Barney & Friends

"Barney and Friends," the notoriously stupid kids' show about a big cuddly purple dinosaur who makes kids use their imaginations, has been the brunt of so many jokes since it started airing (my favorite spoof of it was Animaniacs' "Baloney & Kids," in which Baloney, the numbskull orange dinosaur, is taunted and has anvils dropped on his head). There are too many things wrong with this show for me to discuss here, so I'll just say my favorite ones:

(1) All the kids look like they are (and they probably are) preteens and teenagers, and this dopey purple idiot is teaching them things like the alphabet, counting, colors, shapes, and everything else every 5-year-old should know. If this were real life, the kids (or, should I say, teens) would throw stuff at Barney and laugh, instead of sitting in awe while he teaches them the difference between indoor and outdoor voices.

(2) I know that using one's imagination is important, but here, Barney needs to tell them to imagine. It's as if they can't imagine so much as a rock without saying, with Barney's instruction, the magic words "Shimberee, shimberah, shimberee, shimbeRAAAAHHHH!"

(3) The show's methods of teaching lessons to the 2-to-5-year-old crowd are really lame. The dialogue is so banal that I can't see how even the cast members believe any of this junk. And the lines are not unintentionally hilarious enough to inspire a chuckle in a cynic like me. Except for one notable exception, the "5 Senses" episode, which contained lines such as the following (all said in amazed tone of voice):

"This rock is smooth...but it's hard!"

(banging on sand) "This sand is hard. (picking it up) But now it feels soft. (rubbing it in hands) But now it feels scratchy!"

(surprised/delighted even beyond usual "Barney" standard) "This chair is hard!!!! But the cushion is soft!!!!!!!!"

So if you want a good educational show for your kids, turn on "Sesame Street" or "Mr. Rogers." They are much better than this baloney.

Now, the first thing I should tell the readers - I'm on the autism spectrum so it's okay for me to sometimes watch kids shows when I'm 21 and childless. That will help you refrain from yelling at your device screen that I must be out of my mind (or at least I hope it will). A few years ago my sister's children were watching a recent episode of Barney, and my reaction was like that of many people: "God this is so DUMB." But I fondly remember watching Barney as a child, and even on my eighth birthday there was a miniature Barney toy in/on the cake, and I got a BJ doll that year too:) But I eventually grew up just like everyone does and by the time my sister's tots were around my enjoyment of Barney was years behind me. But a little while ago I found some 1995 episodes on YouTube, and yesterday when I watched one of them, instantly I felt like the 4-year-old I was at that time, a very pleasant nostalgic feeling indeed. I'm going to watch that episode again now. I give this show a 6 out of 10 because the newer episodes don't compare to the ones I watched when I was young...Goodbye now.

Before my daughter was born I'd heard a lot of unpleasant things about Barney and Friends, but now having seen most of the episodes and owning many of the videos, I have to admit that I admire the artistry that goes into Barney. It teaches manners and etiquette, counting, verbal skills, spacial relations, and responsibility. I am also glad for the musical appreciation that it gives my little one. However, I should point out that occasionally I become dismayed when listening to the politically correct versions of the fairy tales and folk lore with which I grew up. Still I and my daughter enjoy the show very much and I find myself wondering what happened to the child actors/actresses in it.

From the adult perspective, this show would seems really stupid and horrible. But for my brother and I as toddlers watching the show, I loved it. My brother and I learned things about sharing, different cultures, mixing colors, etc. At the time, I thought it was a great show. You all have to remember, IT IS A KIDS SHOW. It is not meant to make tons of sense in a real-world setting or be a wonderful, inspiring show (actually, to a toddler, it is a wonderful and inspiring show). It's just a nice, entertaining program for very young children. Nothing more, nothing less. But then again, are any childrens shows anything more than that? No. Barney and Friends has given me some really fond childhood memories of just enjoying things for what they were, not analyzing them. Save the horrors of that for when children are older. Anyway, If you really want some bad childrens television, watch teletubbies. You'll probably become dumber.

I have been watching this since my 9 year old nephew was just a year old. Over the years, and now that my own children watch it, I see it differently. My son really remembers the things that Barney and Friends teaches and I am thankful. It's almost like Barney confirms the things I teach my son and they seem to sink in better (say manners). I have noticed that even at my age, I have favorite characters and can see the obvious difference between the original shows when it was The Backyard gang, and the new shows. Since this is meant for kids and it really gets down there with kids, it seems that parents and other grown ups who find it annoying, should just leave the room. I personally didn't start liking the show until I sat down with my nephew and watched it with him, singing and dancing with him. He had so much fun seeing me do what they were doing! Yay for Barney!