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!
Fred Rogers wrote this article for Pittsburgh Magazine. He wrote these statements to accompany theme weeks of the Neighborhood. This piece went along with the week on "Play." Play can help children deal with difficult times in their lives.
Margy Whitmer was the producer of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. She worked closely with Fred on many of his projects. Here she helps Fred to apply his makeup as he prepares to shoot an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Itzhak Perlman lets Mister Rogers look carefully at his violin. Mister Rogers asks him to play "Yankee Doodle." Perlman tells how difficult it is to even produce a sound on the violin when you first start playing.
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.
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.
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.
Andre Watts plays the first piece of music he learned on the piano. Watts describes how playing the piano when he is sad helps him to feel better, physically and mentally. Mister Rogers wonders if Watts ever made mistakes while he was learning.
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.
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.
