Justice is Done

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

---

From: "--Todd Lappin-->" <telstar@WIRED.COM>

Wednesday July 16 4:10 PM EDT

TV's 'Barney' Chokes in Filming Accident

DALLAS (Reuter) - An actor playing "Barney," the purple dinosaur loved by
millions of children, suffered smoke inhalation when
a cooling fan inside the 60-pound suit shorted out during filming of the TV
show, officials said Wednesday.

There was no fire but the actor inhaled smoke as he tried to get out of the
suit at a Dallas studio Tuesday, said Susan Elsner, a
spokeswoman for Lyrick Studios and The Lyons Group, which created and
produces the hugely popular children's show "Barney
& Friends."

She said the actor, who was not named, inhaled a "slight amount of smoke"
but was released after a routine examination.

Once the incident was reported on television, scores of anxious parents
called to say their children were worried their favorite
dinosaur had been burned or, worse still, was a fake.

"It can be really devastating to a 3-year-old," Elsner said. "They love
Barney and they think that something terrible has happened to
him, or that it's not real."

"Barney & Friends" airs on the U.S. Public Broadcasting System and is a
top-ranking program for children under age 6. It appears
in 30 countries across six continents.

Elsner said Tuesday's incident came as the cast was filming shows for the
fall season.