The show was intended to last until 2013, however, the show went on hiatus in 2010 with [[Season 14|season fourteen]], a season compiled of episodes from seasons ten and eleven with new content in between and a new version of the theme song.
+
The show was intended to last until 2013, however, the show went on hiatus and ended in 2010 with [[Season 14|season fourteen]], a season compiled of episodes from seasons ten and eleven with new content in between and a new version of the theme song.
On October 24, 2011, [[Mattel]] bought out [[HIT Entertainment|HiT Entertainment]], the owners of the Barney franchise, for $680 million.<ref>[https://news.mattel.com/news/mattel-announces-acquisition-of-hit-entertainment| Mattel Announces Acquistion of HiT Entertainment]</ref> On October 6, 2015''', '''[[9 Story Media Group]] announced a long-term partnership with [[HIT Entertainment]], the now subsidiary of Mattel, to distribute pre-school series ''Barney & Friends'' and ''Angelina Ballerina'', as well as as relaunching both properties for a reboot that was slated to debut in 2017.<ref name="ew">[https://9story.com/mattel-inc-together-9-story-announce-new-partnership-relaunch-iconic-pre-school-brands-barney-friends-angelina-ballerina/ Mattel Inc Together With 9 Story Announce New Partnership To Relaunch Iconic Pre-School Brands ‘Barney & Friends’ And ‘Angelina Ballerina’]</ref> Production never occurred for either one of the properties.
On October 24, 2011, [[Mattel]] bought out [[HIT Entertainment|HiT Entertainment]], the owners of the Barney franchise, for $680 million.<ref>[https://news.mattel.com/news/mattel-announces-acquisition-of-hit-entertainment| Mattel Announces Acquistion of HiT Entertainment]</ref> On October 6, 2015''', '''[[9 Story Media Group]] announced a long-term partnership with [[HIT Entertainment]], the now subsidiary of Mattel, to distribute pre-school series ''Barney & Friends'' and ''Angelina Ballerina'', as well as as relaunching both properties for a reboot that was slated to debut in 2017.<ref name="ew">[https://9story.com/mattel-inc-together-9-story-announce-new-partnership-relaunch-iconic-pre-school-brands-barney-friends-angelina-ballerina/ Mattel Inc Together With 9 Story Announce New Partnership To Relaunch Iconic Pre-School Brands ‘Barney & Friends’ And ‘Angelina Ballerina’]</ref> Production never occurred for either one of the properties.
Revision as of 03:03, 25 January 2022
Barney & Friends is an American live-action educational children's television series that premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service on April 6, 1992. The series ended on November 2, 2010, although new home videos were still released on various dates after the last episode aired as production of new content ceased in early 2011. Aimed at children from the ages 2–7, the show is based on to the video series titled Barney & The Backyard Gang which was created by Sheryl Leach and co-developed by Kathy Parker and Dennis DeShazer. The main character of the show is a friendly, stuffed, purple Tyrannosaurus rex named Barney, who comes to life through a child's imagination, whenever he is needed for something. He is joined by his other dino pals Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff, as well as a diverse cast of children.
It was one of the most watched television programs and was the first show on public television to be aimed primarily at toddlers as Leach recognized a void in the market for video programming directed at preschoolers.[4]Barney & Friends became a Daytime Emmy Award winner in 2001, and has been nominated for eleven Emmy Awards during its run on television. The series is currently owned under Mattel since the franchise's acquisition in 2011 with distribution rights currently under 9 Story Media Group since 2015.
The show originated from the home video series, Barney & The Backyard Gang, which was produced by The Lyons Group from 1988 to 1991. The first three videos of the series starred actress Sandy Duncan. As the Backyard Gang video series was becoming only a moderate success outside of Texas (where it was considered successful for a local video series), Leora Rifkin, the daughter of Larry Rifkin (former head of Connecticut Public Television), got a Barney video from a video store in Prospect, Connecticut. She was entranced with Barney's character and her father liked the concept. Knowing that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) were searching for new, quality children’s programming, Rifkin contacted Sheryl. Her company, The Lyons Group, developed a proposal with Connecticut Public Television to produce Barney & Friends.
1990s
Premiere and first season
In 1991, production began on thirty episodes of the first season of Barney & Friends. After the television series debuted on April 6, 1992, Barney was a smash hit, exceeding many of PBS' and audiences' expectations.
Cancellation
Unimpressed by Barney & Friends, PBS decided to cancel the series in June 1992 as it couldn't afford it.[5] Earlier, the executives had said that Barney & Friends was the loser in a competition for scarce programming dollars between it and two other children’s series--Lamb Chop’s Play-Along and Shining Time Station.[6] The cast and crew found out about this news during the show's wrap party, and did a letter-writing campaign to all the affiliates and questioned if they knew Barney was being defunded.[7] After PBS decided to cancel the show, members of local PBS stations across the US and Canada, and parents called to object, with PBS reversing their decision. PBS decided to pay $1.75 million for the renewal package, which extended the stations' exclusive rights to broadcast both seasons through April 1998.[8]
After the decision was made to keep Barney on the air and renew it for a second season, the program became a phenomenon and became a huge source of revenue during pledge drives Based on the success of earlier pledge drives in 1992, Connecticut Public Television decided to produce a pledge drive event at their studio featuring Barney and others.
By the mid-1990s, Barney & Friends was facing increasing competition from other children's television shows, and networks. In 1997, it's status as the #1 children's show on PBS was taken by newcomer, Arthur,[9] and by 1998, was ranked down to third place, due in part to the breakout success of Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues.[10] The show eventually shot back up to No. 1 in September of that year.[11] The show went on a short hiatus after the sixth season.
Bob the Builder, left, Peter Orton, CEO of HIT Entertainment, center, and Barney, pose for pictures in New York Feb. 10, 2001, when Britain's HIT Entertainment bought Lyrick Studios, owners of Barney, the dinosaur for $275 million.
Acquisition
In February 2001, it was announced by PBS and the then-Lyrick Studios that Barney & Friends would soon take place at his home, a setting that was introduced in the home video Come on Over to Barney's House a few months prior. PBS and Lyrick were expected to have the series ready to air for September 2002, with a deal lasting until 2007.[12]
Later that month, the UK based HIT Entertainment acquired Lyrick Studios, the company that distributed Barney & Friends at the time, for $275 million.[13] HIT Entertainment had been handling international distribution for the series,[14] from 1993. until 1996. Richard C. Leach, Sheryl's father-in-law, was scheduled to be a director of HIT while the Leach family would own 16% of the company.[15] Richard died of a heart attack on May 29, 2001 at the age of 73.
As HIT acquired the studio, the setting changed to a more natural and realistic setting with the park as opposed to the imaginary set with Barney's house. The reason for the last-minute decision change was that the production team wanted a set that was a hybrid of a private and a public place, so Sheryl Leach suggested the idea of a train depot,[16] which became the caboose for the new season (which represented the indoors or private area).
Karen Barnes, executive producer at the time, with Riff.
Revamp
In 2005, Karen Barnes became the new executive producer of the series, replacing Randy Dalton who served for seasons seven, eight and nine. At the same time, the management decided to revamp the show beginning with the next season that would occur (season ten), with the primary focus being to have pop-inspired compositions for the music curriculum.[17] The music curriculum was fused with the introduction of Riff, a six-year-old hadrosaur who was the cousin of BJ and Baby Bop. The episodes to come for this season would be shorten to twelve minute episodes with interstitials to bridge two episodes. This new format was to appeal to international broadcasters.
From late 2006 to early 2007, Connecticut Public Television produced their final season for the show with season eleven, leaving HIT Entertainment to solely produce it. By 2008, WNET New York became the presenting station for the series (and for all HIT properties)[18] until the show(s) dropped from PBS stations.
2010s
The show was intended to last until 2013, however, the show went on hiatus and ended in 2010 with season fourteen, a season compiled of episodes from seasons ten and eleven with new content in between and a new version of the theme song.
On October 24, 2011, Mattel bought out HiT Entertainment, the owners of the Barney franchise, for $680 million.[19] On October 6, 2015, 9 Story Media Group announced a long-term partnership with HIT Entertainment, the now subsidiary of Mattel, to distribute pre-school series Barney & Friends and Angelina Ballerina, as well as as relaunching both properties for a reboot that was slated to debut in 2017.[20] Production never occurred for either one of the properties.
Broadcasting rights for all seasons of Barney & Friends expired nationwide on PBS stations on August 31, 2016, meaning that seasons one through fourteen no longer aired on PBS television stations. The series made a return to television on Universal Kids, the rebrand of Sprout, on December 17, 2018, with reruns of seasons seven through thirteen. Eventually, the series moved off the channel's schedule in 2020 and began rotating episodes on video on demand.
Episode format
Opening sequence
The series opens with the theme song (over clips from various episodes) and the title card before it dissolves into the
episode's topic. The children imagine something and Barney comes to life from a plush doll, transforming into the "real" Barney, how he appears to the children while they're imagining.
Main sequence
Here, the main plot of the episode takes place. Barney and the
children learn about the main topic of the episode, with Baby Bop, B.J., or Riff appearing during the episode and numerous songs themed relating to the subject featured in the series. The roles of the dinosaur children are larger in later seasons, and later episodes venture outside of the school to other places within the neighborhood and to other countries around the world in Season 13.
Closing sequence
Barney concludes with the song "I Love You " before he dissolves back into his original stuffed form and winks to the audience. After the children
leave for the day, the sequence cuts to a segment entitled Barney Says where Barney, who is off-screen, narrates what he and his friends had done that day, along with still snapshots from the episode. Then Barney,
himself, signs off before the credits roll. In Seasons 3-8, and 12, he later appeared on-screen by saying, "And remember, I love you," and waves goodbye. Barney's Birthday is one of the few rare episodes in which Barney doesn't change back into a doll.
Characters
Dinosaurs
Barney, BJ, Riff and Baby Bop during a performance of "Barney Live! The Let's Go Tour".
Barney - the main character, a two hundred million year friendly 6-foot purple tyrannosaurus-rex who comes to life from a plush toy by way of children’s imaginations.
Baby Bop - a green three-year-old Triceratops who's BJ's sister, She serves as a vehicle for portraying the behaviors and activities typical of a 2-to 3-year old, the age of much of the viewing audience.
BJ - Baby Bop’s seven-year-old brother who was introduced in season two. He is an active, impulsive Protoceratops who especially enjoys baseball, playing with his friends and helping his younger sister.
Riff - BJ and Baby Bop's six-year-old cousin who was introduced in season ten. He's an orange Hadrosaur who loves music, imitating sounds and taking ordinary things and jazzing them up.
Children
The children in the cast of each episode represent various ethnic backgrounds with diverse interests and abilities. A various cast of children have been featured in the series throughout the years.
Scooter McNutty - a lively, brown, furry squirrel, appearing in seasons four, five and six, who has mishaps and misadventures that are the result of acting first and thinking later.[21]
Miss Etta Kette - a lavender-feathered bird, appearing in seasons four, five and six, who teaches children about manners and being kind to others.[21]
Booker T. Bookworm - an orange worm with interests in books, who only appeared in season five.
Other than the United States, the series has aired in Canada, Mexico and Latin America, France, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan (On English-based DVDs under the name "Let's Play with Barney in English! (バーニーと英語であそぼう！, Bānī to Eigo de asobō!)" and on television as simply "Barney & Friends (バーニー&フレンズ, Bānī ando Furenzu!)" ), the Philippines, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. Australian based company and distributor Southern Star handled non-US rights to the series from the mid-'90s until 2001 when HIT revoked the deal after acquiring Lyrick.
Two known co-productions of Barney & Friends have been produced outside of the US. The Israeli co-production Hebrew: החברים של ברני Hachaverim shel Barney (The Friends of Barney) produced from 1997 to 1999 in Tel Aviv, Israel, was the first of these. Rather than dubbing the original American episodes from Seasons 1–3, the episodes were adapted with a unique set and exclusive child actors.[22] The film is also to be written by Lee Sung Jin. The second co-production was broadcast in South Korea from 2001 to 2003 on KBS (under the name "바니와 친구들" (Baniwa Chingudeul (Barney and Friends))). This one, however, adapted the first six seasons (including the first three that the Israel co-production did).
Streaming
Seasons of Barney & Friends are available on a variety of streaming or direct purchase video services.
The show utilizes both original and children's songs to convey various preschool topics using imagination, engaging them with music and emphasizing friendship in a loving environment. Vice-President of Content Development, Mary Ann Dudko, Ph.D. states that "Each Barney episode emphasizes language and cognitive development, physical activity and social interaction...in each episode, young viewers are invited to use their imaginations in problem-solving situations."
Yale researchers Dorothy and Jerome Singer concluded that episodes contain a great deal of age-appropriate educational material, calling the program a "model of what preschool television should be". Additionally, their research illustrates that Barney & Friends helps children be better prepared to enter a structured learning environment. The episodes have been described as "good examples" in dealing with pro-social behaviors and with emotion.
Music
Stephen Baltes Bates and Philip Parker wrote the lyrics of the Barney & Friendstheme song, with some lyrics coming from Barney & The Backyard Gang. The melody was taken from the tune "Yankee Doodle". The first three seasons of the show were arranged by Bob Singleton. From season four until season fourteen, Joseph Phillips arranged the music. The music for the series was prerecorded, while the dialogue was live when taping an episode. If there were one or two on camera children singing, it would be the actors themselves singing, and lip-syncing during filming. If there were three or more children singing at once, it would be a group of studio children singing.
Music played a prominent role in the show as ninety-two percent of the show's time was occupied by music.[27]
Writing
Barney & Friends has used many writers in its long history. During the production of season one, the series only used two writers, Stephen White and Mark S. Bernthal. White and Bernthal would be assigned a topic and write a first to final draft in a week or less. Both, as well as the future writers, were freelancers who worked from their homes, and had occasional meetings with the Barney producers. An educational packet would be given to White and Bernthal, which featured information from the researchers of the show, describing what the viewers could and couldn't understand, presentation, possible activities to include and some song choices. The writers would then be given a day to come up with an idea for an episode and make an outline. The outline included songs the writers selected, and activities that the episode would feature. When approved, the writers would take three days to write the first draft, another two for the second draft, and then a final day to turn in the finished script - and simultaneously pick up their next assignment.[28]
White was eventually promoted to head writer for a brief period, in which he wrote the Barney bible, a thick book that discussed the individual characters and how to write a script. The Barney bible was for the incoming writers to teach them what to do. One of the pages of the Barney bible was a collage of preschool children, in which the writers were reminded that the children were the audience for the show, and that the scripts should be specifically tailored for them.[29]
Barney & Friends debuted as the number one preschool show on public television.[30] In 1992, Barney and Friends drew an average of 1.7 million viewers daily. Nationally, among PBS children's shows, it was second only to Sesame Street. However, "Barney" viewership exceeded that of "Sesame Street" in many areas.[31] During the announcement of Barney's cancellation in 1993, PBS stations around the nation stated that Barney drew exceptional ratings, with 70 percent to 80 percent of viewers aged 2 to 5 in certain large markets.[32] The first season of Barney & Friends overtook the venerable Sesame Street in the Nielsen ratings of PBS children’s shows. On a typical day, some 3.4 million households were tuned into Barney & Friends while 2.8 million homes turned on Sesame Street.[33]
At the show's peak, in the 1996-1997 season, Barney was the No. 1 children's show on PBS with an average of 2.08 million preschool viewers, PBS said. However, it's slot was quickly taken away in March 1997 by Arthur,[9] due to many PBS stations placing the series on timeslots following Barney. By 1998, it was ranked down to third place, being beaten out by Arthur and Blue's Clues.[10] In September of that year, Barney & Friends took back the No. 1 spot as the most watched television program for ages two to five, having ten million viewers weekly.[11]
By April 2002, PBS, and Nielsen Ratings stated that the average rating for the show was 1.07 million, and was placed at the #6 spot [34] and by August, the show drew in a 6.6 rating among children ages 2 to 5, or 1,070,000 children, according to season-to-date figures, which was down a peak 13.2 rating, or 2,080,000 children, in the 1996-97 season.[35] Despite the show declining in ratings and popularity, the show consistently ranked among the top twenty among all children's programs, including broadcast and cable outlets in 2006.[36]
Criticism
Backlash
The show has been the frequent subject of criticism, most notably for a supposed "lack of educational value", even despite several peer-reviewed studies saying otherwise.
Many families began to refuse to watch the show because of its supposed "one-dimensionality", and several YouTube videos have plush dolls of the character being either blown up or set on fire. Sources of hostility include episodes of the show that have since been removed from airing depicting Barney instructing children to talk to strangers (an episode that does not, in fact, exist at all).
Other sources of hostility include supposed episodes where the character instructs children to do other potentially "harmful" acts (that do not appear at all in the show), such as lying, cheating, stealing, and catching stinging insects (referring to the song Baby Bumblebee (which was no longer used after 1997)). Other reasons cited for the hostility also include Barney's voice (described by many adults as "dopey"), lack of varied facial expressions other than a toothy smile, and personality (described as being "self-centered"), as well as how the children in the series interact with the dinosaur characters.
One specific criticism is:
"[H]is shows do not assist children in learning to deal with negative feelings and emotions. As one commentator puts it, the real danger from Barney is denial: the refusal to recognize the existence of unpleasant realities. For along with his steady diet of giggles and unconditional love, Barney offers our children a one-dimensional world where everyone must be happy and everything must be resolved right away."
Additionally, the show is ranked #50 ranked on TV Guide's List of the 50 Worst TV Shows of All Time.
This criticism has led to several humorous attempts, dubbed "anti-Barney humor ", namely in the form of Internet videos, songs, Internet fiction, print media, and video games.
Cultural Impact
Children Empowerment
According to Dr. Gordon Berry, Professor of Educational Psychology at UCLA, he stated that "Barney empowers kids". During the World Trade Center bombing on February 26, 1993, it was reported that seventeen kindergartners were trapped in an elevator for five hours.[37] They remained calm by singing "I Love You". During that trauma, it was the voices of children singing the song that calmed the adults.[38] In that same year, 4-year-old girl says she alerted her family to a middle-of-the-night fire, due to what she learned when watching Barney & Friends.[39]
Stephen White, one of the main writers for the show, learned that a young girl urgently started singing the song he wrote "Buckle Up My Seatbelt", to her mother when she noticed her seatbelt wasn't buckled at a stopped intersection. Singing the song was the only way the child could convey the issue. The mother buckled the daughter's seatbelt but at the next intersection, a car ran the light and slammed into them. Police stated that the little girl would've died if her seatbelt wasn't buckled.[28]
Celebrities
The show has received recognition from public figures and celebrities. John Travolta and his children were huge fans of the show, with Travolta being in contact with the Lyons Group regularly. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver, brought their kids to see Barney when the latter made an appearance at Universal Studios Hollywood.[40] The show has been referenced by celebrities, (starting within the 2010 decade) who grew up watching the show, who've recited fond memories of it. Kylie Jenner posted an Instagram story in February 2019 of her and her then one month old daughter, Stormi, watching the show on Universal Kids.[41]
Barney posing with Selena Gomez.
Child Stars
In the later years of Barney & Friends, the show was cited as a launching pad for child stars, similar to how The Mickey Mouse Club launched the careers of Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. With Barney & Friends, young cast members, and parents often looked to Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Madison Pettis as role models who made a career after appearing on Barney & Friends at a young age.[42]
Music
In 2017, Auli’i Cravalho, best known as the voice of Moana, stated that the first ever song she sang in public was "The Rainbow Song".[43] In February 2021, Mariah Carey and Cardi B had a one-on-one conversation for Interview magazine about their upbringing, with Cardi B citing that growing up as a child, she was only allowed to listen to Barney (and Disney) music due to her mother wanting her to stay young. At that age, it was the only music she was interested in.[44]
Artists have referenced the show in some of their songs such as Nicki Minaj referencing Baby Bop in her song "Stupid Hoe"[45] and Kanye West referencing Barney during his older childhood days in south side Chicago on the song "Jesus Lord".
Pop Culture
The character of Barney, and the show, have often been referenced and or mocked in popular films such as Jurassic Park III, Jersey Girl, and 8 Mile and television shows such as Animaniacs, The Simpsons, Family Matters, Fresh Off the Boat, and productions on Nickelodeon. Barney first reached official pop culture status when he was parodied in a Saturday Night Live sketch in the fall of 1993. The Barney likeness played a game of one-on-one basketball against Phoenix Suns superstar Charles Barkley.[46]
As early as spring 1993, Barney books were already on the mass market and were self-published through Barney Publishing. In that same year, some books made it onto the Publishers Weekly Bestselling List from 1992, with one book on the list passing a million units. All five of Barney's first books passed a million units as well.[47] Barney books were self published all the way until HIT Entertainment bought the franchise in 2001. From there, some books were re-released through Scholastic and HIT Entertainment.
In 1996, seven Barney books made it onto Publisher's Weekly All-Time Bestselling Hardcover Children's Books.[48] In 2001, five Barney books made it onto Publisher's Weekly All-Time Bestselling Children's Books list.[49] Over 80 million Barney books have been sold.[30]
Originally titled, Barney: The Movie, a film based on the television series was intended to be released theatrically by Warner Bros. and Geffen Pictures for summer 1995. Due to disagreements, the film became distributed by PoyGram, with a new (worldwide) release of April 3, 1998. It was filmed in Montreal, Canada , directed by Steve Gomer with the screenplay written by longtime series writer Stephen White. The film followed the title character, three children a on a chase for a magical egg. The film featured stars such as Shirley Douglas and George Hearn and child-stars such as Kyla Pratt and Trevor Morgan,
Untitled Barney film
On October 18, 2019, Mattel Films announced a collaboration with the production companies Valparaiso Pictures and 59% to develop a new Barney film. Mattel Films announced it would co-produce the film alongside Academy Award®-nominee Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out,” “Black Panther”), Rowan Riley and Amandla Crichlow at 59%, as well as Valparaiso's David Carrico, Adam Paulsen and Bobby Hoppey. Kevin McKeon will also shepherd the project for Mattel Films.[50] The film is also to be written by Lee Sung Jin.[51] During an interview with Entertainment Weekly on October 19, 2020, Kaluuya stated that his reason for wanting to do the film was based on "I Love You", a song that's sung at the end of every Barney episode, and was intrigued with the angle of a premise of when those words 'I love you, you love me. Won’t you say you love me too?’ aren't true.[52][53] On June 28, 2021, Annapurna Pictures inherited a majority of Valparaiso's upcoming films, including Barney. David Carrico, founder of Valparaiso, remains attached to the film as an executive producer.[54] On August 30, 2021, it was announced that Mattel’s Play Lab, the research arm for Mattel, would help with the content of the film. With the help of Mattel's Play Lab, the upcoming Mattel Films, including Barney, would better engage kids, be more developmentally appropriate, and tap into topics that families most want to explore in entertainment.[55]
In 1994, a stage show Barney Live! At Radio City (released on video as Barney Live! In New York City) was performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The complete run of the show was the second fastest sell-out in Radio City history, after Bette Midler, as it had sold out performances.
A Day in the Park with Barney, a stage show attraction based on the series opened on July 11, 1995 at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida. The attraction faced temporary closure in August of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic before finally closing permanently on January 1, 2021. It was replaced by DreamWorks Destination.
Barney was the theme park attraction theme in Cred Street in the theme park of Alton Towers in Alton, Staffordshire, England. Three times a day, Barney and his friends, Baby Bop and BJ performed a live show at the theatre. It opened on April 1, 2000 closed in 2002, being replaced by Twennies in 2003.
Merchandise
In 1998, Barney brought in $750 million in retail sales of licensed merchandise, but the next year, the last year for which numbers are available, the total had fallen to $550 million, according to License! Magazine, a New York trade magazine.[34] As of 2001, the property that has sold US$3.5 billion in licensed merchandise, which at the time, it withstood the onslaught from newcomers in the preschool market, like Teletubbies and Blue’s Clues.[56]
Video Games
Throughout Barney's history, a small collection of video games have been available for purchase. The only game released on a mainstream video game console was "Barney's Hide and Seek Game". All the others were either released on PC or on V.Smile consoles.
In November 1998, it was announced that BJ was going to have his own animated spin-off series titled BJ and the Radical Rumblebutts which would've been produced by Lyrick Studios and Toronto’s Portfolio Films.[57]
The project came into fruition after the success and acclaim earned by its previous preschool series Groundling Marsh, which aired on YTV in Canada for five years. The show's success caught the attention of Lyrick Studios. Lyrick was looking to acquire additional properties for home video sales and merchandising and approached Toronto-based Portfolio about the Groundling Marsh series. Lyrick had identified the opportunity to create a spin-off with the character BJ, with Tim Clott, who was CEO at the time, deciding that Toronto's Portfolio Films was best suited for the project.
The show was to be made on a budget of $400,000 per half-hour with the Canadian broadcaster being YTV. A broadcaster for the U.S. was yet to be determined. Lisa Olfman, founder of Toronto's Portfolio Films, mentioned that test marketing showed that boys lost interest in Barney & Friends by the age of four, but BJ had a strong following in young boys. Expected for a release in 2000, BJ was to be aged up for the show's target demographic.[58] The project didn't come to fruition, but scripts were written.
Refresh
During the hiatus after season fourteen, a refresh was in discussions to explore where Barney lived, with Barney's land, which didn't go anywhere.[16]
Reboot
On October 6, 2015, 9 Story Media Group announced a long-term partnership with HIT Entertainment, the now subsidiary of Mattel, to distribute pre-school series Barney & Friends and Angelina Ballerina, as well as as relaunching both properties for a reboot that was slated to debut in 2017.[20] Production never occurred for either one of the properties. During Mattel's 2021 Virtual Analyst Day Presentation, Barney was included to be a "new series in development" by Mattel Television.[59]
Trivia
Some episodes of the television series were encoded with signals that enabled the ActiMates Barney doll to interact with the program. During this time period, some reruns of Season 1-3 episodes removed the Barney Says segment to fit the program into the shortened time slot.
The Barney & Friends webpage was removed off of the main PBS Kids site around 2009, although the page is still up and running.
According to Pia Hamilton, a typical 30-minute episode took four days to complete. Rehearsals were normally on Mondays, and filming took place Tuesdays-Thursdays.
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