Barney & Friends

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Love him or hate him, Barney is a hit with preschoolers.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this long-running, very kid-friendly program promotes creative problem solving, civic participation, group cooperation, and active play. Music encourages children to join the characters in song and dance. Preschoolers will benefit from its pro-social themes and emphasis on active play.

  • Kids will learn important social lessos about topics like working together and understanding each other. They'll probably pick up some song lyrics, too.
  • The show promotes strong positive messages about teamwork, cultural appreciation, and problem solving. It also emphasizes active play.
  • Barney is upbeat, friendly, and inclusive, and his music and songs help encourage kids to be active.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

BARNEY & FRIENDS is a well-loved veteran in children's television. In fact, you'd probably be hard-pressed to find a child who doesn't know the Barney theme song. Barney's world is set in a community playground where he and his friends dance, play, and learn about helping others in their neighborhood. While the show's set and cast of children have changed over the years, the core themes of the series remain.


Is it any good?

 

Younger children will love Barney's colorful musical world. Every episode is filled with song and dance, and Barney really encourages little ones to get up and boogie along. Barney and his friends also love crafting and will likely inspire your child's creative side. Among all the fun, each episode is based on a pro-social theme such as respect, teamwork, and courtesy for others.

While Barney & Friends does offer quality entertainment for kids, parents should know that the show's songs have been criticized for being overly infectious and may wind up stuck in your head. And while preschoolers will love watching Barney's adventures, older kids may find the program's happy, sappy style a little too much. Nonetheless, Barney & Friends is a well-loved classic and will likely continue to delight preschoolers for years to come.


Explore, discuss, enjoy

  • Families can talk about the importance of empathizing with others' needs in order to encourage children to play and cooperate with others and to appreciate others' differences.

  • Certain episodes (such as one about a missing cat) can help promote discussion about individual responsibility, coping with loss, and the importance of community service.


This review of Barney & Friends was written by
Teen, 16 years old
June 23, 2009
 
Stupid Show
I hate this show. Me and my friend made up a song, "Barney is a dinosaur with no imagination, stepped into a doctors office and had a vaccination"

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Teen, 13 years old
June 12, 2009
 
2+
You won't belive it. But did you know Demi and Salena were in barney. So embarassing!! LOL!

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Kid, 9 years old
July 2, 2011
 
Barney is AWESOME!
Barney is an awesome show. People who say it has smoking or violence in it are liars. Barney is an educationaI TV show that everyone can enjoy. I still watch it and I think it's meant for kids 1- adult. Adults can still enjoy it because it doesn't matter how old you are watch what you want!
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Teen, 13 years old
July 22, 2010
 
This show is great, but in my opinion definitely not for ten year olds. It is so educational! At a glance, you'd probably figure, "Oh, it's all about being a good person", but it's that and SO MUCH MORE. Kids can learn so much educational stuff from this, too! It teaches ABC's, 123's, colors, shapes, body parts, colors, etc. Plus manners and how to be a friend and share and care! My little brother loves it, and I watched it too as a baby. I feel it's not for ten-year-olds because when I was five and in Kindergarden(in 2002), people made fun of me for watching Barney.
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Kid, 11 years old
April 29, 2011
 
k lol
k lol
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Kid, 11 years old
March 15, 2011
 
I used to love barney, it was such a great T.V> show I hope they haven't changed anything about it.
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Kid, 11 years old
June 16, 2010
 
Barney is the best!
Barney is the best! I used to have all his shows! But, the ones who don't like him be quiet! Don't watch his show then if you don't like it, because that does not make any sense! If you don't like it watch something else! And don't tell people don't let them watch Barney because it's there choose! Just mind your own bussiness and just change the channel!"And I'm sorry I said that way.
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Kid, 12 years old
August 11, 2010
 
Just wrong
All i have to say is i thought dinosours were exctinct.
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Parent of 9, 13, and 16 year old
June 5, 2010
 
preschoolers show
i love barney my sdaughter loves it but my 2 sons hate barney my youngest hates barney the most and dosent want barney on there he whishes theyre wasent a show called barney and its educational and has positive messages and good role models and will be for kids 3 and up and is a purple dinosaur with manners besides my youngest son prefers TV-Y7-VL second youngest TV-PG-L and oldest TV-14-SVL and great for preschoolers barney has been on for 18 years now and has 14 seasons and my son olny wanted 1 season with 1 episode but my daughter wanted 30 seasons for 40 years i let all my kids watch it but 2 out of the 3 dont want to now bye
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Teen, 13 years old
June 29, 2010
 
Good, innocent show
I loved this as a kid. Now I don't like it as much, but it's still a nice show. It's educational because it teaches kids about friendships, kindness, etc. I think that everyone who says that Barney is innapropriate because they don't like it need to stop.
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This review of Barney & Friends was written by
Topics:dinosaurs, friendship, music and sing-along
TV rating:TV-Y
Network:PBS
Cast:David Joyner
Genre:Educational

This review of Barney & Friends was written by
 

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