黑料吃瓜网 Radio is debuting a seven-part podcast called "Generation Barney," hosted by Sabrina Herrera that explores the cultural impact of the big purple dinosaur 鈥� a preschool edutainment phenomenon 鈥� and its unique approach to engaging young children.
On the release of the first two podcast episodes, Herrera delves into the creation of Barney on public television. She also discussed her new podcast.
On the importance of treating Barney with reverence
Herrera grew up as a Barney fan 鈥� you can almost hear her smiling as she reminisces about the character.
鈥淲hat I think some millennials and Gen Z folks may not realize is how big of an impact Barney had in the preschool edu-tainment space,鈥� Herrera said. 鈥淚t really broke ground and targeted really, really young kids: preschoolers.鈥�
On top of that, Barney was one of the top three highest-earning entertainers in 1994, joining the ranks of Oprah and Steven Spielberg.
But he wouldn鈥檛 have made it to the top of that list, if it weren鈥檛 for a fateful trip to a video store in 黑料吃瓜网.
Barney鈥檚 黑料吃瓜网 roots
鈥淚t actually started in a video store in Prospect,鈥� Herrera said.
The kids show began as a home video series called 鈥淏arney and the Backyard Gang鈥� and the colorful VHS caught the eye of the four-year-old daughter of a then 黑料吃瓜网 executive, Larry Rifkin.
鈥淭hey rented it. They took it home, and Leora was completely, like, hooked, enamored. She loved it,鈥� Herrera said. 鈥淎nd so Larry called the show's creator, Sheryl Leach, and said 鈥楬ey, we should pitch this to PBS.鈥欌��
The rest is 黑料吃瓜网 history.
On the Barney backlash
The podcast also examines the polarized reactions to Barney, including passionate hate. So even though Herrera herself is a Barney fan, it was important to explain Barney鈥檚 anti-fans.
鈥淲e do journalism here, right? So it's important to represent more than one side to a story,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut also, as we researched, we realized that what we love and hate and how we act and react to those things, they tell us a lot about who we are as a society.鈥�
Episode Three will delve into the backlash Barney faced in the 1990s, when he grew so popular it felt like some people couldn鈥檛 escape him.
鈥淚t was really interesting to see and understand and research,鈥� Herrera said. 鈥淭hey reported on people going into grocery stores or toy stores, and knocking the stuffed animals to the ground. So for us, it was important to explore why that was the case.鈥�
Everyone has a show that shaped them
Barney shaped Herrera, and a generation of folks her age and even older. But she said there is something about the podcast that will appeal to people who didn鈥檛 have love for Barney 鈥� or may not remember the show very well.
鈥淲hen it comes down to it, everybody has a Barney, whether it was Barney or not,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t could have been a different show, a different piece of media, a toy or a character. Everyone had something that they cherished and that they loved and they didn't want to let go of physically.鈥�
This podcast is about Barney, she said, but it's also about how these things play into who we become as adults.
鈥淭hat's what I think is really special about it,鈥� Herrera said.
While working on the podcast, she also reflected on how the diversity of kids featured on the show shaped her.
鈥淎s a Latina, with not a lot of other Latinas in my school, it meant the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd what's wild is I didn't even really know it then, but thinking back to it, it exposed me to other types of diversity as well, which had an impact on how I saw the world, and it also helped me feel like I belonged somewhere, like I was able to be there in the open arms of Barney and all.鈥�
Cross-generational values
Herrera said her appreciation for Barney deepened through the podcast on another level.
鈥淭he values that Barney sang about and taught were values that my mom mirrored in her teaching and how she raised us,鈥� Herrera said. 鈥淎nd now as an adult, I look back and see how deep those threads really run.鈥�
Values of sharing, caring for other people, being open-hearted and open-minded.
鈥淭hose are all things that I still carry with me today,鈥� Herrera said. 鈥淪o I'm just really, really grateful to have this experience, to be able to explore it and do this podcast as an adult.鈥�
Listen and follow Generation Barney everywhere you get your podcasts.
