Barney the purple dinosaur is returning with a new show

Barney and Friends: a Revival of the Barney/Mattel Franchise and the Mattel/Corus Entertainment Success in 2023

Barney’s is a brand that has had its share of revivals for new audiences. The 1980s Masters of the Universe franchise was re-launched by Mattel recently with two new shows, an action figure line and a new streaming service.

Mattel did say that the new franchise will include TV, film and Alphabet

            (GOOGL)-owned YouTube content as well as music and a vast array of merchandising, including toys (of course), clothing and books. The new series will be co-produced by the company's Mattel Studios unit and the studio owned by Canadian media company Corus Entertainment.

According to the news release, Fred Soulie said that the new series needed to reflect the world that kids today live in so that it could deliver meaningful lessons.

Mattel’s television unit, which has also recently brought back its Monster High and Masters of the Universe franchises, is hoping to cash in once again on young and middle-aged adults yearning for the days of their childhood.

Last week, Mattel projected its 2023 earnings would be below expectations as its shares continued to drop. Net sales were down 22% in the company’s fourth quarter from a year earlier.

The original Barney and Friends series began airing on PBS in 1992 and continued until 2010, a testament to the show’s popularity among preschool-aged children.

The rex behind the song “I Love You” isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. A skit on Saturday Night Live in 1993 that featured basketball player Charles Barkley body-slamming Barney was the start of a wave of dark adult humor.

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