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Chicken Kicks Barney's Butt...Again
A federal court judge in Texas this week tossed the Purple One's trademark infringement case against the veteran mascot.
At issue was whether the Chicken ripped off the owners of Barney every time the Feathered One beat the stuffing out of a dino look-alike at sporting events.
In a word, the answer was: No.
"This case presents parody, pure and simple," Judge John McBride ruled in dismissing the complaint from Lyons Parntership, the keepers of the PBS kiddie show host.
After the decision, Ted Giannoulas, who started playing the Chicken in the 1970s, felt like, yes, clucking.
"To paraphrase my purple adversary," Giannoulas said, in a statement, "I think the judge's decision is 'Super-Dee-Dooper.'"
The Chicken's alter ego said his Barney-bashing bit was obvious parody, and obviously not the real Barney.
"For one thing, [the Barney-like character in the act] has rhythm," Giannoulas said. "He break dances and slap fights."
"Nobody with a sense of humor could confuse it with the real Barney."
The dino's camp would beg to differ.
"Lyons continues to believe that the Chicken's use of a Barney look-alike confuses and upsets young children who see their good friend Barney being beaten up," spokeswoman Kelly Lane said in a statement.
The company said it was reviewing the judge's decision.
In filing the lawsuit last November, Lyons claimed that it was moved to action after it saw TV footage of tots in tears--crying jags purportedly prompted by the Chicken's anti-Barney bit at a Texas Rangers baseball game.
"We think fun is fun, but tampering with small kids' emotions is no joke," the company said.
Lyons was seeking $100,000 for each time the Chicken stomped Barney. Since the Chicken's a busy fellow that meant a lot of stomp fests--the company cited more than 100 acts of Barney violence.
With the suit tossed, Giannoulas is hoping harmony can return to the celebrity animal kingdom.
"Hopefully, Barney will go back to being a peaceful playmate, instead of a litigious bully," he said.
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