Shocking new docuseries reveals dark side of 90s kids' show Barney the Dinosaur

Barney the Dinosaur was one of the most beloved children's characters of the 90s, but it turns out that there was a dark side to the character.

All will be revealed in a shocking new two-part docuseries from Peacock that will be available to stream from 12 October.

The series, titled I Love You, You Hate Me, will document 'the rise and fall of Barney the Dinosaur's furious backlash - and what it says about the human need to hate.'

It will look at how the innocent children's character, who first hit screens in 1992, became a target for vicious hate including rumours that drugs were concealed within the tail of Barney's costume.

This hate went beyond rumours and also involved Barney merchandise being destroyed as well as the cast and crew of the hit show receiving death threats.

The trailer for the series features one of the former Barney actors, Bob West, saying of the threats: "They were violent and explicit, death and dismemberment of my family.

"They were gonna come find me and they were going to kill me."

US TV personality Al Roker added: "As [creator Sheryl Leach's] beloved character was heading into the stratosphere, people couldn't accept that this was just a show. And so, let the bashing begin."

Peacock

The series description reads: "From Barney-bashing to frat parties to homicidal video games, something in American society broke into a million pieces, and it's never been put together again, or is this just who we were all along?"

The series will also touch on a shooting carried out by the son of one Barney's creators Sheryl Leach in 2013.

As reported by E! News, this incident saw Patrick Leach imprisoned for 15 years after shooting his neighbour Eric Shanks.

The trailer ominously ends with an interviewee stating: "I don't think you could ever think somebody would go and shoot someone."

Joel Chiodi, the Head of Documentaries and SVP of Strategic Development at Scout Productions, said: "I Love You, You Hate Me unpacks how a children's character who stood for inclusion, understanding, and kindness birthed a movement of anger and criticism that threatened the show, its creators, and their futures.

"As it spotlights the beginnings of modern-day hate culture, this documentary traces the creation of the character and how it took a toll on the people closest to it, examining the surprising and lingering impact the ‘Big Purple Dinosaur’ left on American society."

Topics: TV And Film

Emma Guinness

@guinness_emma