Lyrick Studios
{{short description|Defunct American production company}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Lyrick|Lyric (disambiguation){{!}}Lyric}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Lyrick Studios
| former_name = The Lyons Group (1986–1994)
| logo = Lyrick Studios Logo (3D variant).svg
| logo_caption = Final logo, used from 1996-2001
| logo_size = 200px
| type = In-name-only unit of Mattel
| fate = Acquired and folded into HIT Entertainment
| successors = HIT Entertainment
| foundation = {{Start date and age|1986}}
| defunct = {{End date and age|2001|08|24}}
| products = {{ubl|Barney & Friends|Wishbone|VeggieTales|The Wiggles}}
| key_people =
| owner =
| location = Allen, Texas
| hq_location_country = U.S.
| production =
| revenue =
| operating_incom =
| net_incom =
| num_employees = 650 (1997)
| divisions = {{Unbulleted list|Big Feats! Entertainment|Lyons Partnership}}
| subsid =
| homepage =
}}
Lyrick Studios, formerly The Lyons Group, was an American video production and distribution company based in Allen, Texas, best known for their flagship property Barney & Friends.
The company was known for producing and distributing television shows, home videos, audio products and children's books and toys. On February 9, 2001, the company was acquired by British entertainment company HIT Entertainment and completed in June. HIT later folded Lyrick in August.
History
The company traces its origins to 1986, when The Lyons Group was formed as a division of DLM, Inc., an educational company owned by Richard C. Leach.{{cite book|title=The Guide to United States Popular Culture|isbn = 9780879728212|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3rJxPYT32MC&q=DLM%2C+Inc%2FThe+Lyons+Group&pg=PA62|accessdate=June 22, 2017|last1 = Labov|first1 = William|last2 = Browne|first2 = Ray Broadus|last3 = Browne|first3 = Pat|year = 2001| publisher=Popular Press }} Lyons began producing and distributing a direct-to-video series titled Barney & the Backyard Gang, which was created by Leach's daughter-in-law, Sheryl Leach. Three years after its debut, Barney caught the attention of PBS executives, who subsequently revamped the concept for television as Barney & Friends and began airing on the organization's flagship television service on April 6, 1992.{{cite web|last=Genzlinger|first=Neil|date=7 April 2017|title=The Blame for 'Barney'? I'm a Little Guilty |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/arts/television/the-blame-for-barney-im-a-little-guilty.html|website=The New York Times|access-date=17 October 2020}}
Lyrick Studios was formed in 1994, and DLM sold The Lyons Group to Lyrick Studios becoming the new division of the former and was renamed under the new name Lyons Partnership. The company developed the series Wishbone for PBS in 1995. This series was produced by Big Feats! Entertainment, another division of the company, and was primarily filmed on a studio backlot in Allen, Texas.{{cite news|first=Lisa|last=Tanner|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/1999/09/06/story1.html|title=Lyrick Studios expanding|newspaper=Dallas Business Journal|date=5 September 1999|access-date=23 January 2004}} In the late 1990s, 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-Putt, Freddi Fish, and Pajama Sam. On February 9, 2001, the company was acquired by HIT Entertainment for $275 million{{cite web|last=Billings|first=Claire|date=9 February 2001|title=HIT acquires US rival Lyrick Studios in $275 million deal|url=http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/hit-acquires-us-rival-lyrick-studios-275m-deal/12868|website=CampaignLive|access-date=24 June 2017}} and the two companies completed their merger in June of that year. Lyrick continued to use their logo until it was later folded into HIT on August 24, 2001. HIT also took over Lyrick's home video division and rebranded it under its name and it remained like this until 2006, when HIT Entertainment shuttered the division and began to release its products in the United States under third-parties instead.
Distribution
=Programs=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style=text-align:center;"
! scope="col" | Name !! scope="col" | First release date !! scope="col" | Final release date !! scope="col" | Notes | |||
| style="text-align:left;" |Barney and the Backyard Gang | August 29, 1988 | August 1, 1991 | Direct-to-video pilot series to Barney & Friends |
| style="text-align:left;" |Barney & Friends | April 6, 1992 | August 28, 2001{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bRQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA88|title=Billboard|date=June 23, 2001|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|via=Google Books}}{{efn|The date that the snap clamshell VHS release of Barney: Let's Go to the Zoo was released was dedicated to Lyrick Studios, which folded into HIT Entertainment.}} | Flagship franchise |
| style="text-align:left;" |Wishbone | October 9, 1995 | March 13, 1998 | Big Feats! Entertainment Releases from 1995 to 1996 were originally distributed by PolyGram Video. |
| style="text-align:left;" | {{sort|Faithful Revolution: Vatican II|The Faithful Revolution: Vatican II}} | colspan="2" | 1996 | Sole non-children's video release by Lyrick Studios{{Cite web |title=The faithful revolution : [videorecording] Vatican II - Western University |url=https://ocul-uwo.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?context=L&vid=01OCUL_UWO:UWO_DEFAULT&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&tab=Everything&docid=alma991030845489705163 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=ocul-uwo.primo.exlibrisgroup.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The Faithful revolution : Vatican II {{!}} WorldCat.org |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/909885902 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=search.worldcat.org |language=en}} | |
| style="text-align:left;" | Francesco's Friendly World | 1996 | February 25, 1998 | |
| style="text-align:left;" | Joe Scruggs | colspan="2"| March 11, 1997 | ||
| style="text-align:left;" | VeggieTales | March 31, 1998 | June 6, 2001 | Mass-market distribution{{efn|Originally distributed in Christian bookstores.}} |
| style="text-align:left;" | Tall Tales & Legends | June 16, 1998 | October 10, 1998 | |
| style="text-align:left;" | Groundling Marsh | June 23, 1998 | September 8, 1998 | |
| style="text-align:left;" | {{sort|Wiggles|The Wiggles}} | October 12, 1999 (music) August 1, 2000 (video){{efn|The #1 preschool band collaborated Barney the purple dinosaur's national stage show tour "Barney's Musical Castle" in America and Canada from Spring 2000 to Spring 2001.}} | August 14, 2001 | rowspan="3" | US home video distributions |
| style="text-align:left;" | Bob the Builder | May 22, 2001 | August 7, 2001 | |
| style="text-align:left;" | Kipper | colspan="2"| June 5, 2001{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oxMEAAAAMBAJ&dq=$9.99+$24.99+$12.95+18620+appeal&pg=RA1-PA73|title=Billboard|date=April 28, 2001|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|via=Google Books}} |
=Movies/TV Films=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style=text-align:center;"
! scope="col" | Name !! scope="col" | Year !! scope="col" | Notes | ||
| style="text-align:left;" |Kids for Character | 1996 | Includes scenes from The Puzzle Place, Barney & Friends, The Magic School Bus, Lamb Chop's Play-Along, Gullah Gullah Island, and Babar |
| style="text-align:left;" |Kids for Character: Choices Count | 1997 | Includes scenes from Bananas in Pyjamas, The Big Comfy Couch, and Wishbone |
| style="text-align:left;" |Wishbone's Dog Days of the West | rowspan="3"| 1998 | Big Feats! Entertainment |
| style="text-align:left;" |Barney's Great Adventure | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment | |
| style="text-align:left;" |Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme | Originally released in 1990 |
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010203143900/http://www.lyrickstudios.com|title=Lyrick Studios}}
{{Mattel}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Mass media companies established in 1986
Category:Mass media companies disestablished in 2001
Category:1986 establishments in Texas
Category:2001 disestablishments in Texas
Category:2001 mergers and acquisitions