HOME ENTERTAINMENT : Forget Barney--Make Way for Totoro, Brum and Hobo

Let’s see. There are the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Barney, the Muppets and Thomas the Tank Engine. There are Disney characters of all shapes and species. What starts out big on TV or in the movies eventually is big in children’s video.

For those hoping to introduce new stars into this lucrative market, the challenge is to capture the imaginations of children whose hearts and minds are already actively consumed.

Some video companies are looking overseas in search of the Next Big Thing. But will kids here receive a magical furry creature, a spunky miniature antique auto, a free-spirited German shepherd and an ecologically aware dragon, just because they are favorites in Japan, England and Canada? For Totoro, Brum, Hobo and Dudley to put down roots in America, critical support and name recognition are musts.

FoxVideo is enjoying bestseller success with “My Neighbor Totoro,� the English-dubbed feature about Japan’s beloved animated forest spirit. The title was helped by a theatrical release and good reviews, followed by an aggressive ad campaign pitched to parents and video retailers.

Smaller companies without Fox’s resources are starting from scratch with characters that have had minimal exposure to American audiences. Random House Home Video likens Britain’s Brum--a resourceful little car who motors into comical adventures--to Thomas the Tank Engine. The target audience is ages 2-9.

Since Brum’s debut in 1991 on England’s BBC television, the series has won film festival awards and motored to video bestseller status in Australia. Paving the way for its American video debut, Random House rolled out Brum in 1993 in three books.

The next step, said a spokesperson, was “to get the videos reviewed in as many places as possible. Then people recognize the name and start to look for it in stores.� “Brum� earned a grade of B-plus from Entertainment Weekly.

Though priced at $9.95 each, “Brum to the Rescue,� “Brum and the Little Girl Lost,� “Brum and the Bank Robbers� and “Brum and the Baby Carriage� have been geared for the rental market. Even so, the company is struggling to reach the parents who pay and the kids who watch.

Falcon Home Video’s release of “The Littlest Hobo� is also geared to the rental market, selling for $89.95.

“The Littlest Hobo� contains two episodes from an award-winning live-action Canadian television series in which Hobo, a sort of canine Richard Kimble, drifts into a different adventure. The series went off the air in the mid-1980s but is still seen in that country in syndication.

“A title unfamiliar to the general public may sit shrink-wrapped on the shelves and not get the exposure,� said James Russo, Falcon’s vice president of marketing. “We’re using the video store like a TV channel as an avenue of entertainment.�

Also of Canadian origin, “Dudley Finds His Home� and “Dudley’s Tea Party� are being sold by Goodtimes Home Video ($19.95). The series premiered a year ago on Canada’s public broadcasting stations.

Dudley, who awakens after a 100-year nap and explores the mysteries of nature with 10-year-olds Sally and Matt, is being marketed as a “Barney: The Next Generation� for children ages 3-6.