[imagesource: Hit Entertainment/ Everett Collection]

I remember singing lovingly along with Barney and Friends when I was little: “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too?”

And then I remember a turning point, when the words of the theme song changed, became more disturbing, and I began fearing the purple dinosaur “from my imagination”.

“Why does the world love to hate?”, asks the new docuseries about Barney, the kids’ show that started generating hate and violence as viewers rejected its values of inclusion and respect.

I Love You, You Hate Me delves into the rumour mill, threats, and disdain the dinosaur character faced as soon as Barney became a friendly face for millions of kids, notes Rolling Stone:

The trailer features interviews with actors who portrayed the purple dinosaur, including Bob West, along with other folks who worked on the show, and pop culture leaders such as Al Roker and Bill Nye.

The trailer covers how people started saying that creator Sheryl Leach’s beloved character was involved in drugs, among other things, which eventually led to threats of violence against the actors who portrayed the lovable dinosaur:

Even the series’ director, Tommy Avallone, said he used to hate Barney as a child:

 “As a teenager, for one of my birthdays I asked my aunt to make me a Barney costume, so my friends and I could beat him up on camera,” he [said].

“Several years later, creating this docuseries, it feels good to be on the other side and no longer a Barney hater. Now having children of my own, I understand all the love that went into making the purple dinosaur.”

First, they came for Winne for the Pooh, and now this? Sheesh.

I Love You, You Hate Me will be available to stream in two parts from October 12 on Peacock.

[source:rollingstone]