Jamie Ruth Conner (born August 26, 1952) is best known as the designer of Barney as well as serving as the art director for the first three videos in the Barney and the Backyard Gang video series.
Education[]
Jamie Ruth Conner attended University of North Texas where she graduated cum lade in Design with a concentration in 3D design. She graduated from Southwestern University where she earned a MFA in communications on 1974. For her thesis she directed The Coco and Ginger Show, a Caribbean Baptist Puppet Show that was broadcast in 17+ Latin countries.
Career[]
Jamie Ruth Conner began her career as a costume designer.
Jamie Ruth Conner owned art and production studio Starcatcher Productions Inc. in Fort Worth. Her shop worked with various high profile clients including Six Flags. She closed her shop and retired from the television and production industry in 2001.
Sunshine Factory[]
In the early 1980s, Jamie Ruth Conner was hired to be the production designer and puppet builder for Sunshine Factory, a Christian based television series filmed in Fort Worth, Texas.
Barney the Dinosaur[]
Jamie Conner in 2022 with Andrew Olsen and a replica of the doll she made for the show.
Jamie Ruth Conner was hired to be the art director for Barney and the Backyard Gang in May of 1988, six weeks before they began filming the videos.[1] She designed Barney's look after Irene Corey failed to deliver a plushy dinosaur costume for the production to use. When Jamie Ruth Conner was drawing storyboards for the videos, the director, and the producer, John Grable saw how she drew Barney and she pointed at her sketch saying, "That! That is what I want my Barney to look like!". He directed Jamie Ruth Conner that Barney needed to look soft and plushy, and be a character that a child "Tina's age" would want to run up to and hug.
After Jamie Ruth Conner's design for Barney was finalized, the original Barney costume was built by Suzanne Lockridge.
Jamie Ruth Conner also was responsible for designing Moonkin, which was then contracted to a California costume firm to build.
Jamie Ruth Conner also designed and built the first Barney doll prop used in the 1988 production of Barney and the Backyard Gang.
Jamie Ruth Conner was given a $300k budget to work with for the production of the first three videos in the Barney and the Backyard Gang series. Her budget was used to salary the six member art department, construction on the fantasy sets, the props, and costumes.