Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Joins YouTube

Every American's favorite cardigan-wearing host is headed to YouTube.

Credit: Fred Rogers Productions

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was a wildly popular American half-hour educational television series that was watched by millions of children across four generations during its 1968 to 2001 run on PBS. It was created and hosted by Fred Rogers and was aimed primarily at preschool children ages 2 to 5, but it was labeled by PBS as "appropriate for all ages."

During each half-hour segment, Rogers spoke directly to the viewer about various topics, taking the viewer on tours of factories, demonstrating experiments, crafts, and music, and interacting with his friends. Rogers also made a point simply to behave naturally on camera rather than acting out a character, stating that "One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self. I also believe that kids can spot a phony a mile away"

The good news for fans who want to relive their childhood (or introduce their own children to Fred Rogers' wholesome charms), is that this summer Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood will have its first dedicated YouTube channel, where viewers can watch select episodes of the beloved show for free, as well as repurposed clips, shorts, and compilations. YouTube didn’t even exist when the final episode aired in 2001, but the show’s messages of empathy and neighborly love are as timely as ever. To carry that legacy forward, Fred Rogers Productions teamed up with Little Dot Studios to meet the new generation of tots right where they’re at - a gesture that Rogers himself would no doubt have loved.

“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood continues to inspire viewers young and old across four generations,” says Paul Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions. “We’re excited to partner with Little Dot Studios on this new YouTube channel that will make the wonder, kindness, and human connection of the series more discoverable and accessible than ever.”

In the meantime, you might like to take a look at an OGN Collection of Inspiring Mister Rogers Quotes