Christian Jacobs

Christian Richards Jacobs (born January 11, 1972) is an American musician, television producer, voice actor and former child actor. He is perhaps most recognized as the co-creator of the award-winning Nick Jr. children's television series Yo Gabba Gabba!, on which he additionally serves as a writer, director, composer and voice actor.

Christian Jacobs
Christian Jacobs in 2008
Background information
Birth nameChristian Richards Jacobs
Also known asThe Caped Commander, The Bat Commander, MC Bat Commander
Born (1972-01-11) January 11, 1972
Rexburg, Idaho, United States
GenresRock, New Wave, punk rock, ska, synthpop, children's music
Occupation(s)Musician, television producer, actor
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1982–present
Associated actsThe Aquabats

Under the stage persona of The MC Bat Commander, Jacobs is also well known for his work as lead singer for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, which he co-founded in 1994. In addition to his musical work with the band, Jacobs also portrayed the character of the Bat Commander on the live-action comedy television series The Aquabats! Super Show!, which he also co-created and produced, from 2012 to 2014.

Biography

Early life

Jacobs was born in Rexburg, Idaho in 1972, the second of five children. Following his family's relocation to Los Angeles at the age of 4, Jacobs and his siblings, namely his older sister Rachel and younger brother Parker, began working as child actors. Throughout the course of his childhood and into his late teens, Jacobs appeared in numerous productions, most prominently playing the role of Joey Stivic in the short-lived All in the Family spin-off Gloria, but primarily playing small roles in teen films such as Pretty in Pink and Gleaming the Cube and episodes of sitcoms like Married... with Children and Roseanne, before retiring from acting in the early 1990s, citing a dislike of the competitive nature of the business.[1]

While working on Gleaming the Cube, Jacobs befriended a number of well known and highly influential skateboarders and artists.[1] In 1990, he worked alongside Mark Gonzales and Jason Lee on Blind Skateboards' Video Days, and as an artist, Jacobs designed board graphics for Tony Hawk's Birdhouse Skateboards and for the Jason Lee and Steve Berra pro models.

The great-grandson of prominent Mormon leader LeGrand Richards, Jacobs is a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[1] In 1991, he left the United States to serve as a missionary in the Sendai, Japan mission and lived in and around Tōhoku, Japan for two years. Upon returning to California, he began working different jobs and moonlighting in bands.[1]

The Aquabats
Jacobs performing with The Aquabats as "The MC Bat Commander".

In 1994, Jacobs, along with friends Chad Larson and Boyd Terry, formed the Orange County-based band The Aquabats, wherein he acted as lead singer and lyricist under the stage name of The MC Bat Commander (formerly "The Caped Commander" and "The Bat Commander"). Noted for their matching costumes and theatrical stage shows centered around their superhero-themed alter-ego, The Aquabats initially formed as part of the burgeoning Orange County ska scene, though since 2000 have evolved into playing more punk and new wave-influenced rock music.

Though The Aquabats are most recognized for being a cult act, the band experienced brief mainstream commercial success in the late 1990s during the height of the American ska revival, when their second album The Fury of The Aquabats! peaked at number 172 on the Billboard 200, granting the band national exposure on MTV and as part of the 1998 Vans Warped Tour.[2] During this time, Jacobs was also active producing skateboarding videos with his friend and creative partner Scott Schultz. In 1999, Jacobs anonymously performed with other members of The Aquabats in the side project The Sandfleas, playing drums under the stage name "Fang".

As of 2020, The Aquabats continue to tour and record, and the band's sixth studio album, Kooky Spooky...In Stereo is scheduled for release in August 2020. On March 3, 2012, The Aquabats! Super Show!, a live-action musical television series starring the band, premiered on cable channel The Hub, with Jacobs serving as co-creator, producer, writer and star. Despite accumulating six Daytime Emmy nominations over the course of two seasons, winning one for stunt coordination, The Hub declined to pick Super Show! up for a third season, effectively cancelling the series. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2018, Super Show! was retooled as a bi-weekly YouTube series which began airing in late 2019.

Yo Gabba Gabba!

In 1999, Jacobs and Schultz formed a production company which was later formalized as "The Magic Store" with the goal of creating family-oriented television entertainment. Together, the two independently created, wrote and directed two pilot episodes in 2005 for a preschooler-targeted children's television series called Yo Gabba Gabba!. The series was picked up by Viacom's Nickelodeon channel in 2007, eventually becoming an international success and winning numerous television awards. Yo Gabba Gabba! has since completed four seasons. The pilot started in 2006.

Personal life

Christian Jacobs is an avid surfer, skateboarder, Japanese toy collector and artist. He lives in Huntington Beach, California,[3] with his wife and four children.

Discography

The Aquabats

Collaborations

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role
1986 Pretty in Pink Boy in record store
1989 Gleaming the Cube Gremic
1994 There Goes My Baby Jeff
2008 Punk Rock Holocaust 2 The MC Bat Commander

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982 The Love Boat B.J. Episode: "The Best of Friends/Too Many Dads/Love Will Find a Way"
1982–1983 Gloria Joey Stivic Series regular
1984 Second Sight: A Love Story Bruce TV movie
Finder of Lost Loves Scott Hargrove Episode: "Maxwell, Ltd." (series pilot)
Highway to Heaven Danny Episode: "Catch a Falling Star"
ABC Weekend Special Kurt Landry Episode: "Henry Hamilton, Graduate Ghost"
1985 The History of White People in America Tommy Harrison TV movie
The Canterville Ghost Rob TV movie
Berrenger's Bob Episode: "Dangerous Ground"
V Billy Episode: "Breakout"
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears Cavin voice only; series regular (season one)
1986 The History of White People in America: Volume II Tommy Harrison TV movie
1987 In Love and War Jimmy (age 14) TV movie
Convicted: A Mother's Story TV movie
1988 Portrait of a White Marriage Tommy Harrison TV movie
Out of This World Derek Rogers Episode: "Broadway Danny Derek"
Just the Ten of Us Club Leader / Todd Episode: "Move It or Lose It"
Episode: "The Unkindest Cut of All"
1989 Married... with Children Shep Episode: "A Three Job, No Income Family"
Hard Time on Planet Earth Mark Brady Episode: "Rodeo Show"
ABC Afterschool Special Danny Episode: "My Dad Can't Be Crazy...Can He?"
Roseanne Andrew Episode: "Chicken Hearts"
1990 Guns of Paradise Henry Episode: "The Gates of Paradise"
Exile Derf TV movie
Major Dad Private LaBonte Episode: "Infant-ry"
1999 The Aquabats in Color! Bat Commander TV pilot. Also co-creator, writer and director.
2007–2015 Yo Gabba Gabba! Plex (voice only) Also co-creator, writer and director.
2008, 2012-2014 The Aquabats! Super Show! The MC Bat Commander Also co-creator and writer
2013 Big Time Rush Security guard/Plex (voice) Episode: "Big Time Cameo"

Awards

The following list is of awards Christian Jacobs has been personally nominated for:

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1983 Young Artist Award Best Young Actor in a New Television Series (Gloria) Nominated
1986 Young Artist Award Outstanding Young Actor - Animation Voice Over (Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears) Nominated
2008 Daytime Emmy Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling (Yo Gabba Gabba!) Nominated
2009 Daytime Emmy Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling (Yo Gabba Gabba!) Nominated
2011 Daytime Emmy Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design (Yo Gabba Gabba!) Nominated
Daytime Emmy Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series (Yo Gabba Gabba!) Nominated
2012 Daytime Emmy Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling (Yo Gabba Gabba!) Nominated
Daytime Emmy Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series (Yo Gabba Gabba!) Nominated
2013 Daytime Emmy Outstanding Children's Series (The Aquabats! Super Show!) Nominated
2014 Daytime Emmy Outstanding Writing for a Children's Series (The Aquabats! Super Show!) Nominated

References
  1. "MC Bat Commander's Head Explodes!". OC Weekly. March 1, 2012. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  2. "The Aquabats > Charts & Awards". Allmusic.com. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  3. O.C. dads strike gold with 'Yo Gabba Gabba' - The Orange County Register Retrieved 2016-12-23.


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