Here is Barney’s full message: “Hi friends, it’s me, Barney. I haven’t seen some of you in a long time, but I always make sure to check in on my friends.

“Barney & Friends” was about America’s favorite purple dinosaur and aired from 1992 to 2010. The series was based on “Barney & the Backyard Gang” and produced some high-profile talent.

The very next year, 1992, “Barney and the Backyard Gang” hit PBS as “Barney & Friends” and found its way into the homes of millions of kids. “Barney was a one off,” Rifkin said.

Barney and his friends learn about fire safety with help from Firefighter Frank and his dog Chief. But that's not all…Barney, Baby Bop and BJ become dino-experts on many topics such as seatbelt ...

Debuting 50 years ago, the show covered a series of detective in a more banal, day-to-day take on cop live when cops-and-robbers was all the craze.