From left to right: Bluz, L.O., Ink, and Frred
Happy Monster Band is a show that aired on Playhouse Disney about... a happy monster band.
The band consists of four members: Frred, the band's vocal output; L.O., who plays bass guitar; Ink, the drummer and the only female in the band; and Bluz, the keyboardist. The band's performances are introduced by Roc and Raoul, a purple two-headed monster who speak in rhyme when they aren't backstage. In each episode, the monsters learn an aesop and work it into a song they sing in that episode.
Oh yeah, and the show's songs are performed by Tally Hall.note Yes, really.
The show aired in 20 five-minute-long episodes spread over two seasons from 2007 to 2008.
This work provides examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Da always gives his opinion on the band's performances in a snooty tone like he's about to tell them he didn't like it... only to cheer at their song and say he did enjoy it.
- Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad: L.O. is late to a performance because he had to mess up his room. Everyone is repulsed when Bluz says humans do it the other way around
- Band Toon: It's about a musical band of monsters.
- Be Yourself: This is the lesson taught in "I'm The Best at Being Me".
- Break the Cutie: Frred went through this after Trying Not to Cry, in which he immediately proceeded to cry.
- "Double, Double" Title: There's an episode of the second season called "Siesta, Siesta".
- Edutainment Show: Of the "pro-social values" type.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: They are monsters, they are happy, and they are in a band.
- Expy: Judges La, Dee, and Da are Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell, respectively.
- Genius Loci: The London Eye and Big Ben are portrayed as giant, animate, building-monsters.
- Heroic BSoD: Happens to Frred in "Even Monsters Cry Sometimes". He holds in his tears due to his father getting a flat tyre, and being unable to attend the concert. The other monsters notice he's trying to hold it in, and they tell him that it's okay to cry. He then breaks into tears afterwards.
- Inelegant Blubbering: In "Even Monsters Cry Sometimes", Frred unleashes the feelings he was trying to hold in by loudly bawling, complete with tears flying out of his eyes like a sprinkler.
- Irony: The Tally Hall member with the red necktie voices the blue monster, the one with the blue necktie voices the yellow monster, and the one with the yellow necktie voices the red monster.
- It's Okay to Cry: This is the lesson of the episode "Even Monsters Cry Sometimes", where Frred tries not to cry when he learns his father can't make it to the concert before the other bandmates tell him it's okay for him to cry.
- New Season, New Title: The second season is called Happy Monster Band: World Tour.
- Nice Mean And In Between: The judges, Di (nice), Da (mean), and La (in-between).
- Punny Name:
- All of the band members have names that reflect what color they are (Frred = red, L.O. = yellow, Ink = pink, and Bluz = blue).
- Roc and Raoul's names are an obvious pun on "rock and roll".
- As well as the judges La, Dee and Da.
- Rhymes on a Dime: Roc and Raoul. Downplayed in that they don't speak in rhyme backstage, only when they introduce the Happy Monster Band's performances.
- Same Language Dub: There are American English and British English dubs of the show.
- Singing Voice Dissonance: Thanks to the band's singing voices being provided by Tally Hall, the monsters' voices sound noticeably deeper and more adultlike when they are singing, which sound nothing like their age. Averted in the British English dub, where the characters' singing voices are changed and sound a lot more like their speaking voices.
- Shout-Out:
- The famous painting, The Mona Lisa, is seen in "A Wonderful Time in France".
- In "London Town", the band is seen walking Abbey Road, a reference to The Beatles.
- The Smurfette Principle: Ink is the only female in the band.
- Strictly Formula: Every Season 1 episode goes as follows: Roc and Raoul introduce themselves to the audience, then they go backstage to see what the band is up to. Whatever is happening backstage predicts what the song the band sings in that episode will be about. Roc and Raoul then introduce the band, after which the band sings their song. After the song is over, three judges give their opinions on the band's performance. Cue end of episode.
- They Wasted a Perfectly Good Sandwich: In "Yin and Yang", the band settles down in a restaurant to eat dim sum, but then they suddenly leave the food behind to look for a dragon.
- Trying Not to Cry: Subverted. Frred tries to do this in "Even Monsters Cry Sometimes" after learning his dad's not going to be able to attend the band's concert, but the other monsters notice he's trying to hold it in and tell him it's okay to cry. He immediately proceeds to cry afterwards.
- Visual Pun: In "London Town", the London Eye can be seen with a big, gaping eye.
- World Tour: The second season has the band traveling across the world.
