Since his creation 10 years ago, Barney has taken the bite out of the world with his loving nature, words of encouragement and caring way of teaching children about self-esteem, good manners, safety and health.
So adults, before you take a snide swipe at the purple one, remember Barney has always been for the children. And whether you like it or not, the purple fuzzy behemoth is a role model more people should follow."Barney is nurturing and nonviolent children's entertainment," said Jane Holahan, manager of Barney's national goodwill project. "He means a lot to small children. He emits unconditional love and friendship and teaches children how to interact with adults. He is a safe haven for children on TV that is completely entertaining and educational."
Barney will bring his "Big Surprise," which will include Baby Bop, B.J., Mr. Tinkerputt, Mother Goose and other nursery rhyme characters, to the David O. McKay Center at Utah Valley State College in Orem for six 70-minute shows beginning Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. Additional performances are Nov. 21-22 at 7 p.m.; Nov. 23 at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. There will be no performance Sunday, Nov. 24.
Tickets ranging from $10-$25 are available at all Smith'sTix outlets or the McKay Events Center box office.
Proceeds of the event will go to the Starbright Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improve the lives of seriously ill children and their families.
And in keeping with that mission, Barney makes his rounds at local hospitals in the cities he visits, said Holahan.
"Children get their picture taken with him and get a special gift," Holahan explained. "It's to help the children who are in for treatment relax. There are some who go through some painful tests, and if Barney or something that represents him is with them, it makes it easier."
This time around, Barney will visit the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.
"The biggest challenge is to see as many children as possible," said Holahan. "We usually have a gathering in a big room where Barney sings and has a sing-a-long, but there are times when some of the children, because of their injuries, can't attend. So Barney will do private room-to-room visits."
Barney was created by Sheryl Leach, a former teacher who was dissatisfied with the quality of various preschool videos. Leach produced, marketed and distributed Barney, who, originally, was to be a teddy bear until her son attended a traveling dinosaur exhibit.
Leach enlisted video producer Dennis DeShazer and former teacher Kathy Parker as fellow executive producers. PBS added the Emmy Award-winning "Barney & Friends" to its children's programming lineup in 1992 and it is now watched by an estimated 13.5 million viewers a week.