More than one adult asked that question as a trio of sort-of clowns paraded through a Manhattan office building in full-on makeup and costumes one recent day.
But anyone with preschoolers at home knew the answer. Some of them were even star-struck and chased Deedee, Rooney and Moe Doodlebop down the hall, hoping to score an autograph. After all, the Doodlebops could potentially be the next Wiggles.
Deedee (real name Lisa Lennox) is somewhat of a clotheshorse. She's the only one who has changed her outfit since landing on TV three years ago. "The one from the first year was too hula-hoopy," she explains. She's also into shoes and handbags.
The group's members compare themselves to The Monkees, appearing in a slice-of-life TV show about rock stars. The modern twist is that they're kiddie rock stars.
Everything they do is kid-friendly. The lyrics, although set to pretty catchy Top 40-style beats, are about things that children can relate to -- such as friendship and sharing. And their dance moves can be easily mimicked by youngsters.
Although they all like to dance, Rooney, the blue guy, is the one who pays the most attention to the moves of other performers. He cites Justin Timberlake and Usher as some of his inspirations. He's also the worker bee, spending most of his off hours (when he's also known as Chad McNamara) testing new choreographies or researching the next city they're heading to.
Moe, the red one, is more of the brooding brother, with the most eclectic tastes. He says he's a really big fan of Ben Harper and James Brown (and sometimes goes by the name Jonathan Wexler).
People don't comment on their appearance as often as you'd think. "In New York City, a lot of things look strange here. We can be overlooked," Deedee says.
The secret of their success, according to Moe, is that they don't talk down to kids. "We can match their energy and we don't tell them to 'calm down.'"
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