The big purple guy now has an Irish wannabe - he's Poga and this summer he'll be in Goffs in his own Wonderland, writes Róisín Ingle.
The first thing you might notice when you see the new Irish children's character Poga is that he looks a bit like that popular purple dinosaur, Barney. He has the same doe eyes and he even has his very own, very annoying song. He could be Barney's younger Irish cousin. Barney meet Blarney. Charmed, we're sure.
In fact Poga is a six-foot-six baby dragon with a tail that lights up according to his mood. He is mostly green with yellow and purple bits. He has an Irish accent and an Aer Lingus-style shamrock on his tail. Poga's creators, including ex-Brookside actor Bryan Murray, are hoping he will make them a lot of money so that they can all live happily ever after. But there's one small snag. The children of Ireland have to fall in love with him first.
The campaign for the hearts and minds of Páistí na hÉireann is already underway. Poga hasn't yet learnt how to breathe fire but the clever dragon already has a three-book deal with O'Brien Press and his own stomping ground, Poga's Wonderland at Goffs, Co Kildare due to open on July 2nd.
Of course Poga's Wonderland, which will feature a full-scale theatrical show and a variety of children's activities, should not be mistaken for Winter Wonderland which never materialised and left thousands of disappointed children wondering who stole Christmas in 2002. Worried parents may take some comfort in the fact that former finance minister Alan Dukes is the chairman of the board of Poga's Wonderland which cost €1.5 million to create.
Murray, who is best known for his role in the Irish RM and as Trevor Jordache the wife abuser who met a sticky end and was buried under a patio in Brookside, spent two years dreaming up Poga the Dragon with his business partner, Kathleen Lambe.
"I'm a father of five myself and I was always moaning about finding things to do for them, so Kathleen suggested I do something about it," he says. "I like dragons, I thought it could be a way to bring in tales of Irish mythology. I also wanted to create something that would be an excellent value day out for the family."
He says there is a huge gap in the market for a facility like Poga's Wonderland. "One of our backers owns Oakwood in Pembrokeshire, England and he has 65,000 Irish people travelling there each year," he says. "We wanted to create the same kind of venue here."
While Murray is at pains to point out that it's not a theme park - "there are no roller coasters, it's not a high-tech project," he insists - his research has taken him across the world, visiting experts in places like Disneyworld and Legoland.
In addition to the show, Poga's Wonderland will feature a 30ft slide, a bouncy castle imported from Spain, paddle boats, a dragon train, bungee games, bikes and a disco dome. There are three "extra spends" in the Wonderland; a climbing wall, quazar and go-karts which will all cost €3 extra. Along with the usual food outlets there will also be a picnic area. "I like the idea that parents can bring their own food so they don't have to spend extra if they don't want to," he says.
Asked whether he thought Poga - the name comes from the Irish word for kisses - looked like a green Barney, Murray replied with a breezy "I take your point".
"Physically, characters like Bear in the Big Blue House, Barney and Poga just have to look the way they do," he says. "We spent a year working with focus groups to decide everything from the motif on the top of his head to what colour the baby dragons should be and we are really happy that children will love Poga".
Eugene Lambert, creator of Wanderley Wagon and founder of the Lambert Puppet Theatre in Dublin was not impressed after checking out Poga's website. "It's blatant commercialism," says Lambert who turns 76 today. "It's a ripoff of Barney and the kind of thing I always try to avoid". Lambert adds that Poga looks like something "a committee put together".
"The way it is these days is that people think about the merchandising possibilities first and the children later. I believe the children should always come first," he says.
Others are keeping a more open mind. Chief executive of the National Parents Council - Primary, Fionnuala Kilfeather, says parents will have to decide themselves whether Poga's Wonderland represents good value.
"There is a lot of stuff out there that is so sub-Disney and the organisers will have to work hard to please people. Audiences are increasingly sophisticated. It's very easy to put on rubbish but more difficult to provide quality," she says.
"Provisions for children in this country are woefully inadequate and while entertainment like this has its place, parents should be putting more pressure on the Government to provide better parks, playgrounds and activities for children."
The price isn't right according to Kilfeather. At €85 for a family ticket which admits four people and €24 for a single ticket, the Wonderland is even more expensive than Santa's Kingdom which came under fire last year for what were considered expensive admission fees.
"We are trying to make money out of it of course, we are not the St Vincent de Paul," says Murray. "But we are attempting to do it by providing what we think is a value-for-money event which kids will enjoy and parents will walk away from after a good fun afternoon without feeling ripped off."
Auditions are being held today for performers to fill the roles of Shona and Jack, Poga's two human friends, at Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To audition, you must be aged between 19 and 25 and be able to sing, dance and act. For Poga's Wonderland bookings, phone 045-842500