Common Sense Media Review
By Ashley Moulton , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 2+
Iconic dino returns with positive social-emotional lessons.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 2+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
none
Characters have minor worries, but no content is scary.
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Positive Role Models
a lot
Characters all model how to communicate emotions to friends, and to help friends with tough emotions. They are all kind, caring, and supportive. Characters help others and the community.
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Positive Messages
a lot
Positive messages around caring for yourself, your family and friends, and your communities. Emphasis on expressing your emotions, and that having emotions like fear or worry are valid and normal. Also gives kids strategies to cope with difficult emotions.
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Diverse Representations
a lot
Main kid characters include David, a young Black boy with a larger body type than his friends, and Mel, a Korean-Mexican American girl who speaks English, Korean, and Spanish and dresses in a less-feminine style. Barney (a male dinosaur) and David are emotionally vulnerable and sensitive, counter-stereotypical representations of male characters. The kid characters don't act in stereotypically masculine or feminine ways.
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Educational Value
some
Positive social-emotional lessons including coping strategies to help kids with common preschool difficulties. The short episodes mean that the skills may not "stick" with preschoolers, but they are a good introduction to the concepts.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Barney's World is a spin-off/reboot of the classic 1990s TV show . Dinosaurs Barney (voiced by Jonathan Langdon) and Baby Bop (Bryn McAuley) return in animated form, and every episode ends with a song that nods to the original's iconic "I Love You." The updated series focuses on modern trends in child development, like equipping kids with social-emotional and mindfulness skills. There's no iffy content, so Barney's World is appropriate for even the youngest viewers.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Barney's World
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (2)
- Kids say (2)
age 3+
Based on 2 parent reviews
barneysworldreview A. Adult
October 20, 2024
age 2+
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Katherine R. Parent of 12, 14, 18+, 18+, 18+ and 5-year-old
October 15, 2024
age 4+
See all 2 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In BARNEY'S WORLD, Barney is an imaginary purple dinosaur conjured by preschoolers David, Vivie, and Mel when they want to play. The kids stand on a special dinosaur footprint in the park, yell "Hey, Barney!," and then get a visit from their silly and sweet dino friend. He helps them through everyday preschooler problems like not wanting to leave the playground, being afraid of the dark, and disagreeing with friends. Barney helps David, Vivie, and Mel practice coping techniques like taking deep breaths and brainstorming solutions to the problem. They end each day's adventure by singing "I love you, I love me too, I love being friends with you."
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (2):
Nineties kids were obsessed with , but Barney's goofy performance was less appreciated by their parents. Fortunately, Barney's World has a much less grating version of Barney, and since he's animated instead of a costumed human, he's much less creepy. Barney's World focuses on social-emotional skills important to today's parents, and teaches the skills through preschooler-relatable problems. Young kids will enjoy the sweet stories and fantasy imagination sequences. Barney's World is a solid reboot that doesn't just rest on nostalgia, but it's hard to imagine that today's preschoolers will be quite as smitten as their millennial parents.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about solving problems. How do Barney and the kids help solve each episode's problem? Could we try the same thing when you have a problem?
Barney and his friends are really great at communication. They tell each other how they're feeling. Can you think of a time when someone communicated their feelings in this story?
Barney and his friends have a lot of empathy, which means that they can understand another person's feelings. How did they understand a friend's feelings in this story? How did they help a friend who was having a tough feeling?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 14, 2024
- Cast: Diana Tsoy, Jonathan Langdon, Jayd Deroché, Ella Paciocco
- Network: Max
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Dinosaurs, Magic and Fantasy, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths: Communication, Empathy
- TV rating: TV-Y
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: October 20, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Barney's World
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