Barney bounds into town

12:21pm Thursday 17th July 2008

A big purple dinosaur would scare most people half to death, but not when it's Barney, the lovable children's TV star.

More than 20 years since his creation and with a feature film under his belt, the six ft creature has taken to the stage with his latest live show, the Let's Go Tour.

In a rush to share their favourite toys with the audience, Barney's friends BJ, Riff and Baby Bop accidentally break them.

But, as always, Barney finds the bright lining behind the dark cloud, taking the little dinosaurs and the audience to a magical toy factory where the toys can be repaired by the imagination machine - a fantastic device powered by children's imagination.

Barney began life in 1987 when Sheryl Leach of Dallas, Texas, came up with the idea for the program while considering TV shows that she felt would be educational and appeal to her son.

She and a team made a series of home videos before Barney's big break came in 1992 when he was picked up by the public broadcasting system and given his own show, Barney and Friends.

Since then it has achieved huge success, being shown around the world in more then 100 countries and being translated into Spanish and Hebrew.

There has even been a guest appearance on cult cartoon show The Simpsons, and he also appears fighting alongside Homer in a level of The Simpsons arcade game.

The full educational value of the show was revealed when a Yale study discovered as many as 150 teaching moments per episode and concluded the show was "nearly a model of what a preschool program should be."

• Barney Live! The Let's Go Tour, Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon, July 25, 3.30pm and July 26, 11am and 2pm, adults £12, children £10. Call 020 8688 9291 or visit fairfield.co.uk.