Everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur is about to make a comeback! Today, Mattel has announced its plans for a global relaunch of the Barney franchise. The company plans to reintroduce young audiences to the iconic character through new series, films, music, toys, and more starting in 2024.

Barney was first introduced to families when Barney & Friends premiered on PBS in 1992. The series starred Barney, a purple anthropomorphic dinosaur, as he and his friends learned valuable lessons and sang very catchy songs. Such lessons in the show include how to share, be kind, and use good manners, while songs from the series include earworms like “I Love You, You Love Me,” which has stuck in the minds of its audience well into adulthood. Barney & Friends ran for 268 episodes, with the final one airing in November 2010.

The first product of this franchise relaunch by Mattel will be an animated series. The currently untitled animated series will follow Barney and his friends as they set out on “music-filled adventures centered on love, community, and encouragement.” The series will be aimed at preschool-aged kids and is set to debut globally sometime in 2024. Fred Soulie and Christopher Keenan will executive produce the series for Mattel Television while Colin Bohm and Pam Westman do the same for Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana.

While Mattel is holding the rest of their plans for Barney close to the chest, they did tease some details. They are not planning to stop at just a new TV series. They are hoping to recapture the past love for Barney in the children of today with plans for film and YouTube content starring the purple dinosaur. Mattel also plans to release music, toys, books, clothing, and more associated with the new Barney brand. Mattel also announced that they plan to release “apparel and accessories for adult fans, featuring classic Barney”. It is currently unknown if Mattel’s current brand relaunch includes the previously announced Barney live-action movie from Daniel Kaluuya, which as of last July was still in development.

About this effort to relaunch Barney, Josh Silverman, Chief Franchise Officer and Global Head of Consumer Products at Mattel, said:

“Barney’s message of love and kindness has stood the test of time. We will tap into the nostalgia of the generations who grew up with Barney, now parents themselves, and introduce the iconic purple dinosaur to a new generation of kids and families around the world across content, products, and experiences.”

Soulie, SVP and General Manager of Mattel Television, added to the above statement saying:

“In creating the new series, it was important to us that we properly reflect the world that kids today live in so that the series can deliver meaningful lessons about navigating it. With our modern take on Barney, we hope to inspire the next generation to listen, care, and dream big. We think that parents, many of whom will fondly remember the original Barney from their own childhoods, will love the show, too.”

Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates on any upcoming Barney content

via Collider