Image Credit: PBS
It’s a beautiful day … in Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood?
A decade after children’s classic Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ceased production, PBS has just announced an animated spin-off to the series hosted by a familiar personality from the original show. Titled Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the series will have original Mister Rogers characters grown up and with children of their own living in the Neighborhood of Make Believe. Four-year-old Tiger (son of the original Tiger) will be the star. The “next generation” concept intends to use the musical education strategies pioneered by Fred Rogers’ landmark original program, which was in production from 1968 to 2001 and continued airing on PBS until about three years ago.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood will launch in fall of 2012 as part of the PBS Kids pre-school lineup and represents the first show launched by the Fred Rogers Company since the original program.
“Fred Rogers revolutionized children’s media with Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood continues on this path of innovation, helping the next generation of young children learn and grow in new ways,” said Lesli Rotenberg, senior vp, PBS. “Joining the PBS Kids family of series that cover important curricular areas like literacy and science, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood fills a critical gap in children’s media today: modeling the behaviors and habits that kids need in order to excel in formal learning settings – essentially, learning how to learn. It’s important for kids to learn pro-social skills like cooperation and listening, so that when they start school they are able to focus on the material at hand.”
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no. just stop.
Why? This is great news and it’s for kids.
This is horrible. I thought they were going to bring on a younger guy to inherit the role but some animated character is just a bad idea.
This does not sound like a good idea. A better idea would have been a live action successor to Mr. Rogers. Not everything has to be a cartoon
What a terrible idea this was.
If this turns out to be a slow paced show with emphasis on character and self-esteem building and learning about the basics of daily life, then it’s a good idea. If it turns out to be another seizure-inducing cartoon with less attention span than the chipmunk living in your back yard, then it’s a horrible idea.
Lydia – I seriously doubt that you are beautiful or a doctor. If you were you wouldn’t need a lame web site to meet someone. S-P-@-M
I’d watch a Mr. Rogers spinoff–starring Eddie Murphy.
This is blasphemous.
They should at least use puppets like they were! That’s much more interactive, in fact, that was the whole fun of the show. Do we need another cartoon?
It’s *Daniel Tiger* that is animated. He was already a puppet. I think it’s ok.
Did you hear about this? PBS announced that it is producing a spin-off to Mr. Rodgers starring an animated tiger. Yeah. Uh huh. When reached for comment, the tiger said, “It’s grrrrrrrrreat!” (Polite applause is heard.)
Did you hear about this? PBS announce that it is producing a spin-off to Mr Rogers starring an animated tiger. Yeah. Uh huh… Yeah, apparently Charlie Sheen was not the only one with tiger blood in his veins!
uhhhhhhh, ya got any gum? ha HA!
LOL, you are my hero for this comment. Hilarious!
NO ONE, live or animated, will replace Fred Rodgers. I grew up watching The Man!! God himself stood at the pearly gates and sang
.
So let’s make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we’re together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won’t you be my neighbor?
.
When he came calling!
Fred Rogers production company is producing this show; why can’t they have their spin-off in his legacy and who says he is being replaced?
I’m glad this will be animated. The old hand puppets were creepy.
The whole show was creepy.
Grumpster has no soul.
No, it was not awful! If you think that, then you don’t know much about children. My kids loved it, I loved it. It was upbeat, hopeful, kind–really kind. That seems to bother some people–they just cannot really deal with the genuine article–with real kindness and graciousness-perhaps it embarrasses them?
Grumpster, why was it creepy? Did something about the puppets or Mr. Rogers get you aroused or something?
Meow yes, meow but my daughter meow loved meow it.
Yeah it was. This idea sucks! They should have Donnie Wahlberg as Mr.Rogers!
There was a charm about the simplicity of the show back then. Animation will totally ruin it.
Daniel Tiger? No MR? wth
I grew up watching Mr. Rogers, and while I tolerated the Mr. Rogers, I loved the Neighborhood of Make Believe. When that train pulled up, I got so excited, the neighborhood and the puppets were like another world to me, and I dreamed of going to that world. Turning it into cartoons just seems so boring to me, every show now has cartoons involved. I think the puppets would help to separate it from the rest of all the kids shows out there.
THEY WERE NOT!!!!! CREEPY THEY WERE CUTE I”M A PUPPETEER MYSELF
The old lady puppet was creepy. So were the King and Queen. Ick.
You can never replace Fred Rogers, but if they plan to use the same concept he instilled in his programming, I hope that they can recreate some of the magic he had with my generation and the generations before me who had the honor of watching him.
Yes, thank you–you are so right. Not sure, though, that in these days of such hatefulness and cynicism, that this show could get off the ground–which is too bad, of course, as the children would so profit from it.
This looks terrible. Why can’t they just air the original Mister Roger’s Neighborhood instead?
No kidding. The lessons are timeless.
I think this will be great. I don’t think my kids would watch the old ones because shows just aren’t like that now. Even Thomas is completed animated now. This will be a great way to introduce them to that world though.
“completed animated”? Do you mean “completely animated”?
“Thomas the Train” used to be a part of “Shiny Time Station.” That show had real actors and then they’d show a “Thomas the Train” story during every episode. It was also not drawn animation (cartoon), but clay animation.
JPX, typically, the error you pointed out would be overlooked and forgiven unless you were already engaged in a debate or argument with this person. Since this discussion is regarding a children’s show, and no such debate has begun, I deem your correction out of line and bordering on trolling. You have been put on notice.
What a total void television has become. Mr. Rogers was overall pretty harmless, excepting that it zapped any ability to relate with the real world. Just as I had hoped cardigans may become cool again, along comes this show.
i worked for Mr. Rogers and he was a lot of fun. I saw some pictures of him at a party once, and he wasn’t drinking but had a lampshade tilted on his head like a hat. he was a real fun guy. i just hope this show does him some justice.
Why can’t they just come up with a new idea instead having to piggy back on the name/ characters/ reputation that Fred Rogers built a generation ago. Horrible idea. Disappointed in the lack of creativity. Hey PBS execs – earn your paycheck and come up with something new.
Just air the original and everything will be fine. Nothing beats his interviews with real people (as opposed to the show’s characters) and the McFeely’s short films on how things are made.
Not to mention that trying to replicate those segments won’t come across too well as animation, or a transition to live action.
I have to say I do not think that today’s generation of young children will be able to relate to such an out-dated show in it’s old format. As long as they continue to preach the joys of learning, sharing and friendship it shouldn’t really matter whether it’s an old man or an animated tiger, but it’s important that the content stays updated so kids can better understand it.
Loved getting to see how crayons are made!!
That was hands down my favorite “how things are made”
Agreed! No child needs another Dora-like show.
This idea is bad
I wonder if Lady Elaine Fairchilde will be any less creepy in the animated version, or if she at least finally got her severe rosacea taken care of?
Rosacea? Ah, that explains it. I thought she’d just been hitting the gin too hard.
Plus, we always assumed that she was a lesbian.
She used to scare me to death as a child!! She’s definitely an evil alcoholic! Don’t mess with her!
FACT ERROR: Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood is still shown on some PBS stations.
Are the networks now starting to run out of constructive ideas?!
Is the Peanut Gallery now starting to run out of constuctive comments?
This strikes me as wrong on many, many levels. But I’m not the target demographic.