Theatre / A Day In The Park With Barney

Imagine a place you want to be
Imagine a place for you and me
Imagine a place and you'll be there
Imagination can take you anywhere

— Barney, Imagine a Place

A Day in the Park with Barney was a sing-along stage show formerly at Universal Studios Florida, based on Barney & Friends. One of the first Universal attractions designed specifically for preschoolers, it opened on July 11, 1995.

The attraction began with a preshow, hosted by Mr./Mrs. Peekaboo and their parrot Bartholomew. While searching for the door to Barney's park (the show's theater), Peekaboo is reminded by Bartholomew that it takes imagination to get there. With the help of the guests' imaginations, they find. Once inside the theater-in-the-round, Peekaboo asks the audience to use their imaginations to bring Barney to life. Suddenly, the purple dinosaur magically appears before their eyes. With the help of BJ and Baby Bop, Barney leads the audience through several of his favorite songs. After the show, guests were led to an interactive playground called "Barney's Backyard."

After a 25 year run, A Day in the Park with Barney held its last performance on August 8, 2020 ^note This was announced as a temporary closure, alongside several other attractions. The attraction was quietly closed in January 2021. The area was rethemed to the Dreamworks Destination, which opened in May 2021.

A Day in the Park with Barney provides examples of the following tropes:

• Audience Participation: The audience is encouraged to use their imaginations in various ways throughout the show, which include getting to "Barney's park," bringing Barney to life, and making it rain and snow.
  • During "Imagine a Place," Barney asks the audience to help him imagine various scenarios including a fall day and a make-believe camping trip. As they imagine, falling leaves and twinkling stars appear in the theater.
• Audience Participation Song: Barney and friends encouraged the audience to sing and follow along with many of the show's songs, notably "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Down on Grandpa's Farm."
• Big Entrance: As Peekaboo and the audience imagine Barney, the lights dim and stars twinkle around the theater as the music takes on a mystical feel. Just as the "Barney Theme Song" begins, the lights turn back on and Barney magically comes to life with confetti surrounding him ^note This effect replicated his transformation on the TV show.
• Canon Foreigner: Mr. Peekaboo and Bartholomew were created for the attraction.
• Christmas Special: During the holiday season, the show was rethemed to "A Holiday in the Park with Barney," with Barney and friends singing various holiday songs.
• Continuity Nod: In 2004, a backdrop of the Barney & Friends park set was placed in the Barney's Backyard area, mainly for meet and greet photo-ops. This remained until the show's closure.
  • In 2015, a Barney doll was added to the beginning of the main show as part of Barney's entrance, replicating the TV series. Baby Bop began carrying her yellow blankey during the show around this time for similar reasons.
• Cover Version: In the original 1995 version of the Christmas show, Barney sang a cover of José Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad."
• Demoted to Extra: After "A Day in the Park" was initially closed in 2020, the Barney characters hosted (socially distanced) meet and greets outside the attraction. This ended once it was permanently closed in 2021.
• Door Roulette: Searching for the way to Barney's park in the preshow, Mr. Peekaboo checks the various wacky doors around their house, including a doghouse, a window with an Extendo Boxing Glove, and a red door that squirts water when opened.
• Let There Be Snow: In A Holiday in the Park with Barney, Barney and friends sing a version of "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" as they wish for snow in their normally sunny park. With the help of the audience's imaginations, it begins to snow.
  Barney: I bet they don't have much snow here in Orlando... But we can take care of that!
• Meaningful Name: Peekaboo is named after the game "Peek-a-boo," as explained in their song:
  My name is the same as my favorite game/Peek a boo!
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Peekaboo introduces themselves as Patrick/Patricia Aloysius Bartholomew before noting they can just call them Mr./Mrs. Peekaboo. Barney refers to them as simply "Peekaboo" in the main show ^note Prior to 1998, Barney referred to the character as "Mr. Peekaboo," but the show audio was edited to allow the role to be crosscast.
• Treehouse of Fun: In Barney's Backyard, there was a replica of the Treehouse set as seen on the TV show.
• Updated Re-release: "A Holiday in the Park with Barney" was retooled in 1996 to add more songs from the regular show. "Holidays Around the World" and "Up on the Housetop" were axed in favor of "Mr. Knickerbocker" and "Down on Grandpa's Farm."
• Wrap-Up Song: As on the TV series, the show ends with Barney and friends singing "I Love You."
• You Must Be This Tall to Ride: Inverted in the "Barney's Backyard" play area, where certain play structures had maximum height requirements.