I am trying to find "Barney" the kids dianosaur character for my
daughters 2 year birthday party, and I live in the Napa Valley of
California |
Request for Question Clarification by
journalist-ga
on
15 Feb 2003 20:18 PST
Apparently, Lyons Partnership, the owners of the Barney trademark, are
"going after" the owners of costume shops that rent the Barney
costume. See http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,2523,00.html for
the full story.
Were I to direct you to a costume shop that rented an actual replica
of the Barney costume, it may be construed that I was breaking the law
because it seems the owners of this trademarked dinosaur are fiercely
protecting their interests.
In a quick search, I was unable to locate a legitamite source for you
to "hire a Barney" for your child's party. I will continue to search
and I am wondering - would a close facsimile would suit your needs?
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Clarification of Question by
teamross-ga
on
15 Feb 2003 22:58 PST
I know this is an odd request, If the "Barney" charachter is a
"voice-over", then it would not matter who I hired to wear a suit and
rent them for her party, although I still have not found a place or
person who does it. If it is the actual person in the suit on TV, then
I thought it would be neat to see if we could actually hire that
person (although obviously expensive). I have tried one agency, with
no luck, thus my search on google.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
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Clarification of Question by
teamross-ga
on
16 Feb 2003 20:50 PST
yes,although I "prefer" the real thing, if the real thing is a "voice
over" then anybody in a Barney costume with similar "actions" would
do.
thank you, I will wait for our recommendation.
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Request for Question Clarification by
blader-ga
on
17 Feb 2003 03:29 PST
Hi teamross:
I did a search for any costumed characters for hire near the San
Francisco area that do Barney the purple dinosaur, as well as
information on Barney's voiceover. Here's what I found.
Barney the dinosaur's motions is acted out by a man named David
Joyner, who is now working towards an acting career and also sidelines
as a motivational speaker. Barney is voiced by Bob West.
Source: http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?VIEW=CCC&ean=25192266324
David Joyner is represented by Speaker Source at the below page. The
website is currently down, so here's the Google Cache of the page:
http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:T9FrlTTtEucC:www.speakerssource.com/ST-motivational.htm+%22david+joyner%22+%22barney%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
I doubt that he is willing to go out to perform as Barney for a
private party, but Speaker Source can be contacted at the following
numbers:
(818) 776-1244 FAX (818) 776-1174
During my research for a costumed Barney character for hire, I have
found that there used to be a lot of Barney characters for hire all
around the country. However, Hit! Entertainment, the owner of the
Barney license, has cracked down on unlicensed Barney character
appearances, and has issued legal action against 700 companies and
performers ntaionwide. The legal disclaimer at A Magic Moment explains
it well:
"We wish to express that it is not our intention to violate any
copyright laws. The characters that we offer are NOT name brand
copyrighted characters, and we make no attempt to market them as such.
The characters that we have are of our own creation. Any resemblance
to nationally known copyrighted characters is strictly incidental and
unintentional. If you have any questions regarding this issue, we
encourage you to contact us. Recently, the "Purple Dinosaur" people
have filed copyright infringement lawsuits against over 700 companies
and performers nationwide (Virginia Pilot Newspaper). We wish to make
it clear and known that we are not marketing the "Barney" character,
or any character which is to represent a copyrighted character."
Source: http://amagicmoment.net/costumes.htm
I have found many costumed character companies, and they all offer a
Barney look alike, but for legal reasons, they can't call it "Barney."
Instead, they have to refer to it as "The Purple Dinosaur." Here are
two such companies near the San Francisco area that offer appearances
from "The Purple Dinosaur":
Carrie Feiner Enterprises
Red Ranger, Purple Dinosaur, Mr. & Mrs. Mouse, live music, magic,
clowns, DJ's, etc.
(914) 725-0200 or e-mail: FeinerEnt@aol.com
Dave's Cast of Characters
Home of the famous Purple Dinosaur, Esmerelda, Toy Cowboy & Spaceman.
Real character voices. Authentic costumes and holiday characters
(including Superheros, Winnie the Honeybear, etc.). Over 100+
characters available. Also Moonwalk bouncers, Balloon Typhoon, Sea of
Balls, bounce castles & more. We provide music, D.J., magicians,
clowns, pinatas, cotton candy and other sevices. Non-stop fun, games,
activities & magic! Prizes for everyone. We can customzie any party
package and we guarantee your complete satisfaction.
(914) 738-6888
Source: http://www.partynet.com/ny/entertainmentw.html
However, I should say that the costumes they are using is not
completely identical the one on the television show, which appears to
be made of a harder material and seem to be made in house. The only
way to get the exact identical character with the official costume
would be to contact HIT! Entertainment as the commenter suggested.
I have located the contact information for Hit! Entertainment in
California, as well as their U.S. Consumer Relations department. Here
is their contact information:
HIT Entertainment/Los Angeles
9300 Wilshire Blvd.
2nd Floor
Beverly Hills, CA, USA 90212
Tel: (001) 310-724-8979
Fax: (001) 310-724-8978
Consumer Relations
HIT Entertainment/U.S. Consumer Relations
830 South Greenville Avenue
Allen, TX, USA 75002-3320
Tel: 877-259-7425 (Toll free within US and Canada; 8 am – 5 pm Central
Standard Time)
or 972-390-6000 (8 am - 5 pm Central Standard Time)
Email: consumerrelations@hitentertainment.com
I'm not sure if this fits your needs, but if it does, let me know and
I'll post an official answer. Thank you!
Best Regards,
blader-ga
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Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
17 Feb 2003 09:57 PST
Just to add to the reams of information you're collecting about Barney
9none of which will actually get him/it to your kid's party, I'm
afraid) here's what Hit Entertainment had to say:
"Thank you for contacting us, however our company does not make
appearances for birthday parties.
Unfortunately, we do not license any adult Barney costumes. The
reason for this is very simple. We would not be able to monitor the
condition of the costumes or the behavior of the person inside the
costume. Until the time we can ensure the safety of the children and
quality of entertainment, we have chosen not to produce adult
costumes.
Thank you for your interest in Barney.
HIT Entertainment/Lyrick Studios Consumer Relations"
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Clarification of Question by
teamross-ga
on
22 Feb 2003 06:53 PST
Still looking for a company in the San Franciso area to play "the
purple dinosaur" and/or Elmo. The last suggestion was a company in New
York, that has not returned calls?
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Request for Question Clarification by
journalist-ga
on
22 Feb 2003 08:59 PST
Concerning your addition of the Elmo character, I searched Elmo for
you and found this reference at a San Francisco company:
"Elmo (Copywritten-cannot do!)"
There was no Barney listed among their many characters, either, and
they included (list at
http://www.partycentral.com/impersonators/index.html#sam):
A Bug's Life
Alice (like "Alice in Wonderland")
Annie
Arlecchino
Blonde Fashion Doll (like "Barbie")
Barney (Copywritten-cannot do!)
Ballerina
Bat Guy (& Friend) (1, & Friend)
Bat Man & Robin (licensed with permission)
Blues Clues (Copywritten-cannot do!)
Belle
Blue Dog
Britney Spears
Cat Woman
Cleopatra
Cupid
Cinderella (Copywritten-cannot do!)
Dora The Explorer
Fair Ella (Like "Cinderella")
Explorer Girl w/Backpack (like "Dora")
Dorothy ("Wizard of Oz" theme)
Easter Bunny (Male) (Female)
Elmo (Copywritten-cannot do!)
Esmerelda
Fairy Princess
Gorilla
Go-Go Girl
Hobo
Honey Bear (like "Winnie the Pooh")
Hula Girl
Indian Girl (like "Pocahontas")
Jasmine (1, 2)
Lady of the Sea (like "Little Mermaid") (1, 2)
Lady Magician
Leprechaun (Male) (Female)
Lion of the Forrest (like "Simba" or Nella")
Magic Boy (Like "Harry Potter")
Mad Hat (like "Mad Hatter")
Mercury
Mermaid (1, 2)
Mother Goose
Mousie (like "Minnie/Mickey Mouse")
Panning & Hook
Pete Panning
Pirate
Pocahontas (Copywritten-cannot do!)
Power Puff ("Bubbles")
Prince Charming (Can come as a Gorilla, then jumps out to a Romantic
Warrior, Zorro or Prince Charming!)
Princess (1) (2)
Robin's Friend
Santa Clause
Scarecrow ("Wizard of Oz")
Sleeping Beauty
Spiderman (licensed with permission)
Sleeping Beauty
"Snow White" (Fairy Princess) (1, 2)
Story Book Princess
Tahitian Girl
Tinker Bell
Tiger (like "Tigger")
Train Engineer (1, 2)
Victorian Girl
Western "Little Lady"
Wizard Boy (like "Harry Potter"
Zoltar The Fortune-Teller
The company contact information is:
Email - clowns@partycentral.com
Phone: 925-689-9595 or 888-797-6729
There main page on the site states "Entertainers serving the Greater
San Francisco Bay Area, with affiliates nationwide"
I then ran into the phrase "Blarney the purple dinosaur" and searched
that. It's apparently a character used by American Child Care
Service. The web site mentions a San Francisco contact number - (415)
285-2300 - and the site where I discovered the information is located
at http://www.americanchildcare.com/children.htm - *beware of the loud
music file when you visit*.
Their text states "From blocks to computers, party kitchens to
Nintendo, we arrive with the newest age-appropriate toys and
technology. Creating the ultimate experience in children's programs,
American ChildCare can tailor your program to reflect your special
organization. Facility decorations can reflect the geographic area you
are visiting, your organization's motif or storybook characters."
It appears they hold child care events at hotels and such. You might
luck up with "Blarney" through them. I hope you are able to find the
character you seek because I know how much it means to a child to
"meet" their favorite character. :)
Their "About Us" page (also with loud music) is located at
http://www.americanchildcare.com/aboutus.htm and their email is
hotelcare@aol.com
If this NC company is still doing Barney appearances, you might fly in
the actor for your party OR inquire about renting the costume. They
would probably require a large deposit for it if they agreed to rent
it to you. See http://www.funtimesbyrobertwhite.com/Char_Pics/Purpledino.jpg
for pic of their "Barney" and their contact info is
Fun Times
Raleigh, NC
(919) 873-0180
1-800-458-2132
funtime_@bellsouth.net
The Frank Bee Costume Index lists a nice costume for kids of Barney
(http://www.frankbeecostume.com/barney.html) and Barney Deluxe
(http://www.frankbeecostume.com/barneydeluxe.html) and the head of
both looks like it might be modified for an adult (or a "little
person"). They also have an Elmo
(http://www.frankbeecostume.com/elmo.html) and Elmo Deluxe
(http://www.frankbeecostume.com/elmodeluxe.html). You might also
consider purchasing a toddler Elmo costume from and modifying the hood
for an adult. Then get a plush red suit and combine the two for a
realistic Elmo look.
This company in Philadelphia shows a purple dinosaur character for
rent to parties: http://www.affairsrusinternational.com/costume.htm
Phone 215-727-5996
Should any of the info I have provided result in a viable lead, please
post thusly and I'll post my findings as an answer. I hope that I or
another researcher is able to find one of these costumes for your
upcoming party.
SEARCH STRATEGY:
Elmo san francisco character party
Elmo character costume adult
Elmo character costume san francisco
"purple dinosaur" costume san francisco
Blarney purple dinosaur san francisco
"purple dinosaur" adult costume
"purple dinosaur" mascot costume
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Clarification of Question by
teamross-ga
on
03 Mar 2003 06:49 PST
WE MAY HAVE A WINNER JOURNALIST-QA, I WILL CALL TODAY AND LET YOU KNOW
THANKS
KENNY
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Request for Question Clarification by
journalist-ga
on
03 Mar 2003 08:18 PST
Excellent, Kenny! Whomever is the winner, I hope you are able to
create a special and magical experience for your child. I met Bozo the
Clown, one of my childhood idols, when I was six years old. I still
hold the experience fondly in memory (as well as the appreciation of
my parents' making it happen)!
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Request for Question Clarification by
journalist-ga
on
09 Mar 2003 08:05 PST
Hi Kenny:
Was your phone call a successful one? I'm still hoping you've found
your Barney. :)
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