Yo! E-E-Eat Vegetables!

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By Jessica Bennett

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Preschoolers aren't the only ones gaga for "Yo Gabba Gabba!", Nick Jr.'s new sing-along TV series for kids that's best described as a cross between "Sesame Street" and "Soul Train," with daily doses of beat-boxing by rap pioneer Biz Markie. Hipster parents—and their single friends—are digging it, too. "Biz's Beat of the Day" segment has become a YouTube fixture, and the show's '80s throwback animation and culturally savvy flourishes (the title is a reference to punk icons the Ramones) have earned it a following among tykes and twentysomethings in just a matter of months.

"Yo Gabba Gabba!'s" co- creators, Christian Jacobs and Scott Schulz, say the whole idea was to rope in kids and adults alike—and to create a kids' TV program that didn't make them want to gag. Their show teaches simple life lessons through clever songs: "Party in My Tummy" is about eating your veggies (carrots get sad if they can't go to the party), and "Don't Bite Your Friends" is … pretty self-explanatory. "These are age-old problems parents face, but [the lessons] work because they're fun," says Jacobs. But it's Biz, hip-hop's clown prince, who's become the breakout star. The Harlem-born rapper, 43, best known for his 1989 hit "Just a Friend," says he's found a new passion for children's music. "I really want to be the black Mister Rogers," he says. And he'll have much cooler sweaters.

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