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Neighborhood of Make-Believe -
The magical neighborhood of Fred Rogers, a slender, gentle-looking
Presbyterian minister from Pittsburgh hosted the popular Public
Television children series MISTEROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD that debuted
on WQED in Toronto, Canada in 1963 as a 15-minute daily program
called MISTEROGERS.
Dwelling at 4802 Fifth Avenue in Mister Rogers'
Neighborhood, the gateway to the Neighborhood of Make Believe, Mr.
Rogers (Fred McFeely Rogers) entered his TV home singing "It's a
beautiful day in the neighborhood..." and followed-up with the
invitation "won't you be my neighbor?"
Neighborhood of Make-Believe
After changing from his
street clothes into more casual sweater and slippers, the
soft-spoken Mister Rogers explored the wonders of the world
interacting with such lovable characters as: Lady Aberlin, Handyman Negri, Chef Brockett, Mr. McFeely "the Speedy Delivery Man," Robert
Troll, and Police Officer Clemmons.
Puppet characters in the
Neighborhood of Make-Believe included:
- King Friday the XIII, Queen
Sara Saturday,
- Prince Tuesday,
- Lady Elaine Fairchilde (who ran the
Museum-Go-Round),
- Henriette Pussycat, the shy Daniel S. Stripped
Tiger (who lived in a clock),
- X the Owl,
- Donky Hodie,
- Cornflake
"Corny" S. Pecially (who owned a rocking chair factory),
- Henri de
Tigre (Grandpere),
- William Duckbill Bagpipe Platypus the IV,
- Dr.
Tadpole Frog,
- Harriet Elizabeth Cow
- Hischer Booptrunkventriloquist, a dummy (Fred Rogers' childhood toy).
Mr. Rogers' philosophy
towards his children viewers was comforting. He constantly reminded
them "There is only one person in the whole world exactly like you,
and people can like you just the way you are."
When not visiting the Neighborhood of Make Believe (via the magic
trolley) children watched Mr. Rogers talk with artists, astronauts,
musicians and sports figures; play with materials and make paper
airplanes or finger-paint; visit the corner Bakery to see how bread
was made; drop into a crayon factory to see how they were
manufactured; or take a trip to the local library and listen to a
storytelling hour.
At the end of each program, Mr. Rogers said goodbye by singing
"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."
See also
-
CHILDREN'S SHOW HOSTS - "Mr. Rogers"
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