Right, why exactly are people Googling ‘what killed Barney the dinosaur’?

Every so often, a weird, kids-TV-related trend pops up on TikTok with absolutely zero explanation. They’re almost always dark and somehow related to death; it’s like we can’t get enough of creepy character theories. First, Dora the Explorer was hit with it – now, it’s the once-beloved Barney the Dinosaur.

On 12th October, a doc called I Love You, You Hate Me premiered on the US streaming service Peacock, allegedly exposing the seedy underbelly of the Barney set, all the way back in the ’90s. It shows Barney’s rise and fall – and all the violence people’s hatred of him apparently prompted. Yeah, sounds strange to me too.

This has, for some reason, led TikTokers to believe Barney was murdered years ago. I’d like to remind everyone at this point that he was a fictional character in a literal kids’ show. With that in mind – how exactly did Barney supposedly die? And why are people even Googling this in the first place?

@talialopes_ uhhh 😀 #fyp ♬ original sound – AntiNightcore

After the rise of so-called BarneyMania, the purple dinosaur became a bit of a hate figure in the US by the late ’90s. People were enraged at how much he irritated them, and in the documentary, the man behind the character even admitted he received death threats.

“I started getting emails,” voice actor Bob West said. “Some of them were absolutely hateful. They were very explicit and very violent. Then they went on to say they were going to come and find me and they were going to kill me.”

According to The Independent, one man decided to make a homemade video of himself “stabbing” Barney, along with the rest of his colleagues; who just so happened to be the New York City Police Department. Now, TikTokers are Googling “what killed Barney the dinosaur?” and seeing that as the first result.

Photo via PBS

So… did the New York City Police Department actually kill Barney in a gruesome final episode? As always, of course not. This show is for KIDS. Christ.

The video only showed the men “stabbing” a parade inflatable of the dinosaur – and, by the way, they were only “stabbing” him because he flew into a lamppost and it was freaking children out. They were trying to get him down. Also, the thing was 58 feet and had been ripped apart by the wind – it had to happen.

For the latest TikTok trends, guides, viral filters and news – follow The Holy Church of TikTok on Facebook.

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Featured image via PBS before edits.