The characters were played by full-body puppets on an indoor stage. The Backyardigans originated as a live-action pilot episode titled 'Me and My Friends,' filmed at Nickelodeon Studios Florida in 1998. The show's writers took inspiration from action-adventure movies, and many episodes are parodies of movies.Ĭreator Janice Burgess had worked as Nick Jr.'s production executive since the mid-1990s. The Backyardigans' adventures span many different genres and settings. Each episode is set to a different musical genre and features four songs, composed by Evan Lurie with lyrics by McPaul Smith. It centers on five animal neighbors who imagine themselves on fantastic adventures in their backyard. The series was written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. The Backyardigans ( / b æ k ˈ j ɑːr d ɪ ɡ ə n z/ bak- YAR-dih-gənz) is an animated musical children's television series created by Janice Burgess.
