Barney began as some VHS direct to videos for kids called Barney and the backyard gang, they released 8 tapes that became popular and we got the show Barney and Friends that we all know and love or hate. These tapes however are not the Barney we all know and love, it’s a prototype version that you can see how most ideas came from here but some were quickly dropped over the course of the tapes as they were still figuring it out. I however love these early artistic choices. Let’s dive in.
Each video is roughly 40 minutes and feels very low budget overall. Some of these tapes were latear re-released once the show was more popular but some were more common than others. I like the original Barney suit which is far scarier and creepier as well, not to mention the original stuffed toy puppet is so cheap and home made that I want it. You can get stuff like the I love you song from the very first episode but it’s not the same format. Barney is far morebluish purple in the first tape and they do look like from the late 80s early 90s. At leas tthese tapes have some type of introduction that give some story context and even continuity between them. So let’s take a look at them.
The Backyard Show
The secret origin of Barney, we have a family with Mother Sandy Duncan, May and Michael the kids. it’s the kids who sing the i love you song. A lot of kid segments. They go to a garage and find barney the dinosaur plush inside a box, but they seem to know who he is. he does make his debut singing the I love you song, the first thing he says. The kids are bored and barney just tells them to sing and tells them to pretend. humpty dumpty is here. kids dance, barney disappears before the parents see him. What a weird pilot.
Three Wishes
Less parents here, they have an actual playground so it feels more barney-esque, Barney gets on the floor and man a lot of imagination through blue screen in this video. but they go to the moon, it’s insane, a bit boring but i like the effects they tried to do. They go to mars and the friends that are in the special are just play belief friends. the nameless mother sings a lot and i don’t like it.
A Day at the Beach
Amy, Michael’s mother is the first character we see and the one who\s singing, she’s kinda hot. The kids clearly already know barney but not the other friends who came to visit, the other kids get scared. the voice is very different here. His dialogue now instead of innocent comes off as creepy. He’s a lot more magical in general in these early tapes which I love. they go to a fake blue screen beach the only time i recall seeing barney swim, we also see a mermaid, was it all a fever dream because their father stood them up from going to the beach.
Waiting for Santa
Barney plush feels more like the original though still not quite like it and the suit is now finally more like the one we know. i already took a look at waiting for santa in the Barney Christmas specials. Quality in general really went up by this video.
Campfire Sing-Along
This one felt like it went on forever, it’s just a story of going camping, the note worthy part for me is the bad bear costume with a pajama, I really liked it and as many lessons of camping it tried to teach, theyd didn’t’ teach much about what to do about a bear.
Barney Goes to School
I love the eyes on this Barney plush. the school gimmick wasn’t that interesting although it was nice to see them in a school setting. This one had more songs and I remember why it’s so hard to watch Barney as an adult.
Barney in Concert
I’m pretty sure I saw this one before in the Barney in Concert Article. It was not a great one either. the farm animal segemnt looks so dated and cheap, this might as well be a high school production. at least Barney has his real voice now. this also seems to have the actual actors. baby bop’s secret origin is here too.
Rock with Barney
the last one.. they reference barney in concert as if everything is in continuity, it’s mad I tell you. this one they’re sort of also in a stage type setting, kinda odd, not the strongest one. i hate myself for watching this, i don’t want to go on.
Overall these are not great but I can see a lot of potential with the ideas we have here, I think they should’ve gone more down the bizarre route like Pee-Wee’s Playhouse but they played it way too safe instead. They eliminated the odder elements which were far more interesting to me and kept nothing ambiguious later on. Barney as this mad fairy just works better. I also watched that We hate you documentary, it’s way too long and somehoe less interesting than actual Barney tapes. The documentary barely goes over the interesting history of how Barney was created, I mean they just barely touch on it, they spend some time docuenting the hate they had for the show, but they spend too much time trying to say the dark history of the family of Barney that although something did happen, also wasn’t the shocking thing the doc lead you to believe. A history of the franchise documentary would’ve been far more interesting.