Mattel has announced that it will be relaunching Barney, the iconic children’s franchise that exploded in popularity in the 1990s.
Mattel stated that the new and revitalized Barney franchise will include television, film, and YouTube content as well as music, toys, books, clothing, and more. A new animated Barney series is set to debut in 2024. The series will feature “music-filled adventures centered on love, community, and encouragement,” according to Mattel’s statement. The series will be produced by Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana and executive produced by Fred Soulie and Christopher Keenan for Mattel Television and by Colin Bohm and Pam Westman for Nelvana.
Take a look at the Barney first look photo below:
“Barney’s message of love and kindness has stood the test of time,” said Chief Franchise Officer and Global Head of Consumer Products at Mattel Josh Silverman. “We will tap into the nostalgia of the generations who grew up with Barney, now parents themselves, and introduce the iconic purple dinosaur to a new generation of kids and families around the world across content, products, and experiences.”
“In creating the new series, it was important to us that we properly reflect the world that kids today live in so that the series can deliver meaningful lessons about navigating it,” said SVP and General Manager of Mattel Television Fred Soulie. “With our modern take on Barney, we hope to inspire the next generation to listen, care, and dream big. We think that parents, many of whom will fondly remember the original Barney from their own childhoods, will love the show, too.”
Barney & Friends premiered in 1992 and proved to be an incredibly popular children’s show that ran for 14 seasons on PBS Kids. The series spawned numerous specials, movies, and video games, making the purple dinosaur a widely recognizable pop culture icon.