Lyrick Studios
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 Lyrick Studios logo from 1997-2001 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded |
|
| Defunct | August 31, 2001 |
| Fate | Acquired by and folded into HIT Entertainment |
| Successor | HIT Entertainment |
| Headquarters | Allen, Texas |
Number of employees | 650 (1997) |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | www.lyrickstudios.com |
Lyrick Studios was an American video production and distribution company based in Allen, a Dallas suburb. The company was best known for its distribution of home videos, audio products, children's books and toys for the children's television series Barney & Friends, Wishbone, and for the TV series The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth. This company was also known for its production and distribution of home videos, audio products, children's books, toys, video games, 2D and CGI animation, visual effects, feature-length motion pictures, and television shows.
History
The company traces its origins to 1988, when The Lyons Group was formed as a division of DLM, Inc (Developmental Learning Materials), an educational company owned by Richard C. Leach.[1] Lyons began producing and distributing a direct-to-video series titled Barney and the Backyard Gang, which was created by Sheryl Leach, the daughter-in-law of Richard. Three years after the home video series debuted, Barney caught the attention of PBS executives, and the concept was subsequently revamped for television. Barney & Friends began airing on the Public Broadcasting Service on April 6, 1992, presented by CPTV from 1992-2005, and from 2006-2010 by WNET.
Lyrick Studios was formed in 1994, and the Lyons Group became a division of the new company under the name Lyons Partnership. Richard C. Leach, creator of Barney, became the company's CEO in 1997. The company developed the Wishbone series for PBS in 1995, a show about a talking dog living in the fictional town of Oakdale, Texas. This series was produced by Big Feats! Entertainment, another Lyrick division. The series was filmed at the studio and on location in Plano.[2] By the late 1990s, Lyrick Studios turned its primary focus on distribution of children's TV shows and films and Sony Wonder's lease trial with Lyrick Studios expired and Lyrick became independent. Lyrick acquired the distribution rights for VeggieTales and The Wiggles (whom they discovered during a performance at Disneyland), and also distributed book publishing and video gaming rights for some Humongous Entertainment video game characters like Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, and Pajama Sam.
In 2001, Lyrick began distributing TV shows owned by entertainment company HiT Entertainment such as Bob the Builder (on May 22, 2001), and Kipper (on June 5, 2001). On February 9, 2001, the company was acquired by HIT for a $275-million deal. On May 29, 2001, Richard C. Leach died of a heart attack at age 74, not long after the company was sold.[3] Though HiT purchased the company on February 9, 2001, most of its VHS tapes still used the Lyrick logo with the HiT logo until August 31 when it was folded into the company.[4]
Distribution
Programs
| Name | First year | Final year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barney & Friends | 1992 | 2001 | |
| Wishbone | 1995 | 2001 | |
| Joe Scruggs | 1997 | 2001 | |
| Francesco's Friendly World | 1997 | 2001 | |
| Shakespeare’s Animated Stories | 1997 | 2001 | US distribution |
| Groundling Marsh | 1998 | 2001 | US distribution |
| VeggieTales | 1998 | 2001 | Mass market distribution |
| Shelley Duvall's American Tall Tales & Legends | 1998 | 2001 | |
| The Wiggles | 1999 | 2001 | US distribution |
| The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth | 2000 | 2001 | US distribution |
| Bob the Builder | 2001 | US distribution | |
| Kipper | 2001 | US distribution | |
| Angelina Ballerina | 2001 | US distribution | |
Movies/TV Films
| Name | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kids for Character | 1996 | Includes scenes from The Puzzle Place, Barney & Friends, Scholastic's The Magic School Bus, Lamb Chop's Play-Along, Nick Jr.'s Gullah Gullah Island, and Babar |
| Kids for Character: Choices Count | 1997 | Includes scenes from Bananas in Pyjamas, The Big Comfy Couch, and Wishbone |
| Shelley Duvall's Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme | 1998 | |
| Wishbone's Dog Days of the West | 1998 | |
| Barney's Great Adventure- The Movie | 1998 | PolyGram Films |
References
- ^ "The Guide to United States Popular Culture". Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Tanner, Lisa (September 5, 1999). "Lyrick Studios expanding". Dallas Business Journal.
- ^ Billings, Claire. "HIT acquires US rival Lyrick Studios in $275 million deal". Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8fCBQCkfsE
External links
- Lyrick Studios at the Wayback Machine (archive index)