Per Bob West's official website, West auditioned for the part of Barney in 1988, and, to this date, it's the voice actor's most well-known role. Shortly after the show was picked up by PBS, "Barney & Friends" became a ratings juggernaut, spawning spin-offs like audiobooks, live appearances, a radio show, and tons of other merchandise. Voiced by West, the big purple dinosaur would also perform in a live show at Radio City Music Hall. During its run, "Barney & Friends" would collect various honors, including 14 Daytime Emmy nominations, winning once in 2001 (via IMDb).
Little did Bob West know at the time he was cast as Barney that such vehement blowback would accompany the children's dinosaur role. In the trailer for the Peacock docuseries "I Love You, You Hate Me," West said of the Barney backlash that it had involved threats at the time, that "were violent and explicit, death and dismemberment of my family," adding, "They were gonna come and find me, and they were going to kill me."
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