Christian Richards Jacobs (born January 11, 1972) is an American

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

, and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. He is perhaps most recognized as the co-creator of the award-winning Nick Jr. TV show ''

Yo Gabba Gabba! ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...

'', on which he additionally serves as a writer, director, composer and voice actor. 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! ''The Aquabats! Super Show!'' is an American action-comedy musical television series which aired from March 3, 2012 to January 8, 2014 on The Hub Network and resumed as an independent YouTube web series in September 2019. The series was created ...

'', which he also co-created and produced, from 2012 to 2014.

Biography

Early life

Jacobs was born in

Rexburg, Idaho Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 39,409 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statist ...

in 1972, the second of five children. Following his family's relocation to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

at the age of 4, Jacobs and his siblings, namely his older sister Rachel and younger brother Parker, began working as

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

s. Throughout the course of his childhood and into his late teens, Jacobs appeared in numerous productions, most prominently playing the role of

Joey Stivic Joseph Michael "Joey" Stivic is a fictional character who first appeared on the 1970s American sitcom ''All in the Family''. Joey Stivic was the son and only child of Mike Stivic (played by Rob Reiner) and Gloria Stivic (played by Sally Struther ...

in the short-lived ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' spin-off ''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

'', but primarily playing small roles in teen films such as ''

Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...

'' and '' Gleaming the Cube'' and episodes of sitcoms like '' Married... with Children'' and ''

Roseanne ''Roseanne'' is an American sitcom television series created by Matt Williams and Roseanne Barr which aired on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May 22, 2018. The show stars Barr as Rosea ...

'', before retiring from acting in the early 1990s, citing a dislike of the competitive nature of the business. While working on ''Gleaming the Cube'', Jacobs befriended a number of well known and highly influential skateboarders and artists. In 1990, he worked alongside Mark Gonzales and

Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to: Entertainment *Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder *Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor * Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...

Blind Skateboards Blind (stylized as bLind) is a skateboard company founded by Mark Gonzales in 1988 under Steve Rocco's World Industries distribution company. Gonzales has since left the company and today the company continues under the ownership of Dwindle Dis ...

Video Days ''Video Days'' is a skateboarding video by Blind Skateboards released in 1991. It is considered one of the most influential skate videos, as director Spike Jonze's format is frequently cited as its definitive filming template. ''Video Days'' is ...

'', and as an artist, Jacobs designed board graphics for

Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documen ...

Birdhouse Skateboards Birdhouse Skateboards (originally Birdhouse Projects) is a skateboard company formed by ex-Powell Peralta professional skateboarders Tony Hawk and Per Welinder in 1992. Birdhouse makes decks and wheels, as well as clothing and accessories. H ...

and for the Jason Lee and

Steve Berra Steve Berra (born May 10, 1973) is an American professional skateboarder and director, and is also the cofounder/co-owner of the skateboarding website The Berrics. Early life Berra grew up in both Nebraska and Missouri and he explained in 2007 ...

pro models. The great-grandson of prominent

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into se ...

leader

LeGrand Richards LeGrand Richards (February 6, 1886 – January 11, 1983) was a prominent missionary and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served as the seventh presiding bishop of the LDS Church from 1938 to 1952, and ...

, Jacobs is a lifelong member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. In 1991, he left the United States to serve as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

in the Sendai, Japan mission and lived in and around Tōhoku,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

for two years. Upon returning to California, he began working different jobs and moonlighting in bands.

The Aquabats

In 1994, Jacobs, along with friends

Chad Larson Chad Albert Larson (born October 27, 1965) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder and bass guitarist for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of Crash McLarson. From 2012 ...

and Boyd Terry, formed the Orange County-based band The Aquabats, wherein he acted as

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

and lyricist under the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

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 A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

-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 Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

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! ''The Fury of the Aquabats!'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Aquabats, released on October 28, 1997 by Goldenvoice Records and Time Bomb Recordings. Overview Much like their debut album, ''The Fury of the Aquabats!'' is ...

'' peaked at number 172 on the ''Billboard'' 200, granting the band national exposure on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and as part of the 1998

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running tour ...

. 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 2022, The Aquabats continue to tour and record, and the band's sixth studio album, '' Kooky Spooky...In Stereo'' was released in August 2020. On March 3, 2012, ''

'', a live-action musical television series starring the band, premiered on cable channel

The Hub The Hub may refer to: Places * The Hub, Bronx, an area of the South Bronx, New York, known for its convergence of subway and bus lines * The Hub (Edinburgh), former church in Edinburgh that is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival * T ...

, with Jacobs serving as co-creator, producer, writer and star. Despite accumulating six

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...

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 Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign in 2018, ''Super Show!'' was retooled as a bi-weekly

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

series which began airing in late 2019.

''Yo Gabba Gabba!''

In 1999, Jacobs and Schultz formed a

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...

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 Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

called ''

''. The series was picked up by

ViacomCBS Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. It ...

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

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 1999.

Personal life

Christian Jacobs is an avid surfer, skateboarder, Japanese toy collector and artist. He lives in

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 during the 2020 census, mak ...

,O.C. dads strike gold with 'Yo Gabba Gabba' - The Orange County Register
Retrieved 2016-12-23. with his wife and four children.

Discography

The Aquabats

*'' The Return of The Aquabats'' (1996) - vocals *''

'' (1997) - vocals *''

The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death! ''The Aquabats vs. the Floating Eye of Death!'' is the third studio album from American band The Aquabats, released on October 26, 1999, on Goldenvoice Records. After the success of ''The Fury of The Aquabats!'', ''Floating Eye'' found the band m ...

'' (1999) - vocals *'' Myths, Legends and Other Amazing Adventures, Vol. 2'' (2000) - vocals *''

Yo! Check Out This Ride! EP ''Yo! Check Out This Ride! EP'' is an EP by American band the Aquabats, independently recorded and released by the band themselves in 2004. Overview After being dismissed from Goldenvoice Records in 2000 and subsequently failing to find another ...

'' (2004) - vocals *''

Charge!! ''Charge!!'' is the fourth studio album by American comedy rock band The Aquabats, released on June 7, 2005 by Nitro Records. Following a nearly six year semi-hiatus which resulted in numerous line-up changes, ''Charge!!'' was The Aquabats' firs ...

'' (2005) - vocals *''

Radio Down! ''Radio Down!'' is an EP single by American band The Aquabats, released on November 9, 2010. Overview In early 2010, The Aquabats announced plans to release their next studio album by the end of the year, eventually confirming a tentative rel ...

'' (2010) - vocals *''

Hi-Five Soup! ''Hi-Five Soup!'' is the fifth studio album from American band The Aquabats, released on January 18, 2011 by Fearless Records. Overview In interviews leading up to ''Hi-Five Soup!''s release, lead vocalist Christian Jacobs (The MC Bat Commander) ...

'' (2011) - vocals *'' The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One'' (2019) - vocals *'' Kooky Spooky...In Stereo'' (2020) - vocals

Collaborations

*"Got Sumethin' (That You Ought to Know)" from

Bad Credit Bad Credit was a comedy hip hop duo based out of San Diego, California which lasted from 2002 to 2008, fronted by musicians and comedians Matthew Gorney (Optimus Rime) and Dallas McLaughlin (Dr. Cliff Mixtable). Self-described as "financial hi ...

's album ''Giving Back by Giving Up'' (2004) *"This Gigantic Robot Kills" from

MC Lars Andrew Robert Nielsen (born October 6, 1982), known professionally as MC Lars, is an American record producer, rapper, cartoonist, podcaster and educator. Lars is one of the self-proclaimed originators of "lit-hop", and is the founder and CEO of ...

album '' This Gigantic Robot Kills'' (2009)

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos

Awards

The following list is of awards Christian Jacobs has been personally nominated for: , - , 1983 ,

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

, Best Young Actor in a New Television Series (''

'') , , - , 1986 ,

, Outstanding Young Actor - Animation Voice Over (''

Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears ''Adventures of the Gummi Bears'' is an American animated television series, created by Disney CEO Michael Eisner, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and distributed by Buena Vista Television. The series, loosely inspired by the gum ...

'') , , - , 2008 ,

, Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling (''

'') , , - , 2009 ,

, Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling (''Yo Gabba Gabba!'') , , - , rowspan="2", 2011 ,

, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design (''Yo Gabba Gabba!'') , , - ,

, Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series (''Yo Gabba Gabba!'') , , - , rowspan="2", 2012 ,

, Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling (''Yo Gabba Gabba!'') , , - ,

, Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series (''Yo Gabba Gabba!'') , , - , 2013 ,

, Outstanding Children's Series (''

'') , , - , 2014 ,

, Outstanding Writing for a Children's Series (''The Aquabats! Super Show!'') ,

References

External links

*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Christian 1972 births 20th-century Mormon missionaries American male child actors American child models American Latter Day Saint writers American male singers American Mormon missionaries in Japan American punk rock singers American male television actors Television producers from California American television writers American male television writers The Aquabats members Living people Singers from California Singers from Idaho People from Huntington Beach, California People from Rexburg, Idaho Latter Day Saints from California Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from Idaho 21st-century American singers