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[feline groovy]

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• September 21, 2018

  Celebrating Mister Rogers

• “Through television we have a great chance to show and tell our children that they really matter, even when they’re very little…We have a chance to communicate the fact that childhood lies at the very basis of who people are and who they become.”  

  –Fred Rogers

  Go behind-the-scenes of today’s Doodle below!

  On this date, September 21, 1967, 51 years ago, Fred Rogers walked into the television studio at WQED in Pittsburgh to tape the very first episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which would premiere nationally on PBS in February 1968. He became known as Mister Rogers, nationally beloved, sweater wearing, “television neighbor,” whose groundbreaking children’s series inspired and educated generations of young viewers with warmth, sensitivity, and honesty.  

  Rogers grew up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a small town near Pittsburgh. Music was his first love, and he studied music composition at Rollins College. Just before graduating in 1951, he happened to watch some children’s television shows and described them as “a lot of nonsense, pies in faces.” He felt children deserved better and headed for New York, serving as an apprentice and floor manager for the music shows at NBC.

  Returning to Pittsburgh, Rogers eventually added the ministry and lifelong studies in child development to his talents, bringing them to WQED, where he produced Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He drew on all of his talents, including being a gifted communicator, to wear many hats, serving as creator, host, producer, script writer, composer, lyricist, and main puppeteer for almost 900 programs.  

  Rogers’ reputation as a champion of high standards—for children’s programming and for television in general—was highlighted by his now-famous testimony before Congress in 1969 advocating against proposed budget cuts to public television. The committee was so moved by his simple, genuine, and powerful plea that the budget was increased for the following year.

  Although production on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood ended in 2000, many PBS stations continue to broadcast the series for a new generation of children to discover. Today, young viewers also get to “visit with” Daniel Tiger (son of the beloved puppet from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the animated spin-off, which delves into many of the same important topics Rogers did.

  Today’s stop-motion, animated video Doodle celebrating Mister Rogers was created in collaboration with Fred Rogers Productions, The Fred Rogers Center, and BixPix Entertainment. Set to the iconic opening song of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor"), the Doodle aims to be a reminder of the nurturing, caring, and whimsy that made the show feel like a “television visit” between Mister Rogers and his young viewers. Everyone was welcome in this Neighborhood. Through his honest words, thoughtful songs, and imaginative Neighborhood of Make-Believe stories, Mister Rogers took us by the hand, helping us feel good about who we are. He encouraged us to find positive ways to deal with our feelings, to treat others with respect and kindness, and to appreciate the world around us.   

  -Hedda Sharapan, Child Development Consultant, Fred Rogers Productions

  ---

  Special thanks to Joanne Rogers, wife of Fred Rogers, for her support of this project. Below, Joanne shares her thoughts on the Doodle:

  “I’m so thrilled that Google is celebrating Fred and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with this charming tribute.This stroll through the Neighborhood is delightful, and Fred’s gentle kindness is beautifully captured in the Doodle.”

  Explore the life and legacy of Fred Rogers by visiting Google Arts & Culture.

  Early concepts & behind-the-scenes pics

  Early Storyboard & Character Concepts

  

  

  Behind-the scenes of the puppets production

       

        

  

  Behind-the scenes of the stop-motion animation

  

   

  

[phoenixbrd]

@feline groovy  Gotta love Mr. Rogers....It is always a beautiful day in the neighborhood!  Thanks for the share.

[feline groovy]

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? The story behind today’s Doodle for Mister Rogers

Olivia Huynh

Doodler

Published Sep 21, 2018

Today’s Doodle started with an idea from its subject, Fred Rogers: Each of us has it within ourselves to do or make something special. Centered on that premise, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood made a lasting impact on generations of young people. Like many of the Doodlers on our team, I grew up watching the show, and seeing Mister Rogers speaking to children about things like their unique potential is an experience we’ve carried throughout our careers.

When production first began on on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood 51 years ago today, children’s television aired “a lot of nonsense and pies in faces,” according to Mister Rogers. This meant Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a radical change from how children were used to interacting with TV.  Rogers’ life mission was to “understand the inner needs of children,” and indeed he succeeded. His show helped create a legacy of understanding, caring and respect for children.

When it came time to make the Doodle, we wanted to come up with a unique concept that did justice to the show's message that everyone matters. Our idea was to recreate the show’s intro in a way that combined “the innovation of technology with the magic of the homemade,” as Melissa Crowton, my fellow Doodler and co-director on the project, put it. In addition to creating, producing and hosting the show, Rogers was script writer, composer, lyricist, and main puppeteer. We drew inspiration from his DIY approach in crafting the story and design of the Doodle, incorporating everyday objects like popsicle sticks, yarn and crayon.

All of our effort was focused on making this celebration as representative of Rogers’ work as possible. Partnering with with Fred Rogers Productions, The Fred Rogers Center, and BixPix Entertainment, the Doodle project team visited Pittsburgh and Rogers’ hometown Latrobe, PA, to see the original set and memorabilia from the show. We rewatched numerous episodes and read interviews to understand how groundbreaking the show was at the time, and to capture its spirit to the best of our abilities. We created a storyboard that follows Mister Rogers as he visits familiar landmarks and make-believe friends, caring for those that he meets along the way. We put together designs for the many familiar faces, and handed them off to our collaborators at Bix Pix to craft the puppets, sets, and finally animate. The result, set to the iconic opening song of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor"), can be seen on the Google homepage today.

Behind the Doodle: Celebrating Mister Rogers

Mister Rogers was many things—a creator, a musician, a philosopher, a storyteller. But at his essence, and maybe most importantly, he was a friend. Throughout hundreds of episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Fred Rogers helped us feel good about who we are. We hope you walk away from today’s Doodle knowing how special you can be just by being yourself. 

[ValuSkr]

Thank you for this.  I didn't know Daniel Tiger in the animated spinoff was the son of Daniel Tiger the puppet.  Interesting how Mister Rogers has gotten so much attention in the last two years.  Civility ala Mister Rogers seems to have been lost.

[on the bay]

@ValuSkr-

I didn't know that about Daniel Tiger either til a few days ago.

My daughter and I were watching it, with my grandson and I said: "that sounds like Mr. Rogers!" and she told me that is the Daniel Tiger taken from Mr. Rogers-OH! No wonder lol!

It takes me a few times!

Everytime I watch Frozen, (one of our favorites), I think, I've never seen that part before! Maybe its cause we watch it in spurts, with all the other things going on.

I did see it in the movies when it first came out but I still think they must throw in an extra scene everytime I watch it!🤔

And I admit I get paranoid-I don't even like to click on their homepage video things anymore.

[nun ya]

I grew up and still live in the Pittsburgh area. I watched his show everyday. Everyone here loves Mr Rogers!!

[Tricolor]

I live in Pittsburgh and very close to where Mr. Rogers grew up. In fact, they are filming the new movie about Mr. Rogers with Tom Hanks in Pittsburgh. Tom has been seen around the area.  Last week he was at my Starbucks but I missed him. When I was very young we had a show called Children's Corner and Fred Rogers worked behind the scenes. He did the puppets but he was not seen on camera. When my son was old enough to watch childrens shows he loved Mr. Rogers. He would put on a sweater and his shoes and sing along with Mr. Rogers. In fact, we had two of his albums which I call Mr. Rogers greatest hits. I have very fond memories of this wonderful man and he is greatly loved in our city.

[feline groovy]

@151949...   (re: Pittsburgh)

[Oznell]

So cool to see this, @feline groovy!   Happy-making.

[Spurt]

I saw the animated Mr. Rogers and thought it was so cute.  Thank you for sharing it.

My sister, a friend, and I went to see the documentary-- its very good. Its available ON DEMAND!