First thing's first: I grew up with the Backyardigans. They were probably the BIGGEST part of my childhood, alongside original Scooby Doo (1969) and original Tom and Jerry (1940s).
Austin was always my favourite character, since I was a lot like him when I was younger, and I had a vile hatred of Tasha... but I've grown up since then and have moved on from such a juvenile hatred, she's not actually that bad. I guess it's kinda the personality in the group that she has, she's the more spoilt up-turned nose one of the group.
This makes sense when you consider how Pablo is the one of the group who panics a lot, Tyrone is the calm and chilled out one, Uniqua is the most bubbly and excitable one, and Austin is the shy one.
Anyway, this concept was originally supposed to take place when the Backyardigans were the same age as they are in the show, and their "new friend" was supposed to be the same age as them, but then I loved drawing this new friend as a teenager and I decided to change it to everyone being teenagers. Plus, the concept of the Backyardigans as teenagers is something which has intrigued me (and hopefully other Backyardigans fans) for a long time.
This opens up a lot of new possibilities. With the original show, I kinda felt like, although their child imaginations made things a lot more infinite, there were certain things that kids would never think about that teenagers do, and I want to explore more of those teenage things, including high school. Yes, (spoiler alert), I'm setting some of these adventures in high school, but not that many, as there is way too much about high school out there, but unfortunately, it comes with the territory of being a teenager.
Don't worry though, the adventures in the backyard will obviously be the star of the show.
For any Backyardigans fans who are interested in this concept, I hope you enjoy. And for any fans who aren't interested in this concept, I hope this is an interesting take on the show you love.
Also, there are many references to other forms of media, as is the case with the Backyardigans. Previously, the show referenced media such as 'Star Trek', 'Indiana Jones' and 'James Bond', to name a couple. I am continuing the tradition, so at the beginning of each chapter, I will disclose what movie or tv show or other fandom was the inspiration for it.
One more thing: The picture below is a good indication of what the Backyardigans might look like as teenagers.
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Apparently it's by Dinky-Ink, @agent_dinky on Instagram, so all credit goes to them for this.
