Strollerderby : mr rogers

Mr. Rogers Talking Keychain

Brett Singer — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Fred Rogers may be gone from PBS' airwaves but that doesn't mean you can't hear his soothing voice anytime you want to.

For only $10, 80stees.com will sell you a Mr. Rogers Talking Keychain. Press a button and hear Fred ask you to (please) be his neighbor, tell you that it is, in fact, a beautiful day in the neighborhood (and a neighborly day for a beauty), and also that he likes you just the way you are. There are a total of six sounds and you can hear them all on the site. If you want to really have some fun, you can press all six buttons at once and pretend you're having an acid flashback.

They also have a selection of Rogers-themed t-shirts, but they don't talk. (Unless you really are having an acid flashback.) I haven't actually seen one of these in person so I don't know about the quality but at least the price isn't too steep.

Image/source: 80stees.com

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Mister Frickin' Rogers

Brett Singer — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:00:00 GMT

I've made no secret of the fact that I loved "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" when I was growing up. Even so, nothing is sacred, and funny is funny.

Case in point: this clip from Jimmy Kimmel's late night show. I guess he has a regular segment called "Unnecessary Censorship" where he bleeps words that don't need to be bleeped. So check this out, neighbor.

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It's a neighborly day here on the 'Derby

Brett Singer — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Mr. Rogers was a huge part of my childhood. To this day I can sing the theme song, and the basic lessons he taught about being kind to people and staying forever intrigued by the world around you are absolutely ingrained in my psyche. (Yes, I still get annoyed from time to time. We're none of us perfect, as Mr. Rogers taught us. So be tolerant, dammit!)

Mental Floss has a list titled "15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever." Some things I knew ("He got into TV because he hated TV", "He composed all the songs on the show"), some I didn't ("Michael Keaton got his start on the show" as a puppeteer). Some I had forgotten about, like the fact that he testified before Congress about the VCR, which was in danger of being banned by paranoid Hollywood lobbyists.

Then there's this tidbit: "Mr. Rogers weighed in at exactly 143 pounds every day for the last 30 years of his life." He liked weighing that number, because "the number 143 means ‘I love you.’ It takes one letter to say ‘I’ and four letters to say ‘love’ and three letters to say ‘you.’ One hundred and forty-three." If anyone else on the planet said that you would have them committed, and you certainly wouldn't want them hanging around your children. But since Mr. Rogers said it, it's fine. He really meant all of that stuff, and it was great.

Some of his advice, which was always delivered in a kind, caring way, applies to everyone. "You can't make it work by sitting and thinking about it. You have to do it." I mean, what's wrong with that? I'm including three videos below, all of which really brought me back to my childhood, in a good way.

Does the show still hold up today? To me it does, but the lack of new episodes (for the obvious reason that Fred isn't around to make them anymore) definitely hurts in terms of kids catching on to the show. Sesame Street still works, but neither of my kids ever got into Mr. Rogers, although I tried both times. I'll throw this out to the group – do your kids watch ol' Fred change his shoes, zip up his sweater and sing about what a neighborly day for a beauty it is?

image: Wikipedia

Mr. Rogers Videos

Mr. Rogers Goodbye: I'd never seen this. It's sad but in a nice way.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, "You Did It" Song

Mr. Rogers sings "It's You I Like"

Pull This Thread As I Walk Away

Adrienne Martini — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:30:00 GMT

My age is going to show here and destroy any indie cred I might have gathered. C'est la vie.

I grew up with Mr Rogers. Not only was I at just the right age when Mr Rogers' Neighborhood was at the height of its fame, before the rise of all of the cable kids' shows, but I also grew up in Pittsburgh, home of the great Fred R. Just like salad with fries, Iron City beer and chipped ham, Mr Rogers is an institution.

My kids don't know Mr Rogers, which is a pity. But there are plenty of shows -- I'm lookin' at you Johnny and the Sprites -- that trade on what Mr R developed.

Which is why I'll be wearing a sweater today in honor of the man and his contributions to life as we know it. Without Mr Rogers, we wouldn't have VCRs or know that people like us just the way we are.

Photo credit: AP

Delicious Droolicious: Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood Nostalgia

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:46:00 GMT

Posted by Mir

It doesn't matter if your little darling has never seen Mr. Rogers change his shoes or feed the fish; this wooden replica of his famed trolley is made in the USA and comes with a lifetime guarantee. They'll enjoy playing with it, and you'll enjoy the memories. $64.99 at Amazon.

Other pretties at Droolicious:

Stackable arches for nonlinear thinkers
Bookmaking kits
Little cookies for your little cookie