A while back, I saw this video, which was clipped from the creator’s review of Barney’s Big Adventure.

I knew that there were rumors that the actors who played Barney in the past were on drugs or allegedly child molesters. But, I was NOT aware of the death threats made towards the cast and crew. While horrifying, it unfortunately is nothing new, and still happens pretty frequently.

But, I digress. This little ditty brought me back to when I was a kid, singing songs about Barney being violently dismembered in the cafeteria with my friends. Then I wondered, “Why? I liked Barney when I was 5. ‘And The Green Grass Grew All Around’ was my favorite song from the show. Why was I so on board with wanting Barney to get decapitated when I was 8?” Personally, I didn’t hate Barney; I just stopped watching it. I only went along with the songs because I thought they were funny. 

But, why did everyone else hate Barney? General consensus is that the character, and the show as a whole, was way too sugary-sweet. Many of the themes in Barney episodes were about sharing, meeting new people, or using your imagination. Detractors claim that unlike Sesame Street or Arthur, episodes of Barney didn’t really focus on dealing with more serious matters like negative emotions or issues in the family. Critics also said that Barney generally lacked educational value. It’s important for kids to learn about sharing and playing nice, it’s also important for kids to know their numbers or the difference between a bird and a mammal. And the most intense of Barney-haters found the purple T. rex to be the most annoying thing to exist, and as such, needed to be silenced.

I mostly disagree with the first two criticisms. 

To say that the show never covered serious topics would be wrong. In the original series, there was only one episode that covered the topic of death, and none that covered topics like divorce or racism. But, this doesn’t mean that serious topics weren’t broached at all. There were a few episodes about being accepting of other people’s differences and managing your anger. They were just covered in a much safer, much more optimistic way than other kids’ shows did. It was basically saying, “Things like death and bullying DO exist, and it’s okay to feel bad about them. Just don’t be mean to people.”

It’s a bit of a toss up on how one looks at the educational aspect of the show. While there were episodes about shapes, numbers, and reading, they were sandwiched between episodes about hats or what you can find on a farm. Granted, a kid probably SHOULD know what farms are by the time they’re 7. But, the point is, it’s inaccurate to say that Barney wasn’t educational, period. Could there have been more episodes dedicated to subjects like math or science? Sure. But, the ones that did focus on what one would learn in a classroom were handled pretty well. To the show’s credit, there were also episodes about simple machines, types of insects, and many episodes dedicated to learning about other cultures.

What shows for preschoolers do you know of that had an episode about Lebanon?

But, one aspect of the Barney hate I agree with is Barney being annoying and weird. While the Barney design everyone is familiar with is an upgrade from the original from 1988, it’s still pretty creepy. Barney’s voice and catchphrases were goofy, as well. People very quickly got tired of the little kids in their lives singing the numerous same-melody-different-lyrics songs over and over. And of course, no parent wanted to deal with their kid screaming about not getting the latest Barney VHS tape. 

Barney hatred was at an all-time high in the early 90s. The popularity and content of the show made it an easy target for pissed-off parents and edgelords of all ages. Anti-fan clubs were created, mostly to rant about the group’s collective hatred of Barney and his friends. The edgelords in particular are where the Barney hate got its unique “flavor,” like making up rhymes about barbecuing Barney’s head or even setting plushies on fire. After all, during the 90s, it was seen as cool to be a violent misanthrope. What better place to start than an annoying TV character with oodles of merch?

But, like most popular and hateable things, things escalated to “What the fuck is wrong with you?” territory. Parties were dedicated to people destroying Barney toys with fire or guns. Members of the cast and crew, from the guys who wore the Barney suit to the music director, would get harassment and death threats via letter, email, and in some cases, in person. People wearing Barney suits for birthday parties or events at shopping malls were physically attacked. And of course, the little kids acting on the show were relentlessly bullied.

Telling a songwriter you want to strangle him for doing his job is NOT super-dee-duper.

I have not yet finished I Love You, You Hate Me, the documentary on Barney and Barney-bashing. But, the question of why people hate Barney so vehemently is pretty clear. The show as a whole is about being kind, loving your friends and family, and celebrating our differences, which are concepts people love to corrupt and destroy. “Look! A TV character that just wants to give hugs and sing songs! Let’s kick him in the dick! Doesn’t he know that the world is a shitty place?”

As time went on and Barney & Friends stopped airing, opinions of him mellowed out. Other TV shows came and went with similarly irritating characters (which I’ll talk more about in Part 2). The redeemable edgelords realized they shouldn’t be sending death threats to random strangers and stopped. The irredeemable edgelords just found other targets, like furries and female gamers. Parents realized that their kids were actually learning things from watching Barney, like better manners or how not to be a bossy little shit to their friends. Even the founder of the I Hate Barney Secret Society admitted that he no longer hated Barney, and even credits the purple dinosaur with helping him cope with his alcoholism. He still thinks the songs are annoying, though.

Last year, a reboot to the Barney show was made, and so far, has been received pretty positively. Since the show is now CG, Barney looks a lot less creepy and can make facial expressions. The voice…honestly, still annoying, but damn if the new VA isn’t trying. The show focuses more on interactions with friends and family and dealing with negative feelings (like depression or anger) in a healthy way. There are even hints of mindfulness sprinkled in. So, it seems that the major criticisms of the original show are being addressed, which should make the millennial parents happy.