Disturbing Documentary Alert: New Series Exposes Drug Rumors and Death Threats Behind Barney Kids Show

(SPOT.ph) The phrase "childhood ruined" often gets thrown around these days merely in relation to a sequel or reboot of a popular title not fully living up to the original creation. However, we see it differently. Sure, Luke Skywalker may be old and cynical now and the new Mulan iteration may not have music or a talking dragon anymore, but we wouldn't go as far as to say that our childhoods are retroactively ruined because of the newer material. The originals still remain untainted.

Such is not the case with the new series I Love You, You Hate Me, a documentary exploring the dark side of one of the pillars of children's programming, Barney the Dinosaur. The documentary delves into the rise in popularity of the Barney & Friends television series, the explosive backlash that similarly rose against it, and all the sordid rumors including drugs and violence that tainted the children's show. Now, we can say "childhood ruined." Who knew so much hate could come from such a pure entity?

Also read: Pinoy Actor in Netflix's Dahmer Hopes for More Filipinos Cast in Streaming Hits

Here's what's going on in the Barney documentary I Love You, You Hate Me:

The two-part docu-series I Love You, You Hate Me dropped on the streaming service Peacock on Wednesday, October 12, and made some waves on social media. Since Peacock isn't currently accessible from the Philippines, let us break down some of the crazy reveals from the documentary.

The documentary directed by Tommy Avallone covers the show Barney & Friends' rise in the early '90s and the backlash movement "Barney Bashing" that emerged not long after its debut. Turns out, American adults hated the Purple Dinosaur whose most popular song espoused the saying "I love you, you love me."

Groups were established with the sole purpose of hating the mascot. No joke, the groups operated under official names like "I Hate Barney Secret Society" and "The Jihad to Destroy Barney." (Take note: these groups were established before the Internet boom of the 2000's.) The latter would even host elaborate roleplaying games wherein the group's members would pretend to be "supersoldiers" enlisted in a war against the dinosaur.

It wasn't long before nasty rumors portraying Barney in a bad light entered the public sphere. We're sure you've heard of at least one of them at one point in your life. These rumors included the various Barney actors being drug peddlers (claiming they'd carry drugs within the suit) and child predators. One rumor even claimed that a Barney actor committed suicide within the suit—a claim that the documentary dispels, by the way.

The documentary also addresses the popular rumor that the Barney theme song when played backwards contain a subliminal message from the Antichrist.

Interviewing some of the people who worked on the series, the documentary also depicts the effects of these vile accusations on the people behind the scenes. The child actors were bullied at school for being on the series. A couple of the Barney actors were attacked in public. Patrick Leach, the son of Barney creator Sheryl Leach, even grew up resenting the fame of the purple dinosaur, so much so that he developed a drug addiction and shot his neighbor seemingly out of paranoia in 2013.

Disturbing content effectively makes looking back at the nostalgic figure from most of our childhoods a difficult task. However, director Avallone believes it's an important realization to have in the present day. He said in an interview, "I hope the film makes some people rethink the things they say around others, especially children. Barney has done that for me."

Also read: Horror Hidden Gem: This Found Footage Film Centers on a Dying Man’s Video Diary to His Unborn Child

I Love You, You Hate Me is streaming on Peacock.

Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.