Barney

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Barney & Friends
Barney & Friends logo
Format	Children's television series
Created by	Sheryl Leach
Starring	Carey Stinson (Barney suit) Dean Wendt (Barney voice) Jeff Ayers (Baby Bop suit) Julie Johnson (Baby Bop voice) Patty Wirtz (B.J. voice) Kyle Nelson (B.J. suit) Adam Brown (Riff suit) Michaela Dietz (Riff voice)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	238 (as of season twelve)
Production
Running time	30 Minutes
Production company(s)	The Lyons Group (1992–2001) HiT Entertainment (2001–present) Connecticut Public Television
Broadcast
Original channel	PBS (1992-Present) PBS Kids Channel (1999-Present) PBS Kids Sprout (2005-Present)
Original run	April 6, 1992 – present

Barney & Friends is a 1992 children's television show produced in the United States aimed at preschool children. The series features the title character Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys learning through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, optimistic attitude.

Origin and development

Barney was created in 1987 by Sheryl Leach of Dallas, Texas. She came up with the idea for the program while considering TV shows that she felt would be educational and appeal to her son. Leach then brought together a team who created a series of home videos, Barney and the Backyard Gang, which also starred actress Sandy Duncan in the first 3 videos. Later, Barney was joined by the characters Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff.

Although the original videos were a modest regional success, Barney became a major success only when the character and format were revamped for series television and were picked up by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), debuting as "Barney & Friends" in 1992. The series was produced by Lyrick Studios (bought by HIT Entertainment) and Connecticut Public Television. For several years, the show was taped at the ColorDynamics Studios facility at Greenville Avenue & Bethany Drive in Allen, after which it moved to The Studios at Las Colinas, Texas. Currently, the series is produced in a northern suburb of Dallas. The TV series and videos are currently distributed by HiT Entertainment and Lionsgate, while the TV series is currently produced by WNET.

As of since 2006, All the Barney & Friends DVDs will be distributed by: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment due to the distribution bought of HiT Entertainment from Lionsgate.

Barney & Friends is now shown in other countries where it is translated if necessary. One such example is the Spanish language version dubbed in Mexico which is called Barney y Sus Amigos, (Spanish translation of "Barney & his Friends.") Another example is the Hebrew production produced from 1997-1999 in Tel Aviv, Israel, based on the first three seasons of the show. Rather than dubbing the American episodes, the episodes are recreated with a unique set in an original set and exclusive child actors.

Criticism

Although the show has been criticized for its lack of educational value,^{[citation needed]} Yale researchers Dorothy and Jerome Singer have concluded that episodes contain a great deal of age-appropriate educational material, calling the program a "model of what preschool television should be."^[1]

One specific criticism is that

"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."^[2]

It is ranked on TV Guide's List of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time at #50.^[3]

Cast

Dinosaurs

Barney the Dinosaur

The main character is a purple and green Tyrannosaurus Rex, who comes to life through a child's imagination. His theme song is "Barney Is a Dinosaur," which is also known as the "Barney Theme Song". Another well known song is "I Love You" which has also been parodied by many people^{[citation needed]}. Barney likes most kinds of food, but his main favorites are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made with pumpernickel bread. According to Barney's Campfire Sing-Along, vegetables are also a favorite of his.

Baby Bop

A green triceratops, Baby Bop has been on the show since debuting in the video "Barney in Concert". She carries a yellow blanket, and sings the song "My Yellow Blankey" to show how much it means to her. She currently refers to herself as 3 years old. She likes to eat macaroni and cheese and pizza. She wears a pink bow on her head and pink ballet slippers on her feet. She is B.J.'s little sister.

B.J.

A 7-year-old yellow protoceratops, B.J. has been on the show since the beginning of season 2. His theme song is "B.J.'s Song". He wears a red baseball cap on his head and red sneakers on his feet (as heard in the lyrics of his theme). He has lost his hat in the episode Hats Off to B.J.! and sometimes says stuff to hide fears (like in Barney's Halloween Party, he was shocked by the paper spiders and after learning they were fake, he said "I knew that, sort of."). Pickles are his favorite food and because of that, he actually has had them in different ways like pickles (also with pepperoni, peppers, pineapple and peanut butter) on a pizza (in Barney's Adventure Bus). He is Baby Bop's older brother.

Riff

Referred as Cousin Riff by Baby Bop, he is an orange six-year-old hadrosaur, who is Baby Bop and B.J.'s cousin. He has appeared since season 10. He wears green sneakers. His theme is "I Hear Music Everywhere." Riff loves music and it's in almost everything he does. In 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 own voice). He even likes marching bands and parades as much as Barney does.

Adults

The adults on the show are usually one- or two-time guest actors who portray teachers, storytellers, and similar characters.

One-time guests

Multiple appearances

Children

Over the years, more than one hundred children have appeared as cast members on the show. Some notable children who have appeared in Barney & Friends include:

• Selena Gomez (Gianna)
• Tory Green (Sarah)
• Demi Lovato (Angela)
• Trevor Morgan (Cody)
• Madison Pettis (Bridget)
• Kyla Pratt (Mindy; Marcella in Barney's Great Adventure)

Crew

• Sheryl Leach (creator)
• Kathy Parker (producer)
• Dennis DeShazer (director)
• Mark S. Bernthal (writer)
• Stephen White (writer)

Movies and specials

• Barney's Great Adventure (1998) (Theatrical Movie, starring Trevor Morgan and Kyla Pratt)
• Barney's Imagination Island (1994)
• Barney Live In New York City (1994)

Airing history

North America

Canada

• Treehouse TV

Mexico and Latin America

• Discovery Kids

US

• Public Broadcasting Service
• PBS Kids
• PBS KIDS Sprout

Europe

France

• Cartoonito

Ireland

• RTE

Italy

• Italia 1
• JimJam

Spain

• Antena 3

UK

• GMTV(1994-2000)
• The Children's Channel
• LIVINGtv
• Cartoonito (2006–)
• Five (2002-2005)

Asia

Israel

• Arutz HaYeladim (the kids channel)
• Hop!
• Channel 2

Japan

• Playhouse Disney

Japanese title: Barney to eigo de asobo! (バーニーと英語であそぼっ！, Bānī to Eigo de asobo!^?)

Philippines

• ABS-CBN
• TV5 (dubbed in Tagalog)

Turkey

• ATV

Australia and Oceania

Australia

• Nine Network
• FOX8

New Zealand

• TVNZ (TV2)

Music

A majority of the albums of Barney and Friends feature Bob West's voice as the voice of Barney, though the recent album The Land of Make-Believe (like every album starting with Start Singing with Barney) has Dean Wendt's voice.

Barney's famous song "I Love You" (as well as songs from Sesame Street and Metallica) has been used by interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to coerce the detainees.^[4]

See also

• Baloney & Kids
• Anti-Barney humor
• Barney's Hide and Seek (Sega Genesis/Mega Drive console game)
• A Day in the Park with Barney, a show and playground at Universal Studios Florida

References

External links

• HIT Entertainment official website
• PBS official website
• Barney & Friends web page at TreeHouseTV.com
• Barney & Friends at the Internet Movie Database