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, Wishbone, and for the TV series The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth. This 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.

Lyrick Studios
Private
FateAcquired by and folded into HIT Entertainment
SuccessorHIT Entertainment
Founded
  • 1988 (1988) (as the Lyons Group)
  • May 16, 1994 (1994-05-16) (as Lyrick Studios)
DefunctAugust 31, 2001 (2001-08-31)
HeadquartersAllen, Texas
Number of employees
650 (1997)
Subsidiaries
  • Big Feats! Entertainment
  • Lyons Partnership
Websitewww.lyrickstudios.com

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.[1] 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, presented by CPTV from 1992-2005, and from 2006-2010 by WNET.

Lyrick Studios was formed in 1994, and the Lyons Group became a division of the new company under the name Lyons Partnership. Richard C. 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.[2] By the late 1990s, Lyrick Studios turned its primary focus on distribution of children's TV shows and films and Sony Wonder's lease trial with Lyrick Studios expired and Lyrick became independent. Lyrick acquired the distribution rights for VeggieTales and The Wiggles (whom they discovered during a performance at Disneyland), and also distributed book publishing and video gaming rights for some Humongous Entertainment video game characters like Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, and Pajama Sam.

In 2001, Lyrick began distributing TV shows owned by entertainment company HiT Entertainment such as Bob the Builder (on May 22, 2001), and Kipper (on June 5, 2001). On February 9, 2001, the company was acquired by HIT for a $275-million deal. On May 29, 2001, Richard C. Leach died of a heart attack at age 74, not long after the company was sold.[3] Though HiT purchased the company on February 9, 2001, most of its VHS tapes still used the Lyrick logo with the HiT logo until August 31 when it was folded into the company.[4]

Distribution

Programs
NameFirst yearFinal yearNotes
Barney & Friends19922001
Wishbone19952001
Joe Scruggs19972001
Francesco's Friendly World19972001
Shakespeare’s Animated Stories19972001US distribution
Groundling Marsh19982001US distribution
VeggieTales19982001Mass market distribution
Shelley Duvall's American Tall Tales & Legends19982001
The Wiggles19992001US distribution
The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth20002001US distribution
Bob the Builder2001US distribution
Kipper2001US distribution
Angelina Ballerina2001US distribution

Movies/TV Films
NameYearNotes
Kids for Character1996Includes scenes from The Puzzle Place, Barney & Friends, Scholastic's The Magic School Bus, Lamb Chop's Play-Along, Nick Jr.'s Gullah Gullah Island, and Babar
Kids for Character: Choices Count1997Includes scenes from Bananas in Pyjamas, The Big Comfy Couch, and Wishbone
Shelley Duvall's Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme1998
Wishbone's Dog Days of the West1998
Barney's Great Adventure- The Movie1998PolyGram Films
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References
  1. "The Guide to United States Popular Culture". Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  2. Tanner, Lisa (September 5, 1999). "Lyrick Studios expanding". Dallas Business Journal.
  3. Billings, Claire. "HIT acquires US rival Lyrick Studios in $275 million deal". Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8fCBQCkfsE
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