The parking lot of the Texas mall was a sea of children fidgeting in folding chairs, strollers and their parents’ laps, craning to see the six-foot tall purple dinosaur as he ran onto the stage.ĭespite the bulky suit, Barney jumped into the air, waving his short, T-rex arms and spinning to the delighted screams of the children.

A Texas schoolteacher came up with the idea of Barney 30 years ago because she wanted to make an educational show for her son, who loved dinosaurs.

Despite how hard it was to dance and act inside the 70-pound suit, David loved it.

A woman got the job at first, but she couldn't handle the pressure of a live performance and meet-and-greet in costume, so the role was given to David.

He was eventually convinced by the casting director to audition and had a dream he would get the role.

He always wanted to be an entertainer, but he didn't want to audition for Barney because he had never played a costumed role and wanted to be seen.

David Joyner, 54, played Barney the dinosaur for ten years from 1991 to 2001.

My life as Barney the Dinosaur: Actor who sang and danced in 70lb purple costume for 10 years during the height of the show's success reveals it was 120F inside the suit and he hadn't even wanted to audition for the role

Professional barney costume