Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood premieres Monday, September 3rd at 10a.m.
WTVP-HD
- New Animated Series Produced by The Fred Rogers Company -
A new generation of preschool “neighbors” will get to experience the Neighborhood of Make-Believe
when Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood premieres this fall on
PBS KIDS. The first TV series inspired by the iconic, award-winning Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Daniel
Tiger’s Neighborhood from The Fred Rogers Company stars 4-year-old Daniel Tiger, son of the original
program’s Daniel Striped Tiger, who invites young viewers into his world, giving them a kid’s-eye view of his
life. As they closely follow and share Daniel’s everyday adventures, preschoolers ages 2-4 and their families
learn fun and practical strategies and skills necessary for growing and learning. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
premieres Monday, September 3rd from 10-11 a.m., on PBS KIDS with a special one-hour block of two back-to-back
episodes. The series will air weekdays from 10-10:30 a.m. on WTVP-Public Media for Central Illinois
following its Labor Day premiere.
“No one knew better than Fred Rogers how to connect with children,” said Bill Isler, president of
The Fred Rogers Company. “And, like Fred, Daniel Tiger will visit preschoolers every day. Daniel Tiger’s
Neighborhood is an exciting new series with all the right elements to appeal to today’s children and families.
It’s well-poised to become a much-loved classic for years to come.”
Recent research proves what Fred Rogers knew all along: social and emotional competencies are the
building blocks of doing well in school and in life. To help boost these invaluable skills among preschoolers,
each episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood consists of two engaging stories that center on a common
early learning theme such as dealing with disappointment. One of the key ingredients that sets the new series apart
is its groundbreaking use of catchy, musical strategies that reinforce each theme and that preschoolers and parents
will both sing – and use! – together in their daily lives. Every story includes an “imagination moment” in which
Daniel plays out a preschool fantasy set to music. Then, the day’s strategy is reprised in a full song at the end.
Daniel Tiger talks directly to viewers, warmly drawing them in and making them feel like one of his
neighbors. The series’ stories are based on extensive input from a wide range of early learning specialists, formative
research with children and the benefit of more than 40 years of the work of Fred Rogers. It all adds up to a powerful
tool for parents: an entertaining and thoughtful guide for today’s families that integrates music, interactivity
and a research-based curriculum.
“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood builds on the work of one of PBS’ most respected pioneers, Fred
Rogers,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President, Children’s Media, PBS. “Just as Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood revolutionized the use of television for early learning, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
breaks new ground, as a multiplatform media property with a unique approach to harnessing the power of media to meet
the needs of today’s children. This new series will leverage media across platforms to help a new generation of kids
build critical life skills like self-control, patience, persistence and resilience.”
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood brings together some of today’s top creators of quality children’s
media. Angela C. Santomero, of leading production partner Out of the Blue Enterprises and the imaginative force behind
Super WHY and Blue’s Clues, has provided the outstanding creative vision for the new series. Santomero
and Kevin Morrison of The Fred Rogers Company are executive producers of the show, which is animated by award-winning
9 Story Entertainment. Game designer Schell Games will help extend the new show and its positive messages far beyond
the TV screen with exciting online games.
Daniel starts his day by donning his red sweater, tying his sneakers and inviting his preschool
pals at home into the bright and lively Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood features the next
generation of the original characters from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Daniel’s best friend is O the Owl,
who lives with his Uncle X in the tree next door to Katerina Kittycat, daughter of Henrietta Pussycat. Daniel also
loves to visit Prince Wednesday, the youngest member of the royal family headed by King Friday, in his castle; and
Miss Elaina, who lives with her parents, Lady Elaine Fairchilde and Music Man Stan, in the Museum-Go-Round. The
familiar red trolley “ding dings” its way all around the Neighborhood.
The series will be accompanied by interactive content for young viewers, their parents and teachers.
A robust Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood website will launch on Monday, August 6, featuring online games
that will offer preschoolers a chance to ride through the Neighborhood on Trolley, pick up Daniel and his friends
to give them a ride, and further explore Daniel’s world and his daily routines. Through game play, preschoolers will
build on the skills covered in the series by actively engaging in pretend play activities with Daniel, exploring
routines such as bedtime and bath time, expressing feelings and creativity through music and art and modeling positive
relationships and appreciation for others. Online resources for parents, caregivers and teachers also will be
available to complement each episode.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood joins
PBS KIDS’ lineup of media properties for kids ages 2 to 8, which includes The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot
About That!, Curious George, Sesame Street and Wild Kratts, among other top-rated
series. PBS KIDS programs consistently rank #1 with moms and in the top five with preschoolers*, and
PBSKIDS.org is the #1 kids’ site for videos viewed (comScore VideoMetrix,
June 2012). With a variety of educational media content across platforms, PBS KIDS is increasingly serving
children wherever they live, learn and play.
Over the course of more than 40 years, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, PBS’ longest-running
children’s series, earned four Daytime Emmys. As a testament to his legacy, Fred Rogers received a Lifetime
Achievement Award in 1997 and was recognized in 2002 with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest
civilian honor, for his contributions to children’s development and education using broadcast television.
*Source: Nielsen NPower, Live+7 Days national GAA ratings for PBS and select competitive cable
networks. Ratings are ranked monthly in the “PBS Top Rated Kids Programs and Monthly Highlights Report”
October 2010–March 2012
About The Fred Rogers Company
The company was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the non-profit producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
for PBS. In the years that followed, it not only created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program, but
also extended Fred’s values and approach to other efforts in promoting children’s social, emotional, and behavioral
health and supporting parents, caregivers, teachers and other professionals in their work with children. The Fred
Rogers Company continues to build on Fred’s legacy in innovative ways through a wide variety of media, and
engaging new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom. For more information, visit us at
www.fredrogers.org.
