Barney & the Backyard Gang

Last updated

Barney & the Backyard Gang
The Backyard Gang Logo.jpg
Genre
Created by
Developed by
  • Sheryl Stamps-Leach
  • Kathy O'Rourke-Parker
  • Dennis DeShazer
Written by
  • Frank H. Olsen (1988–1990)
  • Pat Reeder (1988–1989)
  • Kathy O'Rourke Parker (1991)
  • Sheryl Stamps Leach (1991)
  • Dennis DeShazer (1991)
Directed by
  • John Grable (1988–1989)
  • Dwin Towell (1990)
  • Garry Potts (1990)
  • Jim Rowley (1991)
Starring
  • David Voss
  • David Joyner
  • Dao Knight
  • Sandy Duncan
  • Brian Eppes
  • Becky Swonke
  • Jessica Zucha
  • Leah Montes
  • Salim Grant
  • Rickey Carter
  • Alexander Jhin
  • Jeffrey Lowe
  • Bob Reed
Voices of
Opening themeBarney & the Backyard Gang Theme Song
Ending themeVarious
Composers
  • Stephen Bates Baltes
  • Bob Singleton
  • Lory Lazarus
  • Philip A. Parker
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Richard C. Leach (1988–1989)
  • Sheryl Stamps-Leach (1990–1991)
  • Kathy O'Rourke-Parker (1990–1991)
Producers
  • John Grable (1988–1989)
  • Dennis DeShazer (1990)
Production locations
Running time30 minutes
Production company The Lyons Group
Original release
ReleaseAugust 29, 1988 (1988-08-29) [1]  
September 21, 1991 (1991-09-21) [1]
Related
Barney & Friends

Barney & the Backyard Gang is an American direct-to-video series produced by The Lyons Group and released in periodic installments from August 29, 1988, to September 21, 1991. The first installment in the Barney franchise, the series' success led to the launch of the children's television show, Barney & Friends , which in its original run aired on PBS from April 6, 1992, to November 2, 2010. [2]

Contents

The first three episodes from 1988 and 1989 include Sandy Duncan as Michael and Amy's mother. (At the time, Duncan was starring on the NBC sitcom The Hogan Family .) Music for the Barney & the Backyard Gang videos was created by Stephen Bates Baltes and Phillip Parker (as with the television series), and Lory Lazarus wrote the first original song produced for Barney, "Friends Are Forever", sung by Duncan. In the first five videos, "I Love You" was sung at the beginning. Although "I Love You" was sung at the end of Barney Goes to School and Barney in Concert , and later frequently sung at the end of all episodes of Barney & Friends , it was not featured at the end of Rock with Barney.

The series was a regional success, but only a moderate success throughout the rest of the country.[ citation needed ] Then one day, in 1991, Larry Rifkin, then head of Connecticut Public Television, rented a Barney video for his daughter Leora. [3] He liked the concept and talked to Leach about possibly putting Barney on television through the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Rock with Barney was the final video in the series before the television show debuted. Also, only four of the kids from the videos (Michael, Derek, Tina, and Luci) were carried over to the television show.

Video list

In order of release date: [1]

Cast

Guest appearances

Syndication

The first six videos of this series aired on The Disney Channel in November 1990 as a part of its "Music Box" program. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Barney & Friends</i> American childrens television series

Barney & Friends is an American children's television series targeted at children aged two to five, created by Sheryl Leach. The series first aired on PBS on April 6, 1992, and features Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude. The series ended on November 2, 2010, although new videos were still released on various dates after the last episode aired. Reruns aired on Sprout from 2005 to 2015, and from December 17, 2018 to January 25, 2020 on Sprout's successor network, Universal Kids. On October 6, 2015, the series was initially renewed for revival with a new season to premiere in 2017, but that never came to fruition. A CGI-animated series aired on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito on October 18, 2024, and streamed on Max on October 14, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miracle Legion</span> American rock band

Miracle Legion was an American college rock band formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut. They earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but also in the UK, where they were feted by music media such as NME and Melody Maker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Duncan</span> American actress and singer (born 1946)

Sandra Kay Duncan is an American actress, comedian, dancer and singer. She is known for her performances in the Broadway revival of Peter Pan, the sitcom The Hogan Family, and the Disney films The Million Dollar Duck and The Cat from Outer Space. Duncan has been nominated for three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Foley</span> American singer and actress (born 1951)

Ellen Foley is an American singer and actress who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the hit NBC sitcom Night Court during its second season. In music, she has released five solo albums, but she is best known for her collaborations with rock singer Meat Loaf, particularly the 14× Platinum selling 1977 album Bat Out of Hell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonnie Bramlett</span> American singer

Bonnie Bramlett is an American singer and occasional actress known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie. She continues to sing as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Cartoon Express</span> American television programming block

The USA Cartoon Express was a programming block consisting of animated children's series which aired on the USA Network from September 20, 1982 to September 15, 1996. Cartoon Express was the first structured animation block on cable television, predating Nickelodeon's Nicktoons and Cartoon Network by a decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob West</span> American voice actor and graphic designer

Robert Matthew West is an American voice actor and graphic designer. He is best known as the original voice of Barney in the PBS children's television series Barney & Friends, and its preceding home video series "Barney & the Backyard Gang".

<i>Barney in Concert</i> 1991 multi-national TV series or program

Barney in Concert is a Barney & the Backyard Gang stage show, which was performed live in May 1991. The May 26th performance was released on video on July 29, 1991, in the United States and France. It was reissued many times worldwide until July 2000.

Wee Sing is a songbook series published by Price Stern Sloan. It would also inspire a series of children's CDs, cassettes, coloring books, toys, videos, and apps. The videos were shot in Portland, Oregon.

Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts are a Canadian rock band, based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, that formed in 1980. The band's name was taken from the title of Lou Reed's 1983 album.

<i>Waiting for Santa</i> 1990 American TV series or program

Waiting for Santa, known as Barney's Happy Christmas in Australia, is a direct-to-video Christmas Eve special. Released on video on April 30, 1990 as part of the Barney & the Backyard Gang series, it features an array of traditional Christmas songs as well as new arrangements. The video had sold almost five million copies by 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyrick Studios</span> Defunct American production company

Lyrick Studios, formerly The Lyons Group, was an American video production and distribution company based in Allen, Texas, best known for their flagship property Barney & Friends.

Madeline is an animated preschool television series produced by DIC Entertainment, L.P., as part of the Madeline media franchise. It began as a series of six television specials from 1988 to 1991, and then continued as Madeline and The New Adventures of Madeline from 1993 to 2001. The show is narrated by Christopher Plummer.

Neil Martin Taylor is an English guitarist, best known for his long-time affiliation with Robbie Williams and for his work with Tears for Fears.

Kathryn "Kathy" O'Rourke Parker is a children's educational television producer and writer, best known for being co-creator of the popular children's show Barney & Friends with Sheryl Leach and Dennis DeShazer. Kathy received her B.S. in Special Education in 1976 and an M.A. in Learning Disabilities in 1979, both from Eastern Michigan University. She taught in the field of special education in Michigan from 1976 to 1981, before moving to the state of Texas. From 1981 to 1987 she worked at DLM, Inc. of Allen, Texas marketing early childhood educational products and materials. Then, in 1987, personal friends Parker and Leach began working together on the idea that would become Barney & Friends.

David Eugene Joyner is an American actor. He is best known for physically portraying Barney from 1991 to 2001, and 2022 to present on the 2-part adult docuseries I Love You, You Hate Me, the successor children's television series Barney & Friends and its predecessor Barney & the Backyard Gang. Later on, he played the title character of Hip Hop Harry.

<i>Barney</i> (franchise) American childrens media franchise

Barney is an American media franchise targeted at children aged 2–6. Centering around the titular character Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude, the franchise consists of three series: Barney & the Backyard Gang (1988—1991), a direct-to-video series consisting of only eight episodes; Barney & Friends (1992—2010), a television series that ran on PBS Kids; and Barney's World (2024–present), a fully computer-animated series set to air on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito, and which is currently streaming on Max. The franchise is currently distributed by 9 Story Media Group, under license from Mattel Television.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Classic Barney Videos". Classic Barney. Tripod.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  2. Lawson, Carol (3 December 1992). "Why Young Children Scream". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  3. Walters, John (February 2002). The Same River Twice. Gunkerhalter Press. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-9716999-0-8.
  4. Petit, Stephanie (8 June 2017). "Barney Unmasked! Meet the Man Who 'Loved' Playing the Iconic Purple Dinosaur for a Decade". People. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  5. "On the set of "Barney"". Entertainment Weekly. October 5, 1990. Retrieved August 1, 2018.