Barney the purple dinosaur is getting a makeover as he seeks to revive his US TV career – and not everyone is happy about it.
One social media user asked: “Why would they give a dinosaur a [nose] job and Botox?”
Compared to his ancestors who roamed the Earth tens of millions of years ago, Barney the anthropomorphic (and purple) Tyrannosaurus rex is a relative newcomer, having first entertained preschoolers (and tested parents’ patience) in his pioneering show, Barney & Friends, just three decades ago.
But Barney’s handlers feel the time is right for a facelift as they attempt to build a fresh look for new TV, film, online and musical projects.
“Barney’s message of love and kindness has stood the test of time,” said Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer and worldwide head of consumer projects at Mattel, the toys giant which announced the revamp this week.
“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,” Silverman said.
A “full range” of new books, toys and apparel will be released, Mattel said.
In terms of looks, the “upgraded” Barney appears to have followed legions of Hollywood celebrities into the plastic surgeon’s office. His eyes and ears are bigger, his face slimmer, his nose more rounded, and he is sporting a gleaming new set of teeth a shade or two whiter than his first set of gnashers.
But not all his fans have welcomed the facelift. One observer on Twitter was showed the old and new Barneys side by side, writing: “They gave Barney contacts, a nose job and bigger veneers. Sad.”
Another user asked: “Why would they give a dinosaur a [nose] job and botox? Give Barney his chubby cheeks and nose back!”
Mattel says an animated series will be released in 2024, seeking to introduce “new audiences to the world of Barney through music-filled adventures centered on love, community, and encouragement”.
No cast was revealed. Barney & Friends, which ran for 14 series and 268 episodes following its 1992 premiere on PBS, and was mothballed in 2010, featured a range of ethnically diverse regulars and guest stars. Celebrities who appeared as children include Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato.
It is unclear if a new theme tune is in the works. The original, a “miserable anthem” in the view of one observer, became an irritant to legions of Barney haters.
In 2022 a Peacock docuseries, I Love You, You Hate Me, attempted to explain the disdain increasing numbers of adults had for Barney, a fictional TV character attempting to educate their children.
Perhaps Barney’s biggest moment on the world stage came in 2003, when it was revealed that US military interrogators played the tune on a high-volume loop in efforts to break the will of Iraqi prisoners of war.
“Anyone whose child watches the television programme will know how grating it is,” the British human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith wrote in the Guardian in 2008.
“In the torture trade, this is called ‘futility music’, designed to convince the prisoner of the futility of maintaining his position.”