David Joyner donned the dinosaur suit between 1991 and 2001. If you thought the guy who played Barney was a down-on-his-luck actor who took the role just to pay his rent, think again. Meet David Joyner, the man who wore the Barney costume for a decade on the TV series and for live performances.

Meet David Joyner, the man who wore the Barney costume for a decade on the TV series and for live performances. Joyner played the T-rex between 1991 and 2001, and recently spoke with TechInsider about his time as the purple dinosaur.

There is no truth to this rumor. We found no record of a man named “Barney” who dressed up in a dinosaur costume and kidnapped children in the 1930s, much less anything referencing the dinosaur character’s having been (absurdly) based on such a person.

If you thought the guy who played Barney was a down-on-his-luck actor who took the role just to pay his rent, think again. Meet David Joyner, the man who wore the Barney costume for a decade on the TV series and for live performances.

What shows has David from Barney been on?

As well as Barney, David has featured in House, That 70s Show, Hip Hop Harry and 24.

The super-loving giant purple dinosaur was a kids’ TV staple back in the day, and while there have been many reincarnations of the show, you just can’t beat the original.

Who was the man who dressed up as a dinosaur in the 1930s?

Back in the 1930’s, there was a man named Barney. He dressed up in a purple dinosaur costume everyday and went to the park. He would lure in little kids and kidnap them. He would force them to be happy, otherwise he would rape and kill them.

The children’s TV show ‘Barney & Friends’ was based on a 1930s serial killer. Rumor has it that Barney the dinosaur is based off of a man named Barney that in the 30’s would go to the park dressed as a dinosaur to draw kids to him. He would kidnap them and force them to act like they were happy or he’d slit their throats and dump them in the river.

A number of rumors have circulated about the titular purple dinosaur character in the children’s television show Barney & Friends since the program first aired in 1992.

Who wore the purple suit in Barney?

However, there’s at least one person who seems to be just as joyful, optimistic, and loving as Barney himself: the very man who wore the purple suit, David Joyner.

Joyner was so passionate about the role that he played Barney for over a decade, securing his place in history as the one true happy, singing dinosaur. That’s not just surprising, but actually rather inspiring. Just as Barney gave hope to kids all over the world, it looks like Joyner gives hope to adults.

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In his own words, “I love to work, and I love to stay busy.” In a regular day, he works at the production company that puts together Hip Hop Harry, but in addition to being the man in the furry yellow bear costume, he also works behind the scenes and spends long nights in the office. Joyner enjoys auditioning for guest roles on many popular TV shows, which accounts for how he managed to both meet Gregory House and play a detective on Southland, along with his many other appearances. On top of that, Joyner also runs his own successful tantra massage business.

When Joyner’s not busy doing rock conga drums or meditating, he’s even found some time in his schedule to post on Reddit under the username BarneyBody22. This is one actor who’s obviously maintained a cheerful, humorous outlook on the unexpected, inspirational road life led him down.

Furthermore, since Barney was actually voiced by Bob West, not the guy in the suit, being Barney might seem like a rather thankless job. But David Joyner has been quite outspoken about how much he loved playing Barney. In his own words, “Barney was beautiful. Barney was very, very good to me. I loved being Barney.”.

So yeah, the real guy who played Barney could simultaneously massage you, be your spiritual counselor, and fix your computer — all at the same time. He’s also a talented musician, a skilled dancer, and an athlete. (That’s why everyone loved that goofy-looking Tyrannosaurus so much!)

While the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park just wanted to eat people, Barney wanted to reach out through every TV screen across the world, and give all those ’90s kids a great big hug. Friendships just don’t get much better than that. If only real-life buddies could be so unrelentingly dedicated to everyone else’s happiness.

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