Barney's Big Surprise is a live show that originally toured in North America from 1996 until 1998. The filmed performance of the show was released on home video on May 19, 1998. It was toured in Mexico and the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Asia, Argentina, and Brazil. It marked being Barney's third stage show and his first national stage show tour.
Plot
It is BJ's 7th birthday and everybody is getting ready for his birthday party. BJ really wants a red scooter with bells and a horn. The day leads to pretending to fly in an airplane, showing off the treehouse and even flying kites. When Barney gets a phone call from Professor Tinkerputt, he takes BJ and Baby Bop to see his new toy factory. Professor Tinkerputt shows off his new inventions and plans to take the Barney mobile to carry his large surprise. Barney and the other dinos, on the other hand, are told they will fly back in a hot air balloon that Tinkerputt helps them design. Flying through the clouds, they meet four ducks soaring through the skies. As soon as the three dinosaurs return to the treehouse, the party begins. Mother Goose stops by for the party and to catch her goose Clarence the Goose, who has ran off. She also introduces herself and she shares some rhymes with everyone, while they're acted out by puppets and by the other friends. She then welcomes Old King Cole, who enters through the aisle and really makes it a party. After the king leaves, Professor Tinkerputt comes back and he brings his surprise, which isn't a red scooter to BJ's surprise because he's not giving it to him. Instead, It actually turns out that Barney and Baby Bop got him the scooter and Professor Tinkerputt reveals his inflatable cake surprise (also known as the "Spectacular Spontanious Perfect Party Pastry Provider"). With the help of the audience, the candles are blown out and BJ is thankful for his birthday party.
Cast
(The cast below is the cast featured in the video release)
- Barney (Voice: Bob West, Costume: Carey Stinson / Josh Martin)
- Baby Bop (Voice: Julie Johnson, Costume: Lee Clark / Jennifer Romano)
- BJ (Voice: Patty Wirtz, Costume: Pat O'Connell / Kyle Nelson)
- Tony (Trent Gentry)
- Rachel (Vanessa Lauren)
- Cindy (Mallory Lineberger)
- Kevin (Brandt Love)
- Professor Tinkerputt (Barry Pearl)
- Mother Goose (Michelle McCarel)
- Clarence the Goose (David Voss)
- Old King Cole (DeWayne Hambrick) (debut)
- Rabbits
- Gifts
- Robots
- Ducks
- Clowns
Songs
Act 1
- Barney Theme Song
- If You're Happy and You Know It
- Welcome to Our Treehouse
- The Baby Bop Hop
- Happy Birthday to Me
- The Airplane Song *
- My Kite
- Driving Medley: In the Car and Having Fun/Itsy Bitsy Spider/Mister Sun
- Mr. Knickerbocker
- Tinkerputt's Song
- We Are Little Robots
- Listen to the Night Time **
- The Rainbow Song
Act 2
- Hey, Look at Me! I Can Fly!
- Four Little Ducks
- Happy Birthday to Me (Reprise)
- If All the Raindrops
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm
- I'm Mother Goose *
- Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Medley: Humpty Dumpty/Hey Diddle Diddle/Little Miss Muffet/Little Boy Blue/One Two Buckle My Shoe/Sing a Song of Sixpence
- Old King Cole
- Happy Birthday to You
- I Love You
* Not on the North American soundtrack
** Cut from show before video was filmed
Music and Soundtrack
CD of the live show
Main Article: Barney's Big Surprise! Live on Stage
Barney's Big Surprise! Live on Stage was an album that featured songs from the stage show of the same name. The album was originally sold on November 6, 1996 during the tour. A retail version of the album was released on May 6, 1997 (the same day as Barney's Musical Scrapbook).
Main Article: La Gran Sorpresa de Barney
La Gran Sorpressa de Barney is a soundtrack that was released in 1998 based on Barney's Big Surprise but in Spanish It was later re-released in 2005 when toured in Argentina.
Gallery
Releases
Original Release (1998)
Original UK Release (1999)
UK Rerelease by Hit Entertainment (2002)
Spanish Release
Promotion
Stills
Scenes from the Show
Earlier run of the show in 1996. Note the slight differences in set design.
"I Love You" is performed for the finale.
Barney and the kids
Barney, BJ, Baby Bop, and Mother Goose
Barney and his friends are in Professor Tinkerputt's toy factory. This scene appears on the back cover of the original VHS release.
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BJ, Professor Tinkerputt, and Barney
Professor Tinkerputt, Mother Goose, and Tony
A photo taken from the UK tour
Behind the Scenes
The stage show truck used to transport elements of the show around
Four stage show transport trucks
Barney doing interviews on the road for the show
Cast and Crew of the show
Carey Stinson and Harold Behrens in The Barney Mobile
The cast members of the show in 1997
Postcard advertising the show received by fan club members
Ticket stub for the show
Tour Dates
The original North American tour of the tour ran from September 1996 through May 1998 in four legs, separated by Winter and Summer holidays.
Leg 1- Fall 1996
| City | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| FT. WORTH, TX | Will Rogers Memorial Center | Sept. 10-15 |
| ST LOUIS, MO | Kiel Center | Sept. 18-22 |
| HOUSTON, TX | Astroarena | Sept. 24-29 |
| MOBILE, AL | Mobile Civic Center | Oct. 4-6 |
| MEMPHIS, TN | Memphis Cook Convention Center | Oct. 8-13 |
| AUSTIN, TX | Frank Erwin Center | Oct.16-19 |
| MIDLAND, TX | Chaparral Center | Oct. 21-22 |
| PHOENIX, AZ | American West Arena | Oct. 24-26 |
| TUSCON, AZ | Tucson Convention Center | Oct. 29-30 |
| EL PASO, TX | County Coliseum | Nov. 1-3 |
| LOS ANGELES, CA | Universal Amptitheater | Nov. 6-10 |
| ANAHEIM, CA | Anaheim Convention Center | Nov. 12-17 |
| OREM, UT | McKay Events Center | Nov. 20-25 |
| SAN JOSE, CA | San Jose Events Center | Dec. 3-8 |
| RENO, NV | Lawlor Events Center | Dec. 10-11 |
| SACRAMENTO, CA | Arco Arena | Dec. 13-15 |
| TACOMA, WA | Tacoma Dome | Dec. 18-22 |
| ST. PAUL, MN | Roy Wilkins Auditorium | Dec. 27-29 |
Leg 2- Spring 1997
| City | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| MILWAUKE, WI | Wisconsin Center Auditorium | Jan. 1-5 |
| PITTSBURGH, PA | Benedum Center | Jan. 8-12 |
| NEW YORK, NY | Radio City Music Hall | Jan. 15-26 |
| ROCHESTER, NY | Rochester War Memorial | Jan. 28-29 |
| WALLINGFORD, CT | Oakdale Theatre | Jan. 31-Feb. 2 |
| PHILADELPHIA, PA | CoreStates Spectrum | Feb. 5-9 |
| INDIANAPOLIS, IN | Indianapolis Convention Center | Feb.12-16 |
| CLEVELAND, OH | C.S.U. Convention Center | Feb. 26-Mar. 2 |
| NASHVILLE, TN | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | Mar. 5-9 |
| LOUISVILLE, KY | Louisville Gardens | Mar. 11-12 |
| ROSEMONT, IL | Rosemont Theater | Mar. 13-23 |
| DES MOINES, IA | Veterans Memorial Auditorium | Mar. 25-27 |
| KANSAS CITY, MO | Municipal Auditorium Arena | Apr. 2-6 |
| PEORIA, IL | Peoria Civic Center | Apr. 8-9 |
| LINCOLN, NE | Pershing Auditorium | Apr. 11-13 |
| DETROIT, MI | Cobo Arena | Apr. 15-20 |
| HUNTINGTON, WV | Huntington Civic Center | Apr. 22-23 |
| CINCINNATI, OH | Cincinnati Gardens | Apr. 25-27 |
| FAIRFAX, VA | Patriot Center | Apr. 29-May 4 |
Leg 3- Fall 1997
| City | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| BIRMINGHAM, AL | BJCC Coliseum | Sept. 19-21 |
| CHARLOTTE, NC | Charlotte Coliseum | Sept. 24-28 |
| TALLAHASSE, FL | Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center | Sept. 30-Oct. 1 |
| JACKSONVILLE, FL | Jacksonville Coliseum | Oct. 3-5 |
| ALBANY, NY | Pepsi Arena | Oct. 9-12 |
| UNIONDALE, NY | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Oct.15-19 |
| COLOMBUS, OH | Battelle Hall | Oct. 21-22 |
| TOLEDO, OH | Savage Hall | Oct. 24-26 |
| TORONTO, ONT | Skydome | Oct. 29-Nov.1 |
| WORCESTER, MA | Worcester Centrum Center | Nov. 8-9 |
| LANSING, MI | Breslin Center | Nov. 15-16 |
| DENVER, CO | Denver Coliseum | Nov. 19-23 |
| AUGUSTA, GA | Augusta/ Richmond County Civic Center | Dec. 2-3 |
| N. CHARLESTON, SC | North Charleston Coliseum | Dec. 5-7 |
| WINSTON SALEM, NC | Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Dec. 10-14 |
| BALTIMORE, MD | Baltimore Arena | Dec. 17-21 |
| RICHMOND, VA | Richmond Coliseum | Dec. 29-31 |
Leg 4- Spring 1998
| City | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| HAMPTON, VA | Hampton Coliseum | Jan. 2-4 |
| KNOXVILLE, TN | Knoxville Civic Center | Jan. 7-11 |
| JACKSON, MS | Mississippi Coliseum | Jan. 13-14 |
| NEW ORLEANS, LA | Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena | Jan. 16-18 |
| LITTLE ROCK, AR | Barton Coliseum | Jan. 20-21 |
| OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | Oklahoma State Fair Arena | Jan. 23-25 |
| ATLANTA, GA | Atlanta Civic Center | Jan. 28-Feb. 1 |
| MACON, GA | Macon Coliseum | Feb. 3-4 |
| BATON ROUGE, LA | Riverside Centroplex | Feb. 6-8 |
| TAMPA, FL | Ice Palace | Feb. 11-15 |
| MIAMI, FL | Miami Arena | Feb. 18-22 |
| SAN ANTONIO, TX | Alamodome | Mar. 1-2 |
| ALBUQUERQUE, NM | Tingley Coliseum | Mar. 5-8 |
| LAS VEGAS, NV | Thomas & Mack Center | Mar. 12-15 |
| SAN DIEGO, CA | San Diego Sports Arena | Mar. 18-22 |
| PORTLAND, OR | Memorial Coliseum Arena | Mar. 25-29 |
| OAKLAND, CA | Oakland Alameda County Coliseum | Apr. 1-5 |
| CALGARY, AB | Calgary Corral | Apr. 9-12 |
| SASKATOON, SK | Saskatchewan Place | Apr. 14-15 |
| EDMONTON, AB | Agricom | Apr. 17-19 |
| VANCOUVER, B.C. | PNE Coliseum | Apr. 22-26 |
| Aberdeen, SCT | Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre | Nov. 6-8 |
| Manchester, EN | Manchester Arena | Nov. 12-15 |
| Glasgow, SCT | Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre | Nov. 18-22 |
| Cardiff, WAL | Cardiff International Arena | Nov. 24-26 |
| Wembley, EN | Wembley Coliseum | Nov. 29-30 |
| Newcastle, EN | Metro Radio Arena | Dec. 9-13 |
| Birmingham, EN | National Indoor Arena | Dec. 15-17 |
| Sheffield, EN | Sheffield Arena | Dec. 19-21 |
Trivia
- This live show / video marked:
- The first live show to feature a Barney doll at the beginning. It is also the first live show to feature The Treehouse. The next one to do the latter would be Barney's Theatre.
- The first appearance of Old King Cole.
- The final appearances of Professor Tinkerputt and Clarence the Goose.
- The first filmed live show to not have David Joyner as Barney's costume performer. Now, Carey Stinson takes that position, having done so in previous mall tours and as an alternate costume performer in Barney Live! In New York City.
- The first time Kyle Nelson performs BJ.
- The only appearances of Kevin, Cindy, Tony, and Rachel. This is also the first Barney live show to feature kids that never appeared in the television series.
- The first live show in which the character voices were pre-recorded, unlike previous shows where they were performed live.
- The only time Mother Goose is played by Michelle McCarel.
- The first time BJ and Baby Bop appeared with Mother Goose.
- The first video to use the 1998-2001 Lyrick Studios logo.
- The final Barney VHS to have a preview of Barney Live! In New York City on the 2000 re-release.
- The third Barney live show on VHS.
- According to Courtney Cook Chavera (who portrayed as Cindy in the first half of the tour), there were five kids in the original kid cast for the first leg of the tour (three girls and two boys). The third girl was an understudy for either Vanessa Lauren (Rachel) and Courtney Cook Chavera (Cindy), in case that one of the two main girls were feeling sick or were not able to come and perform in the show.
- David Voss, who was the original Barney costume actor, served as the Dance Captain and Cast Manager for the tour. David Voss also played Clarence the Goose.
- In any event that the audio for the show would stop working, David Franks would serve as the voice of Barney during the tour.
- DeWayne Hambrick would later play Old King Cole in "A Royal Welcome" and "Can You Sing That Song?".
- "Listen to the Night Time" was removed from the tour due to the energy it brought down for the show.
- This show won the 1997 Performance Magazine Reader's Poll Award for Best Family/Variety Touring Act of the Year.
- This video is rumored that the footage for the Tour Commercial was filmed at Will Rogers Memorial Center in September 1996.
- The home video of this live show was filmed at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in December 1997.
- In the Barney News on the 1996 Family Magazine, the songs, "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" and "Everyone is Special", were mentioned, but they do not appear in this live show.
- The video aired on PBS in 2000, being the fourth of only 11 Barney Home Videos to be televised on that network. The first being Barney in Concert (aired during the Barney & Friends Family Marathon) and the others being Barney Live! In New York City, Barney Safety, Barney's Night Before Christmas, and Barney's Great Adventure, Barney's Christmas Star, Barney's Best Manners: Your Invitation to Fun!, Let's Go to the Farm, Dino-Mite Birthday, Barney's Jungle Friends, and Big World Adventure.
- The audio track on the screener version of the video was a work in progress, as the final audio wasn't completed yet at the time. The same version also has no text in the credits and it also has different audio.
- This video was released 5 days before future actress, Deborah Cole was born, and it was also released on Jeffrey Lowe's 18th birthday.
Goofs
- Although BJ gets a red scooter for his birthday in this video. However, BJ was seen riding his red scooter in Barney's 1-2-3-4 Seasons.
Videos
Trailer
Barney's Big Surprise! Live on Stage Trailer
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