Good intentions... not-so-good execution.

KermitWazowski

I am part of the generation of young children from the mid to late 90s who were mesmerized by that dopey purple dinosaur. I had outgrown Barney by the time I entered first grade, and looking back on it now, I can see why my parents and the critics hated it. Saccharine is an understatement. This show is about as sugarcoated as the frosting on cheap store-bought cupcakes; you can taste the high fructose corn syrup. Not much educational value, either. Just dopey voices and bright colors to keep your toddler quiet for half an hour. However, I think I turned out okay. In fact, I think most of the kids who watched Barney turned out okay. Some of you reviewers are acting as if your child's entire life is going to be shaped by one TV show they watch when they're two/three years old. I hardly even remember most of the "plot lines" (I CERTAINLY don't remember this "strangers are friends you haven't met yet" garbage everyone's talking about... Dang, Barney, get it together!).

The creators of Barney meant well. Who doesn't want to encourage their child to use their imagination? That's why everything looks so unrealistic. That's why it appears as if Barney is doing all the work and solving everything with magic. It's all seen from the kids' perspective, as they're imagining it. The intentions were good, but unfortunately, there isn't much distinction between real and make believe as far as the average three-year-old is concerned, and this respectable premise of imaginative fun was executed in a way that's quite vomit-worthy for anyone over the age of five. If I went into detail, I'd just be repeating what previous reviewers have said. Looking back, I have no idea how my parents didn't go crazy having to listen to Barney and Baby Bop's annoying dopey voices all the time.

However, the one thing I can really commend the creators of Barney on is their use of music, and how they encouraged kids to get involved in music and introduced lots of different instruments. Yes, the "I love you" song was stupid, as was most of the original material they wrote, but they utilized lots of classic children's songs and made them a lot of fun, especially in the Radio City Music Hall show (one of many tapes I wore out as a young'n). I remember pretty distinctly the purple guy's affinity for marching bands and parades, and I guess that must have stuck with me as I played in my high school marching band...

Overall, letting your child watch Barney isn't setting them up for failure. It's a dumb show with little to no educational value, and the purple guy's voice is enough to drive the average parent up a wall, but it's not gonna kill 'em. Hopefully your child's early education isn't limited to television. The "use your imagination" premise of Barney is great, but other programs around that same era that weren't meant to be educational, such as Muppet Babies and Rugrats, conveyed that same message much better.

score 3/10

KermitWazowski 28 May 2013

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2804115/