Remembering Fred Rogers...

[Dr. Bombay]

It was good to read the messages about Mr. Rogers on this board. What a great man to garner such admiration and respect!!

I, like many of you, grew up watching Mr. Rogers along with SS. My mother wrote to him when I was a little older but I still had young brothers and a sister and told him how much we loved him and his show and to thank him for all the great things he had taught us.

A couple weeks later my mom got a letter from him thanking her for her kind words and he sent all four of us kids an autographed picture. I had mine hanging up in my room for quite some time.

I haven't watched his show in some time but I will always remember it with fondness.

Someone had posted before about a comic strip where the main character watches Mr. Roger's show to make himself feel better. Well, I remember a long time ago in 'Mother Goose and Grimm' that Grimmy was watching tv and on all the channels it has someone saying how lazy he was, that he should get up and move and not be such a butterball. The last frame has him switching to Mr. Rogers' and it says "I like you just the way you are!"

 

[EmmyMik]

A couple of days ago Mike Peters did a great cartoon about Mr. Rogers...

http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/opinion/peters/peters1.html

 

[Chilly Down]

Thanks for posting that cartoon, Emmy. It was really something. (To everyone else, if you haven't seen it: You have to click "Next Cartoon" in order to see it now.)

ElecMayhem, about the final episode: you should know that they didn't do any special "closure" episode. They figured that would be too confusing for the pre-pre-schoolers watching. It was just a normal episode.

So anyway, on to my thoughts...

Walt Disney and C.S. Lewis died before I was born. Jim Henson died when I was a teenager, and Charles Schulz died just a couple of years ago. Now, yet another person who I greatly admire has passed on. It truly is a sad day indeed.

It's a testament to Mr. Rogers that, in this cynical, hardened, post-modern world, so many people still have a soft spot for this gentle, soft-spoken fellow, who never updated his show to make it more "hip" or "contemporary." He knew what worked; he knew what kids needed. And his accomplishments won't ever be forgotten. If only that can be said about each of us someday.

I have this vague memory of some PBS special about Mr. Rogers. In the commercial for it, Kermit was walking around the Land of Make-Believe (!!) in his reporter's gear. Crossovers between the two were rare, but like others, I always associated Mr. Rogers with Sesame Street and the rest. So it's really hard to see him go.

I already knew he was a Presbyterian minister, which is wonderful. He kept that up even after fame and success meant he didn't have to anymore. He really cared.

So long, Mister Rogers. Since I never met you here, I look forward to seeing you in your new Neighborhood someday.

 

[PopoverFroggy]

"You are the only one like you..."

The world lost a rare person the other day. One of my favorite songs of his went something like this:

You are the only one like you, like you my friend
You're special to me.

It was sung with sincerity... not the plastic, smiley face way of Barney or other more recent kids' fare. Fred's show focused on content and didn't have the commercial nature of most children's programming. There were few Mr. Rogers products -- only record albums and a few puppets here and there. I really appreciate now how he used jazz music, another children's show rarity, because children can absorb more complexity than they're usually given credit for. Like Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Rogers used his fame for good. Fred even addressed the celebrities attending his Lifetime Achievement award by saying it's important how they use their fame.

Mr. Rogers genuinely thought everyone was special. I wish more people did. I'll miss him.

 

[muppetfan620]

I too am very sad that Mr. Rogers passed away. i feel as if I've lost a member of my own family.

MIllicent

 

[Doogied]

For he was a person in my neighborhood,
In my neighborhood,
In my neighborhood,
For he was a person in my neighborhood,
He's the one you'd always greet,
In a happy child on the street,
And I'll miss him each and every day....

For any Canadians who are looking, we've now lost our two Misters...Dress-up and Rogers....I wonder if Casey and Finnegan are playing with Daniel Tiger in Heaven now?

 

[Doogied]

And by the way, did anyone else catch Lady Aberlin dressed as a nun in Doggma?

 

[Doogied]

I already knew he was a Presbyterian minister, which is wonderful. He kept that up even after fame and success meant he didn't have to anymore. He really cared.

Did you ever see the A&E biography of Mr. Rogers? He lived in virtual poverty all his life because he refused to commercialise his show. No videos, no toys or clothing line that could have made him rich. He viewed his fame and success in a way that it could help children and not himself. They will probably play it some time soon because of his passing. Did you know he did laps at five in the morning at the community pool every day.... stark naked! No joke! I think doing things like that must have kept him young... If anyone is a real fan, look for the Biography.. it's amazing.

 

[Chilly Down]

Sorry, Doog. I hadn't heard the part about him being so poor. Still, I respect him even more now for that.

And, while I'm sure he had a valid reason (like because it was healthier), I could have lived my entire life without knowing how he jogged in the morning!

 

[Doogied]

Hey Chilly! Sorry, I should have said SWAM LAPS!! Naked Jogging is BAD! Sorry for the image.....