[2] The character was created for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by director Rudolf Ising, who based the bear's grumpy yet pleasant disposition on his own and derived many of his mannerisms from the screen actor Wallace Beery.

The character was voiced by Rudolf Ising from 1939 to 1943,[3] Pinto Colvig in 1941, Billy Bletcher from 1944 to 1949, Paul Frees from 1952 until 1954, Frank Welker in 1980, Lou Scheimer in 1980, Jeff Bergman in 2004,[4] and Richard McGonagle from 2012 to 2013.

Ising's original Barney design contained a plethora of detail: shaggy fur, wrinkled clothing, and six eyebrows; as the series progressed, the design was gradually simplified and streamlined, reaching its peak in three late 1940s shorts, the only output of the short-lived directorial team of Preston Blair and Michael Lah.

[5] The last original Barney Bear cartoons were released between 1952 and 1954, directed by Ex-Disney/Lantz animator Dick Lundy.

[6] Though Benny would only make two further cartoon appearances, he would later feature as Barney's partner in numerous comic book stories.

The following cartoons can be found as extras on DVDs or Blu-rays of classic Warner Home Video films of the period: In 2017, most of the Barney Bear shorts were released on the Boomerang streaming app.

[9] Barks regularly teamed Barney up with Benny Burro; later, the obnoxious neighbor Mooseface McElk was also introduced.

[11] In 2011, Yoe Books issued a hardback volume collecting Carl Barks' work on the series.