My Favorite Kids Music Videos of 2011

Picking my favorite kids music videos gets harder every year. I've picked 25 here, but featured at least 3 times that number on the site (a figure which itself is a culling of many more videos). There are another half-dozen videos that easily could have made this list were I to make it, say, tomorrow.

You'll find lots of old standbys here, but also videos from new bands and bands who don't spend nearly as much time with their video editor.

Here, then, are my 25 favorite kids music videos from 2011 (2011 defined roughly as March 1, 2011 - February 29, 2012 -- I'm just assuming nothing else definitively worthy gets released in the next couple days or so). I'm offering up my (ranked) 10 favorite videos, with another 15 (unranked) honorable mentions. [The complete playlist can be viewed at the end of this post.]

1. Caspar Babypants - "Mister Rabbit" [YouTube]

Don't get me wrong -- I love's Chris Ballew's DIY videos, finding them models of the form. But his occasional (and ongoing) collaboration with New Zealand's Mukpuddy Animation has already produced a couple fine videos, including this, my favorite of the year.

2. Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band - "Blue Bear" [YouTube]

Another near-perfect melding of song and visual style.

3. - "Career Day" [YouTube]

The Minneapolis band hasn't produced a bad video yet.

4. Elizabeth Mitchell - "Ong Tal Sam" [YouTube]

Dreamy, oh so dreamy.

5. Dog on Fleas - "Do You Wanna Know My New Dance Step?" [YouTube]

You might be forgiven for wondering if I was ever going to pick a live-action video for this list. Well, here's the first of many.

6. The Pop Ups - "Balloon" [YouTube]

Balloons. Puppets. The Pop Ups. Can't find anything to dislike about this.

7. The Not-Its - "First Kid in Outer Space" [YouTube]

A nifty blend of animation and live-action stuff. Plus, shouting "hey, hey, hey!" along with the video is always fun.

8. Renee & Jeremy - "Share" [YouTube]

An entirely different animation style from their hypnotically beautiful "It's A Big World" video, but just as appealing.

9. Steve Weeks - "Bartleby Finkleton Will Not Take a Bath" [YouTube]

I'm probably drawn to the visuals here -- Weeks playing guitar in the bathtub, standing outside of the dumpster while trash comes flying out.

10. Rocknoceros - "Early Worm" [YouTube]

This is such a delightfully off-kilter song with a video to match.

Honorable Mention (listed alphabetically by artist)
Beethoven's Wig - "My Little Chicken" [YouTube]
Laurie Berkner - "Party Day" [YouTube]
Doctor Noize - "Noun Town" [YouTube]
Jim Gill - "Living Inside of a Jar" [YouTube]
Gustafer Yellowgold - "Pancake Smackdown" [YouTube]

Imagination Movers - "Everybody Sing" [YouTube]
Billy Kelly - "That Old American Flag" [YouTube]
Todd McHatton - "I Think I'm a Bunny" [YouTube]
The Mighty Buzzniks - "To the Moon" [YouTube]
The Okee Dokee Brothers - "Antidisestablishmentarianism" (Readeez-Style) [YouTube]

Mike Park - "Animal Park" [YouTube]
Princess Katie & Racer Steve - "Sand in My Sandwich" [YouTube]
Rabbit! - "Magic" [YouTube]
Recess Monkey - "Flying" [YouTube]
Brady Rymer - "Love Me For Who I Am" [YouTube]

Video: "Say What?" - Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band (World Premiere)

I think all kids should get a chance to -- among other things -- a) ride a train, and b) scat. Now, if those kids start scatting while on the train as they do in this brand new (world premiere!) video from Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, then I guess I'm cool with that.

The lovely artwork's by Micah Player and features Lily and Zeborah, characters in Lately Lily, the apparel line Player helps produce. Player did the album art for both Diaz albums, including Oh Lucky Day!, the album this song, "Say What?," is from. The visual pleasures are quiet ones -- rather than featuring lots of action, this video mostly consists small changes you and your kids will have sit quietly and watch to notice.

And, just like the last time I world-premiered a Lucky Diaz video, the video release comes closer to the release of his next album than the one the song is from. That's right, Diaz's next album, A Bit A Luck! will be out in less than 4 months, on May 8. Reportedly it features a horn section, which, in my experience, is never a bad thing.

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band - "Say What?" [YouTube]

Best Kids Music 2011: Top 25 Songs

Next up in my list of the best kids music of 2011 are my favorite songs. Now, seeing as I listen to literally thousands of kids songs every year, picking out 25 (less than 1%, probably) is very difficult, and if you asked me to make this list up next week I'm sure at least a couple of songs here would be replaced by others. Growing this list to 25 (last year's was 20) didn't make things any easier -- it just shifted the bubble.

But these 25 (listed alphabetically by song title) are definitely among the year's best recordings.

-- Bad Blue Jay - Caspar Babypants (Sing Along!)
-- Bonfire - The Jimmies (Practically Ridiculous)
Bonfire
-- Cooperate - Sugar Free Allstars & Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

-- The Crocodile Synchronised Swimming Team - Too Many Cookes (Down At The Zoo)
-- Dandelion - Steve Weeks (Dandelion)
-- Didn't Know What I Was Missing - Alastair Moock/Lori McKenna (Planting Seeds, These Are My Friends) -- listen here
-- Freeze Tag - The Not-Its (Tag, You're It!)

-- Garbage Man - Mr. Richard & The Pound Hounds (Backyard Astronauts) -- download free here
-- Henry (Hudson), How Ya Gonna Find a Way? - The Deedle Deedle Dees (Strange Dees, Indeed)

-- Hey, Josie - The Hipwaders (Golden State)
Hey, Josie!
-- Hey Pepito! - Key Wilde & Mr Clarke (Hey Pepito!) -- listen here
-- I Think I’m A Bunny - Todd McHatton (Galactic Champions of Joy)

-- John Kanakanaka - Dan Zanes and Friends (Little Nut Tree) (this is a solo performance below)

-- Let's Dance - Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band (Oh Lucky Day!)
-- Metaphor - The Alphabeticians (Rock)

-- Mushy Berry Pie - The Thinkers (Oh Zoooty!) -- listen here
-- A Piano Is Stuck In The Door - Beethoven's Wig Featuring Richard Perlmutter (Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Piano Classics)

-- Place in My Heart - Frances England (Mind of My Own) -- listen here
-- Quarter Moon Shining - Chip Taylor & the Grandkids (Golden Kids Rules)

-- Please Don't Move (to Another Time Zone) - Lunch Money (Original Friend)
-- Skywriter - Baron Von Rumblebuss (Agreeably Loud!!)
-- Soft Things - Brady Rymer/Laurie Berkner (Love Me for Who I Am) -- listen here
-- Waters of March - Jamie Broza (I Want a Dog!)

-- Wisconsin Poncho - Gustafer Yellowgold (Gustafer Yellowgold's Infinity Sock)

-- Your Favorite Book - Recess Monkey (FLYING!)