Barneyis now being rebooted into an animated series. Barney is the eponymous purple dinosaur who debuted in 1988 withBarney & the Backyard Gang, and becamebest recognized from the television seriesBarney & Friends.The series began in 1992 and wrapped in 2010, spanning over 200 episodes. Different actors have worn the Barney suit and provided a voice for the amicable prehistoric character, including Bob West and Dean Wendt. West played the role from 1992-2000, with Wendt picking up his work in 2001 and then appearing up until the ending ofBarney & Friends.
PerVariety,Barneyis now being revived into a new series. It will take the form of anew animated series premiering on Max, titledBarney’s World.Barney’s Worldwill be set on a playground, where the titular purple Tyrannosaurus Rex is joined by fellow dinosaurs, Billy and Baby Bop, along with their three human children best friends, named David, Mel, and Vivie. According to the announcement, theBarney’s Worldshow will also include music, much like its predecessor.Barney’s Worldis set to premiere on Max on October 14.
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Mattel Has Also Announced A Barney Movie
The new series includes51 episodes that are all 11 minutes in length. FollowingBarney’s World’s premiere on Max, the series will air on Cartoon Network starting on October 15. The show will also air on YouTube, even coming to the platform early (October 11) in select countries. The voice cast ofBarney’s Worldincludes Jonathan Langdon as Barney, Bryn McAuley as Baby Bop, Jonathan Tan as Billy, Jayd Deroché as David, Diana Tsoy as Mel, and Ella Paciocco as Vivie.
The project is produced in part by Mattel. Curiously,Barney’s Worldis not the only project related to the purple dinosaurthat Mattel has in the works. Mattel has also previously announced the creation of alive-action Barney movieproduced byGet Out’s Daniel Kaluuya. The details of thisBarneymovie have been a source of confusion. In July 2023, a Mattel films executive described theBarneymovie as being “for adults.” Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz later clarified thatBarneywill not be an “odd movie.”
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Kaluuya’sBarneymovie does not have a release date, but withBarney’s Worldcoming next month, it is the Max show that will be gracing the screen first. From reports, the Max series seems like it will be a fairly faithful recreation of the original show’s energy. If the show follows the format of its predecessor, it will be another outlet for children to have a show aimed at them while providing some educational lessons. If the live-actionBarneymovieends up happening, it will be fascinating to see how its approach contrasts withBarney’s World.
Barney & Friends
Cast
Barney the Dinosaur is a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus Rex who teaches kids valuable life lessons through music and games. Created by Sheryl Leach in 1988, the series Barney & Friends first premiered on PBS in 1992 and ran until 2010.
