Barney's Night Before Christmas [VHS]

For whatever reason, a long time favorite in our house
When reviewing products for kids, I try very hard to review them based on how KIDS like them, not adults, as long as I don't have any strong objections from a moral or educational viewpoints to them. This video is a perfect example. For whatever reason, it's been a favorite for YEARS in my house, and not just at Christmastime. My older son must have watched this about a million times, and lately, we dug it up for my daughter, who is almost 5. She is autistic and picky about what she watches, but she too is hooked. The basic story (if there really is one)---Hannah and her family were away until the night before Christmas, and need to decorate quickly. Some friends come over to help, and Barney gets big when the parents aren't around and helps too. At one point, there is a visit to Santa Land, complete with some train action. Of course, there is lots of singing and dancing---some traditional Christmas songs and a few I didn't know well, but do now! For adults, this is bearable to watch because of the picture-perfectness of the family shown---I have to hold back laughter constantly at the plastic seeming mother and father who, despite their vacation that oddly ended in the evening on Christmas eve, decorate their house within an inch of its life and are all decked out in tacky 80s look Christmas clothes. It's camp! There is no religious content here. When Joy to the World plays, it's cleverly done with sign language instead of vocal signing, to avoid awkward references to anything religious! So, for both parents and adults, lots of Christmas fun!

Perhaps the most disturbing video I've ever seen.
This product was recommended for me for whatever reason, so I thought to myself, 'This'd be a good DVD for my 4-year-old niece.' I bought it and watched it with her, and was shocked by the hidden sexual, racist, and satanic images in this DVD. While these are hidden, many kids will probably notice them and repeat them. In the scene where Barney is carrying a present, which is near his crotch, a child asks Barney what's in it. He whispers two gibberish sentences to her. If you combine these two sentences and play them backwards, you hear 'It's my purple, throbbing manhood for the kids.' And also, the black kid in the DVD is always picked last for the activites, and during the picnic scene, he gets his own basket, which consists of chicken and watermelon. But perhaps the most disturbing scene is a hidden scene that pops up if you do nothing on the main menu for five minutes. It shows Barney and the kids nailing Santa Claus to a cross, dousing him with kerosene, then drawing a pentegram symbol with said kerosene, before lighting it up and killing Santa. Then a hole appears in the ground, where Barney and the kids jump in, taking them all to hell. It is then where Barney reveals that he is Satan. Never buy this for your kid. If you want clean, wholesome, educational DVD's, buy South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut or Bible Black.

A must have for Barney lover's
This video is wonderful! My three-year-old niece watches in amazement, when she's not singing along. My 6-year-old sister still watches it. The bonus features are great too. Definitely a must have.

Barney's Night Before Christmas
Super DVD. My two year old granddaughter wants this DVD playing every time she visits. We probably will wear it out. When it finishes she will say "AGAIN, PLEASE". She is now signing and dancing along with the music. The colors along with Santa's Work Shop just catch the eye of the little ones. Definitely worth the purchase price.

don't expect it to be like the tv show
It's a cute movie, but my daughter wasn't interested in it. I have a 15 month old who loves the Barney tv show, but this movie doesn't have the vibrant colors and obvious joy that the tv show has. This movie would be good for a child who is older, like 3 or 4.