Pete Markham

Barney and the Backyard Gang is a direct-to-video series produced by The Lyons Group and was produced from October 13, 1988 to October 20, 1991. This series launched the stardom of the PBS television show Barney & Friends. Music for the Barney and the Backyard Gang videos was created by Stephen Bates Baltes and Phillip Parker. The series was a regional success, but only a moderate success throughout the rest of the country. Then one day, in 1991, Larry Rifkin, then head of Connecticut Public Television, rented a Barney video for his daughter Leora. He liked the concept and talked to Leach about possibly putting Barney on television through the Public Broadcasting Service. Rock with Barney was the last video in the series before the television show debuted. Also, only four of the kids from the videos (Michael, Luci, Tina and Derek) were carried over to the television show.

The Backyard Gang are bored on a Saturday with nothing to do. That is, until they use their imaginations to bring Barney to life. When they tell Barney their problem, he acts like a genie and gives them three wishes to go anywhere they would want to go in their imagination. Using their imaginations, they go to places like a fun park, the Moon in outer space, and even a fun-filled animal farm. But when Barney leaves, the kids learn from Mom that "friends are forever, whenever they're make-believe".

Joe Scruggs in Concert captures all the mesmerizing charm of this gifted performer and lets your children enjoy his magic time and again. Upbeat tunes, unbeatable lyrics, lively puppets, and larger then life props and characters make this show a non stop family frolic. Joe Scruggs in Concert will get a standing ovation from your entire family!