Barney and the Backyard Gang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barney and the Backyard Gang |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | children's music |
| 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 (1988–1990) David Joyner (1991) Dao Knight (1991) Sandy Duncan (1988–1989) Brian Eppes Becky Swonke Jessica Zucha Leah Montes Salim Grant (1988–1989) Rickey Carter (1990–1991) Alexander Jhin Jeffrey Lowe (1990) Bob Reed (1988–1989) |
| Voices of | Bob West Julie Johnson |
| Composer(s) | Stephen Bates Baltes Lory Lazarus Philip A. Parker |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| 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) | Allen, Texas (six videos) Dallas, Texas (two videos) |
| Editor(s) | Doug Wilson (1988–1989) McKee Smith (1990–1991) |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Production company(s) | The Lyons Group |
| Distributor | Kids Edutainment Video/The Lyons Group |
| Release | |
| Original release | August 29, 1988 – October 20, 1991 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Barney & Friends |
Barney and the Backyard Gang was a series of fun videos made for kids. These videos were released directly to homes from August 1988 to October 1991. This series was very important because it led to the popular PBS television show, Barney & Friends.
The first few videos, made in 1988 and 1989, featured actress Sandy Duncan. She played the mom of two of the kids, 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." In the first five videos, the famous "I Love You" song was sung at the beginning. Later, it became a popular song to sing at the end of many Barney & Friends episodes.
The video series became quite popular in the area where it was made. However, it was not as well known in other parts of the country. Then, in 1991, a man named Larry Rifkin rented a Barney video for his daughter. He really liked the idea of the show. He talked to the creators about putting Barney on television through PBS. The video Rock with Barney was the last one in the series before the TV show started. Only four of the kids from the videos – Michael, Derek, Tina, and Luci – also appeared in the new television show.
Contents
List of Videos
Here are all the videos in the series, listed by when they were released:
- The Backyard Show (This was like a pilot episode) (August 29, 1988)
- Three Wishes (January 27, 1989)
- A Day at the Beach (April 6, 1989)
- Waiting for Santa (January 6, 1990)
- Campfire Sing-Along (June 8, 1990)
- Barney Goes to School (August 15, 1990)
- Barney in Concert (July 29, 1991)
- Rock with Barney (The very last video in the series) (August 1, 1991)
Who Played the Characters?
Here are some of the actors who brought the characters to life:
- 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 Appearances
Some special guests 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 it Aired
The first six videos from this series were shown on Disney Channel. This happened in November 1990 as part of their "Lunch Box" program.
See also
In Spanish: Barney and the Backyard Gang para niños
