Barney & the Backyard Gang (battybarney2014's version)

 Barney & the Backyard Gang  is a home video series produced from 1988 to 1991. The series focused on a purple tyrannosaurus rex named Barney, and a group of kids known as The Backyard Gang, and the adventures they take, through their imaginations.

The series, for the most part, was for entertainment, having little to no education incorporated. Some tapes, such as  Campfire Sing-Along  and  Barney Goes to School, are really the only ones of the series to teach educational lessons. All the other tapes only focus on the caring and imagination aspect of Barney. It wasn't until  Barney & Friends, when the songs incorporated lessons and morals.

The series made more than $3.5 million. The first three tapes alone sold 50,000 copies. Despite being a huge success in Dallas, the series was only a moderate success throughout the rest of America.

The first six videos of this series were written by Frank Olsen. After he left the Barney franchise after the first six videos of this series, Sheryl Leach, Dennis and Kathy Parker (The creators) wrote the last 2 videos of this series.

Dinosaurs

 * Barney (Voice: Bob West, Costume: David Voss and David Joyner)
 * Baby Bop (Voice: Julie Johnson, Performer: Dao Knight)

Children

 * Amy (Becky Swonke)
 * Michael (Brian Eppes)
 * Luci (Leah Gloria)
 * Tina (Jessica Zucha)
 * Adam (Alexander Jhin)
 * Derek (Rickey Carter)
 * Jason (Salim Grant)
 * Jeffrey (Jeffrey Lowe)

Adults

 * Michael and Amy's Mom (Sandy Duncan)
 * Michael and Amy's Dad (Bob Reed)

Guest Appearances

 * Jeanne Cairns (played Mrs. Claus in Waiting for Santa)
 * Henry Hammack (played Santa Claus in Waiting for Santa)
 * Sonya Resendez (played Tina and Luci's Mom in Campfire Sing-Along)
 * Philip Parker (performed as the Bear in Campfire Sing-Along)
 * Lauren King (played Kathy in Rock with Barney)
 * Alexis Harris (played Jennifer in Rock with Barney)
 * Ajay Reddy (played AJ in Rock with Barney)
 * Chris Rodriguez (played Joseph in Rock with Barney )
 * Lourdes Regala (played Adam's Mom in Rock with Barney)

Videos

 * Our Friend, Barney (1988)
 * The Backyard Show (1988)
 * Three Wishes (1989)
 * A Day at the Beach (1989)
 * Waiting for Santa (1990)
 * Let's Be Healthy (1990)
 * Campfire Sing-Along (1990)
 * Barney Goes to School (1990)
 * Barney & the Backyard Gang Sleepover (1990)
 * Barney in Concert (1991)
 * Rock with Barney (1991)

Gallery
See the gallery for the video series

Trivia

 * Music for the  Backyard Gang  videos was done by  Stephen Bates (Baltes)  and  Philip A. Parker  (as with the television series that aired later), while  Lory Lazarus  wrote the first original song created for Barney,  Friends are Forever.
 * In the first five videos, "I Love You" was sung at the beginning. However, it was sung at the end of  Barney Goes to School, Barney & the Backyard Gang Sleepover  and  Barney in Concert  and is frequently sung at the end of  Barney & Friends
 * The first six videos of this series aired on Disney Channel in November 1990 as a part of its "Lunch Box" program.
 * Related merchandise to the  Backyard Gang  videos include read-along books (of the first three videos) and tape sets (of the entire series), and later in the series, the first Barney dolls (two of them actually used in the videos).
 * The earlier videos from 1988 and 1989 featured actress Sandy Duncan as Michael and Amy's mother.
 * The first three videos of this series featured Barney with a slightly deeper voice, perhaps larger eyes, a visible red tongue (until 2000), and a much darker color of purple (which turned more magenta as the series went on).
 * All eleven videos were re-released in 1992-1996. Also, Barney in Concert is re-released by HIT Entertainment on DVD from 2005-2015.
 * After David Voss left the show to join the military, Barney was performed by a woman for one concert. She couldn't stay in the costume for a long time and she ended up freaking out, so she was never heard from again. Then David Joyner did the rest of the concerts and continued as Barney's costume performer.
 * This is a prologue to the actual series,  Barney & Friends,  similar  The Tracey Ullman Show, whose shorts serve as a prologue to  The Simpsons.