Carey "Barney" Stinson welcomes Jeff “Baby Bop” Ayers - Purple Tales Podcast Episode 1

Hang out with the guys inside the suits!
Your PURPLE TALES host Carey “Barney” Stinson brings in his pal Jeff “Baby Bop” Ayers to reminiscence about their magical Barney days on the road and off - from a run-away elephant to a wedding proposal atop the Empire State Building.
Amid the laughs and tears, co-host Nancy Jay gets to the bottom of how and why PURPLE TALES came to be.
About Jeff Ayers
Jeff Ayers' path to Baby Bop began on a football field in Greenville, Texas, where he spent his senior year in a lion's costume. Making it a calling, Jeff received a mascot scholarship at a junior college, where he was twice named one of the top five mascots in the nation, and went on to receive another mascot scholarship at Lamar University in Beaumont. After graduation, Jeff lived out his dream as a professional mascot for the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks. But Jeff is most proud of his years as part of the Barney Family and making kids happy.

[@1991autumn]

I use to watch Barney everyday when i was a kid I started watching Barney when I was 2 years old

[@NJ-dv3wz]

And so you are part of the Barney magic!

[@donaldjackson8734]

And I love being Part of that Magic The great thing about Barney Magic Is when you Hang onto the history of Barney you’ll always be a Kid at Heart in your imagination

[@tinasadler4824]

I am so happy that you agreed to do this podcast! My daughter was OBSESSED with Barney!!!! BUT she was TERRIFIED of life size characters. My dad had a customer that worked on the show and could have brought her to the set, but she would have NONE of it. BUT...we watched HOURS and HOURS of Barney EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! THANK YOU!!!

[@tristonmurphy1205]

This is super awesome! I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with David Joyner and Bob West who played Barney when I was growing up and they are both really kind and passionate about their time as Barney. So, it is extremely awesome that Carey is coming out and talking about his time as Barney with that same passion and heart. Barney and Friends is the soul reason why I became a filmmaker. Really looking forward to more episodes!

[@NJ-dv3wz]

How amazing that your childhood passion impacted your future ... and as a filmmaker! I love hearing that. And it's more proof the Barney magic is real.

[@calebdilts3531]

😮😅😅😅😊😊😅😅😅😊😮😮

[@TruelySonicHOG]

Wonderful work, Carey and Nancy! Can't wait to see more.

[@abbieprice3430]

I'm glad Jeff finally explained why they shrunk Baby Bop in the first place! I guess most youngsters who watched Barney back then probably thought that dinosaurs grew smaller as they got older lol! On another hand, I saw on Facebook that he and Kim have three kids with dwarfism like them: Hannah, who's their biological daughter, and two kids James and Leah who were adopted from China!

[@PurpleVoice15]

This is amazing. I'm literally just sitting here smiling the whole time :)

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Awww, love that!! We do it for you!!

[@jaylencninjaturtlesandbarn3454]

I found this am Im like woah your kidding no really oh wow this is awsome

[@nadinenadine7808]

I LOVED Barney! So positive and so loving and teaching children to love and respect each other. (And Baby Bop is my cousin).

[@jennifrog8117]

Amazing! This really made my day! So excited to see more podcasts & hear more stories!

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Thanks, Matthew!

[@tomunterberger9021]

I watched many episodes of "Barney and Friends" with my twin boys when they were little. I enjoyed hearing the many "behind the scenes" stories from the show. Looking forward to Episode 2. Nice work Nancy!

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Tom, thank you!!!

[@barneyfan1925]

Absolutely amazing 💜

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Thank you ... we love hearing that!

[@amobiuzukwu3231]

An I grow up watching Barney as a kid. So I Like this podcast how they tell there stories.

[@donaldjackson8734]

So did I Most definitely Stupendous #BarneyMagic❤️

[@souljaboy1376]

Barney on universal kids the world needs Barney

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Isn't that the truth?!?!?

[@kimcarlson7149]

I'm looking forward to seeing all of the past cast members on the Show

[@SOULJAROBCOMICAL]

👍🏽 good job Barney

[@thomasbarronsampson9084]

Thanks so much for posting this. Barney and Friends was such an important part of my kids' lives. I hope more parents find their way to this video.

[@lillieanag6394]

I would love to see the Baby Bop Show!!!💚💚💚😆😆

[@timdakis2107]

Baby Bop was first big like Barney's size from 1991 to early 1993. She first appeared new in 7th Backyard Gang video Barney in Concert and played by Dao Knight in the last two Backyard Gang videos then Jenny Dempsey played her in Season 1 but then they made Baby Bop small in Season 2 in 1993 so that's why Jeff Ayers played her since season 2 first episode Falling For Autumn.

[@jamesfields4722]

That was a long time ago

[@amobiuzukwu3231]

The Cosby show, Mr Rogers Neighborhood, Barney, Reading Rainbow and Bill Nye the Science Guy we're the educational show of all time you grew up watching those show

[@huxley12s]

I can't wait to see more

[@tinmanlover1994]

Me and my sister are both Speical needs we watched Barney when we were little my family still sing the Barney I love you song to my sister and I remember a lot of the songs and sing them to my sister from time to time. Barney meaned the world to us with us being disabled and have chronic illness for us Barney made everything better. We met Barney baby bop and BJ when I went on make a wish trip and that was the best part of the whole thin. Barney was our first Herero to look up to and still do thanks Barney and baby Bop and BJ for making a lot of memmories for me and my sister please come back the world needs you guys now more then ever

[@kathrynnpetersen8876]

I am just like you and your sister because I have special needs as well.

[@FredHolmeswriter]

Great job, everyone! Looking forward to being on!

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Can't wait to meet you!!!

[@FredHolmeswriter]

@@NJ-dv3wz Looking forward to meeting you as well. FYI, you've probably already thought of this, but if you got Selena Gomez and Demi Lavato on together talking about what it's like to be a kid on the show, your viewership would go through the roof.

[@LucasBradleylpbproductions6]

@@FredHolmeswriter That would be awesome!

[@adeleong5516]

Fred Holmes Adele Ong Barney Numbers Numbers

[@jamescampanaro3762]

This is so cool. I stumbled upon this podcast in the late fall or so of 2022.

[@haleypierce6635]

Cant wait to see what's next for your podcast video series.

[@opalescent-diamondstronghe4966]

I grew up watching the show. I'm 23 now. I still have my Barney plushies.

[@NJ-dv3wz]

And you're why we're doing this. How avbout sendig pics of you and your Barneys to purpletalespodcast.com. You know Carey and our guests would love to see them! And we, too, would love to have a backyard gang reunion. You never know ...

[@opalescent-diamondstronghe4966]

Omg,that would be awesome. I'm not embarrassed to admit that the I love you song was and surprisingly still is my lullaby. I sing it once in awhile if I'm feeling down or scared about something.

[@rachelberrythegleequeen.3221]

@@opalescent-diamondstronghe4966 same here

[@leslieking9657]

I actually related to Baby Bop actually. Me and Baby Bop at the time I was a baby. And heck at 1999 I was 3 years old like Baby Bop. And that’s probably I could relate to her like that. Idk. I loved Barney as well.

[@opalescent-diamondstronghe4966]

Are you gonna bring the old backyard gang? Like a reunion.

[@donnieanderson612]

Seems like just yesterday I was just a baby when I watch Barney And Friends

[@devbrew935]

Get original cast members. Lauren King, Jessica Zucha, Leah Gloria, Brian Eppes, Julie Johnson who did the voice for Baby Bop

[@NJ-dv3wz]

We're working on it!

[@gamestation2690]

@@NJ-dv3wz Are you still working on getting the original Backyard Gang cast for interviews?

[@varunipersaud808]

dev brew that would be amazing

[@donzelleclemons4395]

@@NJ-dv3wzTwo questions: Do you think Dora is like a bit like Barney, and do you think they could make a good team? Because my dream as a young artist is to bring the two protagonists together one day. So what do you think?

[@ljmcdonald2703]

Brian has appeared on there already

[@afnanlinjawi785]

I love that this is viewed by only 15 thousand people

[@MaryS2022]

I just subscribed. I watched Barney and Friends when I was younger and my siblings also watched it. I love the behind the scenes stories. Any chance you could get Michaela Dietz (the voice of Riff) in a future episode? I know she is currently busy working on Steven Universe but it's still something I would like to see happen.

[@SOULJAROBCOMICAL]

This show will be amazing bring Rickey carter on he is a rapper still in Texas

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Booked!

[@TyrekeCorrea]

It seems like this was recorded in very late November of 2017; Mattel was supposed to be bringing back the show at some point during that year. If they hadn't done it by this point, they probably won't.

[@Ruben901]

Here to tell you that with the success of Barbie movie, there's rumors about Barney being launched again

[@TyrekeCorrea]

@@Ruben901 How might this have led to a reason to attend to that idea?

[@leslieking9657]

You don’t gotta explan it to me I know what Blockbuster is.

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Hahaha. Love your comments, Leslie!

[@leslieking9657]

Nancy Jay thanks.

[@kathrynnpetersen8876]

Me too

[@brendanjames2192]

Omg I'm crying

[@markponekovic3415]

I want to see barry pearl on the show so he could explain how he got the role of professor tinkerputt

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Hi, Mark. Carey's working on getting everyone from the Barney world on Purple Tales ... may take a while! Thanks for hangin' with us!!

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Thank you, Mark! That will be my first question to Barry when we talk to him in June. Yes, he's booked!!

[@markponekovic3415]

Also i was thinking one more question for you to ask mr barry pearl who voiced the robots in the song we are little robots in barney's big surprise thats my favorite song on that video

[@millenniumartspicturescorp2839]

You should invite Bob west

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Working on him ... !

[@amobiuzukwu3231]

And You should also invite Kirsten.

[@jordonwee-xc7ij]

JEFF

[@HotYeet92]

I have to say that growing up as a Barney fan that was awesome!

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Brings it all back, doesn't it?!?!

[@HotYeet92]

@@NJ-dv3wz Yup.

[@amobiuzukwu3231]

Barney, was a legend.

[@t-b4739]

Can yall please invite Dean Wendt on There please

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Working on it, Dianne!

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Working on him!

[@davidcoleman511]

If he auditioned and tried on the original Baby Bop costume in 1992, then he would've performed Baby Bop for the latter half of Season 1 and in Barney's Magical Musical Adventure

[@jamesfields4722]

What about Jenny Dempsey, Maurice Scott, Josh Martin, and many others?

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Hi, James. Josh Martin is our guest for Episode #4, posting the week of March 25!

[@jaylencninjaturtlesandbarn3454]

I grew up in Dallas

[@jacoblogsdon2023]

You should interview Jeff Brooks next.

[@huxley12s]

What happened to barney bag ?

[@NJ-dv3wz]

I will ask Carey ...

[@huxley12s]

@@NJ-dv3wz thank u

[@linyuxiang5174]

Can we have the barney dolls to appear on the show

[@t-b4739]

I Agree with that

[@NJ-dv3wz]

Good suggestion! We'll see what we can do!

[@jacobdirkx4487]

i know Julie Johnsson did the voice of Baby Bob till Jennifer Romano and Lee Clark was in the costume of Baby Bob on tour big surprise and musical castle till Jeff Ayers was in the costume of Baby Bob in 1997 2002 even primetime tv special Barney's imagination island the film Barney's great adventure in 1998

[@varunipersaud808]

What season did Carey come into ?

[@gamestation2690]

I believe it was Season 7.

[@varunipersaud808]

Ok thanks, I technically grew on the David Joyner and bob west Barney lol 😂 but this is really great podcast

[@TyrekeCorrea]

Gol-ly, Jeff's a little person!

[@czarcutie5834]

Hey this is weird but my dad lived in Greenville Texas when he was growing up and said he went to school with this guy . J Scott.

[@donzelleclemons4395]

Was it hard to sit down with that tapering tail behind you, Carey?

[@salisburythefox8324]

Wait Mascot scholarships were a thing?

[@samdance7388]

They still are

[@TyrekeCorrea]

So that street dance thing was Jeff. Yikes.

[@TyrekeCorrea]

Never mind.

[@chestermaddox7949]

Barney and backyard gang is better than barney and friends.