As a millennial or Gen Zer, there are high chances that the ‘Barney and Friends’ show was a big part of your childhood. We all remember Barney’s hit ‘I Love You’ song that got virtually every kid pledging to share their treats with their friends. There was also Barney’s ever-smiling purple-greeny costume that became a regular at birthday parties.
Unfortunately, the love for Barney was largely short-lived. In the years that followed Barney's massive popularity, the show became a target for hateful comments. Peacock’s upcoming series sheds light on how Barney went from a widely loved show to one of the most hated childhood shows.
Peacock recently announced the impending release of a two-part docuseries titled 'I Love You, You Hate Me' scheduled for October 12. The show is expected to detail the events surrounding the rise of the anti-Barney wave. Peacock initially announced the series late last year when it started production. Since then, the studio has released the trailer for the series.
The Barney hate started years ago with teenagers and adults. The source of the hate was not necessarily due to the show itself but how people perceived it. A 2017 New York Times article reported that adults and teens grew increasingly irritated by Barney’s voice and exaggerated chirpiness. While constant happiness is a weird reason to hate a show, the Barney Hate Camp seemed to think otherwise. However, things quickly escalated beyond mere hate.
In the early 2000s, some teenagers reportedly beat up a man wearing a Barney costume at a shopping mall. In the years that followed, anti-Barney humor became a thing. For instance, a 2003 article by The Guardian referenced a culture where the US military seemed to believe that the Barney ‘I Love You’ song could break Iraqi prisoners during interrogation. As hilarious as this may sound, the US soldiers interviewed in the article strongly believed that the song was that horrific.
More disturbingly, someone created a website (jihad.net) to prompt the Jihad to destroy Barney, and to encourage/support Barney hate. Get this, the website is still being maintained today. That's how intense the hate was (or still is).
Till today, there are still memes encouraging Barney hate on the internet.
The trailer suggests that the docuseries will provide an in-depth account of how such widespread Barney hate occurred. Judging from the trailer, the docuseries begins with the interviewees tagging the show as a significant cultural phenomenon in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, things began to spiral fast when the show became the object of intense violence and hate.
The trailer shows Bob West, the actor who voiced Barney from 1992 to 2002, stating that he and his family had received threats of murder and dismembering over his role in Barney. Cast and crew members also allude to a rumor that Barney regularly hid drugs in his tail. To conclude, the interviewees mention how heartbreaking it was for Sheryl Leach, Barney’s creator, to see how her show was targeted for the opposite of everything it stood for.
The docuseries will be officially available on Peacock by October 12. You can check out the trailer here:
Since Peacock released the official trailer, there have been numerous reactions. Some social media users have suggested that the trailer is largely unnecessary, while others perceive the docuseries as hilarious.
One user tweeted
Another user said
Either way, the reactions indicate a lot of curiosity surrounding the docuseries. More people are curious to see how the docuseries would perform with ratings upon its release.