Thoughts 1486-1490
In the week of programs about "Play," Mister Rogers plays with wooden blocks and a toy tractor. He and other musicians try out different instruments throughout the week, and Mister Rogers even walks on stilts.
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In the week of programs about "Play," Mister Rogers plays with wooden blocks and a toy tractor. He and other musicians try out different instruments throughout the week, and Mister Rogers even walks on stilts.
Fred Rogers first sketched out the idea for this story in 1950. Josephine is a giraffe with a short neck who is desperate for her neck to grow so she will look like her parents and other giraffes. In 1989, Fred produced the story as an opera for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Art Vogel was a cameraman at WQED who spent many years filming Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Vogel witnessed some of those times when Fred would go to the piano to express his anger.
Fred Rogers appreciated the great role he had of being a television host that was with families five days a week. He took his work seriously and always insisted on the best for children. In 1975, Fred participated in a symposium sponsored by Johnson & Johnson.
Johnny Costa provided the piano music for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He was the music director until his death in 1996. He and Fred were great friends and bonded over their music practice.
Mister Rogers and a translator meet Tatiana Vedeneeva, the host of Good Night Little Ones. She shows them the television studio where she films her children's program. Mister Rogers plays the piano and meets the crew. Daniel Tiger even overcomes a bit of shyness to meet one of the puppets.
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.
Mister Rogers would sometimes play with masks on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He said that sometimes, when you're uncomfortable or shy, you might feel like putting on a mask. In this photo, Fred is sitting in his office at WQED.
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