Kids all over the world loved Barney. But even though Barney loved everybody, not everybody loved him back. Some parents found the character pretty annoying. Other grown-ups took things a step further. In some cases, the Barney backlash even got violent. That extreme reaction from adults? It can tell us a bit about our culture today — and how much our identities can get wrapped up in the things we love and hate.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/DINO and get on your way to being your best self.

This episode is sponsored by MasterClass. Learn from the best to become your best. Head over to masterclass.com/DINO for the current offer.

For more info on Generation Barney, visit ctpublic.org/barney. 

Kids all over the world loved Barney. But even though Barney loved everybody, not everybody loved him back. Some parents found the character pretty annoying. Other grown-ups took things a step further. In some cases, the Barney backlash even got violent. That extreme reaction from adults? It can tell us a bit about our culture today — and how much our identities can get wrapped up in the things we love and hate.
This episode is sponsored by<a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/"> BetterHelp</a>. Give online therapy a try at<a href="http://betterhelp.com/dino"> betterhelp.com/DINO</a> and get on your way to being your best self.
This episode is sponsored by MasterClass. Learn from the best to become your best. Head over to <a href="http://masterclass.com/DINO">masterclass.com/DINO</a> for the current offer.
For more info on Generation Barney, visit <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/podcast/generation-barney">ctpublic.org/barney</a>.

Meet “Generation Barney,” a podcast about the media we loved as kids and how it shapes us. It’s about the purple dinosaur. But it’s also about music and love and backlash and toys and nostalgia. Most of all, it’s about the television that helps us become who we are, from the station that helped launch Barney into the world.

The seven-part podcast is produced by Connecticut Public and hosted by Sabrina Herrera. The reporter-producers are Meg Dalton and Lily Tyson. The editor is Cassandra Basler. The project manager is Megan Fitzgerald. The sound designer and theme composer is Jay Cowit. 

Learn more at https://ctpublic.org/barney. To support more journalism like this, visit https://donate.ctpublic.org.

Meet “Generation Barney,” a podcast about the media we loved as kids and how it shapes us. It’s about the purple dinosaur. But it’s also about music and love and backlash and toys and nostalgia. Most of all, it’s about the television that helps us become who we are, from the station that helped launch Barney into the world.
The seven-part podcast is produced by Connecticut Public and hosted by Sabrina Herrera. The reporter-producers are Meg Dalton and Lily Tyson. The editor is Cassandra Basler. The project manager is Megan Fitzgerald. The sound designer and theme composer is Jay Cowit. 
Learn more at <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/barney">https://ctpublic.org/barney</a>. To support more journalism like this, visit <a href="https://donate.ctpublic.org">https://donate.ctpublic.org</a>.

Meet “Generation Barney,” a podcast about the media we loved as kids and how it shapes us. It’s about the purple dinosaur. But it’s also about music and love and backlash and toys and nostalgia. Most of all, it’s about the television that helps us become who we are, from the station that helped launch Barney into the world.

Generation Barney

Love 2 Hate

Barney made kids feel loved. He was a friend, sometimes even a father figure, to Millennials and Gen Zers. To this day, many are finding comfort in this purple dinosaur and trying to put his values into practice. So, why do the things we loved as kids stick with us? What draws us back to them decades later?

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/DINO and get on your way to being your best self.

This episode is sponsored by MasterClass. Learn from the best to become your best. Head over to masterclass.com/DINO for the current offer.

For more info on Generation Barney, visit ctpublic.org/barney. 

Barney made kids feel loved. He was a friend, sometimes even a father figure, to Millennials and Gen Zers. To this day, many are finding comfort in this purple dinosaur and trying to put his values into practice. So, why do the things we loved as kids stick with us? What draws us back to them decades later?
This episode is sponsored by<a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/"> BetterHelp</a>. Give online therapy a try at<a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/get-started/?go=true&amp;slug=dino&amp;utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=2687&amp;utm_term=dino&amp;promo_code=dino&amp;landing_page_img=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fi92vAy3.png&amp;aff_channel=podcast&amp;secondary_channels=youtube&amp;discount_rate=10&amp;discount_period=P1M&amp;date_interval=P1M&amp;percentage_off=10&amp;amount=1&amp;amount_spelled_out=one&amp;unit=month&amp;gor=start"> betterhelp.com/DINO</a> and get on your way to being your best self.
This episode is sponsored by MasterClass. Learn from the best to become your best. Head over to <a href="http://masterclass.com/DINO">masterclass.com/DINO</a> for the current offer.
For more info on Generation Barney, visit <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/podcast/generation-barney">ctpublic.org/barney</a>.&nbsp;

Purple-Colored Glasses

“Barney & Friends” was all about the music. Barney and the kids on the show would learn about everything through song. The people behind Barney’s tunes had to make sure toddlers could easily understand what they were hearing — that meant songs had to be active, repetitive, and simple. But those same ingredients? They made some parents cringe. For a lot of them, the songs felt like torture.

This episode is sponsored by MasterClass. Learn from the best to become your best. Head over to masterclass.com/DINO for the current offer.

For more info on Generation Barney, visit ctpublic.org/barney. 

“Barney &amp; Friends” was all about the music. Barney and the kids on the show would learn about everything through song. The people behind Barney’s tunes had to make sure toddlers could easily understand what they were hearing — that meant songs had to be active, repetitive, and simple. But those same ingredients? They made some parents cringe. For a lot of them, the songs felt like torture.
This episode is sponsored by MasterClass. Learn from the best to become your best. Head over to <a href="http://masterclass.com/DINO">masterclass.com/DINO</a> for the current offer.
For more info on Generation Barney, visit <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/podcast/generation-barney">ctpublic.org/barney</a>.

Kid Bopz

For a lot of young viewers, Barney wasn’t just a character on TV. He was more like a friend. Barney even became a kind of mentor for some kids. For one group of friends, their friendship — and even careers — might’ve turned out totally different had it not been for a purple dinosaur.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/DINO and get on your way to being your best self.

For more info on Generation Barney, visit ctpublic.org/barney. 

For a lot of young viewers, Barney wasn’t just a character on TV. He was more like a friend. Barney even became a kind of mentor for some kids. For one group of friends, their friendship — and even careers — might’ve turned out totally different had it not been for a purple dinosaur.
This episode is sponsored by<a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/"> BetterHelp</a>. Give online therapy a try at<a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/get-started/?go=true&amp;slug=dino&amp;utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=2687&amp;utm_term=dino&amp;promo_code=dino&amp;landing_page_img=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fi92vAy3.png&amp;aff_channel=podcast&amp;secondary_channels=youtube&amp;discount_rate=10&amp;discount_period=P1M&amp;date_interval=P1M&amp;percentage_off=10&amp;amount=1&amp;amount_spelled_out=one&amp;unit=month&amp;gor=start"> betterhelp.com/DINO</a> and get on your way to being your best self.
For more info on Generation Barney, visit <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/podcast/generation-barney">ctpublic.org/barney</a>.

Love 2 Hate

In 1 playlist(s)

Generation Barney

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips