Barney the Dinosaur is the main character of Barney & Friends, a children's television series aimed at viewers aged 2 to 6, who was created by Sheryl Leach and is owned by HiT Entertainment. He is a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, optimistic attitude. The show aired on PBS from April 6, 1992, to November 2, 2010 before his PBS show, he had a direct-to-video series, Barney and the Backyard Gang that premiered in 1988, and is rumored to be rebooted soon. A stuffed-animal character who comes to life through children's imaginations, Barney is known for quoting many things as being "super-dee-duper" and for his signature closing song "I Love You," set to the tune of "This Old Man." Despite being a carnivorous-type dinosaur, Barney likes many different foods, from peanut butter and jelly to fruits and vegetables. As his show progressed, he was joined by fellow dinosaur characters Baby Bop, B.J., and Riff.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Barney (1994-2002)[]
The ever-popular purple people-pleaser was first represented in the Parade just two years after his television debut. As part of the pre-parade entertainment, he, Baby Bop and B.J. performed "If You're Happy & You Know It." That same year, a giant 58-foot tall balloon, requiring 20 gallons of paint, made its Parade debut. The debut of the balloon wasn't smooth sailing, as it suffered troubles when its leg was torn open shortly after his NBC appearance. The damages were fixed, and Barney successfully flew in 1995, joining the first of six Barney floats.
The balloon would also successfully fly in 1996, and reappeared for the 1997 Parade, arguably its most well known appearance. While preparing to take off into the air, the Barney balloon was delayed due to the Quik Bunny balloon struggling to get off the ground. Eventually, the Quik Bunny balloon took the spot the Barney balloon initially held, which was in front of the Barney's Great Adventure float, with the Barney balloon being instead positioned behind the Westward Ho! Wagon. By the time it was halfway down Times Square, the winds were fierce, and the balloon was struggling to stay still. Some handlers had to lay down on the road to make it steady, but it was too late.
A gust of wind shoved the balloon into a lamppost, causing it to receive a tear in its right side. The balloon was then quickly deflated, as the balloon had to be pulled from the lineup due to its damages. The balloon also received a bunch of holes due to the NYPD stabbing the balloon with knives to free the helium. After that, the handlers went on to handle the new Rugrats balloon, and Barney was sidelined from the event. On NBC's official Parade coverage, footage of the balloon's 1994 appearance was shown in place of the live appearance.
Barney returned to the Parade in 1998 without any incident, promoting the character's 10th anniversary. It would continue to fly until 2002, as after that year's Parade, it was retired, making a total of nine appearances. Despite retiring, the first Barney made appearances at Universal's Ballonopolis from 2002 until 2006.
According to Macy's employees who were rotated through handling the Barney balloon at one point in their career, when they had flown the balloon, parade spectators began shouting disturbing things at the handlers, but this has only been noted by the handlers themselves. The handlers began taking some of this personally, and decided not to let people bash their balloon. So, some handlers went as far as to tell spectators shouting from front row seats that they had no room to boo Barney the way they did.
"Strike Up the Band" Barney (2003-2005)[]
In 2003, Barney was brought to life in the form of a brand-new giant helium balloon. Marching to the music of his own horn, Barney keeps the beat dressed in a blue and gold drum major's hat and carrying a 17-foot long brass bugle as he marched down Broadway on Parade day. The balloon was chosen to lead the 2003 Parade, where in both it and 2004, it was successfully flown without issues.
This changed in 2005, when the balloon's leg was torn at some point by a street light along the route. Despite the damages, it wasn't enough to remove the people-pleaser. Barney would make his last appearance as a balloon that year, and was retired after its third appearance.
Other Appearances[]
In addition to appearing as a balloon, Barney's costumed counterpart would appear on various occasions. As stated above, he and his friends served as a pre-parade act in the 1994 Parade. Over the next five years, Barney would appear on six floats, ranging from a circus center ring to a multi-tiered Christmas wonderland. A separate article for these floats can be read here.
As part of the Parade's 85th anniversary, the magicians at the Parade Studio would create a brand-new float, entitled Hats Off To Our Heritage, featuring past Parade directors Robin Hall and Jean McFaddin. Joining the two merry-makers were costumed counterparts of character balloons, past and present. Among these characters was Barney, who rode in the center of the float as he waved to his many fans along the Parade route. This appearance marked Barney's most recent association with the Parade.
Trivia[]
- Footage of the original Barney balloon's 1997 incident was posted on YouTube in 2013 by user DelhiTheCat, where it would go viral and amass more than 38 million views as of December 2024.