5.Baby Shakespeare

Template:BE Template Baby Shakespeare is the 5th video to be released in the Baby Einstein series. It is the second language episode from the series, exposing to 12 first vocabulary words through original poems by William Shakespeare and other poets. Almost all the visual content consists of nature, toys and puppet shows featuring Bard the Dragon and other classic BE puppets. It was released in 1999 despite the original tape saying 2000 and was later reissued that year. The counterpart CD is the Baby Beethoven CD. It was also sold in a 'special' pack including the VHS and the book. It was later re-released sometime in Late-2004, with some alterations. It is a language-topic companion piece to Numbers Nursery.

Video Guide

Opening

• Theme from Symphony No. 9, 2nd Movement: The Tale of Custard the Dragon - Ogden Nash: Bard's Introduction (in black)
• Baby Shakespeare Theme, Weisbach: Opening Titles (different in 2004)
• Bubbles (in black)
• The Alphabet Song (Acoustic Version) - Pull Along ABC Block Cart (in white) (replaced by Wooden Block Cart with Bag O' Blocks and Big Blocks (in white) in 2004); The Baby Shakespeare Kids with Sunny Bunny, Bluebird, and Baby MacDonald the Cow (in white):

The Alphabet Song (Acoustic Version)

Part of song	Kid and puppet
ABCD	Madeline (in white)
EFG	Aspen (in white)
HIJK	Dylan and Dakota (in white)
LMNOP	Madeline and Sunny Bunny (in white)
QRS	Dakota and Bluebird (in white)
TUV	Gabrielle and Sierra (in white)
WX	Dylan and Baby MacDonald the Cow (in white)
Y and Z	Gabrielle (in white)
Now I know my	Dakota (in white)
ABCs	Madeline, Aspen and Gabrielle (in white)
Next time won't you	Gabrielle (in white)
Sing with me?	Sierra (in white)

• Applause & Cheering

Train

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "train" (in black)
• Bard rides across the screen on the Sesame Street Express Train Ride-On (in white) (replaced by Casey Toy Train Engine, People Car, Smiley Face Gondola and Circus Caboose (in white) in 2004 with footage reused from Language Nursery) The word "train" follows.
• A Modern Dragon - Rowena Bastin Bennett (Locomotive type: Truck Shay No. 14 from Georgetown Loop Railroad, Colorado)
• Rondo à Capriccio in G Major, Op. 129, "Rage Over a Lost Penny": Train passing by, Pull Along Soft Cars (in white), Bugs on the Run (in black) in 4 different angles (replaced by Gears! Gears! Gears! Dizzy Fun Land (in black) in 4 different angles in 2004), Pull Along Soft Cars (in white), Gearation zoomed in with 3 different angles, Polaris Kinetic (in white), Bugs on the Run (in black) in 2 different angles (replaced by Gears! Gears! Gears! Dizzy Fun Land (in black) in 3 different angles in 2004), Pull Along Soft Cars (in white)
• Horn Honks

Flower

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "flower" (in black)
• Bard sniffs and sneezes the word "flower" because of Sunny the Singing Sunflower (in black) (replaced by 50 Centimeter Sunflower (in black) in 2004)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
• Bluebird attempts to rise a Bendy Flower, fails twice, and gets it up the third time. (in black)
• Ball Party: Round About Tower (in white)
• Applause

Apple

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "apple" (in black)
• Bard paints the word "apple" in Magnetic Letters. Then, an apple is painted on the canvas, which may imply what Bard truly painted. (in black)
• The Apple Tree - Galway Kinnell
• Two Rondos Op. 51, No. 1 in C Major: Taggly (in black), Butterfly Knob Puzzle (in black), Taggly (in black), Teaching Tower (in black) (replaced by IQ Baby Busy Box (in black) in 2004), Taggly (in black)
• Applause & Cheering

Cat

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "cat" (in black)
• The Cat and the Moon - W. B. Yeats
• Threading Apple (in black)

Grass

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "grass" (in black)
• Tiger pops up and hops through the grass. He makes a big leap offscreen and leaps back. He then walks away and a lawnmower is heard. The "lawnmower" appears to be the word "grass" (in black)
• Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor, WoO 59, "Für Elise": Heavenly Grass - Tennessee Williams
• Tiger practices his roar, but is scared away by Duck. (in black)
• Applause & Cheering

Frog

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "frog" (in black)
• Bard hops to the Frog-in-the-Box, dumps the frog into the water then laughs. He then goes away, and the word "frog" bounces to the screen. (in white) (the letters bounce in 2004)
• Wadasa Nakamoon - Ray A. Young Bear
• The Alphabet Song (Reprise) (Percussion Version) - Pull Along ABC Block Cart (in white) (replaced by Wooden Block Cart with Bag O' Blocks and Big Blocks (in white) in 2004); The Baby Shakespeare Kids (in white)

The Alphabet Song (Reprise) (Percussion Version)

Part of song	Kid
ABCD	Gabrielle (in white)
EFG	Madeline (in white)
HIJK	Dylan (in white)
LMNOP	Aspen and Madeline (in white)
QRSTUV	Dylan and Dakota (in white)
WXY and Z	Madeline, Aspen and Gabrielle (in white)
Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you	Gabrielle (in white)
Sing with me?	Sierra (in white)

• Applause & Cheering

Leaf

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "leaf" (in black)
• Bard dives into a pile of leaves, then the word "leaf" falls down. (in black) (Note: The Tarzan Yell interrupted the beginning of the puppet show.)
• Nothing Gold Can Stay - Robert Frost
• Five Pieces for Mechanical Clock, WoO 33, No. 3: Form C Kinetic from blurry to clear (in black), Pop Pop Top (in black) in 2 different angles (replaced by Dancing Teddy Push Toy in 2 different angles in 2004), Blacklight Mind Bender Blurz (in black), Gearation zoomed out, SpinTrix Disc, Stacking Clown zoomed out (in black) then in
• Applause & Cheering

Snow

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "snow" (in black)
• Bard plays in the snow, throws a snowball, and creates the word "snow" (in black).
• The Revival - Steve Crow
• Monkey C. plays in the snow, then gets buried by some snow that covers her. She pops out and laughs. (in black)
• Max the Pull-Along Dog chases Quack-Along Ducks (in black)

Tree

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "tree" (in black)
• Bard runs away from a cherry tree after he hears an owl. The letters in "tree" then fall down. (in white)
• Loveliest of Trees, The Cherry Now - A. E. Housman
• Military March No. 1 in F Major, "For the Bohemian Guard", WoO 18: Mr. Monkey (in white) in 2 different angles, Pink Pudgey Pig (in black), Dancing Go-Go Gorilla (in white), Pink Pudgey Pig (in black) in a different angle, Mr. Monkey (in white) in a different angle, Pretty Kitty (in black), Mr. Monkey with Dancing Go-Go Gorilla (in white) (same scene)
• Applause & Cheering

Cow

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "cow" (in black)
• Bard with straw hat finds the word cow with moos and paints it on the fence. (in white)
• The Calf-Path - Sam Walter Foss
• Quack-Along Ducks chases Max the Pull-Along Dog (in black) in a different angle

Butterfly

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "butterfly" (in black)
• Bard chases the Red Butterfly Prop back and forth, but hits a brick wall and faints. The word "butterfly" then falls down. (in white)
• To a Butterfly - William Wordsworth
• Baby MacDonald the Cow (in a dual role) eats grass, but when Tooter the Cow shows up and farts, they walk away. Tooter then flicks a Red Butterfly Prop off of her nose. (in white)
• The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113, "Turkish March": The Torpedo Run: Figure 8 Starter Set, with Torpedo, Bright Lights Dome Car, and Flashing Caboose passes Thomas & Friends: Set of 5 Signs, Spring Trees, and some Little Knotties: Lion, Pig, and Rabbit (in black), Teddy Copter (in black) (same scene)
• Applause & Cheering

Moon

• Focus Pocus clicks to the word "moon" (in black)
• My Loves - Langston Hughes, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, "Pathetique", Op. 13, 2nd Movement: Bard yawns and smacks his lips. He then kisses his Beanie Baby: Curly good night. He yawns and smacks his lips again and lies down on his bed. The moon then is shown moving. (in black)

Closing

• Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, "Chorale", 4th Movement, Op. 125 (Ode to Joy) (second half only): Markie with Bard and Bluebird (in white) (replaced by Bard dancing (in white) in 2004), Gabrielle and Tiger (in white), Madeline and Sunny (in white), Sierra dancing (in white), Dylan and Dakota with Bluebird, Sunny, and Tiger (in white), Aspen with Tooter (in white), Bard (in black), closing credits

Poems

• The Tale of Custard the Dragon - Ogden Nash
• A Modern Dragon - Rowena Bastin Bennett
• A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
• The Apple Tree - Galway Kinnell
• The Cat and the Moon - W. B. Yeats
• Heavenly Grass - Tennessee Williams
• Wadasa Nakamoon - Ray A. Young Bear
• Nothing Gold Can Stay - Robert Frost
• The Revival - Steve Crow
• Loveliest of Trees, The Cherry Now - A. E. Housman
• The Calf-Path - Sam Walter Foss
• To a Butterfly - William Wordsworth
• My Loves - Langston Hughes

Distribution

• The Baby Einstein Company (1999-2000)
• Artisan Home Entertainment/Family Home Entertainment/F.H.E. Kids (2000-2001)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2002-2004)

Trivia

• This is the only one of the three videos to have poetries in which they are made as the main topic of the video due to this being based on William Shakespeare's poetries.
• The original VHS and DVD covers depicted Bard the Dragon, but later in late-2001, a lizard would be shown on the cover.
• This is the first video to have Markie Scholz as the puppeteer and to have kids other than Aspen and Sierra (not counting the Baby Mozart 1998 discussion).
• This the first video to feature Baby Einstein puppets with the main concept of one (or two) of them is the host (or alongside with another as the co-host) of the video. Baby Mozart, which was the first ever video to include them, did not have this main concept yet. However, the 2008 version of the video has a puppet as the host of it (Baby Mozart the Koala (previously established in Baby Noah and on the front cover of the 2004 re-release of the video)).
• All of the kids in this video are girls.
• This is the first video to have classical music by Ludwig van Beethoven.
• This is the first educational video that teaches children about vocabulary and words.
• In some foreign 2003/Early-2004 versions, there is no Alphabet Song and either Markie, the kids, or the puppets.
• In the 2005 version of Taiwanese Chinese, Korean, Mainland Chinese, Cantonese & Thai, there is no Alphabet Song.
• Some of these toys were later seen in other videos: The Big Blocks in Language Nursery 2004, as well the Sesame Street Express Train Ride-On in the 1997 version, later replaced by the Casey Train, People Car, Smiley Face Gondola and Circus Caboose reused in the 2004 version; the Gearation in Baby Van Gogh and Baby da Vinci; yellow and orange versions of the Bender Blurz in Baby Van Gogh; the Pudgey Pig, Little Knotties: Marley the Lion, Penelope the Pig and Whiskers the Rabbit in Baby Beethoven; and Mr. Monkey in World Animals.
• This is the debut of Sunny, Bluebird, Baby MacDonald, Tiger, Duck and Jane. This is the only appearance of Tooter (the footage of them was reused in World of Words).
• This is the only appearance of Dylan and Dakota Gonzalez; footage of them here was later reused in World of Words. This is the first appearance of Madeline and Gabrielle.
• World of Words is the updated version of this video.
• This video was the last video to have a "Stay Tuned Screen" at the beginning of early VHS Releases.
• Dylan Snider, one of the girls who sang the alphabet song, posted a picture on August 28, 2020 of her and her sister on her Instagram story, tagging their mom and asking "Mom who is who? Asking for myself. Pretty confident I'm in purple but it's a close call here."
• This is the last BE video on its original release to not include the Baby Einstein caterpillar logo.
• This is also the last BE video to be released in the 1990s decade, as it was released in 1999.
• This is also the last BE video to be released during the Golden Age, and the only video from the era to made educational.
• This is also the last BE video to be distributed by The Baby Einstein Company as an independent company before it was acquired by Family Home Entertainment.
• The Baby Shakespeare Theme and The Alphabet Song are the only two Non-Beethoven pieces/songs in this video.
• This is the second BE video to feature Bard the Dragon, the first being Baby Mozart.
  • Bard is the only puppet in this video to not debut in this video.
• This is also the first BE video that featured classical music to not have a primary emphasis on it.
• This is also the first BE video where the opening and credits themes is are not in C major or G major. The opening theme is in A-flat major and the closing theme (Ode to Joy) is in D major.
• This is the first video since Baby Einstein where the opening and credits themes are not the same.
• This is the first BE video to be produced by The Baby Einstein Company, which was renamed from Aigner-Clark Productions 9 months before this video's release.
• The 2000-2002 DVD Concert Hall has music from the Baby Beethoven Concert for Little Ears CD with Bedtime and Playtime.
• On top of that, the music heard on the Baby Shakespeare 2000-2002 DVD Concert Hall Selection has the same music as the Baby Beethoven Concert for Little Ears CD with Bedtime and Playtime, Enclosed on the 2000 VHS with Bard the Dragon on the cover. But, on the VHS with the Lizard, the 2001-2002 VHS comes with the Baby Shakespeare Soundtrack CD, containing almost every Beethoven piece from Baby Shakespeare is heard on the CD, except the Sonata No. 8 Pathetique 2nd Movement, Op. 13 by Ludwig van Beethoven, because the 3rd Movement of that piece takes place as an alternative on the Soundtrack CD. The Soundtrack CD is enclosed on the 2001-2002 VHS with the Lizard on the cover. Some copies of the 2003 VHS come with the Baby Shakespeare Soundtrack CD because the 2003 VHS has the same video footage as 2002, besides the cover.
• The train footage was shot at the Georgetown Loop Railroad in Georgetown Colorado.
• The audio clip of Bard yawning was later used in a high pitch for Baby Baaach the Lamb's yawn in Baby Lullaby.
• Bard with PlaySoup eyes appears in the 10 Years of Discovery documentary video.
• A behind the scenes clip of The Alphabet Song was found by Harry Jacoby which was from a PBS documentary in 1999.
• There are a few things that were edited after the original 1999 release.
  • During Bard's flower puppet show, he was humming to Tiptoe Through the Tulips and in the reissued version, he is whistling to Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, "Chorale", 4th Movement (Ode to Joy).
  • During Jane the Monkey's introductory puppet show, she was humming to Let It Snow, but in later releases, she was humming to Jingle Bells.

Goofs

• Before the opening puppet show in the 2004 VHS, you can see Bard go down to the screen for a brief second.
• After the opening credits roll in the 2004 version, the transition from there to the bubbles shows a glimpse of the 1999-2003 version.
• For a split second and if you pause at the right moment, if you look closely, the frames of the bubbles footage shows some ghosting images.
• The Butterfly Knob Puzzle clip was exported in 29.97fps, but in the discovery kit version, it was fixed and exported in 59.94fps.
• In the 1999 VHS, in the Focus Pocus scene after revealing the word "Frog", the video pauses for a second. But it was fixed starting in the 2000-2004 versions.
• During the cow poem in the 2004 release and a few foreign releases, the chimes sound effect was removed.
• In the Torpedo Run: Figure 8 Starter Set scene with the Little Knotties plushies, during the last 2 laps around passing the rabbit plush and all 3 plushies, you can briefly see the edge of the black backdrop on the top right corner of the screen.

Puppets

• Bard the Dragon (Host) (played by Markie Scholz) (second appearance)
• Sunny Bunny (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
• Bluebird (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
• Baby MacDonald the Cow (originally "Cud") (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
• Tiger (originally "Stripes") (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
• Duck (played by Markie Scholz) (only appearance)
• Jane the Monkey (originally "Monkey C.") (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
• Tooter the Cow (played by Mark Burr) (only appearance)

Kids

• Aspen Clark (wearing a blue sweatshirt and a black headband) (fourth appearance)
• Dylan and Dakota Gonzalez (wearing a purple and pink sweatshirts and hair tie khaki pants) (only appearance)
• Gabrielle Margas (wearing a yellow sweatshirt and blue jorts) (first appearance)
• Madeline Pluto (wearing a red sweatshirt, beige pants and yellow headband) (first appearance)
• Sierra Clark (wearing a green sweatshirt and pink pigtails) (fourth appearance)

Puppeteer

• Markie Scholz (first appearance)

Compositions

Video Compositions and a Song

1. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, "Chorale", Op. 125, Grove. 125, Bia. 787, II. Molto Vivace (Opening)
2. Baby Shakespeare Theme, Weisbach (Opening Credits)
3. The Alphabet Song, Traditional (Acoustic Version)
4. Rondo Alla ingharese quasi un capriccio in G Major, "Rage Over a Lost Penny", Op. 129, Grove. 129, Bia. 162 - Allegro vivace (Toys in Action)
5. Two Rondos Op. 51, Grove. 51: Rondo No. 1 in C Major, Bia. 133 (Simple Manipulatives)
6. Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor for Piano, WoO. 59, Grove. 173, Bia. 515, "Für Elise" (Grass Poem)
7. The Alphabet Song (Reprise), Traditional (Percussion Version)
8. Five Pieces for Mechanical Clock, WoO 33, Bia. 199: No. 3, III. Allegro (Kinetic Art)
9. March for a Military Band No. 1 in F Major, "For the Bohemian Guard", WoO 18, Bia. 501 (Dancing Animals)
10. The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113, Grove. 113, Bia. 539, "Turkish March" (Transportation)
11. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, "Pathetique", Op. 13, Grove. 13, Bia. 184, II. Adagio Cantabile (Moon Poem)
12. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, "Chorale", Op. 125, Grove. 125, Bia. 787, IV. Presto - Allegro assai "Ode to Joy" (second half only) (Closing Credits)

Bonus Compositions (Baby Beethoven CD and Concert Hall with Bedtime and Playtime)

1. Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21, Grove. 21, Bia. 203, III. Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace (found in Baby Beethoven)
2. Minuet in G Major, WoO 10, No. 2, Bia. 102
3. 2 Sonatinas for Piano, WoO, Anh. 5, Bia. 21, Sonatina No. 2 in F Major, I. Allegro assai (found in Baby Beethoven)
4. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, "Moonlight", Op. 27, Grove. 27, Bia. 297, II. Allegretto
5. Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, "Destiny", Op. 67, Grove. 67, Bia. 443, I. Allegro con brio (found in Baby Beethoven)
6. 2 Sonatinas for Piano, WoO, Anh. 5, Bia. 21, Sonatina No. 1 in G Major, I. Moderato (found in World of Words)
7. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, "Pathetique", Op. 13, Grove. 13, Bia. 184, III. Rondo: Allegro
8. Piano Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 2, Grove. 2, No. 2, Bia. 87, I. Allegro Vivace
9. Symphony No. 6 in F Major, "Country", Op. 68, Grove. 68, Bia. 453, III. Allegro "Merry gathering of country folk" (found in Baby Beethoven)
10. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, "Chorale", Op. 125, Grove. 125, Bia. 787, IV. Prestissimo "Be embraced, Millions!" (found in Baby Beethoven)

Discovery Cards (Stationery Items)

• Chalk
• Chalkboard
• Crayons
• Desk
• Easel
• Markers
• Notebooks
• Paper
• Pen
• Pencil
• Quill
• Scroll

Crew

Job	Employee
Presented by	The Baby Einstein Company, LLC
Creator	Julie Aigner-Clark
Video Producers	Bill Clark Mark Burr
Graphic design	Dave Magoun
Sound design	Bill Weisbach
The Players	Bill Weisbach Linda/Laura Koepke Tom Nazziola
Music	Ludwig van Beethoven
Puppeteer	Markie Scholz
Kids	Aspen Clark Dylan and Dakota Gonzalez Gabrielle Margas Madeline Pluto Sierra Clark

Toys

1999-2004	2004-2007
Drizzle/Bard the Dragon Bath Puppet by Legends & Lore
Pull-Along ABC Block Cart by Learningsmith	Wooden Block Cart by Small World Toys
	Bag O' Blocks by Ryan's Room
	Big Blocks by Schylling
Baby/Sunny Bunny Bath Puppet by Legends & Lore
Boss Bird/Bluebird Bath Puppet by Legends & Lore
Betsy/Cud Cow Bath Puppet by Legends & Lore
Focus Pocus Camera by Ambi Toys
Sesame Street Express Ride-On Train by Tyco	Casey Train, Short Island R.R. Yellow Passenger Car, LG&B High-Side Gondola, Blue and Circus Caboose by LGB (reused footage)
Pull-Along Soft Cars by Lamaze
Bugs on the Run by Pacific Innovations	Gears! Gears! Gears! Dizzy Fun Land by Learning Resources
Gearation by TOMY
Polaris Kinetic by Carlisle/Natural Wonders
Sunny the Singing Sunflower by Gemmy Industries	50 Centimeter Sunflower by Hobbycraft
Bendy Flower (Unknown)
Ball Party: Round About Tower by TOMY
Bob Ross Travel Easel by Martin Universal Design
Paintbrush (Unknown)
Magnetic Letters (Unknown)
Taggly by The First Years
Butterfly Knob Puzzle by Doron Laveled
Teaching Tower by Battat	IQ Baby Busy Box by Small World Toys
Threading Apple by Kids Classics
Grass Prop (Unknown)
Tattling Tiger Bath Puppet by Legends & Lore
Quackamus Duck Bath Puppet by Legends & Lore
Frog-in-the-Box by Galt America
Fall Leaves Pile by Hobby Lobby
Form C Kinetic by Natural Wonders
Pop Pop Top by Battat	Dancing Teddy Push Along by Kiddieland
Blacklight Mind Bender Blurz by AADLP
SpinTrix Disc by LightTrix
Stacking Clown by Brio
Snowballs (Unknown)
Murray/Jane the Monkey Bath Puppet by Legends & Lore
Max the Pull-Along Dog by Ambi Toys
Quack-Along Ducks by TOMY
Mr. Monkey by Iwaya
Pudgey Pig by Iwaya
Dancing Go-Go Gorilla by Metro
Pretty Kitty by Iwaya
Straw Hat by The Wizard's Chest
Red Butterfly Prop (Unknown)
Mooreen/Tooter the Purple Cow Bath Puppet by Legends & Lore
The Torpedo Run: Figure 8 Starter Set by Lionel
Torpedo, Bright Lights Dome Car, and Flashing Caboose by Lionel
Thomas & Friends: Set of 5 Signs by Learning Curve International
Spring Trees by Life-Like Trains
Little Knotties: Marley the Lion, Penelope the Pig, Whiskers the Rabbit by Lamaze
Teddy Copter by Ambi Toys
Beanie Babies: Curly by Ty

Gallery

Baby Shakespeare/Gallery

Transcript

Baby Shakespeare/Transcript

Videography

Baby Shakespeare/Videography

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