The sixth season of Barney & Friends premiered on PBS from November 1, 1999 to April 14, 2000 and consisted of twenty episodes. This season continues to display Barney coming to life through a child's imagination, whenever he is needed for something, helping his friends, through educational themes tailored for toddlers, which is the viewing audience.
Continuing off of the seasons four and five, this continues to take place at the school and treehouse, brings back most of the main characters from the previous season as a prolongation of the two previous ones, with the exception of Curtis, Kristen, Ashley, Alissa, and Booker T. Bookworm, and adds a new child by the name of Jill. Although Kristen doesn't appear in this season, she would make her last appearances in two home videos that were taped after the season finished production.
Much of this season recycles themes from the first three seasons, as they were taken out of circulation on the network after PBS no longer had unlimited broadcast rights to them after April 30, 1998.[1]
This is the final season before major changes took place, including the setting, casting and show production. Most notably, this was the final season to have one of Barney's creators executive produce the show, which was co-creator Dennis DeShazer. This is also the final season to be filmed at the Las Colinas in Irving, Texas as production would move to HIT Entertainment Studios in Carrollton, Texas for the next season.
Production
Production for this season began in March 1999, as for the second episode "Itty Bitty Bugs", was the first episode being filmed because the Season 6 Barney costume was not finished at the time and ended in July 1999, as for the fifteenth episode, "It's Home To Me", was the final episode being filmed, according to Bob West, the voice of Barney. Despite the second half of the season airing in 2000, all 20 episodes were filmed and produced by 1999. This was the first season to air in two years.
This was the final season to be produced and distributed by Lyrick Studios, as the company would eventually be bought and folded with HIT Entertainment.
Cast
Dinosaurs
This was the final season in which Barney was voiced by Bob West and performed by David Joyner. David Joyner continued to perform as the character until 2005 which was the same year Bob West returned to voice Barney at the PBS Kids Sprout Launch.
This was also the final season in which BJ was performed by Jeff Brooks.
Hiatus
After Season 4, Barney & Friends was contracted for two more seasons up until 1999,[2] with this season being the final within that said contract.
Cast
Dinosaurs
- Barney (Voice: Bob West, Costume: David Joyner) [20/20]
- Baby Bop (Voice: Julie Johnson, Costume: Jeff Ayers / Jeff Brooks / Jennifer Romano) [9/20]
- BJ (Voice: Patty Wirtz, Costume: Jeff Brooks) [9/20]
Children
- Danny (Jeffrey Hood) [10/20]
- Jeff (Austin Ball) [10/20]
- Robert (Angel Velasco) [10/20]
- Emily (Hannah Owens) [9/20]
- Keesha (Mera Baker) [9/20]
- Stephen (Chase Gallatin) [9/20]
- Hannah (Marisa Kuers) [8/20]
- Kim (Erica Rhodes) [5/20]
- Linda (Adrianne Kangas) [4/20]
- Jill (Lana Whittington) (debut) [4/20]
- Chip (Lucien Douglas) [3/20]
Adults
- Stella the Storyteller (Phyllis Cicero) [5/20]
- Mr. Boyd (Robert Sweatman) [1/20]
Animals
- Scooter McNutty (Todd Duffey) [7/20]
- Miss Etta Kette (Brice Armstrong) [6/20]
Guest Appearances
- Cathy Msingi Jones (played Kim's Mee-Ma in "Grandparents Are Grand")
- Jim Ponds (played Kim's Pop-Pop in "Grandparents Are Grand")
- Sean Sandras (played Perry in "Snack Time!")
- Nancy Drotning (played Zelda in "Who's Who At The Zoo?")
- Barbara Lowin (played Mother Goose in "A "Little" Mother Goose")
- Dell Johnson (played Officer Thompson in "Good Job!")
- Lee Burns (played Firefighter Berkeley in "Here Comes The Firetruck!")
- Dale Evans (played Firefighter Vandever in "Here Comes The Firetruck!")
- Summer Selby (played Ms. Crisp in "Ready, Set, Go!")
Episodes
| # | Episode | Written By | Directed By | New Barney Songs | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Mark S. Bernthal | Fred Holmes | November 1, 1999 | |
| After cleaning up the treehouse, Barney and his friends use their imagination to turn an ordinary stick into many different activities. | |||||
| 2 |  |
Perri Verdino-Gates | Alexander Laughton | November 2, 1999 | |
| The kids are having an afternoon picnic, when they realize that many insects reside all around them. This leads them to learn about the many different types of insects. | |||||
| 3 |  |
Shields Freeman | Jim Rowley | "I'd Love to Sail" | November 3, 1999 |
| Barney and the kids throw a surprise party for Kim's grandparents. BJ helps cheer up Jeff who misses his grandparents. | |||||
| 4 |  |
Sandra J. Payne | Fred Holmes | November 4, 1999 | |
| Chip shares some afternoon snacks with his friends. Barney opens his own pretend fancy restaurant to help Baby Bop learn the importance of trying new foods. | |||||
| 5 |  |
Perri Verdino-Gates | Alexander Laughton | November 5, 1999 | |
| Robert is showing Jeff and Linda pictures from his summer vacation. Barney comes to life and transforms the playground into an island paradise. Later, Keesha comes to the playground with her new winter clothes that her aunt gave it to her. With a little imagination, it begins to snow! The kids play in the snow and build a snow-dinosaur. It's a day full of super-dee-duper sunny, snowy fun! | |||||
| 6 |  |
Perri Verdino-Gates | Fred Holmes | November 8, 1999 | |
| Barney and the kids spend the day making arts and crafts for the school's art open house. The kids help BJ make something special for Baby Bop. | |||||
| 7 |  |
Stephen White | Alexander Laughton Jim Rowley |
November 9, 1999 | |
| Barney brings out five special boxes: Each filled with special activities that correspond with one of the five senses. | |||||
| 8 |  |
Sandra J. Payne | Jim Rowley | "Sharing Together" | November 10, 1999 |
| Hannah's rock collection and Stephen's hat collection gives Barney the opportunity to emphasis the importance of counting. From playing number limbo to counting bubbles, the kids learn that counting can be easy and fun. | |||||
| 9 |  |
Noreen Davis Nina Shelton |
Fred Holmes | "What Will We See at the Zoo?" | November 11, 1999 |
| A search for the hat Robert got at the zoo but has misplaced, a mystery game from Stella, and a visit from a zookeeper all help Barney and his friends learn about animals at the zoo. | |||||
| 10 |  |
Sandra J. Payne | Jim Rowley | November 12, 1999 | |
| It's Robert's birthday, and Barney and the others are throwing him a surprise birthday fiesta. | |||||
| 11 |  |
Noreen Davis Stephen White Nina Shelton |
Alexander Laughton | "Exercising...Won't You Come and Join Me?" | April 3, 2000 |
| Coach Barney sets up a day filled with exercise activities to show Danny that exercise can be fun. Baby Bop and the kids participate in a relay race. | |||||
| 12 |  |
Stephen White | Alexander Laughton | "What Would I Do Without My Teeth?" | April 4, 2000 |
| The kids practice smiling for their school pictures. This prompts Barney to discuss about the importance of dental hygiene. The kids give Barney a pretend dental check-up. | |||||
| 13 |  |
Stephen White | Jim Rowley | April 5, 2000 | |
| After Emily struggles with coming up with her own rhyme, Mother Goose visits Barney and the kids to show them that rhyming is easy and fun. | |||||
| 14 |  |
Evan Viola | Fred Holmes | "Look at Me, I'm Dancing" | April 6, 2000 |
| The kids use Barney's special hopscotch game to "try" on different career jobs. | |||||
| 15 |  |
Perri Verdino-Gates | Alexander Laughton | April 7, 2000 | |
| Hannah brings her dollhouse so her friends can play with it. Each of the kids talk about their favorite room in a house. | |||||
| 16 |  |
Perri Verdino-Gates | Jeff Gittle | April 10, 2000 | |
| Barney and the kids help Mr. Boyd take care for the school garden. The kids make their own box gardens. | |||||
| 17 |  |
Perri Verdino-Gates | Jim Rowley | "Growing Big and Tall" | April 11, 2000 |
| After feeling frustrated over jumping rope, Baby Bop learns the importance of perseverance. | |||||
| 18 |  |
Shields Freeman | Alexander Laughton | "Do Some Exercise" | April 12, 2000 |
| Hannah's firefighter neighbor and her firefighter friend visit the school to talk about fire safety. The kids get to explore a real fire engine. | |||||
| 19 |  |
Stephen White | Alexander Laughton | April 13, 2000 | |
| Travel Agent Baby Bop takes Barney on an "Imagination Vacation" by using the different modes of transportation. | |||||
| 20 |  |
Stephen White | Fred Holmes | April 14, 2000 | |
| Barney gives the kids some empty books to have them fill it with things that makes them special. | |||||
Release
Broadcast
The complete season aired on PBS for the final time from August 18, 2003 to September 12, 2003.
Home media
None of the TV versions of the episodes from this season were released on home video, but a longer and re-titled version of the episode, "A "Little" Mother Goose", was released on VHS and DVD as Barney's Rhyme Time Rhythm on March 21, 2000.
Trivia
- Starting in this season, Mera Baker (Keesha) does the fundings for the show. Reruns of Seasons 4 and 5 would use her recording. Seasons 7 and 8 also use her recording. Along with Mera Baker (Keesha) doing the fundings for the show, the fundings itself have changed from "Barney & Friends was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the financial support of Viewers Like You and by (sponsors)" to "Barney & Friends was made possible by: (sponsors) and by contributions from your PBS stations from Viewers Like You! Thank You!" and this would last until the end of the series but with different backgrounds and announcers and sponsors.
Costumes
- "Itty Bitty Bugs" and "Five Kinds Of Fun!" are the only season six episodes to utilize the season five Barney costume. This could possibly be because these were the first two episodes that were filmed for this season and the new Barney costume for this season was not completed yet when those two episodes were being filmed.
- This season marks the first season to use three Barney costumes.
Changes
- This season marked:
- The first season to use the 1999 PBS Kids logo with Dot and Dash and their subsequent idents, which debuted 2 months earlier.
- The final season to be sponsored by Kellog's Frosted Flakes.
- The final appearances of Hannah, Chip, Linda, Stella the Storyteller, The Adventure Screen, and The Barney Bag.
- Although leaving the cast after this season, Stella the Storyteller would later re-appear in the new content of The Best of Barney.
- The final television appearances of Keesha, Danny, Emily, Robert, Jeff, Kim, Stephen, Scooter McNutty, and Miss Etta Kette.
- The only television appearance of Jill.
- The final season to take place at the school and the treehouse before they were demolished and discarded after the 2 final Barney home videos to utilize it, "Round and Round We Go", and "Barney's Beach Party" finished production.
- The final season to use the credits with the shoes in front of the purple TV.
- The final season in which those episodes worked with ActiMates Barney.
- The final television season to feature Jeff Brooks as BJ's costume performer.
- The final television season to feature David Joyner as Barney's costume performer.
- The final season in which Bob West voiced Barney. He left the series prior to the filming of Barney's Super Singing Circus as Tim Dever and Duncan Brannan started to voice him during that time period. However, Bob West was apart of Barney's Musical Castle which began touring two months after production on this season wrapped up.
- The final season not available for streaming.
Characters
- Stephen starts wearing glasses in this season.
- Hannah's ears were pierced and her teeth are braces in this season.
- Scooter McNutty and Miss Etta Kette appeared less frequently than they did the previous two seasons.
- The names on the cubbies in the classroom from left to right are Chip, Robert, Linda, Jeff, Emily, Danny, Keesha, Hannah, Jill, and Stephen.
Gallery
Wrap Party
It carried out with the presence of the members of the production crew and from all the children's cast in December 1999.
Behind The Scenes
