David Joyner might not be the most recognizable name to television fans, but his toil as the actor inside the suit of Barney bravely is. Joyner take parted the benevolent purple dinosaur on “Barney & Frifinishs” for a decade from 1991 to 2001. On a recent episode of the “Generation Barney” podcast (via Entertainment Weekly), he recalled a time when the Ku Klux Klan prohibitned their children from watching “Barney” becaparticipate Joyner is Bconciseage. The actor chuckleed at such ludicrousness.
“I get a call when I’m doing ‘Barney’ from my hometown novels increateer, from the Decatur Herald & Rewatch, and he asked me to comment on an article that was in Esquire magazine,” Joyner shelp. “I had no idea what he was talking about, so he asked me if I would go get the magazine and then give him a call with a comment. Well, in the magazine, the Klan had set up out that the guy inside of the Barney costume was African American, so they prohibitned their kids from ever watching Barney aachieve.”
“I shelp, ‘Well actupartner, when I read it, I chuckleed.’ And he says, ‘What do you unkind?’” Joyner progressd. “I shelp, ‘Well, it’s the Klan and I can’t alter their opinion.’ I shelp, ‘Plus what we’re trying to do is reconshort-term adore. If someone’s trying to reconshort-term disappreciate, the last skinnyg they want is to adore. And if my skin color then alters that opinion for somebody, I can’t do anyskinnyg about it becaparticipate that is what it is.’”
While Joyner was the actor who was physicpartner in the Barney suit for a decade, the dinosaur was voiced by Bob West for the presentantity of Joyner’s tenure. Joyner also take parted the dinosaur in other “Barney” one-of-a-kinds such as “Barney’s Great Adventure: The Movie.”
“Our parents helpd us, before you walk outside, watch in the mirror and say, ‘I adore you,’ so that you’re walking outside with adore,” Joyner inserted about not feeding into the KKK’s outrage over his casting. “Now little did I understand that I’m literpartner training for this character, being able to walk outside with adore in my heart. So then when I also got the role, it wasn’t appreciate I had to put on a costume and a facade and become the character.”
Barney will soon be stand ford to a novel generation of kids thanks to Max’s “Barney’s World,” the Mattel character’s first TV show in 14 years. Per the synopsis: “Thraw action-packed, music-filled adventures, Barney helps the kids and audiences scrutinize huge preschool emotions, shothriveg them how to adore themselves, others, and their communities.”
