Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

What’s the Story?

MR. ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD has a couple of dimensions to it. First, there's Mr. Rogers (Fred Rogers) himself, who enters the room singing and being genuinely cheerful. He sets a predictable pattern by getting comfortable in his environment, feeding his fish (not too much), and talking a bit to his viewers. Then viewers visit the world of make-believe, wherein puppets and humans model grace and courtesy by talking, singing, and working out problems. Not everything is perfect in this world, but it's always safe and gentle.

Is It Any Good?

Even though he comes off as a big softie, with his hypnotic speech patterns and the devilish-but-benign look in his eyes, Mr. Rogers is revered as a true cultural icon. Not many people can boast that they received the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the highest honor a civilian in the United States can receive. Fred Rogers was given that title in 2002, the year before he passed away. His legacy lives on among three generations of our country's youngest viewers.

This program is purposefully slow-paced, precisely because young children need time to digest the information they receive. The topics are big enough to hold interest, while the details of the set, the field trips, and general discourse have been well considered. Mr. Rogers is not afraid to tackle big issues like "What is love?" He discusses divorce, shyness, fear, grandparents, "being so angry you could bite," and being unique. Most of all, Mr. Rogers never loses touch with the notion that "We have to remember to whom the airwaves belong, and we must put as great an emphasis on the nurturing of the human personality as we can."