Barney the Dinosaur is the main protagonist of Barney & Friends and a two hundred million year (two dinosaur years) old, six-foot tall, purple tyrannosaurus rex with a green belly and green spots on his back and his tail and yellow toes. He comes to life through a child's imagination. He is best known for his silly and optimistic attitude.
Barney was first created in 1987 by Sheryl Leach, who was looking for a way to entertain her then 2 year old son, Patrick. Originally, Barney was going to be a blanket. When that was proven to be too hard, he became a teddy bear who came to life. Patrick was fascinated by a dinosaur exhibit at a museum, particularly the Tyrannosaurus rex. In response, Sheryl made Barney a T. Rex. Kathy Parker, a fellow teacher-turned-mother who had helped Sheryl create the character, agreed to the change, but on the condition that he was not to appear menacing (a realistic t-rex would have scared her daughter Kaitlin). In the end, he was colored purple to appeal to both genders (Leach had a thing for the color purple as well) and had his features softened (i.e. "toe balls" in place of claws).
In the Barney & the Backyard Gang series, Barney had to be kept a secret from the parents. That running gag lasted until Three Wishes where Micheal and Amy's Mom is informed on who Barney is
Although he celebrates his birthday in the Barney franchise, he remains over 200 million years old.
