Andrew Olsen

Andrew Olsen
Olsen in “I Love You, You Hate Me”
Born	Andrew Wayne Olsen July 14, 1996 (age 29) Hayward, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alternate names	Barney Builder
Occupation	I Love You, You Hate Me Narrator
Years Active	I Love You, You Hate Me 2021-2022
Education	Southern Virginia University (BA)
Social media	@andrew.olsen96 @andruppets @barney_builder
Website	https://www.olsenwrites.com/
See also	Media

Andrew Wayne Olsen (born July 14, 1996 in Hayward, California) is an American entrepreneur, writer and business strategist. At a young age, Olsen founded three companies, including Midwest Toys Inc and launched and managed two brands including Puppet Pals and Tweak Toys. Olsen is also well-known to be in the Barney fan community, co-founding the 'Barney History Fans' group on Facebook, which was further emphasized in his appearance in the 2022 limited documentary streaming television series, I Love You, You Hate Me. Olsen would later be interviewed for the 2024 podcast Generation Barney.

Career

Barney

I Love You, You Hate Me

In late July 2021 producer Tommy Avallone contacted 'Barney History Fans' co-founder Jackson Gates about Barney’s history. Gates referred Avallone to speak with both Olsen and co-founder Kaelin Denton about the history of the character and show as well. As a result, in August 2021 Olsen was brought on as a fan historian for the then untitled documentary Avallone was working on. Olsen was invited to fly out to New York in November of that year for an on-camera interview. After watching his footage, Peacock, an American streaming service, asked Olsen to be the featured narrator of the series and provide voice overs. In May 2022 he was flown out to New York again for a last minute shooting to fill gaps within the series.

Personal Life

Barney

Fandom

Olsen entered the Barney fandom in 2019 after creating an Instagram account tailored to showcasing his home made Barney doll replicas. Soon he discovered and befriended other Barney fans throughout the world.

Barney History Fans

In July 2021, Olsen was approached by fellow Barney fans and friends, Kaelin Denton about starting a new Facebook group. It’s always been a hope for Olsen for Barney fans to have a centralized location to learn about Barney’s history. Olsen, along with Denton and fellow Barney fan, Jackson Gates created 'Barney History Fans' with the mission of creating a safe space in which fans, cast, and crew can come together to learn more about Barney’s history.

Trivia

Andrew Olsen with Tommy Avallone, the director of I Love You, You Hate Me.

• One of Olsen's earliest memories is attending the live performance of Barney’s Musical Castle in San Jose, California.
• Olsen owns one of the largest collections of Barney memorabilia, set pieces, and props in the world.
  • Notable props include the honey jar from the episode, "Hoo's In The Forest?", the couch that debuted in the video Come on Over to Barney's House, and buttons from the ship in Barney in Outer Space.

• When Olsen was interviewing for the documentary I Love You, You Hate Me, he wasn't allowed to refer to 'Barney History Fans' as a Facebook group, hence introducing himself as being from the 'Barney History Fans' website (which was nonexistent at the time).
• Olsen served as an admin of Barney Wiki (under Andruppets) from May 2021-July 2025.