What has 6-foot-tall babies with foam heads, adult characters perched on scaffolding, humanoid tools, an opera diva, and a 20-foot-tall green dinosaur?

That would be “Rugrats: A Live Adventure,” which delighted a crowd of 2,450 children and parents Tuesday night in the first of four shows at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.

Brought to life by much of the original creative team, “Rugrats: A Live Adventure” captures the essence of the popular Nickelodeon series. Youngsters loved getting to see live on stage fearless Tommy, fear-plagued Chuckie, the battling twins Phil and Lil, plucky Susie and the self-absorbed Angelica.

The plot, in a nutshell: Tommy develops an invention, the People-ator, that “turns stuff into people,” in an effort to have more big people around so Chuckie will feel less afraid. Naturally, Angelica steals the People-ator away from Tommy in the hope of becoming “Princess of the World.” “The world will be my toaster,” she boasts. The four babies and Susie spend the rest of the evening trying to get the device back.

As the People-ator was integral to the story, of course, there was a toy version of it available at the multiple concessions stands for the bargain price of $10. The toy People-ator could best be described as a plastic light saber with a ball on one end. About 3 feet long, it was just the right length to bop people in front or on either side of the wielder. They replaced the concert fixture, the cigarette lighter, as children happily waved them throughout the performance.

Anyway, the first thing that Tommy converts with the People-ator is his trusty flashlight, which he keeps in his diaper. It becomes a man dressed in a silver outfit with a plastic bubble on top, a costume that George Clinton would have been proud to wear. Mr. Flashlight offers the sage advice, “When you got a problem standing in your way, you got to climb over it — that’s the only way.”

After Angelica gains control of the People-ator, she keeps throwing obstacles at the babies — the giant dinosaur Reptar, a swarm of salsa-dancing bees, a deck of flashcards come to life. She’s accompanied by an opera-belting diva. Why, who knows? Part of the fun of “Rugrats” is that not everyone understands every aspect of it, so it can be enjoyed on different levels.

Throughout the hour and 20-minute show, Tommy helps Chuckie to see the wisdom of Mr. Flashlight’s advice, as Chuckie learns to overcome his inbred cowardice to rescue his friends from the overbearing Angelica.

A highlight of the evening was the music created by Mark Mothersbaugh, the TV series’ main composer and former leader of the ’80s New Wave band Devo. The music and accompanying dance was the major element of “Rugrats: A Live Adventure,” and ranged from gospel to salsa, from opera to reggae.

The messages of the show were subtle; its main goal was entertainment, not education. And by keeping that many kids held in rapt attention for two 40-minute acts, the show cleverly succeeded in its mission.

Tickets remain for the 4 and 7 p.m. shows today. Tickets are available by calling the Civic Center box office at 775-3458.