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It鈥檚 about the purple dinosaur. But it鈥檚 also about music and love and backlash and toys and nostalgia. Most of all, it鈥檚 about the television that helps us become who we are, from the station that helped launch Barney into the world.

Episodes drop Tuesdays, starting November 12th.

• Host: Sabrina Herrera
• Reporter-Producers: Meg Dalton and Lily Tyson
• Editor: Cassandra Basler
• Project Manager: Megan Fitzgerald
• Sound Designer and Theme Composer: Jay Cowit
  

Generation Barney is produced with support from PRX and is made possible by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

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Episodes

Episode 1: Toddler TV - Nov. 12
In the 90s, preschoolers went nuts for 鈥淏arney & Friends鈥� 鈥� and that鈥檚 kind of by design. The people behind the show put a lot of thought into every detail, from the word choices in scripts to the behaviors Barney modeled. Barney spoke to kids in a language they could understand. And those little ones? They were also central to the creation, and evolution, of the show.

Episode Two: Dinosync - Nov. 12
For years, two men brought Barney to life. One was the voice, one was the body, and together they entertained kids around the world. Bob West and David Joyner created an iconic character in Barney, from the goofy laugh to those gravity-defying jumps. Just like the character meant so much to many of us, Barney meant a lot to Bob and David, too.

Episode 3: Love 2 Hate - Nov. 12
Kids all over the world loved Barney. But even though Barney loved everybody, not everybody loved him back. Some parents found the character pretty annoying. Other grown-ups took things a step further. In some cases, the Barney backlash even got violent. That extreme reaction from adults? It can tell us a bit about our culture today 鈥� and how much our identities can get wrapped up in the things we love and hate.

Episode 4: Purple Capitalism - Nov. 19
On 鈥淏arney & Friends,鈥� Barney starts off as a plush toy and then comes to life. That iconic stuffed animal wasn鈥檛 just on the small screen; it was in the homes of children around the world. Merchandise was a huge part of the show鈥檚 success. But 鈥淏arney & Friends鈥� wasn鈥檛 the first movie or TV show to connect with fans through merch. That dates back a long time 鈥� and has a history that includes He-Man, Ronald Reagan, and George Lucas.

Episode 5: Purple Dino Puppeteers - Nov. 26
For a lot of young viewers, Barney wasn鈥檛 just a character on TV. He was more like a friend. Barney even became a kind of mentor for some kids. For one group of friends, their friendship 鈥� and even careers 鈥� might鈥檝e turned out totally different had it not been for a purple dinosaur.

Episode 6: Kid Bopz - Dec. 3
鈥淏arney & Friends鈥� was all about the music. Barney and the kids on the show would learn about everything through song. The people behind Barney鈥檚 tunes had to make sure toddlers could easily understand what they were hearing 鈥� that meant songs had to be active, repetitive, and simple. But those same ingredients? They made some parents cringe. For a lot of them, the songs felt like torture.

Episode 7: Purple-Colored Glasses - Dec. 10
Barney made kids feel loved. He was a friend, sometimes even a father figure, to Millennials and Gen Zers. To this day, many are finding comfort in this purple dinosaur and trying to put his values into practice. So, why do the things we loved as kids stick with us? What draws us back to them decades later?

Bonus Episode: Generation Barney: Mixtape
Go behind-the-scenes with the 鈥淕eneration Barney鈥� team. They share how the podcast got started, what they learned along the way, and even some reporting that didn鈥檛 make it into the final cut. It鈥檚 Generation Barney鈥�the live mix!

Meet the Host

Sabrina Herrera is living her inner child鈥檚 dream as host of 鈥淕eneration Barney.鈥� As a lifelong journalist, she鈥檚 worked in television production, newspapers, digital, social, community engagement, and public media.

She currently leads an initiative to uplift and expand Latine storytelling, representation, and audience at 黑料吃瓜网, called 隆Somos 黑料吃瓜网! Sabrina performs improv comedy and believes anyone can do it. (Yes, you!)

Much like Barney, she鈥檚 often described as enthusiastic and optimistic, and likes to look for the fun in things. She previously owned a Barney tracksuit and is not ashamed.

Generation Barney Podcast Guests Include:

• David Joyner, actor who played Barney (costume)鈥�
• Lynn Zubernis, expert on the psychology of fandom鈥�
• Larry Rifkin, former CT Public exec who helped launch鈥� Barney onto PBS鈥�
• Leora Rifkin Edouard, Larry鈥檚 daughter who 鈥渄iscovered鈥濃�� Barney at a local video store 鈥�
• Bob West (Voice Actor)