Way back in the beginning of June my friend Nanette and I bought tickets for our families to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live. Nanette had taken her daughter Em last year and she said her daughter was enthralled. I have spent the better part of the last six months preparing Annie for the live show. When we’d watch YGG on TV I’d say, “Do you want to see the REAL Muno? What about Foofa? Do you want to see them in PERSON?” She would always say yes, but she really had no idea what I meant.
I am just going to say it – I was more excited than anyone. I wanted it to be the most fun thing Annie had ever experienced. I wanted to blow her mind. I wanted her to shriek with happiness. I could seriously cry just thinking about it. I know. I know.
The big concert was the day after Thanksgiving. I was nervous…we flew back to Los Angeles that afternoon and went straight to the theatre. Annie didn’t nap at ALL. I expressed my concern to Mike, who wasn’t worried. He thought the adrenaline of being around Em and seeing the YGG characters would help her pull through any tiredness.
We walked up to the theatre, and it looked like Mike was right. Annie caught a glimpse of the signs outside the theatre and she was off:
She saw the scrolling marquee and kept yelling, “It’s Gabba! It’s Gabba!”
We went inside and spent a mortgage payment on some YGG gear. I was just picking it up for SANTA, MIKE.
The girls were adorable. Annie kept looking at Em for approval…she loves big girls. They danced in their seats to the pre-show music.
I was so excited. The show was about to start and Annie was SO HAPPY! I just knew it was going to be a great experience for her.
And me, of course.
The lights dimmed and the music started…and OK fine, I totally started crying because I expected Annie to start shrieking with glee….and she didn’t. She looked like this:
Total stone face. Mike picked her up to make sure she could see…
Total. Stone. Face. Not afraid. Not happy, not sad. Just…blank. I told Mike I thought she was tired, and maybe it was just too much for her to process. He said that she was just VERY into the music and was studying the characters onstage. Um, OK.
I spent the next 20 minutes acting like a fool trying to get Annie to dance and smile and sing. She didn’t budge. She kept that super-serious-stone-face steady on the stage, never looking away. Until, finally, I shouted, “Look at Em!” Em was dancing in the aisle. It was like something clicked in Annie’s head. She suddenly realized it was OK to dance.
Annie stood on my lap for the second half of the concert and danced, clapped, and even sang along to the songs. She was so happy! I might have cried again.
After the show, as Mike carried her through the crowd, Annie said, “Bye Gabba. Bye Dancing.”
I wish we were going again tomorrow.
Jenn says:
AAAahhhhh – See…she DID love it!!! She was probably just a little overwhelmed at first but then she loved it! -Probably even as much as……YOU DID!!! I LOVE taking my kids to fun things!!! You’re right, the anticipation of their little reactions is ALMOST too much to take!!!
I’m so happy you all had such fun & once again yourself & Mike gave Annie the memories of a life time…or at least until she forgets & you remind her!!!
Such AMAZING parents!!! Lucky little girlie!!!xo
katrina @ They All Call Me Mom says:
Ah that is so cute! She’s such a sweetie I’m glad to hear she finally snapped out of it and started dancing! For your sake as well as hers
All these little ones in my house and not once have we watched that show. I have no idea what the characters even look like. What channel is it on? I’m in Orange County, so we must have the same tv scheduling as you. What time/day/channel does it air? I’ve just gotta watch it now.
Shan says:
I have learned to expect the unexpected…anything other than a meltdown is a success! I’m glad she finally got into it though..I know I get myself all worked up and the kids sometimes think I’m crazy..I just want them to be “in to ” the experience though, making memories!
edenland says:
Heather I love love this post. You have a sparkle in you that I haven’t seen in a long while. XX
Lisa says:
Back in the day, I won tickets to see the live show of “Bear and The Big Blue House,” which was my son’s MOST FAVORITE SHOW EVER. I built it up like a mo-fo, and when we got there, he did the same thing as Annie. No smiles, no laughs, no singing. I think he was just overwhelmed by Bear, who was RIGHT THERE (we had 2nd row seats). I guess he thought we were just going to see a Bear movie or something.
Kristen says:
This is hilarious. I live in Atlanta and took my 18 month old daughter to Yo Gabba Gabba Live in October. She had the EXACT same expression on her face as Annie did during the ENTIRE show. Never smiled once, but never took her eyes off the stage. She’d clap sometimes and she’d say bye to the characters when they left the stage, but she never danced or smiled. She didn’t have a little friend with her to watch and see that it was ok to dance! We just chalked it up as her being mesmerized by the show, because she never cried, and watched the whole thing, but never danced. At home, all she does is dance during Yo Gabba Gabba!
Alexis says:
My son was the same way when we went last year. I think he was overcome with shock and awe because even though he never cracked a smile during the show, he couldn’t stop talking about it after. He STILL talks about it and asks if we can go back so his baby brother can see it and it’s been 15 months and several cognitive leaps since then! He’s not even that into Gabba anymore, but I guess he thinks his brother MUST experience the wonder for himself.
Nanette says:
I’m so glad we were able to enjoy that together! So much fun with you all, even it took a little while for the gals to warm up.
Tracie says:
Awww. I’m glad she has such a fun time!!
My daughter did that stone faced thing the first time I took her to the Nutcracker, but after it was over she talked and talked and talked about how awesome it was!
Kristin says:
How cute!!! I’m glad she had such a fun time. I bet she was just trying to take it all in at first. My daughter was the same way when we went to see the Doodlebops. Once she adjusted to the people on stage, the lights, the loud music, then she let loose and was able to rock out.
Northwest Kirsten says:
Awww! Totally brings back memories of taking our now 13 year-old son to see the real Thomas the Tank Engine in a little town in Illinois 11 years ago. I totally teared up when he saw it for the first time. After screaming “It’s Thomas! It’s Thomas!, he spent much of the rest of the time awestruck. Just must be too much to process for most of them.
Sweet how much Annie takes her cues from Em.
Lisa says:
Heather, I loved this post. I felt the same way when we brought our daughter Giada to see Aladdin last year. She was so excited but then she just sat there with no expression. Afterwards she and her little friend got to meet the actors and she had her picture taken with Jasmine and she was soooo happy. These are priceless memories. I can’t get over how big Annie is getting and I’m still bowled over by your post over her fashion sense!
Snarky Mommy says:
We took our three to YGG Live last year and one loved it, one cried the whole time and one was too little to care. But I also was super excited for them to see the show they loved so much.
Now meeting Snow White at Disney this spring was a whole different experience — the 3-year-old was beaming, I was crying, it was Magical.
Also, we have the Brobee headband, too, and it has held up well!
Alan says:
We took our two kids to see the show a couple of months ago and they absolutely loved it. Anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, you should go if you have a chance. Your kids will love it!
Megan Hartman says:
haha too cute!! but random question Heather, where is your necklace from???
Heather says:
The silhouette of Maddie is from http://www.candystorecollective.com/ (I am asking for Annie’s silhouette for Christmas!) and the “I’m Brave” charm was custom-made by my friend.
AmazingGreis says:
Yay! Glad she (and you) had a good time!
Lanie says:
Was Biz Markie there? Did he sing “You say he is just a friend”? Glad that you all had a great time.
Jessica says:
So adorable. My son did the same when we went to the Wiggles. I thought he would love it and he just stared seriously at them the whole time. Glad she ended up dancing and having as much fun as you :).
Mindy says:
She is SO dang cute! We just took our son to Yo Gabba Gabba a few weeks ago & he did the sam thing. I think he was a little confused as to why they were there & not on tv. But by the second half he was having a good time.
Cindy says:
Love the pictures! My son did the same thing when we went to the Wiggles. Except he never got up and danced. It wasn’t until we walked out that he all of a sudden freaked out with crazy excited-ness. So annoying!!
Do you read Ruth’s blog? (ruthschultz.blogspot.com) Her husband is Scott, one of the creators of Gabba. Such a cool family!! Love them. And love that everyone loves Yo Gabba Gabba!
Jennifer says:
Okay, my kids are ollllllld now, 9 and 11. But back in the day, they were high on the Wiggles. I took them each when they were Annie’s age, annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd, totally same reaction. Blank stare. Confusion maybe? Why are they not in the TV? I took them when they were 3 1/2+ and it was party in da house.
Elizabeth says:
I’m glad she warmed up to it after the beginning, it was probably just a shock to the system seeing them in person! We took our little guy last year when they came to Vancouver – it was his first ever concert experience (he was around Annabel’s age) and he absolutely loved it! Possibly not as much as me, but close!!! LOL I totally get how psyched you were for it, I was the same way, and it was kind of magical when DJ Lance Rock and the gang were all right there in front of us. My son still mentions how Muno patted his head on his way to the stage after intermission!! So awesome
hdj says:
My daughter’s first show like this was Bob the Builder. She was 18 months. She had on her littl contruction hat and was in absolute AWE that the characters were real. And freaking HUGE! I have almost identical pictures. It’s overwhelming that these things they see on TV are REAL. But she sang and danced and yelled at the trucks. She loved it.