Many young adults remember their favorite childhood shows when they were in preschool, such as Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and Barney & Friends. It was just announced that Barney will get a glow up in 2024 with a planned revival of the franchise according to Variety. It is a collaboration between Mattel and Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana to bring back the beloved purple dinosaur to a new generation of kids.
The original idea for Barney & Friends was created by Sheryl Leach (Good Day, Good Night, Barney’s Great Adventure) as well as Kathy Parker (A World Apart, Three Wishes) and Dennis Deshazer (The Three Wise Men, Start Singing with Boz) in the 1980s. The crew then made videos of the early versions of Barney in 1987 and then aired the television show in the spring of 1992 on PBS. It took off and became a favorite on the channel with showtimes recurring just as often as Sesame Street. The show and many of its side shows and movies spawned for decades, and the main show concluded on November 2nd, 2010.
Many of the kids who watched the show when they were younger are now adults and even might have some children of their own. With the recent announcement, many will relate to each other’s experiences and would share them with their kids as well. While the previous show’s recognizable quotes include, “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family,” this new show would show, “love, community, and encouragement” just like the previous.
As of now, a new series is in the works with Fred Soulie (Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) and Christopher Keenan (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Deepa & Anoop) as executive producers from Mattel Television. They will work alongside Colin Bohm (Life with Boys, Undercover Grandpa) and Pam Westman (Miss Persona, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Rehydrated) from Nelvana. As of now, nothing is concrete in terms of what the show would bring to the table or what plot a movie with this Barney would look like. What would be certain would be its most recent 3-D redesign and animated style, signaling a transition into that realm of kid’s television like many other shows including PAW Patrol, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and The Backyardigans.
As well as the TV series and movie, Mattel also proposed to expand the franchise with original YouTube video series as well as creating original music that would also be shown in the shows and movies. Besides that, Mattel also plans to do what they do best and sell Barney & Friends merchandise, clothing, toys, books, and games. The huge demographic of young adults is also on Mattel’s radar, which encompasses those who grew up with the original series. This would entail even more merchandise and accessories that would bring the nostalgia back and bring full attention to the reboot.
Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer and global head of consumer products at Mattel says this about the reboot via. Variety,“We will tap into the nostalgia of the generations who grew up with Barney, now parents themselves, and introduce the iconic purple dinosaur to a new generation of kids and families around the world across content, products, and experiences.”
From TVLine, Silverman also mentions, “Barney’s message of love and kindness has stood the test of time…We will tap into the nostalgia of the generations who grew up with Barney, now parents themselves, and introduce the iconic purple dinosaur to a new generation of kids and families around the world across content, products, and experience.
Fred Soulie, SVP and general manager of Mattel Television adds this, “In creating the new series, it was important to us that we properly reflect the world that kids today live in so that the series can deliver meaningful lessons about navigating it…With our modern take on Barney, we hope to inspire the next generation to listen, care, and dream big. We think that parents, many of whom will fondly remember the original Barney from their own childhoods, will love the show, too.”
There would be more details to report on when more developments come forward about the specific direction Mattel chooses to take. In the meantime, you can watch Barney & Friends on the PBS website as well as stream it on demand on many of the major streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Tubi TV, Apple TV, and Google Play.