The Backyardigans Wiki
Advertisement
Episode Information


"It's Great to Be a Ghost!" is a spooky-styled ghostly themed episode of The Backyardigans from the first season. It is the first Halloween themed episode and the first one to be themed after a holiday. It is also the first episode of the entire show to be released to Home Video in the United States.

Characters

Summary

"Boo! Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone are a trio of ghosts, haunting an old house to the sounds of '20s-style jazz music. When unsuspecting Tasha suddenly drops by, she is in for a spooky surprise!"

Plot

Pablo is walking around in the backyard making ghost noises. He introduces himself to the viewer and walks offscreen. One second later, he pops up out of nowhere and shouts “Boo!” He asks the viewer if he scared them. Pablo explains that he is a ghost and acts out what ghost do. He then sings, "It's Great to Be a Ghost!". At the end of the song, Uniqua and Tyrone come out of Uniqua's House to play hide-and-go-seek. Pablo tells the viewer The best part about being a ghost is that they like to haunt people. While Uniqua counts, Pablo makes a ghostly moaning noise, scaring Tyrone. Uniqua stops counting and says that she heard a ghost, Uniqua wants to find the ghost, but Tyrone tells her that he is afraid of ghosts . Pablo sneaks up behind Tyrone and Uniqua and scares them. He explains to them that he's a ghost. Uniqua decides to become a ghost and asks Tyrone if he wants to be a ghost too. Tyrone is reluctant, as he's nervous about being a ghost. The three friends sing a reprise of "It's Great to Be a Ghost!" encouraging him to join them. The backyard transforms into a dark, misty landscape with dead trees, where is a haunted Mansion.

The ghosts approach the Mansion. Pablo tries to open the door, but it's locked. Then he rings the doorbell, but no one answers. Uniqua remind the others that they’re ghosts and they can float through the door. Uniqua floats through the door to enter the Mansion. Pablo does the same as her. Tyrone refuses to float through the door. The other two friends tell Tyrone that it’s okay. He succeeds. The three ghosts then tell each other that they should practice scaring. Pablo floats into a painting as Uniqua and Tyrone try to find him. The two friends scream as Pablo scares them by coming out of the painting. Uniqua goes to the living room, she turns invisible, and scares the two boys by picking up a candlestick. Tyrone is about to practice, but the doorbell rings, and the three friends predict it is an unsuspecting stranger. The three friends open it and they realize that the stranger is Tasha. The three friends shouted "Boo!" but she was not frightened.

Tasha tells her three friends she is not afraid of anything. Not even ghosts. She sings "What's So Scary 'Bout That?". The three ghosts tell her their plan is scaring her and have been trying to since she told them she fears nothing. The three friends suggest playing "Hide and Go Boo" (which is a ghost version of Hide-and-Go-Seek) to prove that she is not afraid of anything. They sing "Hide and Go Boo" as they enter hiding places, but Tyrone could not find a place that was not taken. Tasha finds Pablo in a painting, and Pablo does not scare her.

Tasha enters the library and finds a "floating" book. Uniqua is actually holding it, but she is invisible. Tasha tries to take the book, which results in both her and the invisible Uniqua to fight over it, resulting in a tug o war. Uniqua loses the fight and gives up, exposing herself. Uniqua does not scare her either but Uniqua and Pablo bet Tyrone could make it and Tasha goes looking for him. Meanwhile, Tyrone is upstairs. Tyrone says that he isn’t spooky and didn’t get to practice. He sings "When I'm Booin'" At the end of the song, Tyrone puts his hand on a wall. The wall rotates into a secret room, and Tyrone accidentally bumps into a sheet-covered mirror, causing the sheet to fall over him. Tyrone looks in the mirror and screams, thinking that a ghost has got him, but when he looks in the mirror again, Tyrone realizes he is the "ghost." He didn’t plays around for a while until he hears Tasha calling for him. He looks to the viewer and whispers, “I’m gonna scare them.”

Uniqua, Pablo, and Tasha walk upstairs. Then there was trouble: the wall rotates again, revealing Tyrone with the sheet. Pablo and Uniqua gasp at what they’re looking at. Tasha hears this and curiously asks, “What?” Tyrone shouts “BOO!” scaring his three friends. Tasha pushes Uniqua and Pablo aside and runs, Tyrone scares them again and Uniqua and Pablo follow her. Tyrone then gives chase. The three friends hide behind a sofa, but Tyrone finds them and scares Tasha, who was sitting right next to him. Tyrone giggles at his trick. The three friends run back upstairs, where Tyrone scares them again. Tyrone giggles at his trick again. Pablo and Uniqua float through the door to escape, but Tasha is left inside. Tasha runs into the door. Tyrone scares her one last time and she screams and runs into another room and slams the door shut. Tyrone bumps into the door and the sheet falls off of him. Tyrone continues to say “Boo.” Uniqua and Pablo stick their heads through the door and realize that it was only Tyrone. After they finally get Tyrone’s attention, Tasha comes out and tells Tyrone that he really had her scared. Pablo tells them that it is great to be in a haunted house. Tyrone says that it’s especially great if you’re a ghost. A myterious voice responds, saying, "It's great to be a ghost!" Causing the four friends to look around in fear. Uniqua says, “Who said that?” Pablo nervously invites his three friends over for snacks at his house. The rest of the gang accepts as they all burst out of the haunted mansion screaming. The spooky landscape transforms back into the backyard. After singing the end song, the four friends enter Pablo's house for apples, and Tyrone opens the door again and shouts, "Boo!", scaring Tasha who screams in the background, before he giggles and closes the door, and have a great happy halloween, ending the episode.

Roles

Songs

Trivia

  • Despite being the sixth episode produced, it was the ninth episode to premiere in the United States, and the eighth episode of the series to be broadcast in Canada.
    • It premiered at 11:00 AM on October 25, 2004, almost 6 days before Halloween.
  • This is the official very first episode of the series:
    • To be released on DVD in the United States.
  • This is the second episode in airing order where Tasha, Uniqua and Tyrone went to Pablo's House for a snack.
  • This is first episode of the series in production order where nobody's stomachs are heard growling in the end of the episode first.
  • This is also one out of 3 episodes in the series to be Halloween-themed.
  • This is the sixth episode to be available on YouTube.
  • Pablo's quote "Let's see what kind of spooky stuff is inside the haunted house!" was jokingly altered into him saying, "Why aren't we alive?" and became a meme.
  • Tasha, Pablo, Tyrone, and Uniqua wear their normal civilian outfits throughout the entire episode.
  • Austin is absent in this episode for the fourth time.
    • This is the 6th episode in US airing order where Austin doesn't appear. The other times it happened were "The Yeti", "The Snow Fort", "Secret Mission", and "Riding the Range".
  • This episode marks the fourth Season 1 episode where Austin is absent. The first three times in the episode were "The Yeti", "The Snow Fort" and "Secret Mission".
  • This is the second Season 1 episode where Pablo doesn't have a panic attack. The first Season 1 episode one was The Yeti and the third Season 1 episode will be Monster Detectives.
  • Tyrone's dance on the wall and ceiling are a tribute to the 1951 film "Royal Wedding" starring Fred Astaire, who did a similar dance routine.

Errors

  • When the backyard transforms into the haunted house, most of Pablo's right leg faces out and disappears.
It’s Great 2 B A Ghost Error Proof!
Pilots
"Me and My Friends" • Nick Digital pilot
"Pirate Treasure" • "The Heart of the Jungle" • "The Yeti" • "The Snow Fort" • "Secret Mission" • "It's Great to Be a Ghost!" • "Riding the Range" • "The Key to the Nile" • "Knights Are Brave and Strong" • "Viking Voyage" • "Castaways" • "Race to the Tower of Power" • "The Quest for the Flying Rock" • "Polka Palace Party" • "Surf's Up" • "Eureka!" • "Race Around the World" • "Monster Detectives" • "Cave Party" • "High Tea"
"Mission to Mars" • "Samurai Pie" • "Scared of You" • "Whodunit" • "The Legend of the Volcano Sisters" • "The Secret of Snow" • "The Swamp Creature" • "Horsing Around" • "Special Delivery" • "International Super Spy: Part 1" • "International Super Spy: Part 2" • "Movers of Arabia" • "Cops and Robots" • "Sinbad Sails Alone" • "Best Clowns in Town" • "Save the Day" • "Into the Deep" • "News Flash" • "Catch That Butterfly" • "A Giant Problem"
"Who Goes There?" • "Blazing Paddles" • "Garbage Trek" • "Fly Girl" • "What's Bugging You? " • "Chichen-Itza Pizza" • "To the Center of the Earth" • "Front Page News" • "Tale of the Mighty Knights: Part 1" • "Tale of the Mighty Knights: Part 2" • "Le Master of Disguise" • "Match on Mt. Olympus" • "The Great Dolphin Race" • "Caveman's Best Friend" • "Ranch Hands from Outer Space" • "Robin Hood the Clean" • "Escape from Fairytale Village" • "Pirate Camp" • "The Two Musketeers" • "The Masked Retriever"
"Robot Rampage: Part 1" • "Robot Rampage: Part 2" • "Catch that Train!" • "Attack of the 50 Foot Worman" • "Dragon Express" • "Flower Power" • "The Funnyman Boogeyman" • "Follow the Feather" • "Break Out!" • "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve" • "Los Galacticos" • "For the Love of Socks!" • "The Flipper!" • "Elephant on the Run" • "The Magic Skateboard" • "Pablor and the Acorns" • "Super Team Awesome!" • "The Big Dipper Diner" • "The Amazing Splashinis" • "The Tale of the Not-So-Nice Dragon"
Advertisement