1994

After a long development process, the Freak Show CD-ROM was finally released in early 1994, to glowing praise from the computer and software press, firmly establishing The Residents' financially and artistically successful, though sadly short-lived, "multimedia era."

This new direction for the group was evidenced in their latest studio album, Gingerbread Man; along with a standard CD release, the album received an "expanded edition" which included an interactive visualizer to be played on computers, making for a more immersive experience.

They had also finished their scoring commission for the Discovery Channel nature show Hunters, which started airing at the end of the year.

Timeline

January

• Euro Ralph releases Poor Kaw-liga's Pain, a collection of "Kaw-liga" remixes featuring a new Residents composition.
• The Freak Show CD-ROM is finally released for Mac computers by The Voyager Company.

Spring

• Buy or Die catalog #22 is issued.
  • An untitled new album is announced as being in the works from Uncle Willie.
  • A scoring job for a "major motion picture" is announced.

March

• 2nd: The Residents and ION finish development of the Gingerbread Man multimedia program.

May

• 20th: Entertainment Weekly gives the Freak Show CD-ROM a glowing review.
• The Freak Show Digi Deluxe Box is released by Euro Ralph, alongside the Freak Show Standard Box.

July

• 1st: WIRED magazine name-checks The Residents in a guide to French Intellectuals.
• 23rd: Billboard magazine covers the Freak Show CD-ROM, and announce the follow-up Bad Day on the Midway, as well as its tie-in album.

October

• Gingerbread Man is released on Euro Ralph.
• Sometime during this Fall, Buy or Die catalog #23 is issued. A Hunters soundtrack album is announced, and Bad Day on the Midway is confirmed to be in development.

November

• The "enhanced" multimedia version of Gingerbread Man is released on Euro Ralph. The extra content, developed by ION, is a multimedia visualizer meant to be played in a computer.

December

• The Freak Show CD-ROM is released for Windows.
• 30th: The first episode of Hunters premieres on Discovery Channel.

Releases

• Gingerbread Man (CD, East Side Digital / Euro Ralph, ESD 81072 / CD 009)
• Poor Kaw-Liga's Pain (CD, Euro Ralph, CD 004)

Re-releases

• Freak Show (CD-ROM Original Soundtrack) (CD / CD-ROM, Euro Ralph, CD 005 / CD 006)
  • New artwork and cover art, promoting the release of the Freak Show CD-ROM.
  • There are to versions of this re-release. The first one (CD 005) is a regular audio-only CD. The second one (CD 006) is a CD-ROM, and includes a "Multi Media Bonus Track" that can be accessed by inserting it on a computer. The data track has the "Harry the Head" music video and a preview of the Freak Show CD-ROM.
• Duck Stab! / Buster and Glen (2x3'' CD, Euro Ralph, CD 007 & CD 008)
  • This re-issue comes in 2 mini CDs, each one representing both sides of the original Duck Stab! / Buster & Glen LP

• Freak Show Standard Box (CD, LP, 3'' CD, Box Set, Euro Ralph, BOX 001, 77 copies produced)
  • Includes two copies of Freak Show (in CD and Vinyl), a copy of Holy Kiss Of Flesh (Remix), a soft cover copy of the Freak Show graphic novel, a T-shirt, a set of postcards, a paper model eyeball, a Residents sticker, eyeball ballons and a cloth bag.
• Freak Show Digi Deluxe Box (CD, LP, 3'' CD, CD-ROM, Box Set, Euro Ralph, BOX 002, 77 copies produced)
  • Includes all items from the Standard Box, plus a copy of the Freak Show CD-ROM.
• In Memoriam Torso (4xLP, 4xCD, 2x12'', 2x7'', Box Set, Euro Ralph, BOX 003, 20 copies produced)
  • Includes all Residents recordings released by Torso before it shut down, plus a cloth bag.

Interactive media

• The Third Reich 'n Roll - Multimedia Edition (3.5" Floppy Disk, IBM / WIndows, Euro Ralph)
• Freak Show (CD-ROM, Mac / Windows, The Voyager Company, CDRM 1255030)
• Gingerbread Man - Expanded Edition (CD-ROM, Mac / Windows, Ion, 40068)