An Interview with Christian Jacobs & Scott Schultz, the Creators of ‘Yo Gabba GabbaLand!’

Key Art for ‘Yo Gabba GabbaLand!’ Courtesy of Apple.

Something we don’t talk about enough in the entertainment world, is how many icons and pioneers make up the family entertainment side of the business. For so many amazing folks have brought to life impactful family stories that have inspired generations of fans, and in recent years, Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz can be added to that list. For they are the creators of the highly beloved series, Yo Gabba Gabba! and they are also the brain trust behind the new chapter in the saga, Yo Gabba Gabbaland! on Apple TV+, and we had the distinct honor of sitting down with both of them to discuss the next chapter in this saga!
 
John Betancourt: I’d like to start today by getting to know what inspired each of you to want to bring this franchise back to life.
 
Scott Schultz: We had always kind of thought that it would be amazing to bring Gabba back, but fundamentally, it needed to be the same magic in all the pieces, right? And so, you know, there's various people that really flirted with wanting to bring it back, and it just wasn't the right time and place. And I think it wasn't until, you know, it's been a few years talking with Apple TV Plus, but you know, they really cared to bring back a new series, not just season five, you know, expansion of the old series. And so, I think we were really lucky to have that type of partnership to bring back a vision of how Gabba could be so much bigger.
 
Christian Jacobs: Just, you know, Scott and I and, everyone else working on the show. Yeah, it was always kind of a dream to keep the show going and keep it alive. And so, like he said, I agree, all the pieces kind of had to fall into place. And Apple TV was -- it felt like the perfect opportunity and perfect partner and perfect time to like, okay, let's bring it back for real and for a whole new generation of kids and parents. It's almost like we're getting to that point where it's like kids that grew up watching Yo Gabba Gabba! are kind of getting to that age where they could have kids or getting close. So, it's like the new generation of adults, kind of like Gabba kids, and so fun to see that. And pretty… kind of a trip.
 
John Betancourt: Now you mentioned a little bit that in taking a little time to get there, there's been some challenges. Could you elaborate a little further on what challenges came into place and bringing this to life, because I'm sure it was not an easy task, in the slightest.
 
Scott Schultz: Yeah, especially because we really wanted this, you know, to be the magic, like the old show, like I said, um, so that's very, very tricky to do, especially because, you know, the old show was very practical, you know, it was very contained. We could turn on the lights and just start filming. And we wanted to bring that same aesthetic. It had to be that same DIY aesthetic that looks like a parent has painted, you know, tiny things that you could put down in a play set, and then we're zooming down in there. And so, to expand the world, you know, really, we had to take a challenge that I don't think any other kids show has done, is like using volume screen technology to try and really make this world expand. And that was a trick, you know. I mean, they're doing it on Mandalorian, but for kids shows, it was, you know, a real epic exploration. But I think at the end of the day, beautiful, because we were able to kind of use it for this intention in a way that works in the same way as the old show, we were kind of breaking the barriers of what a kid's show could be at that time. So, you know, it reminded us so much of season one of the first show, where we're reinventing the wheel, you know what I mean?
 
Christian Jacobs: Yeah, it's definitely taken a little bit longer than we had hoped. Finally, here. So that's all that matters. You know, better late. But yeah, to Scott's point, there was all kinds of new challenges and new things in order to expand the show, but ultimately, you just wanted to make more Gabba, you know, more Gabba, bigger and better.
 
John Betancourt: Something I do want to know. Because, I mean, this has been an absolute pop culture phenomenon. It is obviously near and dear to both your hearts, because the smiles on your faces speak to that. What does it mean to each of you, then, to bring it back to life?
 
Scott Schultz: It means the world to me because we are able, to bring it back to life in the right way. I was always scared that the show would come back, you know, maybe, like other shows where the creators aren't involved and they just kind of bring back for the IP and really Yo Gabba Gabba! is not that. Like it's there for the heart of the show. And Yo Gabba, as we, me and Christian experienced early on, so much bigger than us, because we opened up to that co-collaborative spirit, like, we're creating this with all sorts of bands and artists and DJs, you know, celebrities, like we're inviting everyone to this setting and this playset, you know what I mean, this preschool world, and really, just allowing all of us to play and experience the wonder of being that age. So, for it to be able to come back in that same type of magical way is kind of a dream come true. And like, you know, kudos to Apple, kudos to everybody that came back to support this, including, you know, the bands who were never on the show before that just came in and, you know, the artists, everybody coming in to collaborate in the same type of way, like, it's a beautiful thing to experience, you know, for me personally, because so well beyond me.
 
Christian Jacobs: Yeah, I agree. And Scott and I, we haven't really done a whole lot of stuff together since, since Gabba and, I think, coming back together as friends, because the show grew out of our friendship and our love for not only our children, but also for children's television in general, like we, we love, like the kind of the golden age of kids TV. And we grew up on obviously, we were Sesame Street fans and Pee Wee's Playhouse and all the bigs. You know, we loved those shows as kids ourselves. And so having Gabba grow out of our childhoods and our friendship and our love for our families, and then having it come back together, like as us being back together has been really, really important for our lives.
 
Scott Schultz: It's so beautiful. It's all about the relationships, right? And I feel like that translates to the show. It's like me and Christian coming back together, you know, as friends is kind of the heart of the characters coming back together, and like having more interactions with each other, it's, it's been a beautiful experience
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for you. What are you each most excited then for audiences to experience with this new iteration of the show?
 
Christian Jacobs: Well, I'll jump in first. I want to say, it's hard to say most excited about but I think for me again, like touching upon the new, new generation of kids. Obviously, there's a whole bunch of kids that grew up watching the shows, and they're grown up, they're in their early 20s or late teens, and they get to kind of re-experience it with another generation of younger kids and I think for me, that’s just exciting to see. Also, the reach that Apple has with the show, because the first iteration of the show, you know, not to get into the nitty gritty of the licensing process for the globe, but Apple TV's global reach, it's already going to have such a bigger impact than the old show did. And the old show went as far as we could throw it, if that makes sense. But the new one, it's going to get to be in everyone's back pocket, around the world. And for me, that's so exciting, to not only touch a new generation of kids, but a new generation globally. And we have a global kind of focus in the show, there’s a new segment in the show called The Culture Kids, where we’ve gone to different countries, using iPhones and filming little almost like little documentaries, one-minute documentaries about a day in the life of a child in a different country, in a different culture. And to me, it's how the show will it resonate, or how it resonates globally with kids around the world, that’s really exciting for me and Scott, we're really stoked.
 
Scott Schultz: Yeah, I'm most excited for the world to meet Kammy. She is so amazing. And I have a daughter who's around that age, like 12, and she is so enamored by this idea of Kammy. And I just can't wait for the world to meet her, because in person, as the human, Kamryn Smith is so amazing, as you’ve probably experienced. But you know. In GabbaLand she's everything. And I think this is really going to spark that imagination that kids of any age, right, myself included, this is their imagination, bringing their toys to life. You know, I mean, playing with their reality as they see it. And it's, you know, it's an in point for them. And anyways, I'm excited for Kammy. I'm also excited in the future for us all to get together into a live show, right? That experience of all coming together and experiencing a live show, dancing, expressing, singing songs… that, to me, is like, lookout, I'm waiting with bated breath for that to happen. You know, hopefully next year.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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