History of Barney & Friends

Barney & Friends is an American children's television series targeted at young children aged 2–7, created by Sheryl Leach. The series premiered on PBS on April 6, 1992. The series features the title character Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude. The series ended on November 2, 2010, although new videos were still released on various dates after the last episode aired. Reruns aired on Sprout from 2005 until 2015, and from December 17, 2018, onward on Sprout's successor network, Universal Kids.

In 2015, a revival was announced to premiere in 2017 but was delayed into an undated launch.[11] On October 18, 2019, Mattel Films announced that a second Barney film was to be produced; British actor Daniel Kaluuya's production company was involved.

While popular with its intended audience, Barney drew severe negative reaction from the older set, who mocked the main character in popular culture through song parodies and comedy routines such as being beaten up by NBA star Charles Barkley on an episode of Saturday Night Live. The anti-Barney phenomenon is the basis of the 2022 Peacock documentary I Love You, You Hate Me. Barney has also received lots of praise from parents for being a wholesome yet engaging show for children that delves into common, kid-friendly topics.

Origin and development

Barney was created by Sheryl Leach of Dallas, Texas. She came up with the idea of a children's program after noticing that her son outgrew Wee Sing Together, and then recognizing that there were no videos to appeal to her son. Leach then brought together a team who created a series of home videos, Barney and the Backyard Gang, initially released in 1988. The first three videos starred actress Sandy Duncan.

One day in 1991, the daughter of Connecticut Public Television executive Larry Rifkin rented one of the videos and was "mesmerized" by it. Rifkin thought the concept could be developed for PBS. Rifkin thought Barney had appeal because he was not as neurotic as Big Bird. He pitched it to CPTV president Jerry Franklin, whose preschool son also fell in love with it. Franklin and Rifkin pitched the idea to all of their colleagues with preschoolers, and they all agreed that kids would love a Barney show. Franklin and Rifkin convinced Leach to let CPTV revamp the concept for television. The show debuted as Barney & Friends in 1992. The series was produced by CPTV and Lyrick Studios (later bought by HIT Entertainment).

Although the show was a runaway hit, PBS initially opted not to provide funding beyond the initial 30-episode run. When Rifkin and other CPTV executives learned this, they wrote letters to their fellow PBS member stations urging them to get PBS to reconsider. The Lyons Group, meanwhile, sent out notices through the Barney Fan Club, telling parents to write letters and make phone calls to their local PBS stations to show their support for Barney & Friends. By the time of the yearly member stations' meeting, station executives across the country were up in arms over the prospect of one of their most popular shows being canceled. Faced with an atmosphere that Rifkin later described as "like an insurrection", PBS ultimately relented.

For several years, the show was taped at the Color Dynamics Studios facility at Greenville Avenue & Bethany Drive in Allen, Texas, after which it moved to The Studios at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, and then Carrollton, a suburb of Dallas. The TV series and videos are currently distributed by 9 Story Media Group, HIT Entertainment and Universal Studios, while the TV series was produced by WNET from 2006 to 2010.

Episode format

Opening sequence

The series opens with the theme song (over clips from various episodes) and the title card before it dissolves into the school. The children are seen doing an activity, occasionally relating to the episode's topic. The children imagine something and Barney comes to life from a plush doll, transforming into the "real" Barney, how he appears in the children's imaginations.

Main sequence

Here, the main plot of the episode takes place. Barney and the children learn about the main topic of the episode, with Baby Bop, BJ, or Riff appearing during the episode and numerous songs themed relating to the subject featured in the series. The roles of Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff have grown larger in later seasons and later episodes venture outside of the school to other places within the neighborhood, and in season 13, to other countries around the world.

Closing sequence

Barney concludes with "I Love You" before he dissolves back into his original stuffed form and winks to the audience. After the children discuss what they have learned, the sequence cuts to Barney Says (in seasons 1 to 8 and 12 only) where Barney, who is off-screen, narrates what he and his friends had done that day, along with still snapshots from the episode. Then Barney signs off before the credits roll. In seasons 3 to 8 and 12, he later appeared on-screen by saying, "And remember, I love you," as the first three notes of "I Love You" plays out, and waved goodbye before the credits roll.

Characters and cast

Dinosaurs

Barney (voiced by Bob West 1992–2000, and Dean Wendt 2001–2010; people who wore the Barney suit included David Joyner 1991-2001 and Carey Stinson:) The main character is a purple and green Tyrannosaurus in stuffed animal likeness, who comes to life through a child's imagination. His theme song is "Barney is a Dinosaur", whose tune is based on "Yankee Doodle". Barney often quotes things as being "Super dee-duper". Episodes frequently end with the song "I Love You", sung to the tune of "This Old Man", which happens to be one of Barney's favorite songs. Despite being a carnivorous type dinosaur, Barney does not have a carnivore's fearsome teeth. He likes many different foods such as fruits and vegetables, but his main favorite is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of milk.

Baby Bop (voiced by Julie Johnson): A green Triceratops, who was originally two years old, but turned three in "Look at Me, I'm 3!". Baby Bop has been on the show since her debut in "Barney in Concert" on July 29, 1991. She wears a pink bow and pink ballet slippers and carries a yellow security blanket. She sings the song "My Yellow Blankey" to show how much her security blanket means to her. She likes to eat macaroni and cheese and pizza. She is the younger sister of BJ.

BJ (voiced by Patty Wirtz): A seven-year-old yellow Protoceratops, BJ has been on the show since September 27, 1993. He is the older brother of Baby Bop, whom he frequently calls "Sissy" and occasionally calls by her name. He sings "BJ's Song" about himself. He wears a red baseball cap and red sneakers. He lost his hat in the episode "Hats Off to BJ!". Pickles are his favorite food and he has tried them in various ways, such as on pizza.

Riff (voiced by Michaela Dietz): An orange six-year-old Hadrosaur, who is Baby Bop and BJ's cousin, Riff has been on the show since September 18, 2006. He wears green sneakers. His theme music is "I Hear Music Everywhere". Riff loves music and it is in almost everything he does. In the episode "Barney: Let's Go to the Firehouse", it was revealed that Riff also likes to invent things; he created a four-sound smoke detector (the first three were different alarm sounds and the final one his voice). He is shown to have an interest in marching bands and parades.

Adults and children

The adults and children on the show often appear as teachers, storytellers, or other characters.

Multiple appearances

Mother Goose Sandy Walper, Michelle McCarel,

Julie Johnson The rhyme master herself appears in the episodes "Let's Help Mother Goose", "Honk! Honk! A Goose on the Loose", "A Little Mother Goose", "Barney's Big Surprise", and "Mother Goose/Fairy Tales".

Stella the Storyteller Phyllis Cicero Stella travels all around the world, collecting new stories to tell Barney and friends, among other people. She appeared in several episodes from seasons 3 to 6 but reappeared in the video The Best of Barney, where she gave Barney a photo album of his friends over the years she made herself.

Professor Tinkerputt Barry Pearl He appeared in Barney's Imagination Island and in the Barney's Big Surprise stage show tour. Professor Tinkerputt did not want to share his invented toys, until Barney and the kids showed him that good things happen when you share. For this reason, Tinkerputt left Imagination Island with Barney and the others and started a new toy factory.

Tomie dePaola Himself The famous children's author is also a good friend of Barney and usually meets his friends in the episodes he appeared in, which are "Picture This", "It's Raining, It's Pouring", and "Oh Brother, She's my Sister".

Mom Sandy Duncan Michael and Amy's mother in the first three Barney & the Backyard Gang videos.

Duncan also appeared as Molly the Mermaid in A Day at the Beach.

Dad Bob Reed Michael and Amy's father in the first three Barney & the Backyard Gang videos.

Mr. Boyd Robert Sweatman His full name is Grady Boyd and he has a niece named Colleen and a dog named Bingo. He worked as a musician in "Classical Cleanup", "Barney's Band", "Come Blow Your Horn!", "Play Piano with Me!", a janitor in seasons 3 to 6 and a park keeper in seasons 7 and 8. He later reappeared in The Best of Barney.

Colleen Claire Burdett Colleen is Mr. Boyd's niece, who comes to town for a visit and is introduced to Barney and the Children. She is a congenital amputee born without her right hand, as is her actress. She appeared in two episodes, "A New Friend!" and "A Perfectly Purple Day".

David Robert Hurtekant David is a boy in a wheelchair who appeared at the beginning of two episodes: "Falling for Autumn!" and "Shawn and the Beanstalk".

Puppets

A lot of puppets appeared in many seasons. The most notable puppets were:

Scooter McNutty, a brown squirrel (seasons: 4–6, 1997–2000) performed and voiced by Todd Duffey

Miss Etta Kette, a purple bird (seasons: 4–6, 1997–2000) performed and voiced by Brice Armstrong; Armstrong also voices Beauregard the Cat in the video It's Time for Counting.

Booker T. Bookworm, an orange worm with interests in books (season 5: 1998–1999) performed and voiced by Earl Fisher

Children

Throughout the series' run, over 100 children have appeared in the series, with most of them from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Only a small portion of these actors have made notable appearances in media since their roles, including:

Danielle Vega: played Kim in seasons 3 to 6

Demi Lovato: played Angela in seasons 7 to 8

Selena Gomez: played Gianna in seasons 7 to 8

Debby Ryan: played Debby in season 10

Madison Pettis: played Bridget in season 10

Jaren Lewison: played Joshua in seasons 12 to 13

Movies and specials

Barney in Concert (1991)

Barney's Imagination Island (1994)

Barney Live in New York City (1994)

Barney's Great Adventure (1998) (theatrical movie starring Trevor Morgan and Kyla Pratt)

Barney's Big Surprise (1998)

Barney: Let's Go to the Zoo (2001)

Barney's Musical Castle (2001)

Barney's Colorful World (2004)

Untitled Barney movie (TBA) (theatrical movie produced by Daniel Kaluuya)

Airings

Other than the United States, the series has aired in Canada, Mexico and Latin America, France, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan (On English-based DVDs under the name "Let's Play with Barney in English! (バーニーと英語であそぼう！, Bānī to Eigo de asobō!)" and on television as simply "Barney & Friends (バーニー&フレンズ, Bānī ando Furenzu!)"), the Philippines, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. Australian based company and distributor Southern Star handled non-US rights to the series from the mid-'90s until 2001 when HIT revoked the deal after acquiring Lyrick.

Two known co-productions of Barney & Friends have been produced outside of the US. The Israeli co-production Hebrew: החברים של ברני Hachaverim shel Barney (The Friends of Barney) produced from 1997 to 1999 in Tel Aviv, Israel, was the first of these. Rather than dubbing the original American episodes in seasons 1 to 3, the episodes were adapted with a unique set and exclusive child actors. The second co-production was broadcast in South Korea from 2001 to 2003 on KBS (under the name "바니와 친구들" (Baniwa Chingudeul (Barney and Friends))). This one, however, adapted the first six seasons (including the first three that the Israel co-production did).

Music

A majority of the albums of Barney & Friends feature Bob West as the voice of Barney; however, the recent album The Land of Make-Believe has Dean Wendt's voice.

Barney's song "I Love You" was among those used by interrogators at Guantanamo Bay detention camp to coerce detainees.

Awards and nominations

1993 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Series Sheryl Leach, Kathy Parker, Dennis DeShazer Nominated

1993 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series Stephen White, Mark S. Bernthal Nominated

1994 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe Nominated

1994 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Series Sheryl Leach, Kathy Parker, Dennis DeShazer Nominated

1996 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series Sheryl Leach, Dennis DeShazer, Jim Rowley Nominated

1998 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lighting Direction Ken Craig, Murray K. Campbell Nominated

1998 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe, Gary French Nominated

1999 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing Jim Rowley, Fred Holmes, Steve Feldman Nominated

1999 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe, Gary French Nominated

2000 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe, Gary French Nominated

2001 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe, Gary French Won (tied with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire)

2003 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing – Live Action and Animation Patrick Sellars, Neal Anderson Nominated

2006 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing Jim Rowley, Fred Holmes, Steve Feldman Nominated

2008 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling Lisa Odette Albertson, Traci Hutton, Lyle Huchton Nominated

2009 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling Lisa Odette Albertson, Traci Hutton, Lyle Huchton Nominated

Reception and legacy

Several people have concluded that episodes contain a great deal of age-appropriate educational material, including Yale University researchers Dorothy and Jerome Singer, who called the program a "model of what preschool television should be". Others have criticized the show for a lack of educational value, as well as being repetitive.

The show is often cited as a contributing factor to the perceived sense of entitlement seen in millennials, who grew up watching the show. One specific criticism is:

His shows do not assist children in learning to deal with negative feelings and emotions. As one commentator puts it, the real danger from Barney is "denial: the refusal to recognize the existence of unpleasant realities. For along with his steady diet of giggles and unconditional love, Barney offers our children a one-dimensional world where everyone must be happy and everything must be resolved right away."

In 1992, the Barney franchise generated $500 million in retail sales.

The creator and performer of the San Diego Chicken mascot, Ted Giannoulas, called Barney a "ubiquitous and insipid creature" in a 1999 court case.

Barney & Friends ranked No. 50 on TV Guide's 2002 list of the 50 worst TV shows of all time.

In a 1993 newspaper article, Jerry Franklin, the head of Connecticut Public Television, which co-produced Barney at the time, was quoted thus:

When adults say they do not like Barney, Franklin says, 'in a way, we take that as a compliment. Barney is not designed for parents, whereas Sesame Street is designed for parents and children. We made a conscious decision to make Barney simple. It is not a program for parents. Barney relates to preschoolers. We think he speaks to them at their level, which is in simple terms and with music.

Howard Blumenthal, producer of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, said "Even the most knowledgeable people … can't really understand why that [Barney] phenomenon happened and another didn't".

Barney is a purple dinosaur and the main protagonist of the television series Barney & Friends, and its home video predecessor Barney & The Backyard Gang. A two hundred million year (two dinosaur years) old, six-foot (sometimes seven-foot) tall purple tyrannosaurus-rex with a green tummy and green spots on his back and his tail and yellow toes, he comes to life through a child's imagination, springing up from a doll to full size. In turn, Barney opens children's eyes to the joys of learning and discovery, to the wonders of make-believe, and to the beauty of unconditional love. Dubbed as the "Elvis for Toddlers" in the early days, he is best known for his silly and optimistic attitude.

His birthplace is Dallas, Texas (as he was created there by the creators), however, he lives and resides in one's imagination. His place of residence would later be expanded in the video Come on Over to Barney's House (2000).

Created by former teacher Sheryl Stamps Leach, Barney first appeared in the video titled The Backyard Show (1988), which was the first episode of the Barney & The Backyard Gang home video series.

David Voss originally performed as the costume for Barney from 1988 to 1990, and was succeeded by David Joyner, who would later define the costume mannerisms of the character. The character has been succeeded by many other costume performers during Joyner's time and after his resignation. The Barney character was originally voiced by Bob West from 1988 until 2000, but since his resignation has been voiced by many other voice actors.

Barney generally appears with his dino pals, Baby Bop, BJ and or Riff among others.

History

Creation

Barney was first created in 1987 by Sheryl Leach, who was looking for a way to entertain her then two year old son, Patrick. Originally, Barney was going to be a blanket. When that was proven to be too hard, he became a teddy bear who came to life. Patrick was fascinated by a dinosaur exhibit at a museum, particularly the Tyrannosaurus rex. In response, Sheryl made Barney a T. Rex. Kathy Parker, a fellow teacher-turned-mother who had helped Sheryl create the character, agreed to the change, but on the condition that he was not to appear menacing (a realistic t-rex would have scared her daughter Kaitlin). The original design attemps of Barney by Irene Corey depicted a fierce T-Rex. After producers rejected her designs, she handed the construction of the costume over to her niece Suzanne Lockridge and moved on to other projects. John Grable, the director of the original Barney and the Backyard Gang series asked art director Jamie Ruth Conner to design a plush dinosaur that a child would easily be able to embrace. Her design for Barney was approved by the producers and creators. The colors purple, green, and yellow were selected by art director Jamie Ruth Conner simply because they were trendy colors in the late 1980s.

Naming

Some concept names for Barney were Cosby, Colby, and Danny. Co-creator Dennis DeShazer came up with the name Barney.

Costume

Around a table, the television show’s producers, creator, and then art director, Jamie Conner considered the possibilities for how the costume design would look, initially thinking of a plush dinosaur that closely resembled a Tyrannosaurus-Rex. The attributes first designed were approach-ability, “hug-ability,” and playfulness.

Barney was originally a dark purple color, however, on camera appeared blue. The color was adjusted, and was given a lighter purple / magenta color. The costume would weigh about seventy pounds, but was later shaved down to fifty pounds with the final costume. Inside the costume could get up to over 120 degrees. For the performer to walk around, the actor would look through Barney's mouth for vision. When the mouth was closed, the costume actor could not see anything, even for some variations of the costume, Barney would have its eye mechanism or blinking mechanism.

Portrayal

History

Body

Originally the character was intended to be performed by one person in terms of doing the voice and being in the costume (similar to Big Bird). Bob West was the first individual hired to portray the character, however he was too tall for the costume that was already made. David Voss was brought in to fulfill the costume performance. The Barney character was originally portrayed as the actor using their hand to move the mouth while another hand was in one arm of the dinosaur, hence leaving Barney's other arm unfilled. Sometimes, both arms were filled (if required).

In 1990, he entered the military as a Cavalry Scout where he was based in Mannheim, He was succeeded in the role by David Joyner. The night before the audition, Joyner had a dream that Barney passed out and that he (Joyner) gave the purple dino mouth-to-mouth CPR. While driving to the audition, he noticed a billboard that said "Breathe Life Into Your Vacation," which made him think about breathing life into Barney and he decided to be as energetic and animated as possible. Joyner took some of what David Voss had already instilled in Barney and tried to bring out more personality.

The Barney character was now performed with a newly re-designed costume mechanic: the body performer bites down on a bar padded with a sponge connected to Barney's bottom jaw to move his mouth up and down, while giving access to both hands of the costume. Each syllable the voice actor speaks is a movement for the costume actor's to move the mouth. Joyner's mannerisms would later be carried on into other Barney performers during his time with the character and after.

The character would eventually grow to over seven feet when performed by Carey Stinson as he was one of the taller performers.

Voice

Barney's voice was originally very low pitched when he debuted in Barney & The Backyard Gang as the creators thought that since Barney was a big guy, he needed to have a deep voice. The voice was hard to maintain for West, but it was made cheerful when Joyner came into the costume, and it proved to be a more friendly voice. Following West's retirement, Duncan Brannan, Tim Dever, were handed the role of the character, and soon after Dean Wendt, making the final result of the character's voice nasal on the television series.

Actors

Costume Actors

David Voss (1988–1990)

David Joyner (1991–2005, 2008)

Bob West (left) and David Joyner (right) with Barney the Dinosaur.

Carey Stinson (1991–2013, 2019)

Josh Martin (1996–2009)

Maurice Scott (1997-2004)

Antwaun Steele (1999-2001, 2010-2011)

Sarah Vernon Swartz (First leg of Barney's Colorful World!) (2003)

Corby Sullivan (First leg of Barney's Colorful World!) (2003)

Patrick Mcalister (2003-2008)

Rick Starkweather (2003-2007)

Voice Actors

Bob West (1988–2000, 2005)

David Franks (1996-1998)

Duncan Brannan (1997–2000)

Tim Dever (1999–2001)

Dean Wendt (2001–2013, 2019)

Achievements

Barney's star on Paseo de las Luminarias, located at the Plaza de las Estrellas in Mexico City.

Barney was ranked at #3 for the highest paid entertainer, a list compiled by Forbes Magazine, in 1993-1994, following Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.

Barney was named one of People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of 1992"

Barney received the 1994 ‘License of the Year’ Award from the Licensing Industry Merchandiser’s Association in honor of the sales and demand his products created.

In 2007, Barney received a star on Paseo de las Luminarias, the Mexican equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Music

From 1996-1998, Barney ranked as Billboard's top children's artist.

Barney become a Grammy nominated and a 3× Platinum artist due to his successful debut album, Barney's Favorites, Volume 1.

Trivia

In Barney & The Backyard Gang, Barney originally lived with Michael and Amy. In that series, Barney had to be kept a secret from the parents. That running gag lasted until Three Wishes where Michael and Amy's Mom is informed on who Barney is.

Although he celebrates his birthday in the Barney franchise, he remains over 200 million years old.

Barney first reached official pop culture status when he was parodied in a Saturday Night Live sketch in the fall of 1993. The Barney likeness played a game of one-on-one basketball against Phoenix Suns superstar Charles Barkley.

Voice

During the filming of season one of Barney & Friends, Bob West had laryngitis. Jeff Gittle, a crew member of the show, would step in to read for West, in which he eventually dubbed over.

Alan Bruce served as Barney's understudy in Barney Live! In New York City, however, he never filled in.

Like the voices of Baby Bop and BJ, Barney was voiced by an unknown stand-in for the live show of Barney Live! World Tour - A Celebration!. Similar to Baby Bop, he was voiced by another unknown stand-in for the Fisher-Price toys that were released in 2018.