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Barney & the Backyard Gang facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Barney & the Backyard Gang
The Backyard Gang Logo.jpg
Genre
Created by
  • Sheryl Stamps-Leach
  • Kathy O'Rourke-Parker
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
  • Bob West
  • Julie Johnson
Opening theme Barney & the Backyard Gang Theme Song
Ending theme Various
Composer(s)
  • Stephen Bates Baltes
  • Lory Lazarus
  • Philip A. Parker
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 8
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Richard C. Leach (1988–1989)
  • Sheryl Stamps-Leach (1990–1991)
  • Kathy O'Rourke-Parker (1990–1991)
Producer(s)
  • John Grable (1988–1989)
  • Dennis DeShazer (1990)
Production location(s)
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) The Lyons Group
Release
Original release August 29, 1988 (1988-08-29) – August 1, 1991 (1991-08-01)
Chronology
Related shows

Barney & the Backyard Gang was a series of fun videos made for children. These videos were released directly to homes from August 1988 to August 1991. This video series was so popular that it led to the creation of the famous TV show, Barney & Friends. That show aired on PBS from 1992 to 2010.

The first three videos, made in 1988 and 1989, featured actress Sandy Duncan. She played the mom of two characters, Michael and Amy. The music for the videos was created by Stephen Bates Baltes and Phillip Parker. Lory Lazarus wrote the first original song for Barney, called "Friends Are Forever." This song was sung by Sandy Duncan.

In the first five videos, the song "I Love You" was sung at the beginning. Later, this song became famous for being sung at the end of Barney Goes to School and Barney in Concert. It was also sung at the end of almost every episode of Barney & Friends.

How Barney Became a TV Star

The Barney & the Backyard Gang videos were very popular in some parts of the United States. However, they were only somewhat known in other areas.

Then, in 1991, a man named Larry Rifkin rented a Barney video for his daughter. He was in charge of Connecticut Public Television at the time. He really liked the idea of Barney. He talked to Sheryl Leach, one of the creators, about putting Barney on television. This led to the creation of the Barney & Friends TV show on PBS.

The last video in the series was Rock with Barney. After this video, the TV show began. Only four of the children from the original videos joined the TV show. Their names were Michael, Derek, Tina, and Luci.

Videos in the Series

Here is a list of all the Barney & the Backyard Gang videos, in the order they were released:

  • The Backyard Show (This was the first one!) (August 29, 1988)
  • Three Wishes (December 10, 1988)
  • A Day at the Beach (February 24, 1989)
  • Waiting for Santa (May 11, 1990)
  • Campfire Sing-Along (June 8, 1990)
  • Barney Goes to School (August 15, 1990)
  • Barney in Concert (July 29, 1991)
  • Rock with Barney (This was the last video in the series) (August 1, 1991)

Who Were the Characters?

Main article: Barney & Friends Cast

Here are the main characters and the actors who played them in the videos:

  • Baby Bop (Costume) - Dao Knight (1991–1992)
  • Baby Bop (Voice) - Julie Johnson (1991–1992)
  • Barney (Costume) - David Voss (1988–1990), David Joyner (1991)
  • Barney (Voice) - Bob West (1988–1992)
  • Adam - Alexander Jhin (1988–1991)
  • Amy - Becky Swonke (1988–1991)
  • Dad - Bob Reed (1988–1989)
  • Derek - Rickey Carter (1990–1992)
  • Jason - Salim Grant (1988–1989)
  • Jeffrey - Jeffrey Lowe (1990)
  • Luci - Leah Gloria (1988–1992)
  • Michael - Brian Eppes (1988–1992)
  • Mom - Sandy Duncan (1988–1989)
  • Tina - Jessica Zucha (1988–1992)

Special Guest Stars

Some special guest actors appeared in the videos:

  • Sandy Duncan played Molly the Mermaid in A Day at the Beach.
  • Jeanne Cairns played Mrs. Claus in Waiting for Santa.
  • Henry Hammack played Santa Claus in Waiting for Santa.
  • Sonya Resendez played Tina's Mom in Campfire Sing-Along.
  • Philip Parker performed as the Bear in Campfire Sing-Along.
  • Lauren King played Kathy in Rock with Barney.
  • Alexis Harris played Jennifer in Rock with Barney.
  • Ajay Reddy played AJ in Rock with Barney.
  • Chris Rodriguez played Joseph in Rock with Barney.
  • Lourdes Regala played Adam's mother in Rock with Barney.

Where Else Did it Air?

The first six videos from this series were also shown on The Disney Channel. This happened in November 1990 as part of their "Lunch Box" program.

Learn More

Learn more about Barney in Spanish!