The Lyons Group

Last updated
The Lyons Group
Founded1986;39 years ago (1986)
Defunct1994;31 years ago (1994)
FateBecame a subsidiary of Lyrick Studios, which became a subsidiary of HIT Entertainment which got bought by Mattel
Successors Lyrick Studios
Headquarters Richardson, Texas [1] [2] ,
U.S.
Key people
  • Sheryl Leach (President, [3] 1988-1995)
  • Ernest Z. Frausto (President) [4]
  • Debbie Ries (Sales VP)
  • Joyce Slocum (Legal/Business VP)
  • Lynn Mabry (Finance/Operations VP)
  • Sue Bristol (Marketing Director)
  • Dennis DeShazer (Executive Producer) [5]
  • Kathy Parker (SVP Business Development)
Production output
Owner
Number of employees
250 (1993) [7]
Divisions Barney Publishing

The Lyons Group (alternatively known through copyright and trademark as Lyons Partnership, L.P.) was a video production group founded in 1986. Currently retaining ownership through copyright, it produced Barney & the Backyard Gang alongside its successor Barney & Friends .

Contents

History

Beginnings

The company traces its origins back to 1986, where it was founded as a B2B video production and corporate training video service. In the late 1980s, Sheryl Leach proposed a preschool video series, which eventually would be Barney & the Backyard Gang , to DLM, Inc (Developmental Learning Materials). At the time Leach was working at DLM, Inc. as a writer. The board she proposed to turned her down. Owner of DLM, Inc., Richard C. Leach, who was Sheryl's father-in-law, agreed to back her with the project with $700,000 of his own money, [8] but $1 million in total was provided for the video project. [9] The Lyons Group was formed by Leach under DLM, Inc., to help market Barney. [9] The company was named after Richard's mother, [10] Bernice Lyons Leach. [11]

DLM, Inc. changed its name to RCL Enterprises, Inc. in 1992 due to it divesting itself of Developmental Learning Materials and selling its instructional materials to Macmillian/McGraw Hill and its assessment materials to Riverside Publishing, a subsidiary of Houghton Mifflin. [10] Around this time The Lyons Group began using their alternative name, Lyons Partnership, L.P. through copyright and trademark, which continues to be used today. As the company was growing around this time, The Walt Disney Company was looking to buy the company. Michael Eisner, who was CEO of the company at the time, offered to make Barney as big as Mickey Mouse if the company was sold to Disney, but Leach refused. Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was also a part of The Walt Disney Company at the time, laid out plans he envisioned for Barney if involved with Disney. Again, Leach refused as he liked the idea of the company being independent. [12] In 1994, RCL Enterprises, Inc. was moved to its parent company, Lyrick Corporation. Lyrick Corporation formed the subsidiary Lyrick Studios which held the Lyons Group unit.

References

  1. ↑ Hinton, Carla (June 7, 1995). "Third Show Scheduled For Barney". The Oklahoman. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  2. ↑ "LYONS STICKING WITH BARNEY STRATEGY". Supermarket News. February 14, 1994. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Lawson, Carol (December 3, 1992). "Why Young Children Scream". The New York Times . Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  4. ↑ "EXECUTIVE TURNTABLE". Billboard Magazine. October 28, 1995. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  5. ↑ "What's not to like about that big, purple bundle known as Barney?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 24, 1993. Retrieved September 17, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Baldwin, Dan (September 1, 1991). "CREATING A MONSTER". Dallas Magazine. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Barney #4". The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection. October 22, 1993. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Barney's big success breeds some equally big problems". The Des Moines Register. April 24, 1994. Retrieved September 18, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 Sagon, Candy (June 21, 1992). "DUMPING THE LITTLE DINOSAUR THAT COULD". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Jones, Arthur (September 11, 1998). "Vatican II in living color, filled with promises". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  11. ↑ Destefano, Ed. "Richard Leach". Biola University. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  12. ↑ Vischer, Phil (November 15, 2004). "What Happened to Big Idea? (Part 6)". PhilVischer.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
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