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Lyrick Studios

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"Lyrick" redirects here. Not to be confused with Lyric.

Lyrick Studios
FormerlyThe Lyons Group (1986–1994)
Company typeSubsidiary
Founded1986; 38 years ago (1986)
DefunctAugust 24, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-08-24)[citation needed]
FateAcquired by and folded into HIT Entertainment. Used as the in-name IP holder for Barney & Friends until 2010.
Successors
HeadquartersAllen, Texas,
U.S.
Products
Number of employees
650 (1997)
ParentHIT Entertainment
Divisions
  • Big Feats! Entertainment
  • Lyons Partnership

Lyrick Studios, formerly The Lyons Group, was an American video production and distribution company based in Allen, Texas, best known for their flagship property Barney & Friends.

The company was known for producing and distributing television shows, home videos, audio products and children's books and toys. On February 9, 2001, the company was acquired by British entertainment company HIT Entertainment and completed in June. HIT later folded Lyrick in August.

History

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The company traces its origins to 1986, when The Lyons Group was formed as a division of DLM, Inc., an educational company owned by Richard C. Leach.[1] Lyons began producing and distributing a direct-to-video series titled Barney & the Backyard Gang, which was created by Leach's daughter-in-law, Sheryl Leach. Three years after its debut, Barney caught the attention of PBS executives, who subsequently revamped the concept for television as Barney & Friends and began airing on the organization's flagship television service on April 6, 1992.[2]

Lyrick Studios was formed in 1994, and DLM sold The Lyons Group to Lyrick Studios becoming the new division of the former and was renamed under the new name Lyons Partnership. The company developed the series Wishbone for PBS in 1995. This series was produced by Big Feats! Entertainment, another division of the company, and was primarily filmed on a studio backlot in Allen, Texas.[3] In the late 1990s, Lyrick acquired the distribution rights for VeggieTales and The Wiggles and also distributed book publishing and video gaming rights for some Humongous Entertainment video game characters like Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, and Pajama Sam.[3] On February 9, 2001, the company was acquired by HIT Entertainment for $275 million[4] and the two companies completed their merger in June of that year. Lyrick continued to use their logo until it was later folded into HIT on August 24, 2001.[citation needed] HIT also took over Lyrick's home video division and rebranded it under its name and it remained like this until 2006, when HIT Entertainment shuttered the division and began to release its products in the United States under third-parties instead.

Distribution

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Programs

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Name First release date Final release date Notes
Barney and the Backyard Gang August 29, 1988 August 1, 1991 Direct-to-video pilot series to Barney & Friends
Barney & Friends April 6, 1992 August 28, 2001[5][a] Flagship franchise
Wishbone October 9, 1995 March 13, 1998 Big Feats! Entertainment

Releases from 1995 to 1996 were originally distributed by PolyGram Video.

The Faithful Revolution: Vatican II 1996 Sole non-children's video release by Lyrick Studios[6][7]
Francesco's Friendly World 1996 February 25, 1998
Joe Scruggs March 11, 1997
VeggieTales March 31, 1998 June 6, 2001 Mass-market distribution[b]
Tall Tales & Legends June 16, 1998 October 10, 1998 Originally released in 1989 by Playhouse Video.
Groundling Marsh June 23, 1998 September 8, 1998
The Wiggles October 12, 1999 (music)
August 1, 2000 (video)[c]		 August 14, 2001 US home video distributors
Bob the Builder May 22, 2001 August 7, 2001
Kipper June 5, 2001[8] US home video distributor

Originally released by Hallmark Home Entertainment in the United States from 1999 to 2000.

Movies/TV Films

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Name Year Notes
Kids for Character 1996 Includes scenes from The Puzzle Place, Barney & Friends, The Magic School Bus, Lamb Chop's Play-Along, Gullah Gullah Island, and Babar
Kids for Character: Choices Count 1997 Includes scenes from Bananas in Pyjamas, The Big Comfy Couch, and Wishbone
Wishbone's Dog Days of the West 1998 Big Feats! Entertainment
Barney's Great Adventure PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme Originally released in 1990 by Media Home Entertainment.

Notes

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  1. ^ The date that the snap clamshell VHS release of Barney: Let's Go to the Zoo was released was dedicated to Lyrick Studios, which folded into HIT Entertainment.
  2. ^ Originally distributed in Christian bookstores.
  3. ^ The #1 preschool band collaborated Barney the purple dinosaur's national stage show tour "Barney's Musical Castle" in America and Canada from Spring 2000 to Spring 2001.

References

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  1. ^ Labov, William; Browne, Ray Broadus; Browne, Pat (2001). The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Popular Press. ISBN 9780879728212. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (April 7, 2017). "The Blame for 'Barney'? I'm a Little Guilty". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Tanner, Lisa (September 5, 1999). "Lyrick Studios expanding". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved January 23, 2004.
  4. ^ Billings, Claire (February 9, 2001). "HIT acquires US rival Lyrick Studios in $275 million deal". CampaignLive. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  5. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (June 23, 2001). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "The faithful revolution : [videorecording] Vatican II - Western University". ocul-uwo.primo.exlibrisgroup.com. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  7. ^ "The Faithful revolution : Vatican II | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  8. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (April 28, 2001). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
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