There’s a lot of talk about Mister Rogers these days. The release of the new feature film with Tom Hanks has prompted renewed discussion about Rogers’s kindness, his groundbreaking approach to children’s programming, about how all of us of a certain age associate him with a gentler, simpler time.
But intertwined with all of the current chatter is the implied message that the original “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” series, while loved and appreciated by adults, is part of a bygone era and would never (ever!) fly with today’s iPad-loving, Fortnite-obsessed youth.
I discovered just how wrong that assumption is.
I’m the parent of four young children, and I was stunned to learn Mister Rogers’s style and message is (shockingly) appreciated by the children of today.
I made the discovery 18 months ago, when I was assigned to produce a national television segment on Mister Rogers, in connection with the release of the then-new documentary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
As part of the segment, I was charged with putting together a taped spot, highlighting some of the best moments of the beloved television series.
To complete the task, I decided to lock myself in my bedroom one night and binge on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
“Do you want to watch in the living room instead of the bedroom?” my husband asked. “Maybe show the kids?”
I laughed at his suggestion.
“Are you kidding?" I cried. "Have you forgotten what happened when we tried to show the kids ‘Footloose...READ MORE
