A Day in the Park with Barney is a stage show attraction at Universal Studios Florida, located in Universal Orlando Resort. This attraction was created in response to the success of two previous Barney appearances at the park. It opened on July 11th, 1995, on the former site of The Bates Motel Set used in Psycho IV: The Beginning. It is based on the children's television show, Barney & Friends.
The attraction faced temporary closure in August of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic before finally closing permanently[1] in January 2021.
The show starts with either Patricia Aloysius Bartholomew or Patrick Aloysius Bartholomew (Mr. and Mrs. Peekaboo, for short) and his/her parrot, Bartholomew, your pre-show hosts. Peekaboo is a very close friend to Barney, Baby Bop and BJ. An elderly person, but soon proves to the audience that (s)he's only older in age since Peekaboo's spirit is much like that of a child. Peek-A-Boo is a consistently forgetful character, but once (s)he is reminded what to do, Peek-A-Boo takes pride in reuniting the children with Barney. A song and dance routine comes with a few comedy gags in between. Trying to find the door to Barney's Park, Peekaboo fails to realize that you have to use your imagination. Peekaboo soon remembers and tells the audience to close their eyes and use their imagination. The artificial waterfall that blocks the door (decorated to look like a cave) stops dripping, which shows it worked. Peekaboo tells everyone that (s)he will meet them inside.
Main Show
Inside is an air-conditioned fake park. In the center, there's an elevated, circular stage in the center where Barney, Baby-Bop and B.J. perform with three ramps equally positioned on each side. Peekaboo greets the audience and tells them to use their imagination to make Barney appear. Peekaboo starts the show by asking everyone to chant "Barney". The lights dim and soft music plays as stars appear in the darkness. Barney appears via a trap door/elevator in the middle of the stage. Barney jumps in the air as the lights come up and confetti cannons explode with glitter, an effect added to look like the animated stars that appear onscreen during Barney's transformation on the television show.
Barney sings two songs before Baby Bop and B.J. make their appearances. Afterwards, Barney introduces Baby Bop, which she appears just then. Soon after that, B.J. announces his arrival with a distinctive whistle. They sing songs and wrap the show the way they do on the children's television "Barney and Friends" with the song "I Love You". Baby Bop and B.J. make their exits on one of the ramps. Barney wraps up the show by saying "And remember, I love you" and gives a kiss goodbye as steamers shoot from confetti cannons behind the hills. Mr./Mrs. Peekaboo then escort the audience to Barney's Backyard, where everyone soon exits.
Post-Show
After the show, guests exit out into Barney's Backyard, an indoor activity center for small children, where they can also get their picture taken, if but briefly, with Barney himself. Occasionally, Barney and his friends appear here if you enter the Backyard when the park opens (before the first show).
History
Universal Studios Florida wanted an attraction for young children, while The Lyons Group wanted a place where children could see Barney, BJ, and Baby Bop everyday. So, Universal and Lyons came to an agreement that a show based off of the Barney & Friends series was to be created. The purple dino's two previous appearances at the park, in 1993 and 1994 respectively, had been huge successes, so the demand for an attraction was there. Construction began in late 1994 and the attraction opened on July 10th, 1995 to critical acclaim. Since then, A Day in the Park became one of Universal's oldest surviving attractions, staying there for twenty five years. In 1995, a Christmas version of the show entitled "A Holiday in the Park with Barney" was first performed. Since then, the Christmas show was revised due to the exhaustion the longer show caused for the performers in it. During December up to early January, this version of the show played in place of the standard "A Day in the Park" show.
Outside of the attraction stands a very large sign that reads A Day in the Park with Barney. The back of the sign reads" Thanks for Coming to Play!" A bronze Barney statue stands on one foot inside of a fountain. A building next to the Barney fountain is an entrance for Barney's Backyard, for those who don't want to see the show or have made it too late to watch a performance. Right next door to the attraction is The Barney Shop, a spot for buying various and mostly exclusive Barney items for fans of all ages.
Queue
The guests empty from the lines into a covered pre-show area with an odd-looking house facade, covered in pipes, knobs and doors, belonging to the Peekaboos.
Outdoor meet and greet during the Covid-19 pandemic
Adaptation
Book
Main Article: A Day in the Park with Barney Souvenir Book
The attraction was adapted into a souvenir book of the same name, written by Guy Davis and photographed by Dennis Full. May 10, 1996 was the day the Barney Shop began selling the sourvenir books. These books were discontinued a few years later.
Trivia
Souvenir Book
The attraction was one of the few places where Bob West's voice was still heard after his retirement from voicing Barney.
The songs heard around A Day in the Park with Barney's plaza (e.g. by the Barney fountain) were sung by children at various child care centers/charities across the United States.
Mr. Peekaboo, along with Bartholomew, would later appear in the book Barney's Happy Valentine's Day, making it their only other major appearance.
The creators of the show initially didn't add a Barney doll to Barney's transformation at the beginning of the show, because of pacing issues. Since May 2015, a Barney doll (from the show's gift shop) has been added to the performance.
Originally, one of Barney's lines was "I'm so glad Mr. Peekaboo made sure you all got here!" From 1999 onward, the name is shortened to just "Peekaboo," allowing the role to be played by anyone, regardless of gender.
Lauren Mayeux, the costume actress who performed Baby Bop from 2008-2011, also performed as Baby Bop here at the attraction before and after doing the television series.
This show was written by Jason Surrell,[2] a former producer Walt Disney Imagineering who (as of 2014) works at Universal's creative department. Surrell wrote A Day in the Park during a previous five-year tenure at Universal.
On August 9, 2020 the attraction became temporarily closed at Universal Orlando Resort due to the COVID-19 pandemic, restricting the characters to meet and greets.[3] On January 1, 2021, Universal permanently closed A Day in the Park with Barney, cancelling all future meet and greets as a result.
Videos
Commercials / Promos
A Day in the Park with Barney at Universal Studios Florida - TV Commercial
Advertisement for A Day in the Park with Barney 💜💚💛 - CLIP - SUBSCRIBE
