Warner Bros. Discovery is saying “I love you” to Barney, picking up Mattel’s new CG-animated Barney’s World series for a 2024 launch on Cartoon Network’s Cartoonito preschool block and its Max streamer. 

The show is part of Mattel’s franchise relaunch strategy for the iconic dinosaur, best known for headlining the live-action PBS series Barney & Friends from 1992 to 2010. 

In February, Mattel announced the dino’s return to market with plans for new consumer products, a film and shorter-form YouTube content. 

Mattel Television (Monster High) and Nelvana (The Hardy Boys) are co-producing Barney’s World, with Fred Soulie and Christopher Keenan executive producing for Mattel alongside Nelvana’s Colin Bohm, Doug Murphy and Pam Westman.

The new series is set in a local playground and centers on the titular T-Rex and his friends. Like Barney & Friends, it will feature musical sequences in every episode, touching on overall themes like love and community and delivering lessons about managing big emotions. 

Rebooting a legacy live-action IP in animation allows WBD to tap into a broader co-viewing audience, said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Discovery Family and Boomerang, in a release. 

This announcement comes on the heels of some promising subscriber growth at WBD—highlighted in its Q1 financial report last week—and ahead of the launch of its Max “super-streamer” on May 23.