Barney (franchise)
A purple dinosaur teaching through songs and dance.
Barney is a children's media franchise from the United States, created by Sheryl Leach, Kathryn O'Rourke Parker, and Dennis DeShazer. Mattel currently owns it. The franchise revolves around Barney the Dinosaur, a purple, anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who teaches lessons through songs and simple dances, maintaining a friendly, huggable, and optimistic demeanor. Three series make up the franchise: *Barney & the Backyard Gang* (1988–1991), a direct-to-video release; *Barney & Friends* (1992–2010), which aired on PBS Kids; and *Barney's World* (2024–present), a fully computer-animated show on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito block. A theatrical film, *Barney's Great Adventure*, came out in 1998, and a second movie is being developed at Mattel Studios and A24, with Daniel Kaluuya producing. 9 Story Media Group currently distributes the franchise under license from Mattel Television.
Though popular with its target audience, Barney faced strong negative reactions from older viewers, who mocked the character in pop culture via song parodies and comedy sketches—for example, NBA star Charles Barkley beating him up on *Saturday Night Live*. This anti-Barney trend inspired the 2022 Peacock documentary *I Love You, You Hate Me*. Meanwhile, many parents praised Barney as a wholesome yet engaging franchise for children, covering common, kid-friendly topics.
*Barney & the Backyard Gang* was a direct-to-video series produced by The Lyons Group, released in installments from August 29, 1988, to August 1, 1991. It led to the TV show *Barney & Friends*, which ran on PBS Kids from April 6, 1992, to November 2, 2010. The first three episodes (1988–1989) featured Sandy Duncan as the mother of Michael and Amy; at the time, Duncan starred in the NBC sitcom *The Hogan Family*. Stephen Bates Baltes and Phillip Parker composed the music for these videos (as they did for the TV series), and Lory Lazarus wrote the first original Barney song, "Friends Are Forever," sung by Duncan. In the first five videos, "I Love You" appeared at the beginning. It was sung at the end of *Barney Goes to School* and *Barney in Concert*, and later became a staple at the close of all *Barney & Friends* episodes, but it was absent from the end of *Rock with Barney*. The series found regional success but only moderate popularity nationwide. In 1991, Larry Rifkin, then head of Connecticut Public Television,
- latest_series
- Barney's World (2024–present)
Lore & Background
The franchise began with Barney & the Backyard Gang, a direct-to-video series produced by The Lyons Group and released from August 29, 1988, to August 1, 1991. The first three episodes include Sandy Duncan as Michael and Amy's mother. Music was created by Stephen Bates Baltes and Phillip Parker, and Lory Lazarus wrote the first original song, 'Friends Are Forever', sung by Duncan. The series was a regional success but only moderate nationally. In 1991, Larry Rifkin of Connecticut Public Television rented a Barney video for his daughter, liked the concept, and discussed putting Barney on PBS. Rock with Barney was the last video before the television show debuted.
Reader's Guide
Barney & Friends ran on PBS Kids from April 6, 1992, to November 2, 2010, with reruns until 2016. Episodes from seasons 1–9 and 12–13 last 30 minutes; seasons 10–11 and 14 are split into 15-minute segments. 'I Love You' was sung at the end of all episodes except the primary segments of seasons 10–11 and 14, which end with 'A Friend Like You'. Reruns aired on Sprout from 2005–2015 and on Universal Kids from 2018–2020. Barney's World, a fully computer-animated series, began streaming on Max and StackTV on October 14, 2024, and premiered on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito on October 18, 2024. The franchise also includes a video game, Barney's Hide & Seek Game, released for the Sega Genesis in 1993, and a theme park attraction, A Day in the Park with Barney, at Universal Studios Florida. While popular with its intended audience, Barney drew severely negative reaction from older viewers, mocked in popular culture through song parodies and comedy routines, including a Saturday Night Live sketch where Charles Barkley beats up Barney. The anti-Barney phenomenon is the basis of the 2022 Peacock documentary I Love You, You Hate Me. Barney has also received immense praise from parents for being a wholesome yet engaging franchise.
Did You Know?
- The first original song produced for Barney was 'Friends Are Forever', sung by Sandy Duncan.
- Only four children from the Barney & the Backyard Gang videos (Michael, Derek, Tina, and Luci) were carried over to the television show.
- Barney's Hide & Seek Game is the only video game in the Barney franchise and players cannot lose.
- The second Barney film, in production at Mattel Studios and A24, is aimed at adults and will be directed by Daniel Kaluuya.
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