This month marks the 43rd year that Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood will be part of the PBS schedule when specially selected episodes will once again be part of the Saturday morning PBSKids lineup.  Even more favorite neighborhood episodes will be available this season, when PBS adds an additional 26 episodes to last season's 26 selections. 

And all 52 full-length episodes will eventually be available online!

This year look for these episode highlights:

• Visits with Big Bird, world-class pianist Andre Watts, the Empire Brass, marine biologist Sylvia Earle
• How People Make Things factory tours of trumpets, candles, kazoos and graham crackers
• An additional Neighborhood opera -  “Star for Kitty”
• Field trips with Mister Rogers to a planetarium, a shoe store and a snorkeling adventure in the Florida Keys
• Several programs on the same theme: Friends, Mistakes, Music, Pets, Celebrations and the Environment
• Songs, make-believe stories and conversations about topics important to young children, like dealing with mistakes, handling disappointments, caring for the environment and making friends.

When Fred Rogers first created his landmark television series more than 50 years ago, he was responding to what he saw as a lack of understanding of the needs of children.

The landscape of children’s television has certainly changed over these years, but Fred often reminded us, "Although children’s “outsides” may have changed a lot, their inner needs have remained very much the same. Society seems to be pushing children to grow faster, but their developmental tasks have remained constant. No matter what lies ahead, children always need to know that they are loved and capable of loving. Anything that adults can do to help in this discovery will be our greatest gift to the future."