90s kids’ TV series Barney and Friends boss received DEATH THREATS for work – despite the show being adored by millions
THE boss of hit 90s kids’ TV series Barney and Friends has revealed he received death threats for his work - despite the show being adored by millions.
Barney & Friends musical director Bob Singleton disclosed the “horrible” reactions to his earworm songs sung by purple dinosaur named Barney from 1992 to 2010.
Barney was created by Sheryl Leach in the 1980s as entertainment for her son Patrick.
He was a big, friendly purple dinosaur who liked to give hugs and spread happiness.
He was a big hit with the kids of the '90s and '00s, but some adults took an intense dislike to him— some even went as far as to hate the dinosaur.
Bob told the podcast Generation Barney: "When I was nominated for a Grammy, a local talk radio station said, ‘Hey, this is great,’
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“Then someone called in and said, ‘I wish I could get my hands around the neck of that guy. I would just, I would really like to take him out.’”
When the internet took off it made it even easier for trolls and bullies to reach out to Bob with their nasty threats, which became increasingly menacing.
He continued: “My email address was out there, and I was getting people sending me emails... that [were] threatening me and my family with horrible, horrible death and dismemberment and terrible things."
He was also faced the hatred of Barney face to face sometimes, adding: "It was frightening. I remember going to a luncheon once and they’ve got us sat at a table.
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"I said I had been the music director on Barney and this one guy – and I’m sure he was well-meaning – said ‘Wow, my kids loved you but I just wanted to kill you.’
“In that moment, I have to think, ‘Okay, is this somebody that I need to watch for in the parking lot, you know?’ Or is he just, is that just his way of going, ‘My kids liked it, I didn’t’. So, it was awkward.”
In 2022, the documentary I Love You, You Hate Me, streaming on Peacock, explored the violent response to the friendly dinosaur and why adults despised him.
The documentary explored how the Pentagon reportedly used Barney music as a torture device, forcing prisoners to listen to the song for 24 hours straight.
The show explores why the public had such an intense reaction to Barney and whether the rise of the internet had something to do with the vocal outpouring.