Barney™
As a helping hand for growing children, Barney (along with special pals Baby Bop™, BJ™ and Riff™ ) helps parents give their children the range of skills they need to grow - and he always does it with lots of fun, music and laughs. Barney & Friends™ episodes are always filled with Sharing, Caring, Imagining, Dancing and Learning and can be seen on PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS Sprout℠. For more information about Barney and all his friends, please visit www.barney.com.
Barney™: The Story
The Barney story began in 1987 when former teacher, Sheryl Leach, observed her two-year-old son's fascination with dinosaurs at a museum exhibit and had the idea of using dinosaurs to create entertaining and educational videos for preschool children. She joined with another former teacher and a video producer to create the first Barney program. Sheryl and other local Barney enthusiasts (a.k.a. The Mom Blitzers) distributed the videos one at-a-time to specialty toy and video stores across the country.
In 1991 a Barney video ended up in a Connecticut store, where it was rented for Leora Rifkin, the four-year-old daughter of public television executive, Larry Rifkin. When he observed his daughter's enchantment with the program, he contacted Sheryl Leach and within one year the first season of Barney & Friends™ debuted on PBS®.
The series quickly became a hit on PBS and has remained a staple of the PBS line-up, helping millions of children learn their ABC's and 1,2,3's, while encouraging positive values and good manners. Through home entertainment videos, television, live events and tours, Barney is a beloved character who debuted 20 years ago, educating and entertaining each new generation with fun, music and laughs.
