IT'S a multinational music extravaganza, full of happyclappy songs aimed at an audience of five year olds. No, stupid, not the Eurovision. Barney the friendly, flabby dinosaur was back in Dublin.
Barney's appearance at last year's Baby and Kids show in the RDS caused a near riot. Organisers had underestimated the demand for the world's favourite Jurassic creature and hundreds of angry parents and their children were locked out.
This year the show has been moved to the larger Simmonscourt pavilion and entry to Barney's 25 minute cabarets is by ticket only. As a result, more than 15,000 people have visited the show with no sign of overcrowding.
More than 120 exhibitors hawk everything from head lice cream to encyclopaedias. "Get them while they're young" is the motto at the stands where the talk was of marketing and merchandising and market segments among the under eights.
But the star of the show and the marketing triumph of the moment, is Barney. His voice may be pre recorded in an American twang but 2,000 cheering kids don't care.
Nor do they mind that the slackly stuffed purple and green chap seems to be afflicted with cellulite and is so arthritic he can't bend over to shake hands.
Adoring fans might have spent the hank holiday Sunday feeding the ducks in the park. Instead adults paid £7 each and £4 per child to see a seven foot toy doing karaoke. But once Barney was in full song, parents outsang their children.
As anyone who knows his chart topping hit I Love You will admit, Barney's songs have the virtue of simplicity and foot tapping infectiousness. But he also does cover versions, and yesterday's renditions of The Wheels on the Bus and She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain went down a treat.
Maybe it isn't so different from the Eurovision after all.
The Baby and Kids show continues at the RDS until 6 p.m. today.
