What to do about Barney (and other annoying toys!)

[Joe_5859]

I more or less followed Easter Joy’s philosophy of not introducing things I couldn’t stand to hear repeated ad nauseum. I know my wife has gotten a little tired of some of the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood songs. They get stuck in your head and will not go away. Which I guess is the point because they are trying to craft something that kid’s will remember.

 

[Allegra]

I can’t stand Barney or his creepy, dead eyes. I don’t let Barney in my house. I can sing any song he sings much better. My daughter does have an annoying, noisy toy ball that lights up and spins and makes a lot of noise. I can mostly tune it out, but once it went off when I was in the kitchen at three in the morning and I almost peed myself.

 

[Allegra]

When I was a kid, we got a second hand VCR for Christmas one year. It came with two videos. One of them had this cartoon on it. According to my mother, we watched it seven million times and she still occasionally has nightmares with the song in it. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

youtube.com/watch?v=JjWvUntFLME

 

[robwar]

Have you seen Barney? I mean, that thing made me angry when I was 3 years old. There doesn’t need to be a reason why Barney drives someone crazy, Barney is the reason itself. And yea, verily, when I first saw it and asked it its name, it replied “I Am Who you wish was Not,” which in the language of the time was pronounced “Barney.” It is not merely a thing that annoys, it is the sheer act of to annoy itself.

Fortunately, my nephew does not like Barney. However, for some reason, his father (my brother) has seen fit to buy him a fart gun. I deal with this by living 14 hours away.

(That last sentence is a joke. Mostly.)

Yes, I have seen barney when my oldest son (19 now) watched some of the shows. I thought the show trying to give a positive message of everyone is special etc. I saw it a harmless and that the basis of it was positive. Barney is much better than something like Sponge Bob which has no redeeming message, has ugly rude characters and no point at all. I think with all of these children shows and characters, Barney, Big Bird, Sponge Bob, Disney characters etc and so on can end up to become obsessions for children if the parents buy their stuff and promote them in the home. If parents stop turning their children’s room into shrines to these different characters, then I think there might be less obsession with them which I think was the basis of Op’s rant. Barney reminds me a little of Big Bird, some big huggable one color character that talks a little goofy. Trust me, by the time the child is 8-10 years old, they will not be interested in Barney.

 

[EasterJoy]

Although from everything I ever read, he was a VERY good person…I couldn’t stand the show Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. When my kids were small they LOVED it! There was a cat that just talked in “Meow Meow” language of some kind that was just the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. The whole show drove me nuts. But since the kids loved it…

I was much more of a fan of Fred Rogers than I was a fan of his show for children.

 

[Cricket2]

I am an odd duck out, maybe. I hated noise even as a kid and so my favorite “toy” was a book. I started reading at the age of 3. Aside from that I liked anything to do with science.

As a rule my parents did not tolerate loud, noisy toys. We had stuff that made noise for sure, but limits where put on us as to when we could play and how long. TV time was very limited and we spent most of our time outside playing with sticks, rocks, an old sheet mom gave us and our brothers trucks. If got “bored” mom always had house chores for us to do.

I think parents would do their kids a favor by decreasing TV time, noisy cartoons and toys and sending them outside more often. I don’t get all the noise myself and I don’t think it is good for them.

 

[Catholic1954]

My nephew’s birth filled me with great anticipation. I imagined taking him for walks, bumping him on my knee, and making him laugh with funny faces–all the wonderful experiences an aunt can share.

What I did NOT expect was Barney, that horrid, warbling stuffed dinosaur with the creepy grin!! Not only does my darling nephew have the toy, which he hugged and dragged about the moment he learned to crawl, but, as he grew a bit older, he came to love the show! To deny him would inevitably lead to loud, intolerable howls!

No matter my repeated resolve not to give in, I always found myself, partly deafened and miserable, turning on the TV. There would appear Barney–baying, dancing, clapping his big floppy paws, and caterwauling those dreadful songs!! And the child, in turn, would laugh and attempt to join in. It is all one can do to keep from fleeing the room!

At least now I understand how my Dad felt, when, as a child, I had a beautiful LOUD bell I loved to ring in the house. One day (according to Mum; I did not see), desperation overtook him. He sneaked into my room, spirited the bell away, grabbed a hammer and banged it into oblivion. Even now, many years later, the playful mention of that bell still makes him shudder.

So, here’s the question: What is (or was) the toy your child loved, but you absolutely hated? Perhaps you loathe Barney as well, or it is another spooky stuffed animal, or a game with an irritating noise. Quite often, I have dreamed of grabbing my nephew’s toy and pitching it outside into oncoming traffic; but, of course, that would be very wicked (however satisfying!). For the moment, I have settled for earplugs.

How do you handle your object of misery?

LOL!! In the Philippines, there is a 24 hour channel that is Barney only! My granddaughter is a big fan and if someone changes the channel, heads will roll (and ears will fall off from the screaming). I sent her a talking Barney last year, but I think one of her brothers took the batteries out. You can try substituting something less annoying and then leaving the less desirable one on a bus somewhere.

 

[EasterJoy]

LOL!! In the Philippines, there is a 24 hour channel that is Barney only! My granddaughter is a big fan and if someone changes the channel, heads will roll (and ears will fall off from the screaming)…

not the Purple Thing! All day, every day? AAAAAAHHHHH!!!
(Given your choice, I think I’d just give up and opt for anesthesia. )

 

[InquestofaWoman]

LOL!! In the Philippines, there is a 24 hour channel that is Barney only! My granddaughter is a big fan and if someone changes the channel, heads will roll (and ears will fall off from the screaming). I sent her a talking Barney last year, but I think one of her brothers took the batteries out. You can try substituting something less annoying and then leaving the less desirable one on a bus somewhere.

A channel for Barney ONLY? Oh, the horror! And I thought the rerun marathons were bad enough!

The Barney toy doesn’t talk, thanks heavens! I don’t have to listen to it telling me it loves me…(he!he!). But it does have that characteristic big dopey grin one could see even in a room pitch black!

My nephew loves to sing and has used Barney as a microphone. The day it becomes a ball to be kicked outside will be a joyous one indeed. He is a boy, after all!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

not the Purple Thing! All day, every day? AAAAAAHHHHH!!!
(Given your choice, I think I’d just give up and opt for anesthesia. )

LOL, Easter

You know, I am not one to drink; but a Barney channel, on all day, could just do it…

This is the scary part: my Mum loves watching Barney. She is especially pleased to raise the volume whenever I am in the house. (Hehe!) Nephews grow up…But what to do about Mum!?! At least there is no Barney channel here, else I would have to start spiking my fruit punch whenever I visit her (which is quite often!). :banghead:

 

[InquestofaWoman]

I am an odd duck out, maybe. I hated noise even as a kid and so my favorite “toy” was a book. I started reading at the age of 3. Aside from that I liked anything to do with science.

As a rule my parents did not tolerate loud, noisy toys. We had stuff that made noise for sure, but limits where put on us as to when we could play and how long. TV time was very limited and we spent most of our time outside playing with sticks, rocks, an old sheet mom gave us and our brothers trucks. If got “bored” mom always had house chores for us to do.

I think parents would do their kids a favor by decreasing TV time, noisy cartoons and toys and sending them outside more often. I don’t get all the noise myself and I don’t think it is good for them.

You’re right, Cricket. As devout Catholic parents, we should try to limit the amount of television our children watch. Lots of others here commenting are doing that. My nephew is not permitted to watch a lot of television, at least not with his grandparents. Of all the exceptions, Barney HAD to be it…:crying:

As a child, myself, I was not permitted much TV either. I played with my tea set, my dolls, my doll house once I had built one (a cute family project), and, of course, that wretched cow bell that Dad, at his wits end, flattened to bits. Really, I asked for it. I rang it constantly to annoy him (usually when Mum wasn’t around), and he could never bring himself to discipline me for my naughtiness. I guess that’s why he had to sneak the bell away, under the cover of darkness!

Hehehe! Wish I could have seen his face. What a satisfying smile he must have had…Kind of like the smile I would have if it were possible to muzzle Barney’s mouth for an eternity, and empty the toy shelves of his baying clones. I am my father’s daughter!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

Years ago (before I had kids), i went to visit my sister’s kids. Her kids were about 7,5 and 4 (Joe) at the time. The 7 year old girl and 5 year old boy came to the door - almost begging me to save them.

“What happened?”, I asked.

“Joe has been watching ‘Land before Time’ every day for the last year - and we can’t take it anymore”.

Years later, when i did have kids, I decided that it might be a good idea to not watch any broadcast television (we didn’t have cable). I didn’t want them to get accustomed to anything. And we got most of the movies we see from the library (so they have to be returned!)

I’m thankful for that, anyway. They’ve never seen Barney or Teletubbies.

I haven’t totally been able to save myself from things I find annoying, but it’s been a lot more enjoyable when they become attached to a movie I find interesting. (and even then, it’s generally for less than a week).

Fair comment, Shainski. I am learning wonderful ideas I may someday employ, if I ever become a mother. I appreciate all the sharing very much, thank you!

Good on ya for learning from your sister’s experience. Some shows are nothing short of torture!! I definitely envy your escape from the horrors of tragic programs: Barney is annoying, but Teletubbies is a cruel joke for parents that should never be told! :bigyikes: Some children’s programming is innocent enough, though, and you are selecting as you see fit. That’s great!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

My kid was huge Barney fan when he first appeared on the scene. Didn’t just watch it on TV, had to get the video tapes as well. As tired if it as I got, in retrospect I simply associated it with that period of her and my life. Both the good and the bad. She watched Fantasia a lot with me during that same time.

However, it was also about that time that one of the big First Person Shooter games was out-- DOOM II. Someone came up with a modification to the game which would replace one type of monster with Barney complete with him singing his theme song. You could blast away at him in retaliation for the hours of irritation you’d endured. Didn’t get the mod but a friend of mine claimed it helped him retain his sanity during the Barney years.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LOVE IT!!!

OK, I will confess I did do something…err…similar to release the stress. Perhaps a few times…I saw the Barney toy on the ground and…well…Banged his head several times against the wall. My nephew did not see, of course.

Better his head than mine…:egyptian:

I just may need that game, though, if my Mum keeps her promise to retain the Barney toy forever (to remind her of her first grandchild); and to bequeath the wretched thing to me, in revenge for how I annoyed her during my early years (crooning jingles incessantly, asking why every five minutes, screaming over dresses I did not want to wear, etc. etc. etc. etc…hehe). I guess the wheel comes full circle… !

 

[InquestofaWoman]

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, eh?

Hehehe!

Well, there’s no escaping trauma when it comes to these shows. The trick is not to go completely insane !!!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

I more or less followed Easter Joy’s philosophy of not introducing things I couldn’t stand to hear repeated ad nauseum. I know my wife has gotten a little tired of some of the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood songs. They get stuck in your head and will not go away. Which I guess is the point because they are trying to craft something that kid’s will remember.

That’s a true point, Joe. Come to think of it, I must confess (though I feel guilty doing so) that there are even some children’s Christian songs I deem irritating. One pet peeve of mine is Noah’s Arky Arky song. I visited an Anglican Church one morning, before attending Mass, and it was performed during the service, actions and all. The children were adorable, of course, but it is one of those songs that is repetitive and sticks in your head… By the third verse, my smile was fast unfurling

I suppose it all comes down to preference. That particular Anglican church has an Evangelical culture. The children at our Catholic parish sing sacred music in the classical tradition. The latter is, for me, far more pleasant to hear!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

I can’t stand Barney or his creepy, dead eyes. I don’t let Barney in my house. I can sing any song he sings much better. My daughter does have an annoying, noisy toy ball that lights up and spins and makes a lot of noise. I can mostly tune it out, but once it went off when I was in the kitchen at three in the morning and I almost peed myself.

LOLOL! Good laugh there, Allegra! That must have given you quite the fright!!!

So, you feel my pain with Barney, eh? It’s a funny thing, loathing the very sight of a toy. I swear sometimes it is mocking me with that silly grin!!! I read an article once suggesting that Generation X, of which I am part, possess a particular loathing for Barney. Perhaps it is because he was over-marketed.

When Barney first became popular in Canada, he was everywhere. His jingles were shrieked in department stores across Canada. His big face occupied several shelves, all bunched ominously altogether like one big purple nightmare. Children would press his paw, and you would hear his voice or many voices at once, giggling, saying, or singing, “I love you, I love you, I love you!!”. It was terrible! Many parents bought Barney toys and products back then; but not all who emerged weighted with purple dinosaurs and sheets and pillow cases looked terribly happy about it!

The craze is not so bad anymore, but Barney maintains a strong presence. Accordingly, it does not surprise me that there are many games and videos online depicting his demise. I bet some of their creators are parents !!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

Yes, I have seen barney when my oldest son (19 now) watched some of the shows. I thought the show trying to give a positive message of everyone is special etc. I saw it a harmless and that the basis of it was positive. Barney is much better than something like Sponge Bob which has no redeeming message, has ugly rude characters and no point at all. I think with all of these children shows and characters, Barney, Big Bird, Sponge Bob, Disney characters etc and so on can end up to become obsessions for children if the parents buy their stuff and promote them in the home. If parents stop turning their children’s room into shrines to these different characters, then I think there might be less obsession with them which I think was the basis of Op’s rant. Barney reminds me a little of Big Bird, some big huggable one color character that talks a little goofy. Trust me, by the time the child is 8-10 years old, they will not be interested in Barney.

Rob, do please stop characterizing my thread as a “rant”. Because you think it’s so, doesn’t make it so. I already explained the intent, and everyone else here seems to understand and respect it. Kindly do the same.

 

[InquestofaWoman]

When I was a kid, we got a second hand VCR for Christmas one year. It came with two videos. One of them had this cartoon on it. According to my mother, we watched it seven million times and she still occasionally has nightmares with the song in it. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

youtube.com/watch?v=JjWvUntFLME

LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!! Oh, your poor mother, Allegra. One may only imagine what she went through!! I tuned in while doing some work around the house; and within less than a minute I felt a headache coming on. Were I only able to hear the video, instead of see it, I should think this was a showing of purgatory or hell. The constant ear-piercing sounds are something akin to shrieks from the bottomless pit!!!

Merry Christmas, indeed!! More like weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth!! :banghead:


I remember, as a teenager, I came to love Mariah Carey’s song, “I Can’t Live”. When I lost my first crush, I played this song over and over and over and over again, singing and moaning, until one day Mum tried to break into the bathroom wherein I had barricaded myself. She shouted through the door that I turn off the song immediately, before she succumbed to madness!

Well, she got me out of the slump. I laughed so hard that afternoon I quit moping

 

[InquestofaWoman]

I was much more of a fan of Fred Rogers than I was a fan of his show for children.

I remember Mr. Rogers, as a child. Just vaguely, though. He is no longer part of our Canadian programming, I don’t think.

I also recall Zoobilee Zoo, which I sometimes watched as an older child (8-10 yrs.) My father disliked that show immensely. He did not approve of grown-ups, especially men, jumping about in heavy makeup and furry costumes (hehehe!). This (and a number of other shows), would send him flying into the more comfortable, manly confines of his office !!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

Hey, I think I remember that show–the Purple Thing. Wasn’t it large and hairy with one eye?

No…Maybe that’s a Canadian thing. We created a few strange shows, too! Must be a trend…how unfortunate!!