History Series / Zoboomafoo

* {{Duck}}: Happens OnceAnEpisode when the Messenger Bird of the Day brings a message from the Animal helpers and Zoboo and the Brothers have to duck out of the way. Subverted sometimes because the messenger bird 'is'' a duck!

* OnceAnEpisode: The Kratt brothers being a victim of the ExplodingCloset , the Zobooland segments, and Who Could it Be?

* CuteKitten: Several episodes feature lynx or bobcat kittens.

* PercussiveMaintenance: Often used on the Snack Machine.

''Zoboomafoo'' is a 1999 educational children's show hosted by Chris and Martin Kratt (of ''Series/KrattsCreatures'' fame), produced by [[Creator/CookieJarEntertainment Cinar]] and Maryland Public Television for Creator/PBSKids. The Kratt brothers hang out with Zoboomafoo (Zoboo for short), an anthropomorphic Coquerel's sifaka lemur (or rather, a normal lemur who turns anthropomorphic under certain conditions) and play with animals in a fantasy place called Animal Junction. Every episode focuses on a different theme, such as baby animals, pets vs. wild animals, or just a specific type of animal. The episodes are broken up by occasional claymation stories about a place called Zobooland, as well as expeditions where the Kratt brothers leave Animal Junction to see animals in the wild.

!Tropes

** Often lampshaded by the brothers, who remind viewers that animals of different species that are shown on ''Zoboomafoo'' would never play together in RealLife, but it's possible in Animal Junction.
** Also pointed out when a tadpole appears to metamorphosize to a frog in under a minute.
** And as an aside, notice that some of the animals who appear MUST have had help, like that pair of nurse sharks early on. Someone had to set up the pool for them, and then put them in.

* BalloonBelly:
** In some of Zoboo's stories, this happens to Goobol whenever he eats a whole bunch of Goobolberries.

** In addition, the episode "Dinosaurs" features CGI-animated dinosaurs (they couldn't use footage of real dinosaurs in their natural habitats like they do with other animals, for obvious reasons).

* NotSoDifferent: In the goodbye song: This animal is a friend of mine / From the tip of his nose to his funny behind / All the friends we've met today/ Are special in their own way / They've all got different names / '''But we're really all the same!''' / Thanks for dropping by, we're glad you caaaaame / These animals are friends of mine / They jump and swim, crawl, fly, and climb / One more thing we have to say: Go make an animal friend today! Yeah!
* OnceAnEpisode: Lots, such as The Closet, the Zobooland segments, and Who Could it Be?

* TalkingAnimal: Zoboo, but only after he's fed. Apparently his speech abilities wear off overnight. This gets reflected by him being represented by an actual lemur when he can't speak, and then a puppet when he can. The real lemur is then still used for shots of him leaping.

** Wherever the Kratts want to travel to also [[TravelingAtTheSpeedOfPlot always appears to be right next door]]. Animal Junction just seems to be everywhere at once.

-->''This animals are friends of mine''\\

Go make an animal friend today! Yeah!''

-->'''Zoboo:''' No, not "yahoo"! But "who"! Who could it be?

* NotSoDifferent: In the [[{{Earworm}} goodbye song]]: This animal is a friend of mine / From the tip of his nose to his funny behind / All the friends we've met today/ Are special in their own way / They've all got different names / '''But we're really all the same!''' / Thanks for dropping by, we're glad you caaaaame / These animals are friends of mine / They jump and swim, crawl, fly, and climb / One more thing we have to say: Go make an animal friend today! Yeah!

** Zobooland ''might'' be in Madagascar, given Zoboo has once or twice expressed having to return to it, but its geography and wildlife certainly doesn't match it.

* IAmNotWeasel: In "Dinosaus", Zoboo initially thinks a monitor lizard he encountered on his way to Animal Junction is a dinosaur.

''Zoboomafoo'' is a 1999 educational children's show hosted by Chris and Martin Kratt (of ''Series/KrattsCreatures'' fame). The Kratt brothers hang out with Zoboomafoo (Zoboo for short), an anthropomorphic Coquerel's sifaka lemur (or rather, a normal lemur who turns anthropomorphic under certain conditions) and play with animals in a fantasy place called Animal Junction. Every episode focuses on a different theme, such as baby animals, pets vs. wild animals, or just a specific type of animal. The episodes are broken up by occasional claymation stories about a place called Zobooland, as well as expeditions where the Kratt brothers leave Animal Junction to see animals in the wild.

* FreeRangeChildren: The Animal Helpers

It was followed by an animated show called ''WesternAnimation/WildKratts''.

* ExplodingCloset: Whenever the brothers want to [[OnceAnEpisode go on an adventure]] to see the animals in the wild. On the few times they did prepare for the stuff falling out, the closet would respond by... not doing anything. Psych!

** "Incoming-- {{Duck}}!" "That's not a duck..."

** "Mangatsika!"[[note]]This means "cold" in Malagasy, but Zoboo uses it to mean "cool!"[[/note]]

* {{Gratuitous |Foreign Language}}Malagasy: Zoboomafoo's catchphrase, "Mangatsika," is used in place of "cool;" it only translates literally.

* AcceptableBreakFromReality: Often lampshaded by the brothers, who remind viewers that animals of different species that are shown on ''Zoboomafoo'' would never play together in RealLife, but it's possible in Animal Junction.

*** And as an aside, notice that some of the animals who appear MUST have had help, like that pair of nurse sharks early on. Someone had to set up the pool for them, and then put them in.

* {{Catchphrase}}: "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

* CuteKitten / PreciousPuppies: Several episodes feature lynx or bobcat kittens, and puppies make many appearances as well.

* {{Fantastic Fruits And Vegetables}}: Goobolberries in Zoboo's stories.

* MediumBlending: The Zobooland stories, which are stop-motion animated with clay models.
** As well as the "Who Could It Be" segments, which are hand-drawn animation.

* NotSoDifferent: In the [[{{Earworm}} goodbye song]]: This animal is a friend of mine / From the tip of his nose to his funny behind / All the friends we've met today/ Are special in their own way / They've all got different names / '''But we're really all the same!'''
** Thanks for dropping by, we're glad you caaaaame / These animals are friends of mine / They jump and swim, crawl, fly, and climb / One more thing we have to say: Go make an animal friend today! Yeah!

* RunningGag: The Snack Machine not working and then suddenly dumping tons of food on whoever was fixing it, one or both brothers taking a flying leap and landing in something unpleasant, The Closet exploding on everyone except the Animal Helpers, Zoboo crashing into his Zobooland friends, and "Duck!" "That's not a duck, that's -messenger bird of the day-!"
** The last is occasionally subverted when the messenger bird ''does'' turn out to be a duck!
* SeldomSeenSpecies: Zoboo is a Coquerel's Sifaka, an endangered species of lemur native to northwestern Madagascar.
* ShoutOut: In the episode ''Cats'': "[[Literature/TheCatInTheHat There's a cat in the hat!]]"

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Both brothers have their own food slots in the Snack Machine. One slot dispenses spaghetti, the other pizza.

* UnsoundEffect: "I was leaping along-- leap... leap... leap...

** Thanks for dropping by, we're glad you caaaaame / This animal is a friend of mine / They jump and swim, crawl, fly, and climb / One more thing we have to say: Go make an animal friend today! Yeah!

''Zoboomafoo'' is a 1999 educational children's show hosted by Chris and Martin Kratt (of ''KrattsCreatures'' fame). The Kratt brothers hang out with Zoboomafoo (Zoboo for short), an anthropomorphic Coquerel's sifaka lemur (or rather, a normal lemur who turns anthropomorphic under certain conditions) and play with animals in a fantasy place called Animal Junction. Every episode focuses on a different theme, such as baby animals, pets vs. wild animals, or just a specific type of animal. The episodes are broken up by occasional claymation stories about a place called Zobooland, as well as expeditions where the Kratt brothers leave Animal Junction to see animals in the wild.

* ArtisticLicenseLinguistics: Zoboo's catchphrase "Mangatsika!" is a case of this. The word literally means "cold" in Malagasy (the language spoken in Madagascar), but in the show it's used to mean "cool" as in "interesting”.

* ArtisticLicenseLinguistics: Zoboo's catchphrase, "Mangatsika!" is a case of this. The word literally means "cold" in Malagasy (the language spoken in Madagascar), but in the show it's used to mean "cool" as in "interesting."

** Wherever the Kratts want to travel to also always appears to be right next door. Animal Junction just seems to be everywhere at once.