PBS Airing Brand New Episodes of DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD this Week

My kids have been pretty geeked this week because PBS is airing brand new episodes of one of their favorite tv shows, DANIEL TIGERS NEIGHBORHOOD.  My daughter actually quotes Daniel Tiger to us during "teachable moments" when we want her to do something like "eat a new food" or "try something new" so it has been a useful show to let our children watch.  In fact the other day when I was noticeably upset about something my daughter came up to me and said from the show "Daddy, when somethings seems bad turn it around and make something good." DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD supports behaviors that as parents we are trying to encourage such as eat vegetables, brush their teeth, play outside, and make friends with other kids.  Of course, what else would you expect from a show that is based off of Mister Rogers. The show is actually produced by The Fred Rogers Company to follow-up on the themes and purpose of the original Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Unfortunately, Fred Rogers who hosted the children's educational program Mister Rogers Neighborhood from 1968 to 2001 passed away in 2003; but his mission to educate kids through children's television programming continues with DANIEL TIGERS NEIGHBORHOOD airing on PBS.  The animated show revolves around 4 year old Daniel Tiger, who is someone my 4 year old twins can really relate to themselves.    Daniel Tiger carries over the legacy from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as he is the son of a character from that original show, the puppet Daniel Striped Tiger.  The new show also features cartoon characters that are meant to be the children of the puppets from the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" in the original Mister Rogers tv show.  The children of Katerina Kittycat, O the Owl, and Prince Wednesday are featured in DANIEL TIGER. The Trolley also plays a big part in the new cartoon. I have to admit I always found the original puppets from Mister Rogers somewhat creepy, but these new animated versions are fun and entertaining compared to their predecessors.  Another fun tidbit is the show brings back a popular original character from Mr. Rogers in an animated Mr. McFeely the postman ... did you know "McFeely" was Fred Rogers middle name? In one of the episodes of DANIEL TIGER, Mr. McFeely saves the day!

Haven't seen an episode of DANIEL TIGER yet?  Check out this clip featuring Mrs. Rogers talking about how the new tv series continues her husband's legacy:

And here's a sample clip of the show where Mr. McFeely saves the day:

If you want to check out a full episode of the show online they periodically make some of the episodes FREE on iTunes or you can check out the PBS website.  DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD is a fantastic program I highly recommend that promotes educational issues in an entertaining way for kids. This week all brand new episodes with the theme of PLAY DATE are airing on PBS.  Check them out!

For more information on the show, visit http://pbskids.org/daniel/