The big purple dinosaur Barney is making a return to TV.
Toy giant Mattel and Canadian animation producer 9 Story Media Group are pacting to relaunch the preschool TV brands Barney & Friends and Angelina Ballerina. The deal, involving Mattel’s preschool entertainment arm Hit Entertainment, will see both series return with 26 half-hours, set to debut in 2017.
Barney originally aired from 1992 to 2009, with 248 episodes produced. Angelina Ballerina ran from 2001 to 2006 and was based on a book series created by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig.
“We are delighted to announce this new brand-building partnership with 9 Story in a deal which sees two of the world’s finest producers of preschool entertainment joining forces to bring an exciting lineup of new programming to a global audience across multiple platforms,” Kate Schlomann, HIT Entertainment’s vp of global brand marketing, said in a statement Tuesday.
