They are the Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers of preschool, rapping and rocking in matching blue jumpsuits to songs such as "First Day of School" and "I Want My Mommy."
But these entertainers aren't kids, or even teenagers.
The Imagination Movers are a band of four 30-something guys from New Orleans who launched a new show on the Disney Channel in the United States last month.
"Tick-tock goes the clock, but I'm all right," they rap in a song about bedtime. And, "when you clean up, you gotta get down," they sing and dance in an upbeat number about keeping a tidy room.
"It's not about dinosaurs and rainbows," said Dave Poche, one of the Movers. "But it's all lyrically age-appropriate for the kids."
The setting for the "Imagination Movers" show is the Movers' Idea Warehouse, a vibrantly colored building where the guys come up with smart solutions to pesky problems that range from long-haired group member Scott Durbin having a bad hair day to drummer Rich Collins getting his foot stuck in a bucket.
Each has a unique tool to help him think. Scott "Smitty" Smith, for example, keeps a journal.
In the initial episode, the guys try to play a song written for their friend and neighbor, Nina, but are interrupted by a loud noise they don't recognize.
The gang brainstorms for ideas about what the noise might be, then scramble to find its origin. They eventually discover the noise is coming from another neighbor blowing a tuba.
The Movers' motto comes up in most shows: "Reach high, think big, work hard, have fun." Behind that, however, is the underlying mission to encourage creativity, foster independence, promote problem-solving skills and raise self-esteem, said Durbin, a former teacher.
"We pose very divergent questions, so there's not one answer," he said. "Kids from any background can participate."
Combined with the educational components is the Movers' music - a blend of rock, funk, country, hip-hop, new wave and other genres, all set to lyrics for young children.
Sascha Penn and Skot Bright, two of the show's producers, at first expected the Movers' music to sound more like that found on "The Wiggles," "Barney" or other popular children's shows.
"We were surprised," Penn said. "Their music was right up there with Tom Petty."
The Movers say the only thing they have in common with the Wiggles - a super successful children's singing group from Australia - is that they are both bands of four guys with music targeting a young audience.
With slapstick-style bits and rock-infused musical interludes, the Movers probably more closely resemble the old "Monkees" show of the 1960s. They said it was important to them to include real people and good music in the show instead of a host of puppets and cartoons.
"There's a sincerity and integrity that only a person can convey," Durbin said.
Their idea for the TV show started coming together long before Disney entered the scene. For years, the Movers met each evening - after working day jobs and putting their own kids to sleep - to write songs and generate ideas for the TV show.
With three of the four Movers being fathers of young children, they weren't short on inspiration.
The guys handed out self-produced CDs to family and friends, and for years, they played just about any gig they could get, including children's birthday parties.
They recalled one party where the birthday boy repeatedly whacked Poche in the knee with a plastic golf club during their performance.
"It was very humbling, to say the least," Durbin said. "We've certainly paid our dues."
All the planning made Disney's job of producing easy, said Bright. "It was just a matter of harnessing the energy and momentum that they started."
Still, the Movers' journey to success has been a rough one. Hurricane Katrina flooded three of the guys' homes and their recording studio, and the Hollywood writers strike pushed the show's premiere from spring to fall.
Then along came Hurricane Gustav recently which forced three of the Movers and their families to evacuate to other areas. Luckily, there was no serious damage to any of their homes.
(Shanghai Daily October 16, 2008)
