Friendly Facts About Mister Rogers
"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.'”—Mr. Rogers
Fred McFeely Rogers was best known as the creator and host of the popular children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which ran on PBS from 1968-2001. The show featured Rogers as a kind, nurturing personality who spoke to children over the screen about a diverse range of topics in a caring and respectful manner. Over the course of the 30 years the show was on, he became an icon of children’s entertainment and education promoting positive self-esteem, self-control, imagination, curiosity and more.Although he died in 2003, he is still beloved by the generations of children who watched him. The documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? has Fred back on everyone's minds, so read on to learn a little more about this truly amazing person.
Mister Rogers Facts
42. Motherly Love
One of Mr. Rogers’ trademarks were the different sweaters he wore on the show. What made his sweaters especially unique was that they were all knitted by his mother. According to Rogers, she used to knit roughly one sweater per month, and would give him and his sister the hand-made fruits of her labor. As Mr. Rogers explained in one of the episodes, knitting is one of the ways she said “I love you.”
41. Incorporating the Look
The animated spin-off series of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, features Daniel Tiger sporting a familiar look. In every episode, Daniel Tiger wears a red sweater and sneakers as a nod to Mr. Rogers, who also sported the sweater and sneakers combo in his show.
40. Canadian Connection
Before there was Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Rogers first hosted a 15-minute children’s show on CBC television in Canada called Misterogers. The show is considered to be an early prototype of what eventually became the show we all know and love, but it was also important because it launched the career of another beloved children’s entertainer (at least in Canada): Ernie Coombs, better known as Mr. Dressup, was one of the puppeteers on Rogers’ first show, and in 1964, he launched his own show, Mr. Dressup, which ran for 29 years.
