A tribute video to Suzanne Lockridge.
Suzanne was the first Barney person I talked to and was the individual that got me interested in Barney history.
Back in 2021 I wrote a letter to Suzanne thanking her for all her contributions to Barney and for inspiring me to become a puppet builder. A couple of weeks later I received a phone call from Suzanne’s nephew. He explained that Suzanne had advanced Parkinson’s disease. She had asked him to help her write a letter back to me. Instead, her nephew suggested that she set up a zoom call with me. He told her that given her current state, it could be one of her final chances to pass on information. I gleefully agreed to a zoom call and a couple of weeks later we met. It was incredible hearing stories from her—things that had never been published online. (Mind you, this was before the Barney Facebook fandom really took off).
After our call I started writing down history facts she had told me and sharing them in the Barney Plush Fans group. Those posts inspired Kaelin and I to found Barney History Fans, led to my appearance in the documentary, and has inspired many to seek out and preserve Barney history. Without Suzanne, and that initial call I had with her this group would not exist, and I probably would not have found the passion that I did in preserving Barney history.
I’ve stayed in touch with her over the past couple of years and met on a couple more
occasions, until her state progressed to a point where we could no longer communicate.
I’m grateful for the incredible dedication she had to her craft and for bringing Barney to life. Join me in celebrating Suzanne Lockridge!