![]() “We’re just not used to – in our culture – seeing men that are kind, vulnerable and sweet,” she comments in the documentary. Yalda Uhls, a child psychologist and former movie industry executive, detects a reason for the negative reaction to Barney’s warm and supportive nature. The series meticulously unpacks what caused the Barney backlash. “There’s obviously a jealousy issue there, as silly as that may sound, but that’s a real feeling.” “He came home from work one day expecting her to say, ‘Hey, dad!’ But she’s glued to the television,” Avallone explains. The filmmakers interviewed Robert Curran, who founded the I Hate Barney Secret Society in 1993, after his two-year-old daughter became obsessed with Barney. They want to hear the same song, they want to hear the same story.”īut that very repetition, along with Barney’s relentlessly upbeat attitude, is part of what drove parents – and others beyond the target audience - crazy. As West observes in the film, “With a preschool kid, repetition represents safety. With a great big hug/And a kiss from me to you/Won’t you say you love me too?”īarney fans loved to sing and dance along. ![]() West came up with the character’s giggly, goofy voice, and sang his cheery song (to the melody of “This Old Man”): “I love you, you love me/We’re a happy family. And once that character landed, it just exploded.”īob West, the original voice of Barney the Purple Dinosaur Peacock Sheryl Leach and the Barney crew really found a market. “When Barney came out in ‘92, Nick Junior was just starting, Disney Channel wasn’t like the way it became. “The show came back on in 1993, their second season… 1993 is what they call their ‘Elvis’ year. Within a few years, an executive with Connecticut Public Television worked with Leach to turn her creation into a PBS series, Barney & Friends, which launched in 1992. The first Barney home videos came out in 1988. Because if you knew what the odds against making this thing were, you would never even try.” “You see this sweet person who against all odds, almost because of her naivete, she succeeded. “Sheryl’s amazing journey… along with that teacher’s heart and why she created it - I even get the chills a little bit ,” says executive producer Joel Chiodi, head of documentaries and SVP of strategic development at Scout Productions, which produced the series. and of course Barney's head doesn't turn because it's all once piece so you have to portray emotion coming from this character as you're talking and then also wanting to show different gestures and mannerisms that's not gonna take the character out of character, because Barney still has certain nuances.ĭespite these conditions, he explained that he did enjoy playing Barney.Sheryl Leach with her creation, Barney the Purple Dinosaur Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images So you can't be walking through the set destroying things. Temperatures in the suit would get as high as 48 degrees Celsius, and the entire six foot costume weighed 70 pounds. ![]() On top of that there's kids, there's lighting. He added that on top of providing a first class performance, Barney is performed under some extremely testing conditions. Inside I'm nodding up and down, it's hot, I'm sweating, but I've got props and then on top of that, the voice is talking so I have to make sure my nod and my mannerisms are going with the voice.īarney was voiced by Bob West, so Joyner had to time his movements with the voice work. On Monday the Mail Online revealed the worst parts of the role.Īccording to Joyner, he was the second choice for the role, after the actor before him pulled out, saying she was unable to cope with the pressures of the role. He has subsequently had roles in TV shows such as Shameless US, Veep, and ER. The man who played Barney the Dinosaur for over 10 years has revealed the worst part of donning the purple suit.Īctor David Joyner first played Barney in 1990, and made his last TV appearance as the dinosaur in 2003.
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