The following article contains a list of alternate costumes of Barney. While these costumes are used for official appearances of the character on behalf of the respective owners of the property, they were not used on screen for Barney & The Backyard Gang, Barney & Friends, and Barney's World. These costumes may have more exaggerated or different features compared to screen-used costumes or have been completely overhauled in terms of structure.
Variants[]
Original[]
The following alternative costumes are based on the original iteration of Barney (as seen in Barney & The Backyard Gang and Barney & Friends).
| Image | As seen in | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
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Public Appearances | 1988-1990 | This was the second Barney costume built. This costume is similar in design to the Barney doll but with a darker hue. This costume was designed and built by Phyllis Harris, a friend of Jamie Ruth Conner (who no longer worked at The Lyons Group at that time), on behalf of Harris Costumes, after the first three Barney & The Backyard Gang videos were filmed.
Harris would operate the costume locally for malls and special events. The costume was used for a couple of years until Irene Corey found out that this costume, which was not built by her shop, had been making appearances in public. While no agreement was in place as to who had the authorization to build and design Barney costumes, it caused a dispute between The Lyons Group and Irene Corey Design Associates as to who got the rights. The costume was destroyed due to this, and Phyllis Harris had to pay a settlement to Irene Corey. |
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Barney Birthday Parties / Toons on Tour | 1989-1991 | A hardier, more affordable alternative to the original show costume, this rendition was crafted by Irene Corey specifically for children's birthday parties. This initiative, known as "Barney Birthday Parties," was launched by The Lyons Group with the goal of enhancing the character's visibility on special occasions. The decision to create a separate costume for these events arose from concerns about the potential risks associated with donning the elaborate show costume in a party setting.
In contrast to the original Antron Fleece material, this version was constructed from spandex, offering a more practical and versatile option for celebratory gatherings. Carey Stinson first performed in this costume upon joining The Lyons Group. |
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Public Appearances | 1993-1994 | Diverging from the exposed foam construction of the previous two costumes used in Barney & The Backyard Gang, a new costume was built with durability and comfort for the wearer in mind. Unlike the suits used for Barney & Friends, which were now utilizing Antron fleece, this suit used spandex.
While resembling the current, main suit, the eyelids were a brighter pink than the duller purple body color. The nose and jaw extended downwards, becoming more narrow at the end. This less on-model costume found limited use, and was primarily confined to promotional events. |
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Universal Studios Hollywood | 1992-1995 | Due to an increased need for more costumes, The Lyons Group hired Dick Leonard to create them. Irene Corey, the original costume designer, declined to share her designs or patterns for replication (though Leonard was granted access to the Season 1 costume, allowing him to take pictures and measurements for future reference).
Despite Leonard's efforts, the resulting costumes did not meet the anticipated expectations and, consequently, were never integrated into the television series or utilized for public appearances. Inspired by the Season 1 design, this particular costume featured a more diminutive head, a scaled-down jaw, and bright violet eyelids; the overall body of the costume was rounder and narrower. These costumes were used as press suits to promote the television series. |
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Family Fest '93 | Another Dick Leonard suit, this costume was characterized by flat and rounded feet, a flattened head, and a tail with a curled tip. In contrast to its predecessor, this iteration featured a larger jaw; additionally the costume's eyes were more flexible. | |
| Sing Along Shows, Public Apperances and Hospital Visits | This shares a resemblance to the costume from Season 1-2. Barney’s eyes are light yellow, his snout and jaw is square, his teeth are larger, his stomach gets to the triangular point at the bottom and his arms are attached. | ||
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A Day in the Park With Barney | 1995-1996 | In 1995, The Lyons Group needed costumes for the A Day in the Park with Barney attraction at Universal Studios. After extensive discussions with various costume companies, the group ultimately selected Scollon Mascots, the company already responsible for producing all the mascot costumes at Universal Studios.
The prototype created by Scollon for the attraction, although never featured in the show itself, was photographed for promotional materials. Drawing inspiration from the costume design in Season 2 of the series, this costume featured a wider head with a narrower snout. |
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This costume was used in A Day in the Park with Barney. He has a resemblance to the alternate costume used for Seasons 3 and 9. He has a bigger snout, the teeth are taller, his tail is more curved at the end, his toes are larger and the ankles are only connected at the back. His eyes are even more less sunken in as well than the previous costumes. | ||
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1996-1997 | This costume was also designed for A Day in the Park with Barney. The costume's head was scaled down in size compared to the body, and the stomach marking came to a point. Unlike previous designs, this rendition featured larger teeth and pupils. The toes were crafted from a shinier. | |
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Late 1998-2001 | He has a resemblance the costumes used of 1994, the Season 3 double, Season 4, Hebrew Series and the Season 11 double.
Barney's mouth is trapezoid shaped and more larger towards his chin. His eyelids are noticeably rotated a bit toward each other, his teeth are larger, his stomach ends in a triangle and his tail is less curlier at the end. He has very little damped feet and skinny ankles with thick thighs. | |
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2018-2021 | Late in the attraction's run, a costume constructed from repurposed components from earlier suits was implemented. | |
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Hachaverim Shel Barney | 1997–1999 | This costume is used in the Israeli co-production of Barney & Friends. There is a similarity to the costume that was used in the fourth and fifth seasons. Barney's legs are shorter so that it suited the actor's height. His mouth is larger, his eyes and eyelids were slightly twisted toward one another, his teeth are larger and the tail is more curved at the end and touches the ground.
He shares the same ability to close his eyes as the Season 1 costume in the adaptation version of the episode "Four Seasons Day." Throughout the entire production, There was a hole in his right foot. |
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Barney’s Musical Castle | 1999-2001 | He has a resemblance to the used for Seasons 4 and 6. Barney’s head is narrower/smaller, his stomach ends in square, his feet or rounder and smaller and his tail is a little less curved. |
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Baniwa Chingudeul | 2001–2003 | Similar to the Israeli production's costume, the legs were shortened. The tail was less curled at the end, and was angled more closely to the ground. |
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La Gran Sorpresa De Barney | 2003-2006 | He has a resemblance to the used for Season 6. His head is narrow, his tail less curlier, his teeth are higher and his feet were used from the later HIT costumes. |
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El Pequeño Gran Club | 2003-present | He has a resemblance to the used for Season 9 and Let’s Go to The Firehouse. Barney’s eyes are wider, his head is more larger and rounder and his magenta skin is more lighter. |
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Aventuras En El Espacio | 2006-present | He has a resemblance to the used for Season 9. Barney’s teeth are taller, his eyes are wider and his hips are more rounded, very much like the costume from Colorful World. |
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Toy Fair 2007 | 2007-2012 | This costume was built by Rainbow Productions; the fleece used differed from the typical Antron fleece. The toes of this Barney costume are separated, and the top row of teeth is less visible. |
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Built by Rainbow Productions specifically for the European tour of Barney Live - The Let's Go Tour, this costume also featured separated toes and a more triangular head; some variants also featured an immovable jaw.
Beyond the European tour, this suit was also used at Butlins resorts. | ||
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Barney Live - Let's Go (Dubai)/Butlins Minehead | Late 2011- present | Originally commissioned by Rainbow Productions Ltd to replace the Barney suit utilized at Butlins Minehead, this particular costume made its debut during the inauguration of Mattel Play! Town Dubai. Like many earlier costumes, the arms were separated from the body.
The costume was used throughout Europe, the Middle East, Malaysia, and Africa. This suit was also utilized in Barney Live! World Tour - A Celebration!, with a thicker tail, joined toes, and one eye that is visibly larger than the other. |
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Barney Live in Concert - Birthday Bash! | 2010 (November and Early December) | This costume was created by the Costumes and Creatures division of VEE Corporation for the Birthday Bash tour. VEE based this costume off of Barney's post-2005 "cartoon" design rather than the live action costume seen on the television series. To cover up the fact that Barney's head and torso are separate, a black bow tie with a white collar is added. |
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Late December 2010-April 2011 | In response to feedback, VEE Corporation updated the costume during the December 2010 hiatus. The head was re-designed to more closely resemble the original costume; the body of the costume remained unchanged. | |
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April 2011-February 2017 | HIT created a third suit for the Birthday Bash Tour similar to the one utilized in Season 11 and Let's Go to the Firehouse. The arms were made thicker to account for VEE's mouth mechanics.
This costume was also used at the Hard Rock Hotel's The Little Big Club attraction. | |
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Hard Rock Hotel | 2014-Present | This costume featured thicker thighs, arms, and a more substantial head. The toe balls were smaller and uneven. |
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Mattel Play! Town | Late 2018-March 2020 | This suit was constructed from repurposed components from earlier suits; the jaw was broken as of 2019. |
Barney's World[]
The following costume is used to promote the computer animated series Barney's World.
| Image | As seen in | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensing Expo 2023 | June 2023 | This costume was built by Rainbow Productions, and features sculpted fingernails and a lined stomach. The head is separate, and a zipper is visible at the suit's back.
Later the same year in October the costume appeared again but with a head that resembles more like the animated design |
See also[]
Evolutions[]
- Alternate Baby Bop Costumes - officially produced costumes that weren't explicitly used on camera for Baby Bop's appearances on Barney & The Backyard Gang and Barney & Friends.
- Alternate BJ Costumes - officially produced costumes that weren't explicitly used on camera for BJ's appearances on Barney & Friends.
- Alternate Riff Costumes - officially produced costumes that weren't explicitly used on camera for Riff's appearances on Barney & Friends.
Barney[]
- Barney Through the Years - officially produced costumes used on camera for Barney's appearances on Barney & The Backyard Gang, Barney & Friends and Barney's World.
- Barney Dolls Through The Years - officially produced dolls used on camera for Barney's appearances on Barney & The Backyard Gang and Barney & Friends. This article also contains alternative Barney dolls used in co-productions, rehearsals and or film.