DJ Lance in Gabbaland

Years ago, my family abandoned me. Sure, my sister stops by for the occasional visit but my parents, my people, my home, gone. My people are brilliant with magic powers that control time and space. They keep the universe in order and ensure the progression of life. They don’t trust me to do the same. They sent me here, to nothingness. Empty white space is all I can see, all I have control over, so I play. But I am lonely. I have to keep smiling, can’t let them see how hard my life has become, and how much I want to go home. After I was exiled, I began creating. I needed friends but wanted nothing to remind me of home. I needed something comforting, something like a family but not one like mine. Instead, I made a loving family; mother, father, sister, baby boy, and a middle child like me named Muno. I made them from clay and breathed life into them with the magic words of my people, “Yo Gabba Gabba.” Muno was my favorite, wide eye, big smile, loved to explore. I loved him so much that I created a whole world for him to play in. It was a world away from his family, where he could be with me and play; he would always be able to play. I made rocks and gave them sentience so he would never be alone. But rocks are not the best of friends, and Muno wouldn’t be happy forever. But he was mine. I had to keep him, I couldn’t be abandoned again.

“Muno, what would you like in a friend?”
“You are my friend, DJ Lance. You are the coolest! We always have fun.”
“But Muno, I’m all the way up here and you’re way down there. Wouldn’t you like someone to play with in Gabbaland?”
“Down here?” Muno asked. Muno cocked his head and lifted a finger to his eye. “That would be neat.”

“What do I want in a friend?” Muno asked himself. “My sister is pink. Maybe I should have a pink friend Yeah!”

“DJ Lance! DJ Lance! I know what I want in a friend. I want someone pink. Pink. Is. AWESOME!”

Pink would be a reminder of his sister. If I make her too much like Cheebo will Muno want to go home? She has to be different enough to be interesting and fun enough to keep him here. Muno loves balls, I’ll make him a friend shaped like a wonderful, round, smiling ball. Cheebo likes nature so should this new friend. Her name should sound the same. She has to be right. He has to stay with me.

“Hey Muno,” DJ Lance proclaimed. “Would you like to sing for your new friend?”
“A song?”
“Yeah, a song. ‘Cause singing and friends are AWESOME!”
“Ok! Yeah!”

“What do you do when you’re all alone?
Find new friends, find new friends
New friends are awesome, new friends are fun
New friends are good for everyone

What kind of friend would you like at home?
Meet pink friends, Meet pink friends
Pink friends are happy, pink friends are fun
Pink friends are good for everyone

How do you name your special friends?
Name new friends, name new friends
What about FOOFA!”

“Foofa,” said Muno. “Foofa sounds like a great friend! When do I get to meet her DJ Lance? “

“How about now?” asked DJ Lance. “Yo Gabba Gabba!” DJ Lance spread his arms wide, and rainbow colored stars fell from his fingertips.

“Wow, she’s here!” Muno said hopping around. “Foofa, my very own friend, Yeah!”

Foofa looked to her left and looked to her right.
“Where am I?” she asked. “I was just sitting at home listening to my mom tell a story. Who are you? Where am I? How do I get home? Where is my mommy?”

“Don’t worry Foofa.” DJ Lance looked down on her, “This is a world for you to play in. Don’t worry. Your Mom will be fine. Gabbaland will be your home. All you have to do is play. Look, here is your new friend, Muno.”

“I am not with my family either, Foofa." exclaimed Muno.  "It’s okay though, DJ Lance makes sure to take care of us and he is so fun. He’ll teach us songs, and dances, and help us to play games. It will be great! Let’s be friends. Yeah!”

“Ok,” Foofa said. “DJ Lance? What kind of place is this? It’s full of rocks and there are no flowers or grass anywhere. I can’t be happy in a place where things don’t grow. Please, send me home. I like Muno and I like you but this place will make me sad.”

“Don’t worry Foofa,” DJ Lance exclaimed. “This place can be whatever you want it to be. This is a magic place. A place that will always be AWESOME! Yo Gabba Gabba!” Rolling hills covered in green grass pushed their way out of the ground. Flowers sprang up and squirrels, bunnies, and butterflies appeared all around them.

“What do you think of that Foofa?” asked DJ Lance. “Could you be happy in this place?”

“Could I? This place is perfect! I love flowers and animals. Thanks DJ Lance. I think I can be happy here.”

I looked down at my creation. Now no one will leave me. Foofa will forget her mother. Muno will make her happy. I will always take care of them and they will never leave me.

Over the next few weeks everything was perfect. Muno and Foofa played and skipped and jumped and ran and sang. Yet, despite all the happiness, Foofa still thought something wasn’t right. She couldn’t go home but thought Gabbaland could be better than it was. She was there to be a friend to Muno but who was there to be a friend for her?

“DJ Lance, DJ Lance,” Foofa called. “I want more friends! I want a little friend to take care of. Like a doll or my animal friends but bigger, happier, and more fun!”

“A new friend?”

I thought they had everything they wanted. How many can I control? Will it ever stop? I can’t bring in any more with attachments, families. If they don’t have a home to go back to then they won’t want to go home.

“Muno!” Asked DJ Lance. What would you think about having another friend? Foofa wants someone small and cute, how about you?”

“I like green!” yelled Muno, jumping up and down. “How about a green friend?”

“Do you like green, Foofa?”

“Of course I do! Green is the color of nature. I love green.”

“Well then, I will make you a cute little green friend.

What do you do when you want more fun?
Make new friends, make new friends
More fun is awesome, more fun is fun
New friends are good for everyone

What kind of friend would you like at home?
Little green friends, little green friends
Green friends are happy, little friends are fun
Green friends are good for everyone

How do you name your special friends?
Name new friends, name new friends
What about….I don’t know

Yo Gabba Gabba!” Rainbow stars rained down and a cute little creature with green stripes and long wavy arms appeared.

“What do you think of your new friend?” Asked DJ Lance. “What should we call him? I thought a name would come with our song but it just didn’t seem right.”

“Well,” said Muno. “He’s a boy and lives with me so I’m going to think of him as a brother. Maybe his name is Brother? Little green friend, do you like that name?” The little green guy shook his head.

“He has stripes like a bumblebee,” said Foofa. Maybe his name is Bumblebee?” Do you like that name little green friend?”

“NO!” he exclaimed.

“I know,” said DJ Lance. “Let’s put the names together. Brother bumblebee, brotherbumblebee, Brobumble? Otherbee? Brobee! Little green friend, what do you think about the name Brobee?”

“Brobee, I like it! You can call me Brobee, Yeah!”

“What a wonderful day!” said Foofa. “Welcome to Gabbaland Brobee!”

“Thanks,” Brobee exclaimed. “I think we’re going to be great friends. I like forests and birds and games. What do you guys like?”

“I like playing guitar and blocks. I like to dance and run around with Foofa!” yelled Muno.

“I like to grow flowers in my garden. I like to dance and sing to my animal friends.” sang Foofa.

“That sounds fun,” Brobee exclaimed. “I think we’ll have a great time together.”

“Brobee?” asked Foofa. “When you came to Gabbaland where did you come from? Did you have a family where you were?

“What is a family?” Asked Brobee.

Foofa and Muno looked at each other, “What’s a family? A family is a bunch of people who love and take care of each other. You don’t have a family?”

“I lived alone in the forest and didn’t have a family or friends.” Brobee explained. “Do you have families? It seems nice to have a family.”

“I have a family!” Muno said. “I have a mother and father, a sister named Cheebo and a baby brother named GoGo. My family lives in a house and DJ Lance sometimes says he will bring them to Gabbaland.”

“I have a family,” Foofa said. I have a mother who reads to me before I go to sleep. I don’t know when I will see my mother again. I love her so much.”

“I think that I would like a family,” Brobee said. “Could you guys be my family? We could take care of each other and love each other and have lots of fun together.”

“We can be your family, Brobee.” Said DJ Lance. “I’ll be your dad and teach you. Foofa and Muno will be your brother and sister. They will play with you all day. They will love you. Foofa, Muno, could you be Brobee’s family?”

“Yeah!” They hugged Brobee close.

"DJ Lance," said Foofa, "Brobee likes the forest. There aren’t any forests in Gabbaland. I think we should build a forest for Brobee. Wouldn’t you like that, Brobee?”

“A forest would be neat. I do miss my forest. To have a family and a forest, WOW!” Brobee jumped up and down.

“Yo Gabba Gabba!” Trees sprang up from the ground and flew overhead tweeting and singing a special song.

“This is Amazing!” Brobee said. “Now I have a forest of my very own and new family. This is the best day ever!”

For months, Foofa, Brobee and Muno ran and played in Gabbaland. Everything was perfect until DJ Lance looked down and saw Brobee crying.

“Brobee, what is the matter? DJ Lance asked. “Aren’t you happy in your forest with your new family?”

“Sure DJ Lance. But I want a friend more like me. Someone who doesn’t have a family, someone all alone like me. DJ Lance, can we bring one of them here to play with us?

They are draining me. My magic is growing weaker. I need them happy but I need to rest, how long can I go on?

DJ Lance gathered his Gabba friends all around him. “Ok gang,” he said. “Brobee wants to have another friend but I’m going to tell you something. I have been working hard to make sure you all have fun in Gabbaland and my magic is not as strong as it once was. I have enough magic to make you another friend but I can’t keep making them new friends forever. I will also make a new friend for me. One with some of my magic powers. What do you think about that?”

“Neat, DJ Lance,” Muno said. “We love you DJ Lance and we want you to be happy. I am so excited to make and meet some new friends!”

“Ok Brobee,” DJ Lance called. “You wanted a new friend. Tell me what you would like.”

“This new friend should be a girl so Foofa isn’t the only girl. But this girl shouldn’t like flowers and pink like Foofa, this girl should like to run and get into trouble like Muno. This girl shouldn’t be afraid of things like me. This girl should be able to help me not to be afraid. This girl should like to play music like Muno does on his guitar, and she should like to play with dolls like Foofa.

“Ok,” DJ Lance said. “Let’s all get together and sing about new friends and then say the magic words. Ready? 1-2-3

“What do you do when you want more fun?
Make new friends, make new friends
More fun is awesome, more fun is fun
New friends are good for everyone

What kind of friend would you like at home?
Fun friends, brave friends, musical friends
Fun friends are happy, brave friends are fun
Musical friends are good for everyone

How do you name your special friends?
Name new friends, name new friends
What about Toodee?

“Toodee?” asked Muno, Foofa, and Brobee. “What kind of a name is Toodee?”

“Well,” DJ Lance replied. “I thought Toodee would be a good name because of the things you said. You wanted a friend who likes music and musical instruments make a tooting noise. It was Brobee’s idea to have a new friend so her name should sound a little like Brobee’s. What do you all think?

“I like it!” said Brobee
“Me too,” said Muno
“Me three! He he,” laughed Foofa.

“Ok,” said DJ Lance, let’s all say the magic words together YO GABBA GABBA!”
Suddenly, a blue cat-dragon stood in front of them.

“Hi, Toodee,” said DJ Lance. “Welcome to Gabbaland. We have been waiting for you. Where do you want to live and play? I can make it for you. We’re your new friends.

“Hi everyone,” said Toodee. I come from a cold place of ice and mountains. I would like something like that to remind me of home.”

“Not a problem,” said DJ Lance, “Ice and mountains coming right up! Yo Gabba Gabba!”

“Wow,” Toodee exclaimed. “That is amazing. This is a great place to play. Would you guys like to play hide and seek with me?”

Muno, Brobee, Foofa, and Toodee played for hours hiding behind mountains of ice, in the forest of trees, among the flowering rolling hills, and among Muno’s rocks. DJ Lance looked down on them and smiled. He had built a family. But it made him so tired.

“What do I need in a helper?” he whispered.

I need someone with a little bit of magic. I need someone smart, someone to help me look out for them. I made a whole world. But if I can’t keep my new world together my family will be right. I will be a failure. Failure is not an option. I’ll show them. I’ll make everything perfect so they will be proud. What kind of a creature could hold my magic power? A robot! A robot with a rechargeable laser beam enhanced with magic to transport people in and out of Gabbaland. I’ll get to work when they go to sleep. IT will be perfect.

“Yo Gabba Gabba!” DJ Lance said. As his rainbow stars fell from his fingertips a magic yellow robot sprung up from the ground.

“Hi, DJ Lance,” the robot said. “I’m Plex. How are you? What would you like me to do?”

“I need you to help me,” DJ Lance replied. “There are four people living here in Gabbaland. It is my job to keep them safe, keep them happy, and make sure they don’t want to leave. They are my friends. They need to stay with me. Foofa, the pink one, used to want to go back to her mother. I think she is starting to forget. Muno, the red one, has a family nearby. I tell him that they will come to visit and, maybe, someday they will. I am getting tired. My magic is not as strong as it once was. I need to give some of it to you. You can use your robot mechanics to keep the magic working. I made you that way. That way you can do most of the magic and I can rest. I need your help. Will you be one of my friends?”

“Of course, DJ Lance, I will help you to run Gabbaland. I like to help make things work. I’ll need a place to stay and work and I will be a friend to everyone. I will be an extension of you and will help you to keep everything in order. We’ll be partners. DJ Lance and Plex, in charge of Gabbaland, forever.”

DJ Lance created a hidden door for Plex between Foofa’s hills and Brobee’s forest. It would be a place where he could sleep and recharge his metal body. As everyone woke up Plex was there to greet them.

“Good morning! I am Plex the magic robot. DJ Lance asked me to come and help you learn. In the morning we all brush our teeth. Then it’s time to play!" Plex instructed.

DJ Lance smiled. He wasn’t a lonely failure anymore. Maybe it was time to go back to his family, to show them how far he had come. He held up a huge boombox and placed it over Gabbaland. “Yo Gabba Gabba!” DJ Lance waved his arms and let the rainbow colored stars fall all over his new friends. They froze in place and turned into toys. DJ Lance opened the boombox and placed them inside. It was time to go home to his family. Time to show them what he had become. DJ Lance walked away from Gabbaland, into the great white space of time.