Barney the purple dinosaur is making a come back, but he looks a little different (PHOTOS)

Feb 15 2023, 5:21 pm

Everyone’s fave purple dinosaur is making a comeback.

Toy company Mattel announced the relaunch of the Barney franchise on Monday, confirming the dino’s return to TV and toy shelves next year.

But your familiar childhood friend will look a little different this time around. The toy giant also revealed the dino’s makeover, and fans are shook.

“WHAT THE F**K DID THEY DO TO BARNEY,” screamed one fan on Twitter, sharing a then-and-now photo of the character.

The Barney & Friends show, which aired on PBS from 1992 to 2010, featured a person wearing a giant anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex suit (sorry, he’s not real).

This time around, the show won’t be live-action and will instead be animated, but was the redesign necessary? People took to Twitter to share their distraught and hilarious reactions and observations.

Many were sad to see that Barney went under the knife for some cosmetic surgeries.

“They gave Barney contacts, a nose job and bigger veneers. Sad,” tweeted one fan.

“Barney got the buccal fat removal,” tweeted another person.

Others think it’s all in the eyes.

“Worst part of new Barney’s design is that his eyes are fully open. Barney needs his friendly sleepy eyes,” said one Twitter user.

Another person likened the new Barney animation to the cursed original movie redesign of Sonic the Hedgehog.

One fan mourned the magic of the live-action dino.

But it wasn’t all hate for the new Barney. Many also think the redesign is cute.

In terms of where the show will air, a Mattel spokesperson told CNN that it has “confirmed streaming and broadcast partners that [it’ll] be announcing later this year.”

The toy giant says that besides TV, the franchise will include YouTube content as well as music and merchandise like toys, clothing and books.

So, will you accept this new dino as your Barney?

Isabelle DoctoIsabelle Docto

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