Super dee-duper
Barney The Dinosaur Is On TikTok & He Wants To Check In On You
Barney the Dinosaur, a favorite of Millennnial childhood, has taken to TikTok with a special Love Day message.
Millennials have found extreme catharsis in “conversations” from our favorite characters from childhood. Remember when Steve from Blue’s Clues told us he was proud of us? Or when Elmo recently let us trauma-dump on him and told us he loved us? Well, today a certain purple dinosaur from our imagination came forward to let us know we’re loved. Yes, Barney released a special “Love Day” video on TikTok and Instagram for all his (now adult) friends; our first “one-on-one conversation” with this childhood touchstone since the last episode of Barney and Friends aired in 2010.
To be honest, we did not see this coming...
“Hi Friends! It’s me, Barney!” says a familiar voice. “I haven’t seen some of you in a long time, but I always make sure to check in on my friends. And it seems like, maybe, we could all use a little reminder right now: A reminder of the super-dee-duper ability we all have to love one another, and how important it is to show love towards yourself, too.”
“After a long day on the playground of life, I want you to know you are seen, you are special, you are loved,” he continued. “Isn’t it nice how some things are still true even when you’re all grown up?”
I will admit, this warmed even my icy, jaded heart.
The lovable dinosaur concludes by letting us know he’s going to be seeing us again soon... and it seems that grown-up “friends” can’t wait.
“I sensed that Elmo told Barney to check on us,” wrote TikTok user @nan_284 alongside a sobbing emoji.
“This melt [sic] my heart and almost made me cry, Tysm Old friend,” wrote @raypainter_.
Indeed it seemed like every other comment involved crying (happy/nostalgic/overwhelmed/or otherwise) in some way.
“Barney I’m fragile don’t do this,” joked @marissadeanne.
The video marks the start of Mattel’s Barney franchise relaunch, which will include the animated series, Barney’s World coming to Max later this year, a live-action feature film, and a full range of kids’ products including toys, books, and clothing. (And this is just what they’re ready to announce — more is coming!)
Barney and Friends premiered on PBS stations in 1992, placing smack dab in the middle of Millennial childhood. (Precise dates vary, but most folks define this generation as those of us born between 1981 and 1996.) Now that that generation is all grown up and many of us have kids of our own, the time is right to bring Barney out of retirement to be loved by another crop of toddlers and preschoolers.
“In creating the new series, it was important to us that we properly reflect the world that kids today live in so that the series can deliver meaningful lessons about navigating it,” said Fred Soulie, SVP and General Manager of Mattel Television in a press release. “With our modern take on Barney, we hope to inspire the next generation to listen, care, and dream big. We think that parents, many of whom will fondly remember the original Barney from their own childhoods, will love the show, too.”
Welcome back, Barney. Thanks for checking in. I look forward to oversharing the hardships of my life with you on social media platforms soon!
