Barney and the Backyard Gang (1989)
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.
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Episode 1 - Waiting for Santa
Release Date: 1990-01-06Barney and the kids travel to the North Pole to assure newest Backyard Gang member Derek that his name is on Santa's good list. They frolic on ice, play in the snow, and learn that giving things to others is what Christmas is all about.
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Episode 2 - Campfire Sing Along
Release Date: 1990-08-06After hearing a bedtime story about camping read by her mother, Tina wishes she could go camping with her friends and her toy dinosaur, Barney. But when she falls asleep, she dreams of her going on a camping trip with Barney and the rest of the Backyard Gang. They pitch a tent, go on a picnic and a bear hunt to a spooky old cave where a big Bear lives. They even build a campfire to cook delicious hot s’mores and look up at the stars in the night sky. When their adventure is over, Tina wakes up from her dream and tells Barney that she’ll never ever give up on him.
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Episode 3 - The Backyard Gang Sleepover
Release Date: 1990-05-11After a long week of school, The Backyard Gang decide to have a sleepover at cousin Jimmy's house, they start talking about imagination and all of the fun they can have with it at the party. Just then, Barney comes to life, appearing to the kids. However, the kids are so busy that they don't recognize him. Barney taps them on the shoulders, when all of them get scared of each other. Barney asks the children what are they doing with all the sleeping bags. Which Tina replies to that they're having a slumber party. Barney, not knowing what a sleepover is, asks about what things they do at a slumber party. The children then reply all at once saying many different things. Barney calms them down. Barney asks them again, and the gang talks about playing games, singing, et cetera. The kids define a slumber party even more by showing Barney what they do at a slumber party, all through the evening and night, they play games, sing songs, and have so much fun!
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Episode 4 - Barney Goes to School
Release Date: 1990-08-15On a Saturday, a little girl named Tina wishes that she could go to school with Barney and the Backyard Gang to do their musical routine. They even have their school pet, a hamster named Zippity. This episode marks the return of Adam from his illness.