It's no "Mickey Mouse Club" or anything, but a few of the kids who danced about and sang on the unbelievably chipper "Barney & Friends" series over the years have indeed gone on to bigger roles as they've gotten bigger.

Selena Gomez was just 10 years old when she appeared on the show in 2002. Five years and a handful of small roles later and she had her own teen series, "The Wizards of Waverly Place," now a major hit for the Disney Channel.

And it seems like five years may be some kind of magic number here. "Sonny With a Chance," another teen hit for the Disney Channel, stars Demi Lovato. She appeared in a few "Barney & Friends" episodes in 2004, did a few guest spots in the interim and then launched "Sonny" in 2009.

Kyla Pratt's arc was a little less direct. She first appeared on "Barney & Friends" in 1995, but also appeared in the feature-length "Barney's Great Adventure" in 1998. This matches the rest of her career, which has neatly straddled the big and small screens. She's best known for her roles on TV's "The Proud Family" and "One on One," but she also had sizable roles in all four recent "Dr. Dolittle" films and the sleeper hit "Love & Basketball" (2000), among many other roles.

And perhaps all that "The Mickey Mouse Club," which launched the careers of dozens of stars including Justin Timberlake and Keri Russell, has over "Barney" is longevity. "Barney & Friends" premiered just 18 years ago, and though that's a pretty amazing feat, it makes the big purple dinosaur a mere upstart when you consider that "The Mickey Mouse Club" first appeared in 1955.

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