February 24: During Mattel's 2021 Virtual Analyst Day Presentation, Barney was included to be a "new series in development" by Mattel Television.[2]
November 15: A three-part documentary about Barney the Dinosaur is announced to be in the works by streaming service Peacock. Produced by Scout Productions, the documentary is announced for a 2022 release.[3]
Merchandise
April 22: Originally scheduled to release in 2020, Toy Factory, LLC, a company that distributes plush toys for amusement parks, attractions, family entertainment centers, and vending machines, lists the Barney & Friends, 3 Asst. on their website, which features new plush versions of Barney, BJ, and Baby Bop. The plush toys were later distributed to where Toy Factory, LLC distributes their plush toys in the year.
July 23: Spirit Halloween, an annual pop-up costume store, lists an officially licensed Adult Barney Inflatable Costume product on their website. Although listed on the date, the product didn't become available for retailers and online purchase until mid-September.
Streaming
March 24: Announcement of Barney & Friends added to 'Kids & Family' on The Roku Channel,[4] with only Seasons ten and eleven available to stream initially. Season twelve became available at a later date.
March 25: Streaming service Tubi has announced they entered into a content deal with 9 Story Media Group to obtain one year of exclusive streaming rights to Seasons seven through nine of Barney & Friends, as well as non-exclusive streaming rights to seasons ten to twelve. The episodes became available to stream on April 9, 2021.[5][6][7]
May 1: Seasons thirteen and fourteen of Barney & Friends become available to stream on the streaming service Netflix, [8][9] making it the first time since 2017 the franchise is added to the streaming service.
August 10: Free streaming service XUMO announced that it expanded its Kids TV channel with more content including featuring Barney & Friends,[10] only showcasing Seasons ten, eleven, and twelve.
October 25: New York-based studio and streamer FilmRise announced they licensed a slate of classic children’s shows for its North American AVoD platform FilmRise Streaming Network, including Barney & Friends, announcing they're showcasing Seasons ten to fourteen. They have been acquired in non-exclusive deals with 9 Story Media Group.[12]
On October 27, Barney was trending on Twitter due to a user posting a PBS Kids shows Tier List and putting Barney & Friends all the way on the bottom. Users on Twitter came to the show's defense.[17]
