The Fred Rogers Archive preserves over 22,000 items from Fred Rogers' personal and professional life. The Archive is essential to the work of the Fred Rogers Institute, and is a source for research into children’s television, early childhood development, and Fred Rogers’ unique role in bridging both fields. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers may request access provisions to study Fred’s life and legacy. Please complete the form below to reach out to our Archivist. Below, you can explore a sampling of the Archive - you're sure to find a treasure!
The series of "Thoughts for the Week" offers us insight into Fred Rogers' goals with each week of programs he produced. During this week, Mister Rogers talks about moving quickly versus moving slowly. He points out that people with the same name are still different people.
Fred Rogers wrote these tips for parents on how children can learn about being helpers. The emphases on cooking and working towards a goal relate to a particular week of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episodes. Mister Rogers bakes waffles with a few Neighborhood friends.
Margy Whitmer was the producer of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and worked closely with Fred starting in the early 1980s. In this oral history clip she tells about the public service announcements Fred filmed during difficult times.
In 1995, Fred Rogers devoted a week of programs to angry feelings. When Fred was angry, he would go to the piano and play out his feelings. During this "Mad Feelings" week of programs, viewers meet special guests and hear how they handle their emotions.
By 1974, Fred Rogers had been working in children's television for twenty years. He started as a puppeteer on Children's Corner with Josie Carey and then made his way in front of the camera in the Canadian version of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Mister Rogers first sang this song in 1972 in an episode when he talked about history in general—and then his own history. This song might be particularly helpful for children who are dealing with a new baby in the family, or for children who are feeling like they are not big enough or old enough to do certain things.
Each "Around the Neighborhood" newsletter focuses on a Neighborhood theme week. The front page of the newsletter is an explanation of the child psychology theories behind each theme week.
In this speech Fred Rogers mentions Helen Ross, one of his mentors. She consulted with Fred on his projects beyond the production of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Helen was an educator who had studied psychoanalysis with Anna Freud.
Chef Brockett introduces Mister Rogers to two people who perform pantomime. The coach, Tim Scanlon, is deaf. Mister Rogers asks him to recite and mime a poem that most children would know. Mister Rogers wonders how his two new neighbors teach people pantomime, and they demonstrate by making an invisible banana split.
David Newell, best known as Mr. McFeely, the beloved “Speedy Delivery” man on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, takes viewers behind the scenes of the Fred Rogers Archive. From the Giant Crayon and the Knock Box to Fred’s very first episode script, David offers a unique glimpse into the history of the show, sharing memories and stories that bring these special pieces of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to life.
If you have an item you believe belongs in the Fred Rogers Archive, please let us know! The items in the Archive must be directly related to Fred Rogers and his production company. We do not accept self-created items such as creative, journalistic, or research writings, or artwork. We do not purchase items to include in the Archive or sell memorabilia from the Archive.