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Lyrick Studios

Lyrick Studios was an American video production and distribution company based in Allen, a Dallas suburb. The company was best known for its distribution of home videos, audio products, children's books, and toys for the children's television series Barney & Friends and Wishbone. The company was also known for its production and distribution of home videos, audio products, children's books, toys, video games, 2D and CGI animation, visual effects, feature-length motion pictures, and television shows.

History

The company traces its origins to 1988, when The Lyons Group was formed as a division of DLM, Inc (Developmental Learning Materials), an educational company owned by Richard C. Leach. Lyons began producing and distributing a direct-to-video series titled Barney and the Backyard Gang, which was created by Sheryl Leach, the daughter-in-law of Richard. Three years after the home video series debuted, Barney caught the attention of PBS executives, and the concept was subsequently revamped for television. Barney & Friends began airing on the Public Broadcasting Service on April 6, 1992, at which point the Lyons Group separated from DLM and became its own company.

Lyrick Studios was formed in 1994, and the Lyons Group became a division of the new company, under the name Lyons Partnership. Dick Leach, creator of Barney, became the company's CEO in 1997. The company developed the Wishbone series for PBS in 1995, a show about a talking dog living in the fictional town of Oakdale, Texas. This series was produced by Big Feats! Entertainment, another Lyrick division. The series was filmed at the studio and on location in Plano. By the late 1990s, Lyrick Studios turned its primary focus to distribution of children's TV shows and films. Lyrick acquired the distribution rights for VeggieTales and The Wiggles, and also distributed book publishing and video gaming rights for some Humongous Entertainment video game characters like Putt-PuttFreddi Fish and Pajama Sam.

On February 9, 2001, the company was acquired by HiT Entertainment for a $275 million deal, and Dick Leach died during the sale process. Lyrick began distributing TV shows owned by HiT Entertainment, such as Bob the Builder (on May 22, 2001), and Kipper (on June 5, 2001). Though HiT purchased the company on February 9, 2001, most of its' VHS tapes still used the Lyrick logo until August 31st of the same year, when it was officially folded into the company.

Projects

Original works

  • Barney & Friends (1992-2001)
  • Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie (1998)
  • Wishbone (1995–1999)

Distribution only

  • Kids for Character (1996)
  • Kids for Character: Choices Count! (1997)
  • Groundling Marsh (US distribution) (1997–1999)
  • Joe Scruggs (1997)
  • VeggieTales (US mass market distribution) (1997-2001)
  • Shelley Duvall's American Tall Tales and Legends (1998)
  • Shelley Duvall's Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1998)
  • The Wiggles (US distribution) (1999–2001)
  • Bob the Builder (US distribution) (2001)
  • Kipper (US distribution) (2001)

Releases

All re-releases were mass market reprints of videos previously released exclusively to Christian retailers

Albums

Compilations/Triple Features

Trivia

Gallery

Main article: Lyrick Studios/Gallery
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