Barney e Seus Amigos

"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.

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.

All four of my children watched this show during their preschooler years. I have a two-year-old who watches every day and owns a couple of videos.

This show is about using your imagination. It teaches musical skills. It teaches the alphabet, numbers, memorization, and good behavioral techniques. When the show originally aired it was all imagination. Barney was a stuffed toy owned by a girl named Tina who imagined she was back at school playing with her friends and classroom toys. Now it has evolved to a treehouse in the center of a park and the focus is friendship. Thanks to everything decent this show has to offer, my kids have grown up more intelligent and they are not afraid to show off their knowledge and talents.

Bottom line - my kids are happier because of Barney being a part of their lives. That makes this show TOPS in my book!

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.

Barney haters have way too much time on their hands in order to be able to sit and write a five page hate letter to the "hippie" parents who let their kids watch Barney - If ya don't like Barney...fine but get a life and focus your anger and hate on something a little more challenging than Barney, it's as though you cannot comprehend anymore than your preschooler. Each parent is individual, stop trying to pass your crap onto others. Teahcing your kids to hate and rant about it was never seen on an episode of Barney...you will not be rewarded for your creative ways here. Children are unique and forcing children to abide by your way of thinking is harsh, there will be a lot more than Barney that you will not be able to shelter them from once they grow into teenagers...hope you have a lot of rant left in you!