referenced (creating some rather odd visuals, as when Austin the kangaroo is shown running).
  • Talking Pest: The wormans in "What's Bugging You?".
  • Tarzan: In "The Heart of the Jungle".
  • Temple of Doom: Several in "Chichen-Itza Pizza".
  • Tempting Fate: In the episodes "Follow that Butterfly" and "Chichen-Itza Pizza", the question "How hard could it be?" gets asked just before things go to hell.
  • Team Shot
  • Ten Paces and Turn: Tasha, Uniqua, and Austin used this as a visual joke in "The Two Musketeers", when they are having, mind you, a politeness duel.
  • Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Played very straight with Tasha's dress, Pablo's bowtie, Uniqua's piiiinkness -- and, more subtly, Tyrone's antlers.
    • Uniqua is a subversion: she wears overalls and also lacks eyelashes. Some viewers even mistook her for a boy. That is, until some of her girlier roles in the later seasons, and until those viewers realized she was pink.
  • That Makes Me Feel Angry: From "Best Clowns in Town":

Tyrone: I am so mad! You made me miss my train! I have a circus to lead tonight in Big City, but I can't be there because of... CLOOOOOOOOOWNS!

  • That's No Moon: In "A Giant Problem", Tyrone and Pablo rest on a large red boulder which happens to be Tasha's giant foot. Tyrone does this again in "Escape from Fairytale Village", this time to Pablo's foot.
  • Thematic Theme Tune: The theme song gradually climbs an octave in pitch, while the titular characters switch from regular clothes to fantasy gear and back.
  • Third Person Person: Austin as the Grabbin' Goblin in "The Tale of the Mighty Knights".
  • This Is No Time to Panic: Pablo's frantic chant during his panic attacks. Subverted to some degree in The Flipper! where, instead of panicking, he's actually excited.
  • Tickle Torture: In "International Super Spy", this is the Lady in Pink's method of punishment.
  • Title Drop: Most of the time there's a song where one of the lines (or even the title) is a Title Drop. Also, several episodes have the characters telling each other to stop "Horsing Around", the title of one of the Season 2 episodes.
  • Traintop Chase: Austin and Pablo do this in "Le Master of Disguise", the chase ending with a train tunnel escape.
  • Treasure Map: In "Pirate Treasure", naturally.
  • Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty: Austin during "The Festival of Dirt" games in "Robin Hood the Clean". He even admits it!
  • Turncoat: Austin in "The Secret of Snow" may count.
  • Turned to Stone: Pablo and Tyrone are petrified by Tasha as Medusa in "Sinbad Sails Alone" in a literal game of "freeze tag". Later in said game, Pablo tricks Tasha into petrifying herself.
  • Twitchy Eye: Tyrone has one in "Best Clowns in Town" right after the clowns make him miss his train the second time, and Pablo gets one every time he's about to become the Flipper in "The Flipper".
  • Two Girls to a Team: Tasha and Uniqua
  • Unlimited Wardrobe: Although it could be argued that their fantasy wardrobes are purely imaginary...
  • The Unmasking: Tasha in "Front Page News" does this.
  • Black Holes Suck: In "Garbage Trek".
  • The Un-Reveal: In "The Masked Retriever", none of the other characters find out about Uniqua's alter ego, with Austin's question of "Have you ever heard of the Masked Retriever?" left unanswered by the end-of-story stomach rumble.
  • The Untwist: Frequent, in the course of finding ways around their inability to actually hurt or arrest anyone. During "Whodunit?", for instance, it turns out that Tyrone was the thief, but he didn't really steal the jewels; Tasha gave them to him. It was all a plot by Tasha to liven up a rainy day.
  • Unusual Euphemism: In "The Great Dolphin Race", the characters exclaim "Jumping jellyfish!", "Leaping lobsters!" and "Holy cowfish!". During "International Super Spy", the Lady in Pink (Uniqua) uses "Oh, for evil's sake!". There's also the episode title "For the Love of Socks!".
  • Vapor Wear: During the first two-parter, Uniqua, as the Lady in Pink, clearly wears nothing under her jacket. She does wear her overalls at the ski slope, though.
  • Verbal Tic: Tyrone has a habit of saying "certainly" when stating his opinion or agreeing with another character, though this is reduced a bit after the first season.
  • Villain Song: Expect any episode with a "good versus evil" thematic to have at least one. Notable ones include "Lady In Pink", "Me and my shadows", and "I am professor bug"
  • The Voice: The mystery voices near the end of the episodes "Secret Mission", and "It's Great to be a Ghost" do not come from any of the main characters. They're rumored to have come from Evan Lurie, one of the show's composers. There are also announcer voices near the beginning of "Newsflash" and throughout "The Tale of the Mighty Knights". The announcer in Mighty Knights, is in fact, the dragon, guest voiced by Adam Pascal, the actor who played Roger in RENT. Total Parent Service.
    • Santa Claus in "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve" is heard over the phone, but never seen.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: Pablo could turn into a bat in "Scared of You".
  • WAFF: Click for more info.
  • Wall Crawl: Pablo's vacuum shoes in "To the Center of the Earth".
  • Wall Jump: Uniqua is able to do this with two trees in "Samurai Pie".
  • Walk the Plank: In "Pirate Treasure", and "Fly Girl".
  • Wasn't That Fun?: In "Scared Of You" Austin, Tyrone, and Uniqua are warned against proceeding with their journey. They do so, and are rewarded with a falling staircase. Uniqua is left hanging on to the top landing for dear life.

Uniqua: Hey! That was fun! Let's do it again!
Tyrone: Or let's not!

  • Wasteful Wishing: In "Movers of Arabia", Pablo wastes a wish by saying "I wish I knew where we were." Cue Genie Austin, yelling "You're in Arabia! Boy, that was easy!"
  • What Could Have Been: One episode was supposed to use Sun Ra's avant-garde jazz as a music genre, but the show's producers thought it would scare parents and decided not to go through with it.
    • Also, the show was going to be called "Me + My Friends", Uniqua was supposed to be a pig, and there was no Austin. Click here for more info.
  • Whip Pan: Used in "The Tale of the Mighty Knights", "Le Master of Disguise", "Robin Hood the Clean", and several other episodes.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Tasha during "Chichen-Itza Pizza" -- logically enough, the Indiana Jones parody episode.
  • Wig, Dress, Accent: Austin during "International Super Spy", with a strange mustache instead of the wig.
  • Worst News Judgment Ever: In "News Flash", Reporter Uniqua mistakes Tyrone and Pablo's corn decorations for alien crop circles.
  • You Can Say That Again: A Running Gag primarily in the first season, in which a character would literally repeat themselves after this is said.
  • You Go, Girl!: This happens more than once, and shouldn't be surprising because this show was created by a woman.
    • Becomes a plot point in "Blazing Paddles" when sheriff Uniqua must demonstrate table tennis skills to defend her town.
    • In "Match On Mount Olympus", both Uniqua and Tasha pull a Lisa Leslie, dunking a basketball at different times.
  • Youngest Child Wins: In "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters", Austin the third Luau Brother succeeds after his other siblings each failed.
  • You Shall Not Pass: Used literally by Pablo in "Knights are Brave and Strong". Of course, he then admits that he can't open the door either.
  • Zorro Mark: (Or Calling Card) Uniqua, as the heroic librarian in "The Masked Retriever", leaves a big black checkmark to show where she's been. This was the Zorro parody episode, funnily enough...

Pablo: Egregious!

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