What Species Of Dinosaur Is Barney? Know All About The Purple Dinosaur

Oluniyi Akande
Oct 13, 2023 By Oluniyi Akande
Originally Published on Oct 22, 2021
Child playing with colorful toy dinosaurs.
Age: 3-18
Read time: 5.5 Min

Barney is a dinosaur of the Tyrannosaurus rex species and is a purple color. 

The six-foot-tall, purple tyrannosaurus rex is beloved by many due to his cute appearance. The dinosaur is said to be a children’s favorite. 

Barney is a famous purple dinosaur belonging to a dinosaur species known as Tyrannosaurus rex. This dinosaur, with a purple body and a green friend called Baby Bop, was the main character of the movie named 'Barney and Friends'. He was also a lead character in a home video named 'Barney and the Backyard Gang'.

The purple dinosaur is six feet tall, with a green friend called Baby Bop, and has green spots on his back and yellow toes. He is known for his silly and funny attitude. The dinosaur is famous among kids everywhere for transporting children into world of imagination. Many videos and cartoon shows featuring the dinosaur have come to television and found their way into the hearts of kids and parents alike. The purple dino, who is in several movies and television shows, is a product of the imaginations of kids and production houses.

If you enjoy reading all about Barney the dinosaur, be sure to check out more fun facts with Kidadl. Why not take a look at 17-dino-mite Wannanosaurus facts that kids will love and what kind of dog is Snoopy?

What type of dinosaur was Barney?

Barney is a purple dinosaur who has a green tummy and green spots on his back. His toes are yellow with white teeth shining in his mouth. The six-foot-long dinosaur was first introduced and created by Sheryl Stamps Leach. The purple dinosaur, Barney, did appear in a video named 'The Backyard Show'. This was an episode of the famous series 'Barney and the Backyard Gang', which was a home video series. 

Dinosaurs play a big part in many kids' lives. The existence of dinosaurs in the world, and their leftover remains, has captured children’s interest for years. Due to kids' affection towards dinosaurs, production houses decided to make a show about a funny and friendly dinosaur, and it was a hit across the world. Until then, Barney the dinosaur had been seen in videos, in the popular show 'Barney and Friends', and was also a key theme of many toy releases. Shows relating to Barney's life came on television for many years in different seasons. Children waited for the next season to come out so that they could enjoy watching their favorite purple dino. 

What was Barney the dinosaur originally meant to be?

Barney was colored dark purple, which looked blue on cameras. After Sheryl noticed the change, the costume color was switched to lighter purple or magenta. At first, Sheryl wanted a toy or a character so her son could be happy. She decided to create the Barney character which would provide an adventure for kids. At the same time, she wanted the toy to be friendly for kids and children. 

Little girl holding dinosaur egg in hands.

The creation of Barney the dinosaur was done so that the creator Sheryl Leach could make her son happy. Originally Barney was supposed to be a blanket, but, when Sheryl understood the difficulty in the creation process, she created him as a dino character to feature in her movies. Moreover, Barney was made into a teddy bear for children to play with. Kathy Parker, who was a fellow teacher, joined hands with Sheryl to make the character Barney. She had one condition: that Barney would not be similar to the original Tyrannosaurus Rex because her daughter, Kaitlin, would be scared of a real T. rex toy. So as a result, the dinosaur toy was made in a purple color and his features, like claws and head, were softened to make it more child-friendly.

At first, Bob West was hired to portray the character, Barney. However, Bob was too tall and couldn’t fit into the costume. Later, David Voss portrayed the character. Production felt that the voice of the character in the show 'Barney and the Backyard Gang' should be low-pitched. As the character was big in size, it demanded a deep voice. Dean Wendt’s voice matched the character’s appearance the most. His voice completed the series, which was released on television until the year 2019. 

Is Barney the Dino Evil?

Evil Barney is Barney's twin. Production gave him a more evil look than the original Barney. This evil Barney was famous for kidnapping and manipulation. Many children like the evil version of Barney, which was featured in many movies and artworks. 

The evil Barney was famous for kidnapping and eating babies. Barney had white teeth, sharp claws, piercing yellow eyes, and looked intimidating. This version of Barney was created with a slightly more evil look. Being a mother, Sheryl made the characters of her shows and series more child-friendly. This decision was agreed with by another mother, Kathy, who personally asked Sheryl to avoid making the character look like a real T. rex because of her daughter. However, changes were made by new creators to make an evil version of Barney. 

What is Barney the Dinosaur afraid of?

Barney the dinosaur, from the show 'Barney and Friends', is very famous. Many children love to watch Barney's life. Barney the dinosaur is famous for his stupid and silly behavior.

The show ran for many seasons and children went crazy over watching Barney's life every episode. Sheryl, the mother who originally created this well-known character, decided that Barney should be purple to appeal to all members of the community, rather than being targeted specifically to boys or girls. 

The purple color meant that Barney appealed to many more people, and a community of fans formed around the show. Kathy helped Sheryl to make the character look friendly so her daughter would not get scared of it. Barney the dinosaur is a silly character who sings the theme song 'super dee duper '.

Many children were afraid of Barney's evil twin. However, children loved the original Barney very much. On the show, children are always hugging and singing songs with the purple dinosaur. Barney loves children a lot, while the evil version of the dino is famous for kidnapping and eating them. No wonder so many kids were afraid of him!

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what species of dinosaur is Barney? Know all about the purple dinosaur then why not take a look at where does cork come from? What is a cork oak tree?, or what is feta cheese? Where does feta cheese come from?

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Written by Oluniyi Akande

Doctorate specializing in Veterinary Medicine

Oluniyi Akande picture

Oluniyi AkandeDoctorate specializing in Veterinary Medicine

With an accomplished background as a Veterinarian, SEO content writer, and public speaker, Oluniyi brings a wealth of skills and experience to his work. Holding a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Ibadan, he provides exceptional consulting services to pet owners, animal farms, and agricultural establishments. Oluniyi's impressive writing career spans over five years, during which he has produced over 5000 high-quality short- and long-form pieces of content. His versatility shines through as he tackles a diverse array of topics, including pets, real estate, sports, games, technology, landscaping, healthcare, cosmetics, personal loans, debt management, construction, and agriculture.

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