Changes: Me and My Friends (Partially Found Backyardigans Pilot, 1998)

Latest revision as of 12:36, 29 March 2024

Check out the Lost Media Wiki’s article on Me and My Friends!!!!!!!!!!

Me and My Friends is a first pilot for what would later become the hit animated series The Backyardigans. It was taped at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida in September 1998. It was declined by Nickelodeon, but the characters were later reworked into a CGI-animated pilot in 2001 (or 2002). This second pilot was picked up as "The Backyardigans", but shifted into a full TV series two (or three) years later and produced by the Canadian production company Nelvana.

Characters

At the time of the pilot's creation, there were only four main characters: Uniqua (sort of species), Pablo (an anthro penguin), Tyrone (an anthro moose), and Tasha (an anthro hippo). These four characters were created by Janice Burgess. She based the character of Uniqua on a view of herself as a child. The characters' finalized designs were drawn by illustrator Dan Yaccarino (author of "Oswald"), who collaborated with Janice Burgess on the pilot. Yaccarino supervised the creation of costumes modeled after the characters. There are also other characters known as the Meerkats, who were puppeteered by Jim Kroupa and Avenue Q stars Rick Lyon and Jennifer Barnhart. Nothing else about these characters is known.

Austin, the purple kangaroo and the fifth main character of the animated series, was absent in Me and My Friends. It is unknown if the character of Austin had been created when the pilot was made. Some say that this may be the reason why Austin was referred to as "the new kangaroo on the block" in his character biographies from Nickelodeon.

Plot

Tyrone loses his stuffed rabbit Nim-Nim. His friends try to imagine a new friend for him but nothing works, until Uniqua imagines being an explorer, searching for new lands and marking her discoveries with flags.

Differences

The characters' appearances aren't vastly different from that of the CGI series, besides a few minor differences:

The pilot was originally produced in live-action, compared to the rest of the series created in computer animation.
Uniqua has nostrils, eyelashes, and purple polka dots, as opposed to magenta polka dots. She also has a tail, which can only be seen in some shots.
Pablo's propeller is yellow, as opposed to red.
Tyrone's fur is is red, as opposed to orange.
Tyrone and Tasha's nostrils are black instead of dark yellow and dark orange. These were utilized as vision areas for the performers in the costumes.
Tyrone's shirt has yellow/teal stripes rather than red/blue stripes.
Tasha has a bow on her head that was removed in the final-cut version.
Austin has never included in this pilot.

The backyard setting also has some differences. A shed and a gate are visible, which never appeared in the final-cut series.

Availability

The only known footage of Me and My Friends online is a 5-minute compilation video created by former crew members of Nickelodeon Studios for its 10th anniversary in 2000. There is around 3 seconds of video without the original audio, as well as footage from other lost pilots. There is very little information about this pilot available, and whether or not Nickelodeon still has this remains unconfirmed. A gold-colored plaque bearing the pilot's logo is visible in various Nickelodeon Studios videos. At least 2 tapes as well as rehearsal footage are known to exist.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+'''<big>Check out the Lost Media Wiki’s article on ''Me and My Friends!!!!!!!!!!''</big>'''
-{{Stub}}
-[https://lostmediawiki.com/Me_and_My_Friends_(partially_found_live-action_pilot_of_%22The_Backyardigans%22_Nick_Jr._CGI-animated_series;_1998) '''<big>The Lost Media Wiki's article on the subject!</big>''']
-{{InfoBox|status=Lost}}
+{{InfoBox
+|status={{{status|<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially found'''</span>}}}
+|image4=Me % 2B My Friends photo 1.jpg
+|caption4=An image showing the four main characters from the pilot.
+|title1=Me And My Friends}}
+'''''Me and My Friends''''' is a first pilot for what would later become the hit animated series '''''The Backyardigans'''''. It was taped at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida in September 1998. It was declined by Nickelodeon, but the characters were later reworked into a [[The Backyardigans (Partially Found Unaired Nick Digital CGI Pilot; 2001/2002)|CGI-animated pilot in 2001 (or 2002)]]. This second pilot was picked up as "The Backyardigans", but shifted into a full TV series two (or three) years later and produced by the Canadian production company Nelvana.
+==Characters==
+At the time of the pilot's creation, there were only four main characters: Uniqua (sort of species), Pablo (an anthro penguin), Tyrone (an anthro moose), and Tasha (an anthro hippo). These four characters were created by Janice Burgess. She based the character of Uniqua on a view of herself as a child. The characters' finalized designs were drawn by illustrator Dan Yaccarino (author of "Oswald"), who collaborated with Janice Burgess on the pilot. Yaccarino supervised the creation of costumes modeled after the characters. There are also other characters known as the Meerkats, who were puppeteered by Jim Kroupa and ''Avenue Q'' stars Rick Lyon and Jennifer Barnhart. Nothing else about these characters is known.
+Austin, the purple kangaroo and the fifth main character of the animated series, was absent in ''Me and My Friends''. It is unknown if the character of Austin had been created when the pilot was made. Some say that this may be the reason why Austin was referred to as "the new kangaroo on the block" in his character biographies from Nickelodeon.
-'''''Me and My Friends '''''is a Nick Jr. pilot for what would later become the hit animated series ''The Backyardigans'' that was taped at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida in September 1998. It was declined by Nickelodeon,<sup>[1]</sup> though an animated pilot featuring the characters of ''Me and My Friends'' created in 2002 was picked up as ''The Backyardigans''.
+== Plot ==
+Tyrone loses his stuffed rabbit Nim-Nim. His friends try to imagine a new friend for him but nothing works, until Uniqua imagines being an explorer, searching for new lands and marking her discoveries with flags.
-==Characters==
-The only characters from ''The Backyardigans ''who appear in ''Me and My Friends ''are Uniqua, Pablo, Tyrone, and Tasha, in addition to scrapped puppet characters called "the Meerkats" (one of which was named Omar), whose role in the pilot is currently unknown. Why they were scrapped and weren't in the animated series is also unknown. Austin, the purple kangaroo, is absent, though whether he actually existed and was just offscreen or really was absent is unknown. Some say that this may be the reason why he was referred to as "the new kangaroo on the block" by Nelvana and Nickelodeon.
 ==Differences==
 The characters' appearances aren't vastly different from that of the CGI series, besides a few minor differences:
+*The pilot was originally produced in live-action, compared to the rest of the series created in computer animation.
-*Uniqua has nostrils, eyelashes, and purple skin/polka dots, as opposed to magenta.
+*Uniqua has nostrils, eyelashes, and purple polka dots, as opposed to magenta polka dots. She also has a tail, which can only be seen in some shots.
 *Pablo's propeller is yellow, as opposed to red.
+*Tyrone's fur is is red, as opposed to orange.
 *Tyrone and Tasha's nostrils are black instead of dark yellow and dark orange. These were utilized as vision areas for the performers in the costumes.
-* Tyrone's shirt has yellow/blue stripes rather than red/blue stripes.
+*Tyrone's shirt has yellow/teal stripes rather than red/blue stripes.
-*Tasha has a bow on her head that was removed in the final version.
+*Tasha has a bow on her head that was removed in the final-cut version.
+*Austin has never included in this pilot.
-* The pilot was originally produced in live-action, compared to the rest of the series created in CGI.
+The backyard setting also has some differences. A shed and a gate are visible, which never appeared in the final-cut series.
 ==Availability==
-The only known footage of ''Me and My Friends'' online is a 5-minute compilation video created by former crew members of Nickelodeon Studios for its 10-year anniversary in 2000. There is around 3 seconds of video without the original audio. There is very little information about this pilot available, and whether or not Nickelodeon still has this remains unconfirmed.
+The only known footage of ''Me and My Friends'' online is a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwRGRHSYvDg 5-minute compilation video] created by former crew members of Nickelodeon Studios for its 10th anniversary in 2000. There is around 3 seconds of video without the original audio, as well as footage from other lost pilots. There is very little information about this pilot available, and whether or not Nickelodeon still has this remains unconfirmed. A gold-colored plaque bearing the pilot's logo is visible in various Nickelodeon Studios videos. At least 2 tapes as well as rehearsal footage are known to exist.
 ==Gallery==
+<center><gallery>
-[[File:BACKyArdigaNS_betA.gif|thumb|220px|A Gif from the pilot.]]
+File:BACKyArdigaNS betA.gif|The only footage of the pilot.
-<gallery widths="185">
+File:9C628B4A-7203-4954-AA5C-4263CD97AA20.jpeg|Tyrone with costume designer, Yvette Helin.
-Backyardigans Me % 2B and My Friends Meerkats.jpg|The Meerkats with their puppeteers (from left to right): Jennifer Barnhart, Rick Lyon, and Jim Kroupa
+File:EuEJ1vGXMAAosHp.jpg|Yvette Helin with the four main characters from the pilot.
-Me % 2B My Friends photo 1.jpg
+File:21FE5228-6F9D-4F00-8661-F6C0B5802FF3.jpeg|Pablo and Tyrone, without their head or flippers (Pablo's), Pablo could be seen holding a flag here.
-C628B4A-7203-4954-AA5C-4263CD97AA20.jpeg
+File:3DA31334-FF68-4C38-8619-973CC4C5487A.jpeg|Tyrone standing near an employee.
-EuEJ1vGXMAAosHp.jpg
+File:C0808151-F6DD-4259-B9C5-076D0DD39F5A.jpeg|A pose of Pablo.
-</gallery>
+File:44F40431-416D-4C6F-A4BD-A4C07B8187E7.jpeg|Uniqua's head; Tasha is also visible without her head.
-[[File:The Mystery of Me and My Friends (Lost Backyardigans Pitch Pilot, 1998) -New Version-|center|LSuperSonicQ’s video on the subject.|frame]]
+File:F2F03DF8-CD26-43E0-B5D9-15CF28C2A1E8.jpeg|A Nickelodeon employee using a device on Tyrone's actor.
-[[File:NEW PHOTOS from Me and My Friends - The First New Discovery in Years!!|center|LSuperSonicQ’s livestream that showcases the costume designers’ images.|frame]]
+File:E93ADB54-4F47-4F5A-8697-78C7BCA3A7B5.jpeg|Pablo without his head near a green screen.
+File:613C2D43-FA4A-427A-92FD-3B6B357AC161.jpeg|An employee fixing the Uniqua costume’s fiber glass.
+File:F169D1D5-51DF-4421-A15C-BD2E1929C45B.jpeg|Uniqua looking at a painting that is a spoof of the Mona Lisa.
+File:Og-image.png|Clay models of the main characters.
+File:Meercats1.jpeg|1st image of the Meerkats.
+File:Static-assets-upload14509786031647566874.jpg|Logo seen on a plaque.
+File:42546404-84ED-4D9D-AA44-4F184E21B1DB.jpeg|Recreation of the logo made by Lucio B.
+File:Tasha.png|Tasha in the pilot scenario.
+File:The backyardigans mamf.png|The characters in a line.
+File:Meercats image 2.png|2nd image of the Meerkats.
+File:Tyrone image 3.png|Tyrone in the pilot scenario.
+File:Uniqua head.png|Uniqua's head.
+File:Pablo tyrone uniqua tasha.png|All of the characters heads.
+File:Tyrone tasha.png|Tyrone and Tasha sitting with a Nickelodeon employee. Uniqua's head is visible.
+File:Tyrone tasha 2.png|Tyrone and Tasha costumes.
+</gallery></center>
+==Footage==
+[[File:Me and My Friends Footage.mov|center|The unique clip of the pilot.|frame]]
+==Videos==
+[[File:The Bizarre Mystery of Me and My Friends - Lost Media-2|center|SewerReviewer’s video on the subject.|frame]]
+[[File:NEW PHOTOS from Me and My Friends - The First New Discovery in Years!!|center|LSuperSonicQ’s video on the subject.|frame]]
+[[File:An Update to the Me and My Friends Mystery - Lost Media|center|SewerReviewer ‘s follow up video on the subject.|frame]]
+[[File:(NEW IMAGES) Another Me and My Friends Update - Lost Media|center|SewerReviewer’s second follow up video on the subject.|frame]]
+[[File:The Disastrous Search for Me and My Friends (Backyardigans Pilot)|center|frame|LSuperSonicQ's video on the subject.]]
 [[Category:Lost Pilots]]
-[[Category:Lost Nick Jr.]]
 [[Category:Lost Nickelodeon]]
-[[Category:Lost Puppet Shows]]
-[[Category:Lost TV]]
-[[Category:Lost Live Action]]
-[[Category:Lost Noggin]]
 [[Category:Kinda Found Media]]
 [[Category:Partially Found Media]]
 [[Category:Lost The Backyardigans]]
-[[Category:Prototype]]
+[[Category:Most likely to be never found]]
+[[Category:Lost Nick Jr.]]
+[[Category:Lost Puppet Shows]]
+[[Category:Timeline]]
+[[Category:The Backyardigans]]
+[[Category:Lost Backyardigans]]
+[[Category:1998]]
+[[Category:1990s]]
+[[Category:Nickelodeon]]

Lost Media Archive

Changes: Me and My Friends (Partially Found Backyardigans Pilot, 1998)

Latest revision as of 12:36, 29 March 2024

Contents

Characters

Plot

Differences

Availability

Gallery

Footage

Videos