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Daniel Kaluuya is partnering with Mattel to make a Barney movie— well sure, we all saw that coming

Good kids' movies are always in demand, but why is using that IP necessary? Do children in 2019 know what Barney is, or are they trying to adults too (which... I mean, I have no words)

I mean, we did get an R-rated Banana Splits horror movie earlier this year, so I guess the power of existing IP no matter how outre is still undeniable

I guess when you run out of comic books, you figure you'll roll the dice on re-acquainting adults with how to count and tie their shoes

domino harvey wrote: Mon Oct 21, 2019 5:35 pm I mean, we did get an R-rated Banana Splits horror movie earlier this year, so I guess the power of existing IP no matter how outre is still undeniable

That's the only way this could work, but we already have Death to Smoochy

Nothing makes me nostalgic like edgy jokes about Barney, having grown up in the era of, yes, Death to Smoochy, and also first grade-ish kids being dunked on by their classmates for watching kids' shows like Barney instead of cool edgy stuff like South Park. Or listening to Hanson instead of KoRn. Or whatever. God, childhood is a hellscape.

And let it be known, you would not catch me watching kiddie stuff like that, no sir. I would only watch South Park. If anyone ever tells you otherwise, they are lying and probably trying to obfuscate the fact that they are the ones who love Barney

“Barney is a dinosaur from our imagination, and we can’t wait to get ‘I love you, you love me’ stuck in heads everywhere, yet again,” said Carrico of Valparaiso Pictures.

This must be an elaborate prank. For the love of God, please.

mfunk9786 wrote: Mon Oct 21, 2019 5:53 pm Nothing makes me nostalgic like edgy jokes about Barney, having grown up in the era of, yes, Death to Smoochy, and also first grade-ish kids being dunked on by their classmates for watching kids' shows like Barney instead of cool edgy stuff like South Park. Or listening to Hanson instead of KoRn. Or whatever. God, childhood is a hellscape.

And let it be known, you would not catch me watching kiddie stuff like that, no sir. I would only watch South Park. If anyone ever tells you otherwise, they are lying and probably trying to obfuscate the fact that they are the ones who love Barney

Oh gawd, I remember this era. The Barney hate was real to the point where it was such an insult to be accused of watching the show you'd risk becoming a pariah at lunch. Yes, childhood is awful

I always found Barney rather charming.

I have just learned that Barney in fact ran from 1992 to 2010 and well everything is just somehow worse. I mean I understand why one might think bringing him back is a good thing (I watched the show as a small child.) but I was/am still under the impression that Barney was just one of those shitty things that somehow survived due to a combination of unlikely things coming together.

Most laughable however is this notion in relation to the reboot is that Barney is mentioned as being, and I quote 'Misunderstood'.

Big Ben wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2019 9:06 pm I have just learned that Barney in fact ran from 1992 to 2010 and well everything is just somehow worse. I mean I understand why one might think bringing him back is a good thing (I watched the show as a small child.) but I was/am still under the impression that Barney was just one of those shitty things that somehow survived due to a combination of unlikely things coming together.

Most laughable however is this notion in relation to the reboot is that Barney is mentioned as being, and I quote 'Misunderstood'.

There were serious arguments that the show wasn't good for children. This is often quoted from a Barney lawsuit:

His shows do not assist children in learning to deal with negative feelings and emotions. As one commentator puts it, the real danger from Barney is "denial: the refusal to recognize the existence of unpleasant realities. For along with his steady diet of giggles and unconditional love, Barney offers our children a one-dimensional world where everyone must be happy and everything must be resolved right away."

What an odd argument. It was a half-hour children's program that introduced small, easily resolvable problems, following the formula of just about every other program aimed at young kids.

To play devil's advocate, especially since I haven't seen the show in twenty years, but the two other major PBS emotions shows for preschoolers, Mr. Rogers and Seasame Street, did often make a point about how negative emotions are a normal part of life and how to deal with that.

My four-year-old niece is hugely into something called "Fancy Nancy" these days. One episode involved the titular character organizing the neighborhood kids in a strike to deny their parents hugs and kisses because the parents wanted to cut down a tree that the kids liked to play around.

I shudder to think about a movie adaptation of that in 15 years.

I mean, Barney wasn't the greatest show for kids, certainly not the most educational nor conducive to learning to express emotions or deal with real-world problems. But to actually say it was a "danger" to children is ridiculously hyperbolic. It was an enormously popular show, and as such it drew the brunt of criticism that could easily have been leveled at other shows during the same period had they been anywhere near as culturally saturated. I was a tad old for it when it aired but I saw it with my younger cousins. It was perfectly harmless and forgettable.

Now this on the other hand...