Barney and the Backyard Gang

Barney and the Backyard Gang is a direct-to-video series produced by The Lyons Group and was produced from October 13, 1988 to October 20, 1991. This series launched the stardom of the PBS television show Barney & Friends. Music for the Barney and the Backyard Gang videos was created by Stephen Bates Baltes and Phillip Parker. The series was a regional success, but only a moderate success throughout the rest of the country. Then one day, in 1991, Larry Rifkin, then head of Connecticut Public Television, rented a Barney video for his daughter Leora. He liked the concept and talked to Leach about possibly putting Barney on television through the Public Broadcasting Service. Rock with Barney was the last video in the series before the television show debuted. Also, only four of the kids from the videos (Michael, Luci, Tina and Derek) were carried over to the television show.

This production, originally released in 1988, has captivated audiences with its unique storytelling. As a Scripted series, it brings a fresh perspective to the genre, maintaining a strong viewer rating of 0.0 across its 3 seasons.

• Storyline Highlights:
• • Explores themes within .
• • Produced in United States of America.
• • Original Language: English.