Imagination Island (Titled Bedtime with Barney: Imagination Island in its initial broadcast) is a 1994 NBC Primetime TV special spun-off from Barney & Friends. It originally aired on NBC on April 24, 1994. It was later released on home video on October 4, 1994.
Plot
Min and Tosha are having a sleepover; and Tosha's Mom reads them a story about a mystical place called "Imagination Island" unable to finish the story. When Barney comes to life, he shows the two girls that they can go on a sailing adventure if they use their imaginations. With that, Barney mystically takes them on deck aboard a huge ship destined for Imagination Island. Along the way, they meet up with Shawn, Derek, Baby Bop, and BJ. As the ship sails closer to the island, a big storm causes a huge tidal wave to knock the ship up onto some palm trees on the island.
While Baby Bop and BJ stay on the ship, Barney and the children go explore the island. After hiking through the island's jungle, they eventually find a tropical house where they meet Professor Tinkerputt, a toy inventor who doesn't like to share his creations. He explains to the group the he moved to Imagination Island to be alone with his toys.
The professor shows the group his new balloon maker that does not properly work. After Tosha realizes that her heart-shaped locket is the key to make the machine work, she gives the professor her locket. Through the process, Barney helps him understand that sharing with others makes people happy. By finally sharing different toys with the group, the professor realizes that making other people happy makes him happy too. Wanting to leave the island himself, Tinkerputt agrees to help the explorers get off the island. After a moment of thinking, Tinkerputt gets an idea of how to get the ship out of the trees. They can fly back with help from his balloon machine.
The group returns to the ship where Tinkerputt inflates many balloons to attach to the ship. Tinkerputt takes control of the ship, and the ship flies up to the sky. Baby bop and BJ return home, and Barney reminds the kids the importance of home.
Later, the ship reaches back home, and Barney and the kids leave. With Tosha and Min falling asleep, the ship sails off into the night sky with the professor heading to build a new toy factory.
Stories: Imagination Island
title card
Cast
- Barney (Voice: Bob West, Costume: David Joyner)
- Baby Bop (Voice: Julie Johnson, Costume: Jeff Ayers)
- BJ (Costume: Jeff Brooks; Voice: Patty Wirtz)
- Tosha (Hope Cervantes)
- Min (Pia Manalo)
- Shawn (John David Bennett II)
- Derek (Rickey Carter)
- Tosha's Mom (J.D. Mosley)
- Tosha's Dad (David J. Courtney) (cameo)
- Professor Tinkerputt (Barry Pearl) (debut)
- Parrot Puppeteer (Ray Henry)
Songs
- Just Imagine
- Sea Medley: Sailing, Sailing / Row, Row, Row Your Boat / Sailing, Sailing/ Blow the Man Down / Sailing, Sailing / My Blankey Lies Over the Ocean / Sailing, Sailing / A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea/ Sailing, Sailing
- That's What an Island Is
- Jungle Adventure
- Tinkerputt's Song
- If You're Happy and You Know It
- Just Imagine (Reprise)
- It's Good to Be Home
Gallery
Releases
Promotional Images
Trivia
- 7.7 million American households watched the original broadcast on NBC.
- This special marked:
- Another time something happens to the Barney doll before coming to life.
- The first appearance of Professor Tinkerputt who would later return in the stage show, Barney's Big Surprise to show Barney, Baby Bop, BJ, and the audience his brand new toy factory.
- The first time BJ is shorter and performed by Jeff Brooks according to production order.
- Due to the 1994 lawsuit, "I Love You" wasn't sung in this special.[1]
- Most home video releases claim that the special contains the song "Our Friend Barney Had a Boat". That song was never sung in this special, not even during its original air date.
- When the tape was reprinted in 1996, the song was properly removed from the song list. However, every home video release since 1999 has the song reinserted in the list.
- Some of the songs featured in the special are included on the Barney's Favorites Vol. 2 album. The songs are "Just Imagine", "Jungle Adventure", "Sailing Medley", "Tinkerputt's Song", and the reprise of "Just Imagine".
- Although the "Barney Theme Song" isn't sung in this special, it is heard as an underscore when Barney fixes Tosha's bed, and greets Tosha and Min.
- This group (Derek, Min, Shawn, Tosha) also appeared in May I Help You?.
- In this special, Carol Farabee does Baby Bop's speaking voice, while Julie Johnson does her singing voice.
- On April 12, 2002, this special was featured in the Blockbuster Exclusive video, Barney's Island Safari (along with Let's Go to the Zoo).
- On the original NBC airing, an extended shot of Professor Tinkerputt looking out the window door accompanied with the last few notes of Pop Goes the Weasel was used. This short clip was edited out of all home video releases.
- Julie Johnson was not on set during production due to an off Broadway gig she received at the time the video was being filmed. Carol Farabee replaced Johnson as the voice but soon later returned to dub over Farabee's lines, due to the NBC network wanting the continuity to continue from the television series.[2]
- In home video releases, this is the first video to feature the "Please Stay Tuned" bumper.
- Production for this video took place in February 1994
References
