Won’t you say you (still) love “Barney,” too?
The enduring purple dinosaur is about for a makeover in an upcoming franchise reboot, the toy company Mattel announced on Monday.
The relaunch of the Nineteen Nineties icon — who haunted parents’ dreams along with his constant reminders to be kind and optimistic, not to say the “I really like you” song — will include an animated series, in addition to film and YouTube content and product lines marketed to each younger and older audiences, including toys, books and clothing.
The rebrand, set to debut in 2024, will feature the revamped dinosaur alongside pals from his ’90s “Barney and Friends” TV show, which ended its run in 2010. The brand new series will “introduce recent audiences to the world of Barney through music-filled adventures centered on love, community, and encouragement,” in line with an official description.
“Barney’s message of affection and kindness has stood the test of time,” said Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer and global head of consumer products at Mattel. “We’ll tap into the nostalgia of the generations who grew up with Barney, now parents themselves, and introduce the enduring purple dinosaur to a recent generation of youngsters and families around the globe across content, products and experiences.”
General manager of Mattel Television, Fred Soulie, said the aim of the “modern take” of the dinosaur is to “encourage the subsequent generation to listen, care and dream big. We predict that folks, a lot of whom will fondly remember the unique Barney from their very own childhoods, will love the show, too.”
In 2019, it was announced that the large, purple dinosaur will get his own live-action remake with “Get Out” star Daniel Kaluuya.
“Barney was a ubiquitous figure in a lot of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows left misunderstood,” Kaluuya, 33, told the Hollywood Reporter on the time. “We’re excited to explore this compelling modern-day hero and see if his message of ‘I really like you, you like me’ can stand the test of time.”
Last yr, Peacock released a trailer for a two-part documentary that make clear the hidden darkness behind the child’s show.
The documentary, entitled “I Love You, You Hate Me,” revealed that each actors who donned the purple suit had received a slew of death threats.
“They were violent and explicit, death and dismemberment of my family,” recalled one in all those stars, Bob West, 66. “They were gonna come and find me, and so they were going to kill me.”
The documentary premiered on Oct. 12, 2022.
