Mattel announced on Monday that it is relaunching the franchise centered on a purple T-Rex, and among the new offerings will be an animated reimagining of the iconic (and polarizing) live-action Barney & Friends. Barney Reboot The OG series, which bowed on PBS in 1992 and ran for nearly two decades, featured a human actor in a dinosaur costume.
“In creating the new series, it was important to us that we properly reflect the world that kids today live in so that the series can deliver meaningful lessons about navigating it,” said Fred Soulie, SVP and General Manager of Mattel Television, in a statement. “With our modern take on Barney, we hope to inspire the next generation to listen, care, and dream big. We think that parents, many of whom will fondly remember the original Barney from their own childhoods, will love the show, too.”