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BARNEY THE Dinosaur was a constant presence in the childhoods of 90s kids, with his catchy songs and his cute sidekicks and army of precocious children.
But who is Barney, really? What do we really know about him? Well, he’s this guy.
David Joyner was the OG Barney, operating the suit from 1991 until 2001 (a different actor did the voice) and recently, he spoke to Business Insider about his time as the purple dinosaur.
The interview will be very eye-opening to those of us who grew up with Barney, whether you loved him or hated him – here’s what we learned.
The costume sounds absolutely hellish
Wikia
Wikia
Hot, heavy, and kiiiiiinda claustrophobic.
Now Barney is about 70 pounds, and it can get over 120 degrees inside. So inside you’re sweating profusely.
The head does not come off
YouTube
YouTube
I can only a certain amount because of the peripheral of Barney’s mouth, and when Barney’s mouth is closed, I can’t see anything.
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He said he had to put a fan at Barney’s mouth to cool down in between takes.
AND Barney’s feet are so big Joyner had to have runners glued inside
Twitter / Business Insider
Twitter / Business Insider / Business Insider
Lordy.
Basically, it’s a real feat of endurance
YouTube
YouTube
Joyner told the story of another woman who played Barney at live shows, and could not hack it:
Apparently she was bombarded by kids, couldn’t take her break, just really needed to get out of the costume, and couldn’t do it. So after that first event, they never heard from her again.
Despite all this, Joyner says being in the costume was ‘pretty cool’
He’s proud to have spread the “I Love You, You Love Me” message to the world.
I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family. We’re gathered together and a beautiful, harmonious thing is happening. So it’s a beautiful thing to know how that song has impacted this next generation.
Watch the full interview here, and feel slightly more grateful for Barney than you did before. A dinosaur sensation, indeed.
Wednesday 25 December, 2024
Wednesday 25 December, 2024
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The guy who played Barney has shared his frankly hellish experience of wearing the costume
BARNEY THE Dinosaur was a constant presence in the childhoods of 90s kids, with his catchy songs and his cute sidekicks and army of precocious children.
But who is Barney, really? What do we really know about him? Well, he’s this guy.
David Joyner was the OG Barney, operating the suit from 1991 until 2001 (a different actor did the voice) and recently, he spoke to Business Insider about his time as the purple dinosaur.
The interview will be very eye-opening to those of us who grew up with Barney, whether you loved him or hated him – here’s what we learned.
The costume sounds absolutely hellish
Hot, heavy, and kiiiiiinda claustrophobic.
The head does not come off
He said he had to put a fan at Barney’s mouth to cool down in between takes.
AND Barney’s feet are so big Joyner had to have runners glued inside
Lordy.
Basically, it’s a real feat of endurance
Joyner told the story of another woman who played Barney at live shows, and could not hack it:
Despite all this, Joyner says being in the costume was ‘pretty cool’
He’s proud to have spread the “I Love You, You Love Me” message to the world.
Watch the full interview here, and feel slightly more grateful for Barney than you did before. A dinosaur sensation, indeed.
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90s kids Barney the Dinosaur KIDS TV super de duper TV