Barney "string mouth" plush toy: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A “string mouth” Barney plush toy, made by Dakin Toys for the Lyons Group as a gift for members of the Barney Fan Club. Barney is a popular children’s television character, a purple and green dinosaur who teaches through skits, songs, and an optimistic, friendly persona. The character first appeared as a life-size puppet/costume in the Barney & the Backyard Gang direct-to-video series released from 1988 to 1991 and has since starred in a number of live action and animated television series, theatrical productions, video games, and a 1998 film, Barney's Great Adventure. Barney was created by Sheryl Leach, Kathryn O'Rourke Parker, and Dennis DeShazer, who drew on their background as educators, television professionals, and parents to develop the wholesome, engaging, and memorable character.

This particular plush toy was made around 1990 for members of the Barney fan club but was soon recalled after the Lyons Group (producers and owners of the Barney franchise) grew concerned that the string mouth might pose a choking hazard to children. A redesigned plush toy without the string mouth was later produced and released.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: ca. 1990
• Object Name: toy
• Physical Description: fabric (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 7 1/2 in x 5 in x 7 1/2 in; 19.05 cm x 12.7 cm x 19.05 cm
• Subject: Children's television programs
• Subject: Toys
• ID Number: 2013.0102.04
• accession number: 2013.0102
• catalog number: 2013.0102.04
• Credit Line: Kathryn O. Parker and Phillip Parker
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.