Nick Jr.’s The Backyardigans is known for its rich storytelling, excellent music, and detailed animation. While all of those things are wonderful, for me, the best part of the show is its brilliant characters. There’s Pablo, the determined penguin, Tyrone, the chill moose, Tasha, the bossy hippo, Austin, the shy kangaroo, and Uniqua, the kindhearted go-getter. Each character could carry a story on their personality alone, but the best episodes always featured the whole ensemble. Together, they would go on imaginary musical adventures in their backyard, becoming pirates, knights, and jungle explorers. There’s been no one like the Backyardigans on TV since the show went off-air. What makes these characters click, and what can writers learn from them? Let’s find out.

Personality. The Backyardigans all have well-rounded personalities. My favorite Backyardigan, Uniqua, is brave and smart and strong (she even sings about it!). In her episodes, Uniqua’s goal is to save the day and help her friends. However, she often bites off more than she can chew, and she makes hasty, impulsive decisions to please others.

Uniqua’s combination of positive and negative traits may seem normal to most writers, but well-rounded characters are rare in preschool television. Many writers want their characters to be good role models but unintentionally make them one-note. When you’re writing a character, especially for a preschool audience, give him a wide emotional range. Let him be angry, then show his apology and his attempt to fix the mistake. Emphasize how he solves his problem rather than focusing on his anger so the child takes away the positive behavior. That way, your character is still a good role model, but he is also relatable to children who are still learning right from wrong.

Character Growth. In most preschool shows, a character learns a lesson but forgets it by the next episode. In Backyardigans, however, our heroes grow and change as the series goes on. Take Austin, the purple kangaroo. In “Castaways”, he moves to the neighborhood and tells us he “feels a little shy today”. While Tyrone, Pablo, and Uniqua are pretending to be marooned on a desert island, Austin assists them from afar. He gives them food, water, and supplies to build a hut. The kids question why these things conveniently appear when they need them and investigate, discovering Austin. Austin explains he just wanted to help and they all become friends.

Austin doesn’t appear in every episode, reflecting his shyness. In season one, he usually plays the sidekick instead of taking the spotlight. Gradually, we learn Austin is a funny, intelligent child who loves to laugh. We watch him grow in confidence and become an astronaut, a samurai and a jewel thief in season two. By season three Austin’s in nearly every episode, just as likely to play the hero as he is the villain! This is a far cry from the shy kid we met in season one.

Austin’s character growth imparts simple lessons to kids without being preachy. He is shy, but he still finds ways to be brave. Austin is a great example of a character with a compelling emotional need (to overcome his shyness and make friends). A good emotional need creates excellent character growth! Remember a child’s emotional needs are simple – to be safe, loved, fed, etc. Does your character really need a nap, or do they feel sad and need cheering up? Give your character an obstacle that can only be beaten if they work through their emotional need. Stretching out their struggle over several stories can make their growth even more impactful!

A Strong Moral Compass. A hallmark of this show is the characters’ ability to play heroes and villains. This can be confusing to young children who view the world in black-and-white. I’ll admit I didn’t grasp the concept of the Backyardigans as “actors” until I was much older. (Uniqua isn’t a bad guy! She’s my best friend!) Despite this, I like how the writers are very clear about the differences between good and evil. In “Race to the Tower of Power”, Uniqua and Austin are heroes and Pablo and Tyrone are villains. The good guys have the power to create, while the bad guys have the power to make things “yucky”. Swap out “yucky” for “twisted” and you have a nice Christian analogy – God creates while the Devil only twists and corrupts. Today, superhero movies blur the lines between good and evil. Antiheroes abound, and the actions of heroes and villains are greyer than ever. Children are easily confused by these messages that stray from Biblical truth, so Christian writers must be especially careful with their portrayals of good and evil.

Something else I haven’t seen on TV in a long time is forgiveness. That seems like something every children’s show would talk about, right? The Backyardigans certainly did. Characters forgave others for their mistakes and offered them a second chance. In our superhero example, Uniqua and Austin catch Pablo and Tyrone and ask them to give up their villainous ways. The boys promise to become good, and guess what? They turn into good guys! It’s a nice little redemption arc and a gentle lesson for kids. What’s bad becomes good when we repent and come to Christ.

While this episode likely isn’t intended to be Christian allegory, it’s still important to demonstrate Biblical values in our characters. Your readers will learn from their behavior and try to imitate it. As I’ve mentioned, the character doesn’t need to be perfect. Just make their choices clear to readers as either good or bad. Incorporating elements like forgiveness and redemption is a great way to plant seeds of faith in your story and create richer characters.

Have you watched The Backyardigans? Do you have a favorite character from the show? How have they inspired your writing? Let me know in the comments!

Happy writing! 😊