Mr. Rogers says goodbye to the neighborhood

by Kendra Clark staff writer

The trolley has made its last trip, the last song has been sung and the last sweater has been worn.

"Mr. Rogers," the children's television show that has entertained children for the past three decades, filmed its last episode in December and is scheduled to air on Public Broadcasting Service in August.

Fred Rogers, the man who played Mr. Rogers, decided that after 32 years with PBS he would retire his famous children's television program.

Rogers began his show in 1963, but episodes were only 15-minutes long. Three years later, Rogers moved from Toronto to Pittsburgh where the show added another 15minutes. Eastern Educational Network distributed the show, but in 1968, the show was available for national distribution by PBS, where it remains today.

The show, which is the longest running program on PBS, also has won numerous awards for children's programing. Some of the honors include: two George Foster Peabody awards, Emmys; "Lifetime Achievement" Awards from National Academy of Television of Arts and Sciences and the TV Critics Association, and many from special interest groups in education, communications and early childhood.

Many of the awards that were mentioned above bestow from the philosophy and purpose of the show.

"To encourage the healthy emotional growth of children and their families," which is stated at www.fci.org, a site that is ran by the producers of "Mister Rogers."

"Rogers repeat is still relevant to children because they still need to feel good about themselves, develop self-control or appreciate others," said Hedda Sharapan, spokeswoman for the "Mr. Rogers" show, to the Los Angeles Times. She also said, "Even though society has changed somewhat and children's needs in the outside world have changed, their insides haven't changed."

Rogers, whose personal achievements, besides the program, include a spot in the Television Hall of Fame and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, plans to work in other areas of business during his retirement from the show.

As told at www.mrshowbiz.go.com, Rogers plans to dedicate his time to his educational web sites, publications and museum projects.

Rogers, whose show is carried on more than 300 PBS stations nationwide will still let children into his magical world and neighborhood through reruns and believes that his show is still beneficial to children today. "We would rather say to children, if you want a trolley, use a tissue box to make your own kind of play," Sharapan said. "You say to a child, you can make anything out of something-it's the richness of your imagination."

Quick Facts

Mr. Rogers has been on PBS for 32 years.

It's the longest running program on PBS.

It is carried on more than 300 stations.