Fred Rogers, a universally loved and respected figure, was an ordained Presbyterian minister who used television to teach children about their world and themselves. His show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” was the longest running PBS program ever and focused on consistency, music, and teaching valuable lessons. Rogers’ greatest achievement was helping kids learn to like each other. His show still airs daily on PBS and he has become an internationally recognized figure, celebrated for his kindness and heartfelt teaching.
In the postmodern age of Bluetooth®, Blackberry® phones, second world computer games, email and instant communication, it seems absurd that a man in a zip-up cardigan and sneakers should be one of the most beloved celebrities of the United States. Yet Fred Rogers is a universally loved and respected figure. Everyone likes Mr. Rogers. He is everyone’s favorite neighbor.
Fred Rogers, born March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, was an ordained Presbyterian minister. However, he never preached much. His ministry gift was to help children see themselves as valuable, to face their fears and anxieties, to teach the joy of learning.
Fred Rogers got his start in television with NBC in the early 1950s but went to work in public television in 1954 after deciding that commercials undermined the education and nutritional value of the network’s children’s programming. His work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania laid the groundwork for his next series. A three year stint with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation resulted in a show called ‘MisteRogers’ and when it was able to acquire the rights to the show from him, Fred Rogers returned to WQED in Pittsburgh and was born ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ”. It began airing nationwide on February 19, 1968.
Fred Rogers wanted to reach children in a different way than most television shows. He wanted to teach them about their world and themselves. His efforts ran for 998 episodes, the longest running PBS program ever. His program was simple, gentle, consistent, and effective. The children waited every day to see him enter his house, put on his cardigan and sneakers and lead them into his world, their neighborhood.
One of Fred Rogers’ many talents was in music. He wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on his shows, including the familiar “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” that he sang at the beginning of each episode. Most adults who have watched his program can still sing along to this song, as well as many others.
Fred Rogers understood that consistency is vital for children. They like to see the same thing over and over again. So, his characters have done a lot of the same things. Mr. McFeely, courier for Speedy Delivery, always arrived with a package for Mister Rogers and Chef Brockett could be relied upon to provide a wholesome treat for the children to make in their own kitchens.
Each show had a theme or lesson that Fred Rogers wanted to teach and nowhere were these lessons more evident than in the fictional neighborhood. The Neighborhood Trolley, with its piano theme, took children to that land where King Friday XIII and his wife Queen Sarah Saturday ruled graciously over their subjects. These subjects were also such beloved characters as Henrietta Pussycat, X the Owl, Daniel Striped Tiger, Corny and Lady Elaine Fairchild. Rogers did much of the puppet and also provided most of the character voices. Whether the townspeople learned to share or deal with Lady Elaine and her boomerang (“Boomerang! Toomerang! Zoomerang!”), they always knew that they were friends as well as neighbors and that everyone was important in their neighborhood.
Fred Rogers ran his show until 2000 and in the meantime he has become a favorite and internationally recognized figure. When he died in 2003 of stomach cancer, he was mourned around the world. His show had won numerous awards for programming excellence, but Rogers would say his greatest achievement has been helping kids learn to like each other. After all, he liked us. He even said it in his song about him: “I like you, just because it’s you.” He never asked us to change who we were.
Fred Rogers has an exhibit at the Smithsonian, complete with one of his cardigans. His 80th birthday was celebrated by his production company by asking TV friends and neighbors to wear their favorite sweaters on “Wo n’t You Wear a Sweater Day” in memory of him.
“Mister Rogers” still airs daily on PBS, so children can now still benefit from his kind and heartfelt teaching. This author still watches Fred Rogers at every opportunity and finds much to learn from him.
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