What we learned from Mister Rogers and his television neighborhood

"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood makes us, young and old alike, feel safe, cared for, and valued, while he teaches us about what's good .... Nothing fancy, no hyperkinetic cartoons, no pressure on us to achieve amazing feats ... wherever Mister Rogers is, so is sanctuary."
-- TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time
 

"Fred Rogers is a teacher ... what Fred Rogers does on television is unlike anything else on television. There is nothing else ... no one else like him. And what is he teaching? How to count to ten? No! How to name all the capitals in the United States? No! Here's what he's teaching: 'You are like nobody else. There is only one person in the world like you, and ... people can like you exactly the way you are.'"
-- David McCullough, historian and author
 

"Fred Rogers has comforted our nation's children with his gentle spirit, easy humor and candid discussion of family issues. He has provided guidance and reassurance for children coping with everything from new siblings to disease or divorce. And he remains an unflagging source of support for all of America's children, helping them develop the confidence and skills they need to navigate through a very complicated world."
-- Hillary Clinton, Children's Memorial Hospital of Chicago, Children's Trust Award
 

"Fred Rogers remains the best friend America's families ever had."
-- Susan Stamberg, National Public Radio
 

"Mister Rogers has pioneered a style and a content beguiling enough to capture -- and to hold -- the attention and affection of preschoolers since the 1950s. He has done this by daring to be modest and soft-spoken, creating a tranquil haven full of fun and surprises, in which children can be children, learning and loving -- and loved."
-- Amazing Americans
 

"I first became aware of Mister Rogers when one of my 4-year-old patients quoted him during his entire examination ... By demonstrating what might happen ... and by giving suggestions about how to face up to the anxiety and pain it might bring, he had helped this boy through an ordeal and given him the chance to be proud of himself."
-- T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.
 

"His unique approaches to learning and development have been revolutionary in the TV industry ... and continue to provide timeless enjoyment to all his neighbors."
-- National Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1997 Lifetime Emmy Award
 

"Mister Rogers is America's nurturing, surrogate dad."
-- The New York Times
 

"There is no one else doing what Fred Rogers does. He treats children as human beings."
-- George Gerbner, Dean Emeritus, Annenberg School of Communication
 

"By showing children something of what life is, you help prepare them to live as fulfilled and fulfilling adults. And through the music you write, and the examples of your characters, you celebrate each child's potential for fulfillment."
-- Boston University, Honorary Degree
 

"Mister Rogers ... addresses the concerns of children not as adults see them, but as children feel them."
-- Senator John Heinz, Congressional Record
 

"The thing about Mister Rogers is, he likes you just the way you are."
-- 7 year old
 

"At a time when television is searching for new and better programming for children, Fred Rogers' work defines excellence in television for children."
-- National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) Chairman's Award
 

"It's the first thing kids reach for to help them grow."
-- TV Guide's Top 10 For Tots
 

"... A national treasure ... (who has) endowed the impersonal electronics medium of television with the warmth of his humanity ... and continues to remind us of the power of the everyday and the familiar in the lives of children."
-- Children's Book Council
 

"The only human being on TV to whom you would entrust the future of the world."
-- Gloria Steinem, author
 

"Child educators have taken to applauding the work of Fred Rogers loudly. They, and parents, have seen the barriers come down between the man and the child."
-- Woman's Day
 

"Mister Rogers is an oasis of quiet amid the clamor of children's television, a program concerned with a child's emotional development."
-- Redbook
 

"Serene, uncompromising respect for the integrated growth and unhurried development of the growing child."
-- Saturday Review
 

"His show is simple, linear and intentionally repetitive because he's trying to work his way through a particular psychological dilemma .... Who else seriously addresses a child's fear that bad feelings cause bad events? Or puts guilt and rebellion out in the open as a topic of discussion along with the usual kid show staples of good behavior and fun? Who else deals so carefully and seriously with a child's interest in, and confusion about, the line between fantasy and reality?"
-- Tom Smucker, Village Voice
 

"Your show helps me learn life."
-- 8 year old
 

"Fred Rogers has made a profound and historic contribution to the quality of children's programming."
-- Alvin Poussaint, M.D., Harvard Medical School
 

"Fred Rogers reminds us that gentleness equals strength; peaceful reflection is more powerful than a scream for attention; and sincere caring about another human being is the most important gift to bestow."
-- Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun Times
 

"It makes me feel like hearts are coming out of my head."
-- 4 year old
 

"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is a place where friends help children find within themselves the courage to grow."
-- Family Communications, Inc.
 

"His philosophy comes through his actions and his words. This isn't ... what someone hired him to do ... At the center of it all is this trust that young viewers place in him ... the sense that he is not just fooling."
-- Tom Shales, Washington Post
 

"Mister Rogers speaks softly on television. In this he is unique. The show is a sanctuary, a grassy knoll where soft breezes of soothing discourse touch your flushed cheeks, where your child will sit, silent and bug-eyed, watching men in white coats make tofu. Instead of rosy nursery rhymes, jazz plays in the background, and the whole show has the low-key intensity of the music. But most important, Mister Rogers respects children. I think that is his secret. He treats their problems with solemnity and care, and articulates for them and all of us great galumphs who can't remember the fear and trembling, the passion of childhood."
-- Cathleen Schine, Vogue
 

"If we can make every neighborhood like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, America would be a happier place."
-- President Bill Clinton