Barney & Friends Thread

[Shrek]

Yes folks, you never thought you would see a thread for this, did you? Meet Barney the Dinosaur, the spawn of the classic Kid's show and literally millions of Youtube videos made by 10 Year-Olds that think he's the spawn of Satan and try to prove this in MS Paint and Windows Movie-Maker. Also, if you're not thinking of the show's music by now, you're not a Human-Being.

I love you...you love me...We're a happy family!

The Barney craze started back in April 6, 1992, a day that would change the world forever through the power of conveying educational messages to kids through song and dance routines. Though, this purple creature was created far earlier back in 1987 before it hit the airwaves by Sheryl Leach from Dallas, Texas. She brought together a team and an incredibly small budget to make a series of Direct-To-Video movies about Barney from 1988 and 1989, before it became popular enough and was adapted as a full show.

The series was ultimately cancelled in 2009 when the creators got too rich and lazy to make any more, though you can't really blame them after the series was ranked #50 on TV Guide's 2002 list of the 50 worst TV shows of all time, and it managed to create possibly one of the oldest Internet Memes out there from an entire subculture of the show's critics and haters. Despite the massive amount of deserved criticism, the series is still very well known and continues to air on PBS to this day.

Will the Purple Dinosaur ever strike back with a new show? What impact does he have on your childhood, if any? Discuss all of that fine goodness here.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Shrek

[Wraith]

That dinosaur has the eyes of a demon.

[Solkia]

I loved this show as a child.

Can someone explain to me why?

[SenEDDtor Missile]

It was cheesy, slathered over a vat full of corniness and grilled on the grill of wtfdom.

I'm not entirely sure why I watched it back when I was a kid, but eh whatever.

Edited September 17, 2012 by Frankenstein Joe

[The drunkard from space!]

Oh yeah. Back in the day I left my old, worn down TV on PBS because it was the only channel that got decent reception. This show would come on every now and then and I didn't bother to turn it off because I needed SOME KIND of background noise to keep me sane.

[Old dead account]

Honestly, this is one of those shows where I would look back, re-watch an episode or 2 of it right now and say "...why the fuck did I like this back then???"

However, I never liked this show as a kid and I still wouldn't. That dinosaur always creeped me the fuck out.

[McGroose]

My sister really liked this show before, but I never liked it. I always thought Thomas the Tank Engine was the better show growing up.

[Wentos]

Never liked it. That damn dinosaur is creepy as hell.

[Sly4Good]

As a wise comedic group once said......

HE'S EATING EVERY ONE!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNsE7t4Vvx0

[KHCast]

Next to the Teletubbies, this show creeped the crap out of me as a kid. Seriously I would have been less scared of Slender as a kid after watching those two shows!

[C.J]

I used to watch this show as a kid and I quite liked it! But now looking back...oh god, it was quite corny and chessy as hell! I sometimes ask myself that why did I like this?!

Edited September 19, 2012 by Red Wisp

[MegaMan_EXE]

I used to watch it as a young little boy. Now I've grown up, and this thing scares me! O_O

Why do we even have a thread on this? Just asking. Not to mention, a bit strange to me.

[Endy]

God damnit I loved this show too much.

Shrek I love you for making this thread you god damn manchild.

[\gunther]

This was one of the first big franchises I got into. As a young toddler, everything I owned had the Barney logo on it.

Next to the Teletubbies, this show creeped the crap out of me as a kid. Seriously I would have been less scared of Slender as a kid after watching those two shows!

Teletubbies is at least bizarre as fuck, so you can enjoy it as an adult for the sheer oddness value. Whatever the fellas at the BBC were inhaling, I want it.

Barney? It's not one of those things that most of us can go back to and enjoy on some level. I can see why many parents and older siblings loathed the heck out of the purple thing.

But on that note, it's not one of those "WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING WHY DID I LIKE THIS" kind of shows, either. It's a harmless little kid program. If you can't see why a toddler would like it, ur crazi.

[KHCast]

This was one of the first big franchises I got into. As a young toddler, everything I owned had the Barney logo on it.

Teletubbies is at least bizarre as fuck, so you can enjoy it as an adult for the sheer oddness value. Whatever the fellas at the BBC were inhaling, I want it.

Barney? It's not one of those things that most of us can go back to and enjoy on some level. I can see why many parents and older siblings loathed the heck out of the purple thing.

But on that note, it's not one of those "WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING WHY DID I LIKE THIS" kind of shows, either. It's a harmless little kid program. If you can't see why a toddler would like it, ur crazi.

No I can't understand why a toddler would like it cause when I was a toddler I didn't like it nor see it's appeal. It's a messed up creepy looking giant dino around little kids.

[Balding Spider]

Aw dude I despised this lying purple sack of shit. All the time he went on about how the world was great and made it seem like if you had enough love rainbows and sunshine would always find their way to you and everything would be okay.

Liar!

It would only hurt that much worse when something terrible would happen and everything you took from this show was proven false. I'm glad the giant meteor came down and slaughtered your species Barney.

Edited September 18, 2012 by Balding Spider

[\gunther]

No I can't understand why a toddler would like it cause when I was a toddler I didn't like it nor see it's appeal. It's a messed up creepy looking giant dino around little kids.

You see a molestersaurus, I see a derpy purple singing lump that hosts a simplistic educational show.

[SonicHOG]

And I'm surprised I wasn't brave enough to start this myself. XD (You really expected a Barney topic WITHOUT a post by yours truly? )

I could go on and on about how I love this franchise (Barney's my favorite character of all time, even beating out Sonic. I also think B&F is one of the best series for young children.) , but I already do that often enough, anyway.

Anyway, the reason why the series stopped taping is that HiT Entertainment, the owners of Barney and Thomas the Tank Engine, among many others, was losing money and that Barney had been in decline since the early 2000's. Meanwhile, a fourteenth "season" (consisiting of reruns from Seasons 10 and 11 of the series, upscaled to HD) was produced to basically give people some "new" episodes and a stage show by VEE Corp. (the people behind Sesame Street Live) was produced to breathe life into the purple dinosaur (and honestly, they did a pretty nice job, especially with the music). In addition, merchandise aimed at Barney's original fans were produced and are still sold at Spencer's Gifts, among a few others.

HiT was put up for sale in 2011 and Mattel bought HiT that October. A few news articles say that they're planning to sell off the purple guy, as Mattel's main intention was to aquire Thomas the Tank Engine (HiT's most profitable brand). Barney's future is up in the air at the moment, which is especially difficult as the PBS series celebrated 20 years on the network this year and that the franchise's 25th anniversary hits next year.

If there's anything you want to know anything about Barney, just ask and I'll happily answer..... But don't get me started on the "swearing on TV"/"Drug in tail" rumors. I'm planning to cover those in a future video.

Edited September 18, 2012 by SonHOG

[Emperor Robrainiac]

Yeah, like most other people here, I used to watch Barney, grew out of it, and is now completely creeped out by him. Pretty much what almost everyone goes through pretty much.

And I'm surprised I wasn't brave enough to start this myself. XD (You really expected a Barney topic WITHOUT a post by yours truly? )

I could go on and on about how I love this franchise (Barney's my favorite character of all time, even beating out Sonic. I also think B&F is one of the best series for young children.) , but I already do that often enough, anyway.

Anyway, the reason why the series stopped taping is that HiT Entertainment, the owners of Barney and Thomas the Tank Engine, among many others, was losing money and that Barney had been in decline since the early 2000's. Mattel bought HiT back in October and a few news articles say that they're planning to sell off the purple T-Rex himself.

Basically, if you want to know anything about Barney, just ask and I'll happily answer.

Yeah, I think I've seen you bring up Barney a few times on this board. Just out of curiosity though, why do you like him? Pretty much everyone and their dogs I know (At least everyone over the toddler-ish age) hates him and it's not every day you run into an older Barney fan.

No, no, no, please don't take this as an attack, or don't think I'm making fun of you. Everyone has interests that others don't understand, I mean, I'm a huge My Little Pony fan, and while that show's gotten a huge (Huge is an understatement actually) male fanbase, It's understandable as to why some would be weird out by it. I personally think there's worse stuff people could be interested in.

It's just out of curiosity, really.

Edited September 18, 2012 by Lyra Heartstrings

[Chili Dawg]

I watched Barney when I was about 3 or 4. Then one day my seven year old sister told me it was dumb.

And I sure as hell didn't want to watch a dumb show! So no Barney for me after that.

[SonicHOG]

Yeah, I think I've seen you bring up Barney a few times on this board. Just out of curiosity though, why do you like him? Pretty much everyone and their dogs I know (At least everyone over the toddler-ish age) hates him and it's not every day you run into an older Barney fan.

No, no, no, please don't take this as an attack, or don't think I'm making fun of you. Everyone has interests that others don't understand, I mean, I'm a huge My Little Pony fan, and while that show's gotten a huge (Huge is an understatement actually) male fanbase, It's understandable as to why some would be weird out by it. I personally think there's worse stuff people could be interested in.

It's just out of curiosity, really.

It's alright. I actually have gotten attacked after being asked this, so thank you for clarifying that you're just curious.

I guess the reason why I still like Barney, while 98% of the planet wants the character extinct, is because he played a huge role in my childhood, really. Not only was I part of the generation who was first taught by Barney & Friends, but Barney himself really shaped my personality (kind, generous, willing to help others, etc. No, I don't run around naked, painted purple, while singing "I Love You." XD). Why I never gave him up is something that I can't even think of one simple answer for. Even though I was teased by a number of people for liking Barney, it didn't stop me from liking the franchise or the title character. In fact, most people didn't mind that I like a show made for young children. It helps that I've gotten to know many older fans like myself (I'm a pretty big name in the so-called "adult Barney fanbase," kinda like Dreadknux).

In the end, I think the whole thing boils down simply to the phrase "to each, their own."

Thanks for asking though.

I watched Barney when I was about 3 or 4. Then one day my seven year old sister told me it was dumb.

And I sure as hell didn't want to watch a dumb show! So no Barney for me after that.

Ah, peer pressure. Isn't it a wonderful thing.... >.>

[Gatestormer]

Behold the Season 1 title card.

It took me a good 10 seconds or so to realise that Barney isn't displaying a massive erection.

[LATER BUDDY]

Was actually pretty obsessed with it when I was about 4-5 years old. Watched the show everyday, had a stuffed animal of Barney, etc. The day this obsession fell through though was the day I rented some Barney game for the Sega Genesis at our local movie place. See, I used to have a terrible fear of technology thing glitching or crashing, and the game kinda did just that. It was some poorly made hide and go seek game and you had to find these kids as Barney in some underwater level. It was late at night, big empty living room, and by myself with the lights off when suddenly the game freezes and the most god awful loud "RRRN" sound comes from the TV.

Haven't watched it since XD.

[SonicHOG]

Behold the Season 1 title card.

It took me a good 10 seconds or so to realise that Barney isn't displaying a massive erection.

XD! I never thought of that, but I can't unsee it now. Thanks.

For good measure, here's a video of all the show's intros:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n05aW5kOMAI

Oh, and "I Love You isn't the theme song. The Barney Theme Song is the song in the video ("Barney is a dinosaur from our imagination, etc.")

Edited September 18, 2012 by SonHOG

[Kuzu]

I loved this show as a child.

Can someone explain to me why?

You were obviously a special needs child.