5.Baby Shakespeare (1999)

ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE

 * September 22, 1999 (Completed)
 * November 23, 1999 (Released)
 * January 15, 2000 (Reissue)
 * August 15, 2000 (Reissue)
 * October 31, 2000 (Reissue)
 * February 26, 2002 (Reissue)
 * November 25, 2003 (Reissue)
 * October 26, 2004 (Reissue)

HOST
Bard the Dragon

COMPOSERS

 * Ludwig van Beethoven
 * Bill Weisbach
 * Traditional

DURATION
27:13

EQUIVALENT
Baby Beethoven CD: 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003

PREVIOUS
4.Baby Van Gogh (1998)

NEXT
Baby Santa's Music Box

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Baby Shakespeare is the 5th video to be released in the Baby Einstein series. Almost all of its classical music is by Ludwig van Beethoven (except the main theme of the video and the alphabet song) and 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 2004, with some alterations. This video is a companion piece to Numbers Nursery, a video that teaches numbers through poems by Julie Aigner-Clark

Opening

 * Theme from Symphony No. 9, 2nd Movement: The Tale of Custard the Dragon - Ogden Nash: Bard the Dragon'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 Cud Cow in white:


 * Applause

Train

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: Focus Pocus clicks to the word "train" in black
 * Bard's Train Ride, Weisbach: 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": 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

Flower

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: 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 background.
 * Ball Party: Round About Tower in white
 * Applause

Apple

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: 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

Cat

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: Focus Pocus clicks to the word "cat" in black
 * The Cat and the Moon - W. B. Yades
 * Threading Apple in black

Grass

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: Focus Pocus clicks to the word "grass" in black
 * Stripes the 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
 * Stripes practices his roar, but is scared away by Quackamus Duck in black.
 * Applause

Frog

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: 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


 * Applause

Leaf

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: Focus Pocus clicks to the word "leaf" in black
 * Bard dives into a pile of leaves, then the word "leaf" falls down in black.
 * Nothing Gold Can Stay - Robert Frost
 * Five Pieces for Mechanical Clock, WoO 33, No. 3 in C Major: Form C Kinetic 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

Tree

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: Focus Pocus clicks to the word "tree" in black
 * Bard runs away from a 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

Cow

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: 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' Theme, Weisbach: Focus Pocus clicks to the word "butterfly" in black
 * Bard chases the Red Butterfly Prop and hits wall. The word "butterfly" then falls down in white.
 * To a Butterfly - William Wordsworth
 * Cud Cow (in a dual role) eats grass, but when Tooter the Cow shows up, she gets 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 bright lights dome car and flashing caboose passes Little Knotties: Lion, Pig, and Rabbit in black, Teddy Copter in black (same scene)
 * Applause

Snow

 * Focus Pocus' Theme, Weisbach: 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
 * Jane the Monkey 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

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 Stripes in white, Finch and Sunny in white, Sierra dancing in white, Dylan and Dakota with Bluebird, Sunny, and Stripes in white, Aspen with Tooter in white, Bard in black, closing credits


 * 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
 * The Butterfly - William Wordsworth
 * My Loves - Langston Hughes


 * 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)


 * The original VHS and DVD covers depicted Bard the Dragon, but later in 2001 (especially by the time Disney brought the rights), a gecko would be shown on the cover.
 * This is the first video to have Markie as the puppeteer and to have kids other than Aspen and Sierra (not counting the Baby Mozart 1998 discussion).
 * All of the kids in this video are girls (not counting stock footage).
 * This is the first video to have classical music by Beethoven.
 * This is the first educational video that teaches children about vocabulary and words.
 * In the 2003 of the American English, Japanese, British English, Taiwanese Chinese, Korean & Castilian Spanish, there is no Alphabet Song and either Markie, the kids, or the puppets.
 * In the 2005 of the 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 Nursery2004, as well the Sesame Street Express Train Ride-On in the 1997 version, later replaced by the Casey Toy Train Engine, 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; Pudgey Pig in Neighborhood Animals; Mr. Monkey in World Animals and Little Knotties: Marley the Lion, Penelope the Pig and Whiskers the Rabbit are in Baby Beethoven.
 * This is the debut of Sunny, Bluebird, Cud, Stripes, and Jane. This is the only appearance of Quackamus and 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 Finch and Gabrielle.
 * World of Words was the latest version of this video.
 * This video was the last video to have a "Stay Tuned Screen" at the beginning of some 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.
 * 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.
 * 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 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 an 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 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 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 Gecko, 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 Gecko 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 Colorado.
 * The audio clip of Bard yawning was later used in a high pitch for Baby Baaach the Lamb's yawn in Baby Lullaby.
 * In the 2004 version of the flower intro and ending, the Bard puppet is a Pre-Disney bath puppet presumably with PlaySoup eyes which was made the same way with Isaac the Lion in Legends & Lore form in Baby Noah.
 * 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.


 * After the opening credits roll in the 2004 version, the transition from there to the bubbles shows a glimpse of the 1999-2003 version.
 * During the cow poem in the 2004 release and a few foreign releases, the chimes sound effect was removed.
 * Before the opening puppet show in some releases, one can see Bard go down to the screen for a brief second.


 * Bard the Dragon (Host) (played by Markie Scholz & Mark Burr) (second appearance)
 * Sunny Bunny (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
 * Bluebird (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
 * Cud Cow (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
 * Stripes the Tiger (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
 * Quackamus Duck (played by Markie Scholz) (only appearance)
 * Jane the Monkey (played by Markie Scholz) (first appearance)
 * Tooter the Cow (played by Markie Scholz) (only appearance)


 * 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)
 * Finch Pluto (wearing a red sweatshirt, beige pants and yellow headband) (first appearance)
 * Sierra Clark (wearing a green sweatshirt and pink pigtails) (fourth appearance)


 * Markie Scholz (first appearance)

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 in G Major, 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 in B-Flat Major, 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)


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

Baby Shakespeare/Gallery