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Barney & Friends

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Barney & Friends
File:Barneylogo.jpg
Current Barney & Friends logo
Created bySheryl Leach
StarringCarey Stinson (Barney suit)
Dean Wendt (Barney voice)
Jeff Ayers (Baby Bop suit)
Julie Johnson (Baby Bop voice)
Patty Wirtz (B.J. voice)
Kyle Nelson (B.J. suit)
Adam Brown (Riff suit)
Michaela Dietz (Riff voice)
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes208 (as of season ten)
Production
Running time30 Minutes
Original release
NetworkPBS
Release1992 –
present

Barney & Friends is a children's television show produced in the United States, mainly aimed at preschoolers. Barney is a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys learning through jumping around singing children's songs with a friendly, optimistic attitude.

Origin and development of the show

File:Barneythedino.jpg
Barney the Dinosaur

Barney was created in 1987 by Sheryl Leach of Dallas, Texas, USA. She came up with the idea for the program while considering TV shows that she felt would be educational and appeal to her son. Leach then brought together a team who created a series of home videos, Barney and the Backyard Gang, which also starred actress Sandy Duncan in the first 3 videos. Later, Barney was joined by the characters Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff .

Although the original videos were a modest regional success, Barney only became a major success when the character and format were revamped for series television and picked up by the Public Broadcasting Service, debuting as "Barney & Friends" in 1992. The series was produced by Lyrick Studios (bought by HIT Entertainment) and Connecticut Public Television. For several years, the show was taped at the ColorDynamics Studios facility at Greenville Avenue & Bethany Drive in Allen, after which it moved to The Studios at Las Colinas, Texas. Currently, the series is produced in a northern suburb of Dallas. The TV series and videos are currently distributed by HIT Entertainment.

Barney & Friends is now shown in other countries where it is translated if necessary. One such example is the Latin-American version produced in Mexico which is called Barney y Sus Amigos, (Spanish translation of "Barney & his Friends.")

Criticism

The show has been criticized for its lack of educational value. However, studies conducted by Yale researchers Dorothy and Jerome Singer have confirmed that episodes actually contain a great deal of age-appropriate educational material, calling the program a "model of what preschool television should be."[1]

Cast

Main article: Barney & Friends cast

Crew

Movies and specials

Funding

Airing history

  • New Zealand
  • Israel
    • Shesh

Music

  • A majority of the albums of Barney and Friends feature Bob West's voice as the voice of Barney. Though one of the most recent ones, The Land of Make-Believe (and every album starting with Start Singing with Barney), has Dean Wendt's voice.

See also

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