131-608: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (sometimes shortened to Mister Rogers ) is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001. It was created and hosted by Fred Rogers . Its original incarnation, the series Misterogers debuted in Canada on October 15, 1962, on CBC Television . In 1966, Rogers moved back to the United States creating Misterogers' Neighborhood (sometimes shown as MisteRogers' Neighborhood ), later called Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , on
262-626: A Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999. Rogers influenced many writers and producers of children's television shows, and his broadcasts provided comfort during tragic events, even after his death. Rogers was born in 1928, at 705 Main Street in Latrobe, Pennsylvania . His father, James Hillis Rogers,
393-433: A pescatarian in 1970, after the death of his father, and a vegetarian in the early 1980s, saying he "couldn't eat anything that had a mother". He became a co-owner of Vegetarian Times in the mid-1980s and said in one issue, "I love tofu burgers and beets". He told Vegetarian Times that he became a vegetarian for both ethical and health reasons. According to his biographer Maxwell King, Rogers also signed his name to
524-478: A 2016 HuffPost essay, Rogers' sexuality had long been a topic of curiosity due to his lack of traditional machismo. The 2018 documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? briefly addresses the subject, including an interview with François Clemmons , the gay actor who played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , who denied that Rogers was gay, saying that if he had a "gay vibe" he would have noticed it. In 2019, social media users shared an excerpt from
655-524: A 30-minute interview program for adults on PBS called Old Friends ... New Friends . It lasted 20 episodes. Rogers' guests included Hoagy Carmichael , Helen Hayes , Milton Berle , Lorin Hollander , poet Robert Frost 's daughter Lesley, and Willie Stargell . In September 1987, Rogers visited Moscow to appear as the first guest on the long-running Soviet children's TV show Good Night, Little Ones! with host Tatyana Vedeneyeva . The appearance
786-499: A Good Feeling" at the end of each episode. Prior to 1973, the original version of "It's Such a Good Feeling" was used as part of Mister Rogers' general repertoire of songs. When "It's Such a Good Feeling" became the closing theme for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 1973, it used a rewrite of "The Weekend Song" at the end, using only the first four lines: "And I'll be back when the day is new, and I'll have more ideas for you. And you'll have things you'll want to talk about; I will too". This
917-497: A PBS pledge-drive show, hosted by actor Michael Keaton (who got his start on the show), titled Mister Rogers: It's You I Like , premiered on PBS stations nationwide on March 6, 2018. In December 2023, Variety ranked Mister Rogers' Neighborhood #89 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time. The series had its genesis in 1953, when Rogers and Josie Carey joined the newly formed public television station WQED . On April 5, 1954, WQED debuted The Children's Corner ,
1048-662: A bachelor's degree in divinity in 1962 and became a Presbyterian minister in 1963. He attended the University of Pittsburgh 's Graduate School of Child Development, where he began his thirty-year collaboration with child psychologist Margaret McFarland . He also helped develop the children's shows The Children's Corner (1955) for WQED in Pittsburgh and Misterogers (1963) in Canada for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . In 1968, he returned to Pittsburgh and adapted
1179-455: A backdrop of ever-shifting parenting philosophies and cultural trends". Robert Thompson of Syracuse University noted that Rogers "took American childhood—and I think Americans in general—through some very turbulent and trying times", from the Vietnam War and the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968 to the 9/11 attacks in 2001 . According to Asia Simone Burns of National Public Radio , in
1310-458: A brief introduction by Mr. Rogers. Additionally, a play, Josephine The Short-Necked Giraffe , first aired in 1989 as a tribute to the late John Reardon. Guests on the series ranged from cellist Yo-Yo Ma to actor and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno of TV's The Incredible Hulk (in a 2001 piece where celebrities were asked about their heroes, Rogers cited Ma as one of his heroes). A 1968 visit by electronic music pioneer Bruce Haack resurfaced in
1441-530: A character, stating that "One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self. I also believe that kids can spot a phony a mile away." The half-hour episodes were punctuated by a puppet segment chronicling occurrences in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe . Another segment of the show consisted of Rogers going to different places around the neighborhood, where he interviewed people to talk about their work and other contributions that focused on
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#17328726561411572-538: A couple friends who found out that the core of me was okay. And one of them was ... the head of the football team". Rogers became president of the student council, a member of the National Honor Society , and editor-in-chief of the school yearbook . He registered for the draft in Greensburg, Pennsylvania , in 1948 at age 20, where he was classified 1-A (available for military service); however, his status
1703-599: A doctor about it, and in October 2002, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He delayed treatment until after he served as Grand Marshal of the 2003 Rose Parade , with Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby , in January. On January 6, Rogers underwent stomach surgery. He died less than two months later, on February 27, 2003, less than a month short of his 75th birthday at his home in Pittsburgh, with his wife of 50 years, Joanne, at his side. While comatose shortly before his death, he received
1834-485: A great tragedy strikes—war, famine, mass shootings, or even an outbreak of populist rage—millions of people turn to Fred's messages about life. Then the web is filled with his words and images. With fascinating frequency, his written messages and video clips surge across the internet, reaching hundreds of thousands of people who, confronted with a tough issue or ominous development, open themselves to Rogers' messages of quiet contemplation, of simplicity, of active listening and
1965-613: A guest on some other series. On the children's animated cartoon series Arthur , for example, Rogers plays himself as an aardvark like Arthur. Later on, Arthur appears as a guest in hand-puppet form in a 1999 episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe . Bill Nye , host of a science-themed program, and Rogers also exchanged appearances on each other's series, as did Rogers and Captain Kangaroo . Rogers additionally appeared in an episode of Sesame Street , where he explains to Big Bird that, even if one loses
2096-447: A model building at the beginning and end of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1969 to 1970. When NET ceased operations, the series moved its successor network PBS, even though episodes up until the end of the fourth season in May 1971 were still copyrighted by and produced for NET. The series' first season (1968) consisted of 130 episodes, produced in black-and-white. For seasons 2–8 (1969–75),
2227-407: A neighborhood, then panning in closer to a representation of a house while a piano instrumental of the theme song, "Won't You be My Neighbor?", performed by music director Johnny Costa and inspired by a Beethoven sonata, is played. The camera zooms in to a model representing Mr. Rogers' house, then cuts to the house's interior and pans across the room to the front door, which Rogers opens as he sings
2358-552: A pair of blue sneakers to put on. One of Rogers' sweaters now hangs in the Smithsonian Institution , a testament to the cultural influence of his simple daily ritual. At the end of each episode, Rogers sang "It's Such a Good Feeling" (a different song, "Tomorrow" was used from 1968 to 1972) when he took off his sneakers as he says "You're alive" in a higher-toned voice, and grabs his dress shoes to put back on, and then snaps his fingers two times. After that, Rogers goes into
2489-462: A program developer at public television station WQED . Josie Carey worked with him to develop the children's show The Children's Corner , which Carey hosted. Rogers worked off-camera to develop puppets, characters, and music for the show. He used many puppet characters developed during this time, such as Daniel the Striped Tiger (named after WQED's station manager, Dorothy Daniel, who gave Rogers
2620-493: A program featuring Rogers as puppeteer and composer, with Carey as host and lyricist, in an unscripted weekday-afternoon live-television program. It was on this program where many of the puppets, characters and music used in the later series were developed, such as King Friday XIII , Daniel Tiger, and X the Owl. It was also the time when Rogers began wearing his famous sneakers , as he found them to be quieter than his work shoes while he
2751-829: A public memorial was held at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh. According to the Post-Gazette , 2,700 people attended. Violinist Itzhak Perlman , cellist Yo-Yo Ma (via video), and organist Alan Morrison performed in honor of Rogers. Barker officiated the service; also in attendance were Pittsburgh philanthropist Elsie Hillman , former Good Morning America host David Hartman , The Very Hungry Caterpillar author Eric Carle , and Arthur creator Marc Brown . Businesswoman and philanthropist Teresa Heinz , PBS President Pat Mitchell , and executive director of The Pittsburgh Project Saleem Ghubril gave remarks. Jeff Erlanger , who at age 10 appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 1981 to explain his electric wheelchair, also spoke. The memorial
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#17328726561412882-426: A radically different design for the character along with his friends Purple Panda, Duck Duck and Bob Dog, as they learn and sing through the land of "Someplace Else". The song "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" was written by Fred Rogers in 1967 and was used as the opening theme for each episode of the show. In the first three seasons of the show, during which new episodes were constantly being produced, each show ended with
3013-495: A real spiritual life", emphasizing the values of patience, reflection, and "silence in a noisy world". King reported that despite Rogers' family's wealth, he cared little about making money, and lived frugally, especially as he and his wife grew older. King reported that Rogers' relationship with his young audience was important to him. For example, since hosting Misterogers in Canada, he answered every letter sent to him by hand. After Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began airing in
3144-405: A reassuring tone and leisurely cadence". He tackled difficult topics such as the death of a family pet, sibling rivalry, the addition of a newborn into a family, moving and enrolling in a new school, and divorce. For example, he wrote a special segment that dealt with the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy that aired on June 7, 1968, two days after the assassination occurred. According to King,
3275-498: A running race such as the one Big Bird had run against his friend " Snuffy ", no hard feelings threaten to break the two of them apart. Big Bird himself also appeared in one episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, when he came to deliver his entry to the "Draw the Neighborhood" art contest. The Ford Foundation, Public Television Stations and Johnson & Johnson also provided funding for repeats of
3406-501: A select number of episodes. As of 2023, reruns air on many PBS stations early in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series' national premiere, PBS aired select episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for a week in February 2018. In July 2011, during the annual Television Critics Association summer press tour, it was announced that a new animated spin-off series, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood ,
3537-464: A slot on the side, then show the material using a wired remote control (slides were viewed on Picture Picture; films and video were faded in to the clip). When Picture Picture was not used, a different painting would be displayed on its screen. Often it would display the words "Hello" or "Hi" at the opening. The series was also notable for its use of jazz -inspired music, mostly arranged and performed by Johnny Costa , until Costa's death in 1996, when he
3668-530: A statement protesting wearing animal furs . Rogers was a registered Republican , but according to Joanne Rogers, he was "very independent in the way he voted", choosing not to talk about politics because he wanted to be impartial. Rogers was a Presbyterian , and many of the messages he expressed in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood were inspired by the core tenets of Christianity. Rogers rarely spoke about his faith on air; he believed that teaching through example
3799-463: A statue of Rogers on a bench is situated in James H. Rogers Park—a park named for Rogers' father. In 2021, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood —a seven-foot (2.1 m) tall, 3,000-pound (1,400 kg) bronze statue by Paul Day —was dedicated at Rollins College. The memorial depicts Rogers and Daniel Tiger speaking with a group of children and features lyrics from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood's theme on
3930-410: A tiger puppet before the show's premiere), King Friday XIII, Queen Sara Saturday (named after Rogers' wife), X the Owl, Henrietta, and Lady Elaine, in his later work. Children's television entertainer Ernie Coombs was an assistant puppeteer. The Children's Corner won a Sylvania Award for best locally produced children's programming in 1955 and was broadcast nationally on NBC. While working on
4061-529: A volunteer in 1975. He played an acrobat in a troupe called The Flying Zookeenies that performed for King Friday's birthday and was also in charge of running the Trolley. Thirteen in-series "operas" took place during the course of the series within the Make-Believe segments. Many of them featured American baritone John Reardon as a main character. The operas would encompass the entire episode and would be seen after
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4192-630: A worker directing a United Airlines jet with its stylized "U" logo—which was not introduced until 1974. All of the episodes revised from the first series also included an extra segment following the closing credits, mentioning the episode number and additional companies that provided funding since these episodes originally aired, even though they had not provided funding at the time of their original production. The episode numbers correlated to activity guides for parents, which included activities and discussion topics for parents and child care providers to utilize with their children. The black and white episodes of
4323-500: Is no evidence that Rogers ever had sexual relations with men. After Rogers' retirement in 2001, he remained busy working with FCI, studying religion and spirituality, making public appearances, traveling, and working on a children's media center named after him at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe with Archabbot Douglas Nowicki , chancellor of the college. By the summer of 2002, his chronic stomach pain became severe enough for him to see
4454-420: Is time to visit the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Mr. Rogers proceeds to the window seat by the trolley track and sets up the action there as the Trolley comes out. The camera follows it down a tunnel in the back wall of the house as it enters the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. The stories and lessons take place over a week's worth of episodes and involve puppets and human characters. The end of the visit occurs when
4585-425: The Neighborhood continued to air on PBS. King reports that the decision caught many of his coworkers and supporters "off guard". Rogers continued to confer with McFarland about child development and early childhood education, however. In 1979, after an almost five-year hiatus, Rogers returned to producing the Neighborhood ; King calls the new version "stronger and more sophisticated than ever". King writes that by
4716-576: The Paley Center for Media , including the first episode of the series and the first color episode. A complete collection of episodes, including more than 900 videotapes and scripts from the show along with other promotional materials produced by Rogers or his Family Communications Inc. production company, exists in the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Archives, located in the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room at
4847-775: The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018. Several pieces of art are dedicated to Rogers throughout Pittsburgh, including an eleven-foot (3.4 m) tall, 7,000-pound (3,200 kg) bronze statue of him in the North Shore neighborhood. In the Oakland neighborhood, his portrait is included in the Martin Luther King Jr. and "Interpretations of Oakland" murals. A dinosaur statue titled "Fredasaurus Rex Friday XIII" originally stood in front of
4978-538: The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution honoring Rogers sponsored by Representative Mike Doyle from Pennsylvania. On March 1, 2003, a private funeral was held for Rogers in Unity Chapel, which was restored by Rogers' father, at Unity Cemetery in Latrobe. About 80 relatives, co-workers, and close friends attended the service, which "was planned in great secrecy so that those closest to him could grieve in private". Reverend John McCall, pastor of
5109-426: The University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information Building. When PBS began re-airing the first 460 color episodes of the series in 1976, some of the earliest color episodes from 1969 and 1970 were re-edited with new voice-overs or footage. For example, in one 1970 episode where Mister Rogers demonstrates the noise-proof ear protectors that airport workers use on the tarmac, the film footage used featured
5240-405: The background music heard on the series, including the show's recognizable main theme, the trolley whistle, Mr. McFeeley's frenetic speedy delivery piano plonks, the vibraphone flute-toots (played on a synthesizer) as Fred fed his fish, dreamy celesta lines, incidental music , and Rogers' entrance and exit tunes. Each day an episode was recorded, Costa and his ensemble played live in the studio for
5371-685: The last rites of the Catholic Church from Archabbot Nowicki. The following day, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette covered Rogers' death on the front page and dedicated an entire section to his death and impact. The newspaper also reported that by noon, the internet "was already full of appreciative pieces" by parents, viewers, producers, and writers. Rogers' death was widely lamented. Most U.S. metropolitan newspapers ran his obituary on their front page and some dedicated entire sections to coverage of his death. WQED aired programs about Rogers
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5502-538: The 1969-1975 color episodes, beginning in 1976. When Fred Rogers died in 2003, PBS's website provided suggestions to parents on how to respond to children who ask about Rogers' death. Beginning on September 3, 2007, some PBS affiliates began replacing the show with new programs such as Super Why! , WordGirl and WordWorld . In June 2008, PBS announced that, beginning in late 2008, the network would stop broadcasting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as part of its daily syndication lineup to member stations, instead airing
5633-407: The 1980s. Rogers told interviewer David Letterman in 1982 that he believed parodies like Murphy's were done "with kindness in their hearts". Video of Rogers' 1969 testimony in defense of public programming has experienced a resurgence since 2012, going viral at least twice. It first resurfaced after then presidential candidate Mitt Romney suggested cutting funding for PBS. In 2017, video of
5764-424: The 2004 documentary Haack: King of Techno . Guests on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood were often surprised to find that, although Rogers was just as gentle and patient in life as on television, he was nevertheless a perfectionist who did not allow "shoddy" ad-libbing ; he believed that children were thoughtful people who deserved programming as good as anything produced for adults on television. Rogers appeared as
5895-412: The 2018 biography The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers , which recounts Rogers telling openly gay friend Dr. William Hirsch that he "must be right smack in the middle" of a one-to-ten sexuality scale, because "I have found women attractive, and I have found men attractive." This led some social media users to suggest that Rogers may have been bisexual . Long noted in his essay that there
6026-443: The 2018 documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? , Rogers had a "lonely childhood ... I think he made friends with himself as much as he could. He had a ventriloquist dummy , he had [stuffed] animals, and he would create his own worlds in his childhood bedroom". Rogers attended Latrobe High School , where he overcame his shyness. "It was tough for me at the beginning," Rogers told NPR's Terry Gross in 1984, "and then I made
6157-556: The Americans whom Rogers brought with him to help develop the CBC show, would remain with CBC, on Rogers' recommendation, after Rogers returned to the United States. Coombs first appeared as Mr. Dressup in the CBC program Butternut Square , conceived and produced by Attridge. Coombs then helped to develop what became Mr. Dressup , which ran for nearly 30 years as an iconic presence on Canadian television, ending in 1996. In 1966, Rogers acquired
6288-623: The Bible and prepare himself for the day". He did not smoke or drink. According to Junod, he did nothing to change his weight from the 143 pounds (65 kg) he weighed for most of his adult life; by 1998, this also included napping daily, going to bed at 9:30 P.M., and sleeping eight hours per night without interruption. Junod said Rogers saw his weight "as a destiny fulfilled", telling Junod, "the number 143 means 'I love you.' It takes one letter to say 'I' and four letters to say 'love' and three letters to say 'you'". According to biographer Michael Long in
6419-420: The CBC episodes with additional reality-based opening and closing material produced in Pittsburgh. The series was cancelled in 1967 due to lack of funding, but an outpouring of public response prompted a search for new funding. In 1967, The Sears Roebuck Foundation provided funding for the program, which enabled it to be seen nationwide on National Educational Television ; taping began on September 21, 1967 for
6550-472: The Make-Believe segments and seemed to form a link between the two worlds. The idea of the trolley came from Rogers. When he was young, many trolleys operated in Pittsburgh , and he liked riding on them. This reality/fantasy distinction put Rogers' series in sharp contrast with other children's series, such as Sesame Street and Captain Kangaroo , which freely mixed realistic and fantastic elements. Trolley
6681-501: The PBS syndicated feed, with series home WQED in particular continuing to air the series daily until 2010. There was a campaign in 2008 and 2009 to urge PBS and all member stations to bring the show back seven days a week. The premiere of the Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood spin-off in 2012 effectively ended most reruns of the show for several years, but, by 2017, some stations began to bring back
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#17328726561416812-521: The Rogers family's church, Sixth Presbyterian Church in Squirrel Hill , gave the homily ; Reverend William Barker, a retired Presbyterian minister who was a "close friend of Mr. Rogers and the voice of Mr. Platypus on his show", read Rogers' favorite Bible passages. Rogers was interred at Unity Cemetery in his hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in a mausoleum owned by his mother's family. On May 3, 2003,
6943-471: The Trolley returns to the same tunnel from which it emerged, reappearing in Mr. Rogers' home. He then talks to the viewers before concluding the episode. He often feeds his fish, cleans up any props he has used, and returns to the front room, where he sings the closing song while changing back into his dress shoes and jacket. He exits the front door as he ends the song, and the camera zooms out of his home and pans across
7074-410: The U.S., Johannes Meffert (born 1732), Rogers is the sixth cousin of actor Tom Hanks , who portrays him in the film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019). Rogers had a difficult childhood. Shy, introverted, and overweight, he was frequently homebound after suffering bouts of asthma . He was bullied as a child for his weight and called "Fat Freddy". According to Morgan Neville , director of
7205-518: The U.S., the letters increased in volume, and he hired staff member and producer Hedda Sharapan to answer them, but he read, edited, and signed each one. King wrote that Rogers saw responding to his viewers' letters as "a pastoral duty of sorts". The New York Times called Rogers "a dedicated lap-swimmer", and Tom Junod , author of "Can You Say ... Hero?", the 1998 Esquire profile of Rogers, said, "Nearly every morning of his life, Mister Rogers has gone swimming". Rogers began swimming when he
7336-631: The WQED building and, as of 2014, stood in front of the building containing the Fred Rogers Company offices. There is a "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make-Believe" in Idlewild Park and a kiosk of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood artifacts at Pittsburgh International Airport . The Carnegie Science Center's Miniature Railroad and Village debuted a miniature recreation of Rogers' house from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 2005. In Rogers' hometown of Latrobe,
7467-576: The air". Coombs joined Rogers in Toronto as an assistant puppeteer. Rogers also worked with Coombs on the children's show Butternut Square from 1964 to 1967. Rogers acquired the rights to Misterogers in 1967 and returned to Pittsburgh with his wife, two young sons, and the sets he developed, despite a potentially promising career with CBC and no job prospects in Pittsburgh. On Rogers' recommendation, Coombs remained in Toronto and became Rogers' Canadian equivalent of an iconic television personality, creating
7598-468: The airing of a new batch of Monday-to-Friday episodes. Beginning in 1994, the production schedule was changed so that 10 new episodes a year were produced instead of 15. Shortly thereafter, as of August 11, 1995, the episodes from the "first series" (1968–76) were withdrawn from the repeat schedule, since there were over 200 "second series" episodes available for broadcast, and many of the first series episodes had become outdated. The show's final years varied
7729-543: The base. Rogers has received honorary degrees from over 43 colleges and universities. After 1973, two commemorative quilts, created by two of Rogers' friends and archived at the Fred Rogers Center at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, were made out of the academic hoods he received during the graduation ceremonies. Note: Much of the below list is taken from "Honorary Degrees Awarded to Fred Rogers", unless otherwise stated. Butternut Square Butternut Square
7860-407: The castle, were created for Rogers' show in Toronto by CBC designers and producers. The program also "incorporated most of the highly imaginative elements that later became famous", such as its slow pace and its host's quiet manner. The format of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood "remained virtually unchanged" for the entire run of the program. Every episode begins with a camera's-eye view of a model of
7991-476: The characters in it). He often discussed what was going to happen in Make-Believe before the next fantasy segment was shown ("Let's pretend that Prince Tuesday has been having scary dreams..."), and sometimes acted out bits of Make-Believe with models on a table before the camera transitioned to the live-action puppet rendition. The miniature motorized trolley , which was known in character form as "Trolley", with its accompanying fast-paced piano theme music, and which
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#17328726561418122-500: The child's developing psyche and feelings and sense of moral and ethical reasoning". The Neighborhood also spent fewer resources on research than Sesame Street , but Rogers used early childhood education concepts taught by his mentor Margaret McFarland, Benjamin Spock , Erik Erikson , and T. Berry Brazelton in his lessons. As The Washington Post noted, Rogers taught young children about civility, tolerance, sharing, and self-worth "in
8253-473: The children's program Mr. Dressup , which ran from 1967 to 1996. Rogers' work for CBC "helped shape and develop the concept and style of his later program for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the U.S." Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (also called the Neighborhood ), a half-hour educational children's program starring Rogers, began airing nationally in 1968 and ran for 895 episodes. It
8384-403: The children's television show Blue's Clues , to earn a degree in developmental psychology and go into educational television. She and the other producers of Blue's Clues used many of Rogers' techniques, such as using child developmental and educational research and having the host speak directly to the camera and transition to a make-believe world. In 2006, three years after Rogers' death and
8515-435: The closet, takes off his cardigan, hangs it up, and grabs his jacket to put back on. Before the closing credits, Rogers got ready to go out the door by reminding the viewers: "You always make each day a special day. You know how: By just your being you/yourself. There's only one person in the whole world that's like you, and that's you. And people can like you just/exactly the way you are. I'll be back next time. Bye-bye!". During
8646-472: The closing credits, which is complete with the show's logo and the episode number, the camera would perform a reversed version of the opening sequence's pan shot, while the "Neighborhood Trolley" crosses streets from right to left. Starting in 1979, episodes were grouped into week-long series, with each series focused on a particular topic; each opening includes that week's subject, in the form of "Mister Rogers Talks About [subject]". Rogers' monologues throughout
8777-423: The country who were having a positive impact on children and education. The first time Rogers appeared on television as an actor, and not himself, was in a 1996 episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman , playing a preacher. Rogers gave "scores of interviews". Though reluctant to appear on television talk shows, he would usually "charm the host with his quick wit and ability to ad-lib on a moment's notice". Rogers
8908-473: The end of production of Blue's Clues , the Fred Rogers Company contacted Santomero to create a show that would promote Rogers' legacy. In 2012, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood , with characters from and based upon Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , premiered on PBS. Rogers' style and approach to children's television and early childhood education also "begged to be parodied". Comedian Eddie Murphy parodied Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on Saturday Night Live during
9039-466: The episode's theme, such as Brockett's Bakery, Bob Trow's Workshop, and Negri's Music Shop. In one episode, Rogers took the show behind-the-scenes on the set of The Incredible Hulk , which aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982. At the start of each episode, the show's logo appears as the camera pans slowly over a model of the neighborhood, as the camera goes from the neighborhood to inside the Rogers' television house. From 1979 to 1981, an alternate version of
9170-407: The evening he died; the Post-Gazette reported that the ratings for their coverage were three times higher than their normal ratings. That same evening, Nightline on ABC broadcast a rerun of a recent interview with Rogers; the program got the highest ratings of the day, beating the February average ratings of Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . On March 4,
9301-491: The filming. Musicians who played in this ensemble were: Even after Costa's death in 1996, much of the music heard on the program continued to be Costa's, and his name continued to be listed in the show's closing credits as one of its Musical Directors. The first broadcast of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was on the National Educational Television network on February 19, 1968; the color NET logo appeared on
9432-448: The final week of original episodes of the so-called "first series") featured Mister Rogers in his workshop, watching scenes of past episodes of his series, which he recorded on videocassettes and kept on the shelf in his workshop. On the Friday episode of that week (February 20, 1976), he reminded viewers that they, too, could watch many of those old episodes beginning the following week. During
9563-451: The first national season. The first national broadcast of Misterogers' Neighborhood appeared on most NET stations on February 19, 1968. In 1970, when PBS replaced NET, it also inherited this program. Around the same time, the show had a slight title change, to the more-familiar Mister Rogers' Neighborhood . The show was broadcast from February 19, 1968 to February 20, 1976, and again from August 27, 1979 to August 31, 2001. The final episode
9694-422: The first season were last re-run on August 21, 1970, just before NET was replaced by PBS. As of 2013, almost all of the 1979–2001 "second series" episodes are still in active rotation on a number of PBS stations. The only exception is the week-long "Conflict" series (episodes #1521–#1525), first aired during the week of November 7–11, 1983. The series/story arc covered the topics of war, bombs, and an arms race, and
9825-411: The first time, as it played the school bus . When in Mister Rogers' house, it simply had two pieces of yellow construction paper shaped and drawn like the profile of a school bus stuck to its sides, but in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, it had a chassis on it that made it look like a school bus. The series featured "Picture Picture", a rear-projection motion picture and slide projector, whose screen
9956-436: The format of his Canadian series to create Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It ran for 33 years and was critically acclaimed for focusing on children's emotional and physical concerns, such as death, sibling rivalry, school enrollment, and divorce. Rogers died of stomach cancer in 2003, aged 74. His work in children's television has been widely lauded, and he received more than forty honorary degrees and several awards, including
10087-414: The funding to $ 10 million. Even though Rogers was not yet nationally known, he was chosen to testify because of his ability to make persuasive arguments and to connect emotionally with his audience. The clip of Rogers' testimony, which was televised and has since been viewed by millions of people on the internet, helped to secure funding for PBS for many years afterward. According to King, Rogers' testimony
10218-504: The hiatus period, two primetime episodes were produced and aired as specials: a Christmas show in December 1977 and a "springtime"-themed show. In 1978, production of the series resumed, with an eye towards "freshening up" the show by producing 15 new episodes per year. These "second series" episodes, which began airing in August 1979, would be mixed in with the already-airing cycle of repeats from
10349-534: The longest-running children's television series, a record the series held until June 2003, when Sesame Street beat Mister Rogers' record. The series could be seen in reruns on most PBS stations until August 31, 2007, when it began to be removed by various PBS stations, and was then permanently removed from the daily syndicated schedule by PBS after August 29, 2008. Eleven years after Mister Rogers' Neighborhood concluded, PBS debuted an animated spin-off, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood . A 50th-anniversary tribute and
10480-656: The nascent medium of television after experiencing TV at his parents' home in 1951, during his senior year at Rollins College. In a CNN interview, he said, "I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there's some way of using this fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen". After graduating in 1951, he worked at NBC in New York City as floor director of Your Hit Parade , The Kate Smith Hour , and Gabby Hayes 's children's show, and as an assistant producer of The Voice of Firestone . In 1953, Rogers returned to Pittsburgh to work as
10611-472: The neighborhood model as the episode ends. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood emphasized young children's social and emotional needs, and unlike another PBS show, Sesame Street , which premiered in 1969, did not focus on cognitive learning. Writer Kathy Merlock Jackson said, "While both shows target the same preschool audience and prepare children for kindergarten, Sesame Street concentrates on school-readiness skills while Mister Rogers Neighborhood focuses on
10742-411: The number of episodes produced per season: season 26 (1995–96) consisted of 20 episodes, season 27 (1997) produced 10 episodes, seasons 28 and 29 (1998–99) both contained 15 episodes, and season 30 (2000) reverted to 10 episodes. The final season, season 31 (2001), consisted of only 5 episodes, centering on the theme "Celebrate The Arts". A few episodes from the "first series" are available for viewing in
10873-402: The opening sequence was used. Beginning in the early 1980s, the neighborhood model incorporated a small version of the "Neighborhood Trolley", as it crosses several streets from left to right on a model train track. This is the same model electric trolley that later in the program would transport viewers into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Usually, the camera goes from the neighborhood to out on
11004-456: The porch of the Rogers' television house, where the viewers see Fred Rogers coming for a visit before he enters the house. After the camera goes from the neighborhood to inside the Rogers' television house, Fred Rogers is seen coming home with his jacket on, singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?". He goes into the closet, takes off his jacket, hangs it up, and grabs a cardigan zipper sweater to put on. After that, he takes his dress shoes off and grabs
11135-481: The practice of human kindness. —Rogers biographer Maxwell King Marc Brown, creator of another PBS children's show, Arthur , considered Rogers both a friend and "a terrific role model for how to use television and the media to be helpful to kids and families". Josh Selig , creator of Wonder Pets , credits Rogers with influencing his use of structure and predictability, and his use of music, opera, and originality. Rogers inspired Angela Santomero , co-creator of
11266-433: The preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , which ran from 1968 to 2001. Born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania , Rogers earned a bachelor's degree in music from Rollins College in 1951. He began his television career at NBC in New York City, returning to Pittsburgh in 1953 to work for children's programming at NET (later PBS ) television station WQED . He graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with
11397-437: The process of putting each episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood together was "painstaking" and Rogers' contribution to the program was "astounding". Rogers wrote and edited all the episodes, played the piano and sang for most of the songs, wrote 200 songs and 13 operas, created all the characters (both puppet and human), played most of the significant puppet roles, hosted every episode, and produced and approved every detail of
11528-479: The program only once a week over the weekend. Milwaukee PBS , for example, still carries the show once a week, on Sunday, over its primary HD/SD channel. Beginning on September 1, 2008, Mister Rogers was replaced by new programming such as Martha Speaks , Sid the Science Kid , and an update of The Electric Company . However, individual member stations have the option of airing Mister Rogers independently of
11659-406: The program's second run in the 1980s, it was "such a cultural touchstone that it had inspired numerous parodies", most notably Eddie Murphy 's parody on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s. Rogers retired from producing the Neighborhood in 2001 at age 73, although reruns continued to air. He and FCI had been making about two or three weeks of new programs per year for many years, "filling
11790-477: The program. The puppets created for the Neighborhood of Make-Believe "included an extraordinary variety of personalities". They were simple puppets but "complex, complicated, and utterly honest beings". In 1971, Rogers formed Family Communications, Inc. (FCI, now The Fred Rogers Company ), to produce the Neighborhood , other programs, and non-broadcast materials. In 1975, Rogers stopped producing Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood to focus on adult programming. Reruns of
11921-404: The regional Eastern Educational Television Network (EETN, a forerunner of today's American Public Television ). The U.S. national debut of the show occurred on February 19, 1968. It aired on NET and its successor, PBS , until August 31, 2001. The series is aimed primarily at preschool children ages 2 to 5, but it was labeled by PBS as "appropriate for all ages". Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
12052-484: The rest of his time slots from a library of about 300 shows made since 1979". The final original episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood aired on August 31, 2001. In 1969, Rogers testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications, which was chaired by Democratic Senator John Pastore of Rhode Island. U.S. President Lyndon Johnson had proposed a $ 20 million bill for the creation of PBS before he left office, but his successor, Richard Nixon , wanted to cut
12183-489: The rights to his program from CBC and moved the show to WQED in Pittsburgh, where he had worked on The Children's Corner . He renamed the show Misterogers' Neighborhood , which initially aired regionally in the northeastern United States through EEN, including educational stations in Boston , Washington, D.C. , and New York City . The 100 episodes of the half-hour show incorporated the " Neighborhood of Make-Believe " segments from
12314-594: The same way in both Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. The "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" is the fictional kingdom visited by Mr. Rogers during the show. Characters in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe were portrayed by both hand puppets and actors. Fred Rogers was the puppeteer for a great number of the characters: Other characters and their performers or puppeteers: In addition to Bob Trow , other regular puppeteers included Michael Horton , Lenny Meledandri (1980–2001), and Carole Switala. Michael Keaton made his first television appearance as
12445-459: The show produced 65 new color episodes each year. By the end of season 8, this meant there was a library of 455 color episodes that could be repeated indefinitely. Rogers and the rest of the show's cast and crew began suffering burnout from taping 65 episodes a year and, in 1975, Rogers made the decision to take a break from the series for a few years. As a consequence, season 9 (1976) consisted of only five episodes. These five new episodes (which aired
12576-452: The show, Rogers attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1963. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh 's Graduate School of Child Development, where he began working with child psychologist Margaret McFarland —who, according to Rogers' biographer Maxwell King, became his "key advisor and collaborator" and "child-education guru". Much of Rogers' "thinking about and appreciation for children
12707-457: The so-called "first series" (i.e., the color episodes of seasons 2–9, aired from 1969 to 1976). The series aired 15 new episodes annually between 1979 and 1993. As well, there were occasional "Mister Rogers Talks with Parents About..." specials, which featured panelists discussing ways in which parents could talk to their children about the issues discussed on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood . These specials usually were aired on weekends, just prior to
12838-434: The song "Tomorrow", which was written by Rogers' former colleague, Josie Carey . Starting with Season 4 in 1971, "Tomorrow" was used only on Monday through Thursday episodes, and a new closing song, which is titled as "The Weekend Song", was used only on Friday episodes as the program would not return until Monday. Eventually, the "Tomorrow" song was removed entirely due to copyright issues, and by 1973, Rogers sang "It's Such
12969-745: The testimony again went viral after President Donald Trump proposed defunding several arts-related government programs including PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts . A roadside Pennsylvania Historical Marker dedicated to Rogers to be installed in Latrobe was approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission on March 4, 2014. It was installed on June 11, 2016, with the title "Fred McFeely Rogers (1928–2003)". Won't You Be My Neighbor? director Morgan Neville's 2018 documentary about Rogers' life, grossed over $ 22 million and became
13100-477: The theme song to greet his visitors while changing his suit jacket to a cardigan (knitted by his mother) and his dress shoes to sneakers, "complete with a shoe tossed from one hand to another". The episode's theme is introduced, and Mr. Rogers leaves his home to visit another location, the camera panning back to the neighborhood model and zooming in to the new location as he enters it. Once this segment ends, Mr. Rogers leaves and returns to his home, indicating that it
13231-499: The top-grossing biographical documentary ever produced, the highest-grossing documentary in five years, and the twelfth-largest-grossing documentary ever made. The 2019 drama film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood tells the story of Rogers and his television series, with Tom Hanks portraying Rogers. According to Caitlin Gibson of The Washington Post , Rogers became a source for parenting advice; she called him "a timeless oracle against
13362-405: The topic of anger regularly and focused on peaceful ways of dealing with angry feelings. Beginning in the third season, Mister Rogers always made a clear distinction between the realistic world of his television neighborhood and the fantasy world of Make-Believe (prior to that, the line was blurred somewhat as he would often talk about it as if it were real and he had a direct line of contact with
13493-501: The trolley and castle, were created for the Canadian program by CBC designers and in collaboration with producer Bruce Attridge. Most importantly, Rogers appeared on camera in the new show rather than only appearing through puppets or characters. Fred Rainsberry, head of Children's Programming at CBC, persuaded Rogers to appear on camera in the new show (which he named after Rogers) after seeing him interact with children. Ernie Coombs , one of
13624-469: The week explore various facets of the topic, and the ongoing story from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe serves as illustration. Rogers covered a broad range of topics over the years, and the series did not shy away from issues that other children's programming avoided. In fact, Rogers endeared himself to many when, on March 23, 1970, he dealt with the death of one of his pet goldfish. The series also dealt with competition, divorce, and war. Rogers returned to
13755-584: The years following the end of production on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 2001 and his death in 2003, Rogers became "a source of comfort, sometimes in the wake of tragedy". Burns has said Rogers' words of comfort "began circulating on social media" following tragedies such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, the Manchester Arena bombing in Manchester, England, in 2017, and
13886-620: Was "a very successful businessman" who was president of the McFeely Brick Company, one of Latrobe's most prominent businesses. His mother, Nancy (née McFeely), knitted sweaters for American soldiers from western Pennsylvania who were fighting in Europe and regularly volunteered at the Latrobe Hospital. Initially dreaming of becoming a doctor, she settled for a life of hospital volunteer work. Her father, Fred Brooks McFeely, after whom Rogers
14017-420: Was "an accomplished pianist" who, like Fred, earned a Bachelor of Music from Rollins, and went on to earn a Master of Music from Florida State University . She performed publicly with her college classmate, Jeannine Morrison, from 1976 to 2008. According to biographer Maxwell King, Rogers' close associates said he was "absolutely faithful to his marriage vows". Rogers was red-green color-blind . He became
14148-614: Was "considered one of the most powerful pieces of testimony ever offered before Congress, and one of the most powerful pieces of video presentation ever filmed". It brought Pastore to tears and also, according to King, has been studied by public relations experts and academics. Congressional funding for PBS increased from $ 9 million to $ 22 million. In 1970, Nixon appointed Rogers as chair of the White House Conference on Children and Youth . In 1978, while on hiatus from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , Rogers wrote, produced, and hosted
14279-416: Was "one of the country's most sought-after commencement speakers", making over 150 speeches. His friend and colleague David Newell reported that Rogers would "agonize over a speech", and King reported that Rogers was at his least guarded during his speeches, which were about children, television, education, his view of the world, how to make the world a better place, and his quest for self-knowledge. His tone
14410-406: Was a Canadian children's television series which aired on CBC Television between October 19, 1964 and February 10, 1967. The cast featured Ernie Coombs as Mr. Dressup , whose own landmark television series began production after Butternut Square 's run had ended. The show was broadcast in black and white , and originally was 20 minutes until the third (final) season, when it was expanded to
14541-467: Was a character in its own right. Often, when it crossed into the Neighborhood of Make Believe, it would stop and have a "conversation" with King Friday XIII (by moving back and forth slightly and making bell noises to respond to Friday), then continue on. Trolley also truly showed the difference between the worlds during the week when the three youngest puppet characters (Daniel Striped Tiger, Prince Tuesday, and Ana Platypus) prepared for and went to school for
14672-585: Was a child at his family's vacation home outside Latrobe, where they owned a pool, and during their winter trips to Florida. King wrote that swimming and playing the piano were "lifelong passions" and that "both gave him a chance to feel capable and in charge of his destiny", and that swimming became "an important part of the strong sense of self-discipline he cultivated". Rogers swam daily at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association , after waking every morning between 4:30 and 5:30 A.M. to pray and to "read
14803-408: Was about 0.7% of television households or 680,000 homes, and it aired on 384 PBS stations. At its peak in 1985–1986, its ratings were 2.1%, or 1.8 million homes. The last original episode aired in 2001, but PBS continued to air reruns, and by 2016 it was the third-longest-running program in PBS history. Many of the sets and props in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , like the trolley, the sneakers, and
14934-444: Was as powerful as preaching. He said, "You don't need to speak overtly about religion in order to get a message across". According to writer Shea Tuttle, Rogers considered his faith a fundamental part of his personality and "called the space between the viewer and the television set 'holy ground'". He also studied Catholic mysticism , Judaism , Buddhism , and other faiths and cultures. King called him "that unique television star with
15065-771: Was broadcast in the Soviet Union on December 7, coinciding with the Washington Summit meeting between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C. Vedeneyeva visited the set of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in November. Her visit was taped and later aired in March 1988 as part of Rogers' program. In 1994, Rogers wrote, produced, and hosted a special for PBS called Fred Rogers' Heroes , which featured interviews and portraits of four people from across
15196-472: Was broadcast several times on Pittsburgh television stations and websites throughout the day. When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster", I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world. —Fred Rogers Whenever
15327-408: Was changed to unqualified for military service following an Armed Forces physical on October 12, 1950. He attended Dartmouth College for one year before transferring to Rollins College , where he graduated magna cum laude in 1951 with a Bachelor of Music . He then attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary , from which he graduated magna cum laude in 1962 with a Bachelor of Divinity , and
15458-466: Was created in response to the Invasion of Grenada , and the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings . The "Conflict" series was last aired on PBS during the week of April 1–5, 1996. Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), better known as Mister Rogers , was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of
15589-416: Was encased with a picture frame. In early episodes, Picture Picture would show various films or slides at Mister Rogers' command; after the material was presented, Mister Rogers would thank Picture Picture, to which it would return a "You're Welcome" on its screen. After 1970, Picture Picture no longer operated magically, becoming merely a projector; Mister Rogers would insert a film, slides or videotape through
15720-455: Was in production. The show debuted on most PBS stations on September 3, 2012. The series features Daniel Tiger, the four-year-old son of Daniel Striped Tiger , as a host of the series, which also features characters of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe all grown older, with the children now having families of their own. A second spin-off titled Donkey Hodie , focusing on the titular character, aired on PBS May 3, 2021. The puppet series features
15851-483: Was moving about behind the set. The show was briefly broadcast nationally on the NBC Television Network. Rogers moved to Toronto , Ontario , in 1961 to work on a new series based on The Children's Corner , called Misterogers , a 15-minute program on CBC Television . Misterogers aired on CBC for about four years, and a number of the set pieces that he would take with him back to the United States, such as
15982-455: Was named, was an entrepreneur. Rogers grew up in a large three-story brick house at 737 Weldon Street in Latrobe. He had a sister, Elaine, whom the Rogerses adopted when he was eleven years old. Rogers spent much of his childhood alone, playing with puppets, and also spent time with his grandfather. He began playing the piano when he was five. Through an ancestor who immigrated from Germany to
16113-406: Was only used on Monday through Thursday episodes. On Friday episodes, the lyric was changed to "week" instead of "day". On early episodes of this season, the line was originally written as "When tomorrow is new". Musical directors for the series include: In addition to arranging and directing the music heard on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , Costa, along with other musicians, performed almost all
16244-415: Was operated by Rogers with his left hand, working buttons and controls hidden on the side of the bench on which Rogers usually would sit, was the only element that appeared regularly in both the realistic world and Make-Believe: it was used to transport viewers from one realm to the other. Rogers, however, was mentioned from time to time in Make-Believe, particularly by Mr. McFeely, who appeared occasionally in
16375-534: Was ordained a Presbyterian minister by the Pittsburgh Presbytery of the United Presbyterian Church in 1963. His work as an ordained minister, rather than to pastor a church, was to minister to children and their families through television. He regularly appeared before church officials to maintain his ordination. Rogers wanted to enter seminary after college, but instead chose to go into
16506-401: Was produced by Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania public broadcaster WQED and Rogers' non-profit production company Family Communications, Inc., previously known as Small World Enterprises prior to 1971; the company was renamed The Fred Rogers Company after Rogers' death (it has since been renamed again to Fred Rogers Productions as of 2019). In May 1997, the series surpassed Captain Kangaroo as
16637-661: Was quiet and informal but "commanded attention". In many speeches, including the ones he made accepting a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997, for his induction into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999, and his final commencement speech at Dartmouth College in 2002, he instructed his audiences to remain silent and think for a moment about someone who had a good influence on them. Rogers met Sara Joanne Byrd (called "Joanne") from Jacksonville, Florida , while attending Rollins College. They were married from 1952 until he died in 2003. They had two sons, James and John. Joanne Rogers
16768-440: Was recorded on December 1, 2000. The studio at WQED in Pittsburgh in which the series was recorded was later renamed "The Fred Rogers Studio". During each half-hour segment, Rogers spoke directly to the viewer about various topics, taking the viewer on tours of factories, demonstrating experiments, crafts, and music, and interacting with his friends. Rogers also made a point simply to behave naturally on camera rather than acting out
16899-559: Was shaped and informed" by McFarland. She was his consultant for most of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ' s scripts and songs for 30 years. In 1963, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Toronto contracted Rogers to come to Toronto to develop and host the 15-minute black-and-white children's program Misterogers; it lasted from 1963 to 1967. It was the first time Rogers appeared on camera. CBC's children's programming head Fred Rainsberry insisted on it, telling Rogers, "Fred, I've seen you talk with kids. Let's put you yourself on
17030-455: Was succeeded by Michael Moricz for the remainder of the series. The music was unique in its simplicity and flow that blended with the series' sketches and features. The music was usually played live during taping. Lyrics and melodies were written and sung by Rogers, who created more than 200 original songs. Characters on the series include: Only Mr. McFeely, Mrs. McFeely, Officer Clemmons, Scientist Adler, and Chef Brockett appeared substantially
17161-551: Was videotaped at WQED in Pittsburgh and broadcast by National Educational Television (NET), which later became the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Its first season had 180 black-and-white episodes. Each subsequent season, filmed in color and funded by PBS, the Sears-Roebuck Foundation, and other charities, consisted of 65 episodes. By the time it ended production in December 2000, its average rating
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