No, it’s not your imagination: Peacock has ordered a docuseries about Barney the Dinosaur, the iconic purple star of “Barney & Friends” that many a ’90s kid loved — and many other people loved to hate.
The currently untitled three-part documentary, which has begun production and is set to debut on Peacock in 2022, “examines the rock star-like trajectory of Barney the Dinosaur, the beloved character who captured the hearts of millions of children and then became the target of hate and rage across pop culture, the early internet and playgrounds around the world,” according to the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service.
Per Peacock, “Using exclusive interviews and archival footage, the three-part documentary will offer first-hand accounts of the Barney phenomenon from the cast and crew to its most outspoken critics.”
“Barney & Friends” premiered on PBS in 1992, starring Barney the Dinosaur as a toy T-Rex that comes to life and teaches children through songs and dances, along with fellow dinosaurs Baby Bop and her brother BJ.
That series ran until 2010, and was followed up by a few standalone videos and episodes. In October 2019, Mattel and actor Daniel Kaluuya teamed up to produce a live-action “Barney” movie.
Peacock’s three-part Barney doc comes from Scout Productions, the executive producers of “Queer Eye,” “Equal” and “The Hype,” and will be directed and executive produced by Tommy Avallone (“The Bill Murray Stories”). Additional executive producers include Scout’s Rob Eric, David Collins, Michael Williams, Amy Goodman Kass and Joel Chiodi with Raymond Esposito. Wendy Greene is co-executive producer and Trent Johnson is the producer.
“Barney the Dinosaur was a ubiquitous character for children and parents alike and we are thrilled to work with the Scout Productions team to bring this three-part series to Peacock,” Rod Aissa, executive vice president of unscripted content at NBCUniversal Television & Streaming, said in a statement accompanying the news Monday. “This documentary is bound to captivate audiences like Barney has over the years.”