Barney & Friends: Mattel reveals Dinosaur's ‘horrifying’ new look amid franchise relaunch

Barney & Friends is back with a terrible look.

In the 1990s, children admired the purple dinosaur Barney, but his new design has not won over enthusiasts.

The internet reacted to the much-loved character's "scary" drastic makeover after the toy giant Mattel announced a relaunch of the Barney series.

"Thank you, Mattel for giving me nightmares with this horrifying-looking #Barney," one Twitter user wrote.

Another user tweeted, "man barney looks scary now."

The new design of the life-sized purple dinosaur incorporates an animated variation of the childhood sensation.

With his new set of fangs and large, emerald eyes, Barney now more closely resembles a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"That’s not Barney!" a fan reacted.

"I don’t know how…. but they made Barney more Scary Looking!!" another user said.

Barney has been rebranded for the upcoming generation of kids, and the firm believes that parents will like it.

Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer and global president of consumer products at Mattel, said in a statement regarding the rebranding that "Barney's message of love and kindness has stood the test of time."

"We will tap into the nostalgia of the generations who grew up with Barney, now parents themselves, and introduce the iconic purple dinosaur to a new generation of kids and families around the world across content, products, and experiences," Silverman noted.

From 1992 to 2010, Sheryl Leach, Kathy Parker, and Dennis DeShazer's popular PBS series aired. For kids under the age of six, it was a highly regarded program.

On the kids' program "Barney & Friends," Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato were two well-known alumni.