Barney & Friends
Barney & Friends is an American children's television series that is mostly targeted at children between the ages of 2 and 8. It was created by Sheryl Leach in Dallas, Texas and produced by HIT Entertainment and Universal Television. It premiered on PBS on April 6, 1992. The series is about Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who gives educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, optimistic attitude.[1][2][3][4] Madison Pettis portrayed Bridget in 2010 episodes.
| Barney & Friends | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Barney |
| Genre | Children's television series Educational Adventure Musical |
| Created by | Sheryl Leach Kathy Parker Dennis DeShazer |
| Based on | Barney and the Backyard Gang by Sheryl Leach |
| Voices of | Bob West Duncan Brannan Tim Dever Dean Wendt Julie Johnson Patty Wirtz Michaela Dietz |
| Opening theme | Barney Theme Song |
| Ending theme | I Love You |
| Composers | Bob Singleton (1992–2000) Joe Phillips (1995–present) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 14 |
| No. of episodes | 268 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Michael Hirsh Piratck Loubert Cilve A Simth Scott Dyer Sheryl Leach (1988–1998) Kathy Parker (1988–1993) Dennis DeShazer (1988–2002) Randy Dalton (2002–2005) Karen Barnes (2006–2009) |
| Production locations | Universal City, California |
| Running time | 26 minutes (1992–2005, 2008–2009) 12 minutes (2006–2007, 2010) |
| Production companies | Lyrick Studios (1994-2000) HIT Entertainment (2002-2010) |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | April 6, 1992 – November 2, 2010 |
The last episode aired on November 2, 2010. Reruns aired on Sprout from 2009 until 2015, and have aired since December 17, 2018, under Sprout's new name Universal Kids. It also aired internationally and on Peacock USA for "I Love You, You Love Me on October 12, 2022, and a non-controversial reboot animated series will be premiered in October 14, 2024.
History and development
changeBarney & Friends 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,[5] and then recognizing that there were no videos to appeal to her son.
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 less neurotic than 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.
Episode format
changeOpening sequence
changeThe episodes open with the theme song (over clips from various episodes) and the title card before it dissolves into the school (in seasons 1–6) or park (in seasons 7–14). The children are seen doing an activity, occasionally relating to the episode's topic. They eventually cause Barney to come to life from a plush doll, transforming into the "real" Barney, how he appears in the children's imaginations. Beginning in season 9, Barney's transformation occurs in a clip at the end of the theme song.
Main sequence
changeHere, 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
changeBarney concludes with the song "I Love You", then the children say goodbye to him and leave. Barney dissolves back into his original stuffed form and winks to the audience. The first story in season 10–11 episodes end with the characters singing "A Friend Like You" instead and Barney remaining alive.
The sequence transitions to Barney Says (in seasons 1–8 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. Barney ends the segment in seasons 1 and 2 by saying "I love you!" before the credits roll. In seasons 3–8 and 12, the segment ends with a pre-recorded clip of Barney saying, "And remember, I love you!" and waving goodbye.
Characters and cast
changeDinosaurs
change- Barney (voiced by Bob West 1992-2000, and Dean Wendt 2001-2010; people who wore the Barney suit
- Baby Bop (voiced by)
- BJ (voiced by)
- Riff (voiced by)
Season 1
changeSeason 1 (1992)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Educational Theme | Cast of Children | Original Airdate | Songs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
References
change- ↑ Gorman, James (April 11, 1993). "TELEVISION VIEW; Of Dinosaurs Why Must This One Thrive?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Stuuuupendous!". Time. December 21, 1992. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
{{cite news}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; March 29, 2032 suggested (help) - ↑ Cerone, Daniel (April 3, 1993). "Dinosaur Is a Star, Spreading Love With Hugs, Kisses, Songs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
- ↑ "Barney the launching pad". Los Angeles Times. January 30, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
- ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "The Dinosaur Sensation: The History of Barney – Episode 1 (Barney's Beginnings)". YouTube. April 21, 2019.