BJ

BJ is a 7-year-old yellow male Protoceratops who has been on the show since Season 2 (1993).

Personality

BJ is a good friend of Barney's and the older brother of Baby Bop, whom he frequently calls "Sissy", though on rare occasions, he does call her by name. He is also Riff's cousin and his best friend.

BJ is described as an impulsive dinosaur^[2] but is always eager to help his friends. As an active 7 year old, BJ also likes to run, jump, and ride around on his red scooter. Although he loves baseball, basketball and soccer, it's safe to say that BJ has never met a sport he didn't like.

BJ's theme song is none other than the titular "BJ's Song".

Creation

The writers on Barney & Friends added BJ because they wanted a sibling relationship to work with (as characters Barney and Baby Bop are just friends) in order to have more relatable stories that children watching could understand and relate to.^[3]

BJ was named after Sheryl Leach's father, B.J. Stamps.^[4]

Design

In his early appearances on the show, BJ was slightly taller than Barney and had a much deeper voice. He was redesigned in season three; his height was shrunken to better suit his age of six (and later seven) years old.

BJ always wears his red baseball cap with his red and white sneakers. He has three hairs on his head that goes in front of his baseball cap.

Portrayal

Costume Actors

Jenny Dempsey (1993)
Jeff Brooks (1994-2002)
Kyle Nelson (1997-2009)

1994 Costume
Adam Brown (1997) (Some shots of "E-I-E-I-O")
Charles L. Shaw (1999-2002)
Jerad Harris (2003-2004, 2011-2012)

Voice Actors

Patty Wirtz (1993-2011)
Carol Farabee (understudy in Barney Live! In New York City)
Unknown Stand-In (Barney Live! World Tour - A Celebration!)

Trivia

To avoid questions about what B.J. stands for, the name was reduced to simply BJ starting in Barney's Fun & Games.
Originally, BJ had a trademark whistle that would let the audience know of his arrival. Although it was not heard in Barney Safety or Barney's Fun & Games, it was officially discontinued in Barney's Musical Scrapbook.
Sometimes, he says stuff to hide his fears. For example, in Barney's Halloween Party, he was shocked by the paper spiders. After learning they were fake, he replied "I knew that, sort of."

Appearances

References

[1] Barney and Friends Veteran Actor Shares Success as a Little Person

[2] Ready To Learn Caregiver Guide

[3] TELEVISION; New Season, Old Cast, Room for One More

[4] THE PURPLE ONE\ THERE'S NO STOPPING HIM

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BJ

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