Why I Hate Barney, The Big Purple Dinosaur
I fell for it. This weekend Barney, the world's friendliest dinosaur, paid a visit to our hometown. While he is not my cup of tea, my two-year old thinks he is super cool (I really don't get it). I hadn't planned on taking him to see the star's live performance, but each time we drove past a large advert of Barney my kid would go ballistic with excitement, that coupled with the fact that the weather sucks and we were all working on each other's nerves at home is what made me cave in, I gave in to Barney.
Off we trundled. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing personal against the dude, in fact, I think his messages are good and I umm, find his songs quite catchy! It's the hype behind the beloved TV show that makes my toes curl. And just as I thought, upon entering "Barney's House", there they were, tables upon tables of merchandise, from t-shirts, to caps, tupperware and balloons. Barney wasn't here to tickle imaginations and encourage free play, he was here to make money! Out of young minds! And boy oh boy did he make money! There wasn't a kid in sight (except for my own) that wasn't outfitted from head to toe in Barney apparel carrying a stuffed version of the host in question.
Now all of this wouldn't bother me so much if it wasn't for the fact that the branded goods are sold at disgusting prices! Perhaps I'm a boring parent, but there is no way I am paying over R300 (23 USD) for a teeny tiny t-shirt, that probably cost them R10 to make! And I am definitely NOT going to get my son one just because that's what everyone else is wearing.
This is why I hate Barney, not because his voice makes my bones turn to ice, but because he uses little children to make himself rich (just to be clear, I know Barney isn't a real person and that he is backed by a network of mongers) - while he ignites the imagination, at the same time he uses little bodies to nag at their parents because they want the Barney teddy too - this wouldn't be so bad if parents ignored the wiles (hey, just a thought, perhaps the parents are to blame, hmm, something to think about) - but we aim to please our young ones and hell, we wouldn't want them to stand out from the crowd now would we?
We will not be visiting Barney's house next year.
Team South Africa banner designed by @bearoneMuch love - @sweetpea
Good post
I loathe Barney with all my heart & soul. But don't worry, in a few years your little man will come home singing rhymes of Barney's gruesome death by various methods.
Ha ha, can't wait...I think ;)
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I'm not familiar with this Barney dude, since my kids are now too old to watch such programs, but I understand what you're talking about.
A few years back, I took my son to a Disney Live show, tickets were mega-expensive, but, hey, the kid was a Mickey Mouse fan at the time...as for the merchandise, just as you say - disgusting prices!
I know right! And it was shocking to see how many parents were spending money on the goods!