Today is the first day of spring. It’s still cold here. Stupid spring.
It’s also the birthday of television legend Fred McFeely Rogers.
Mr. Rogers was a wonderful and fascinating human being. And as Mental Floss shows, there are plenty of things that you probably didn’t know about him. Did you know his middle name was McFeely? I sure didn’t.
Today is the birthday of famed children’s television host Fred Rogers, also known as Mr. Rogers. I just learned that his middle name was actually McFeely (according to Wikipedia and Google’s knowledge graph).
Now, here’s possibly the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. Warning: you will be disturbed.
Oh, what you find on YouTube.
If you’re of a certain age, Mr. Rogers played a big part in your life. The characters he helped create and voice still live on in our memories and nostalgia, and PBS knows just how important he was to generations of youngsters; that’s why they created this darling little infographic featuring Fred and some little-known facts about the show.
For instance, did you know Batman used to work the trolley? Well, now you do.
(image)
Today, March 20, is Mister Rogers’ birthday; he passed away on February 27, 2003; if he was still alive he would be 84.
To celebrate him, PBS will be airing a new documentary called “Mister Rogers & Me,” which is about MTV producer Benjamin Wagner’s experience living in a summer home in Nantucket next to the famous entertainer. The documentary will also be available on iTunes and DVD.
Mister Rogers was a performer, educator, and motivational speaker. His absurd cardigan-and-Keds style made children feel that they could trust him. He taught many kids how to tie their shoes, find self-worth, and make friends.
Maura Judkis’s father was the photographer for Rogers’s series of children’s books and would occasionally bring her to work with him. She was on several shows and wrote an article for The Washington Post.
In her article she says that, “Mister Rogers cared deeply for children, and each time I met him, I always remember him crouching down to talk to me at my level, so he could look me in the eyes. When my then 2-year-old brother had cancer, Mister Rogers, who was deeply religious, told my father that he prayed for him every day.”
Rogers is clearly the Jesus Christ of PBS: “Rogers … rented out an amusement park near his hometown of Latrobe, Pa., for the children of his employees every summer. One year, a ride based on his show was opened in the park, and Mister Rogers chose my brother, whose hair was still growing back from the chemo, to share a seat with him for what my father said was his first-ever ride on the attraction that bore his name.”
Wagner made the documentary to indoctrinate adults with the examples Mister Rogers set for them.
Here is another clip from Mister Rogers & Me:
“@FLHealthyKids: “Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.” ~Mister Rogers #HappyBirthday #84yearsold”
yo S/O to @Beet_Boxx for last night tho mister rogers tried to cock block me in i still got her number poppin
Once I sent flowers to Mister Rogers (to congratulate him on some award he’d received). Days later I received a… http://t.co/uF2Z8mnQ
Yesterday would’ve been Mister Rogers’ 84th birthday. This is but a small nod to the man who taught us feelings… http://t.co/zAhDh14H
A quintessential etiquette trainer, Mister Rogers would be 84 if he were still alive today. To celebrate him, PBS… http://t.co/gj9O7mKh
Happy Birthday Mr. Rogers. It was always a beautiful day in your neighborhood! http://t.co/GMcKTJes