I’ll be honest: I found Mr. Rogers boring as a kid. I preferred Mr. Dressup, not knowing that they were indeed very good friends.

A few years ago, I caught an episode of Arthur where Mr. Rogers made a cartoon appearance. My interest in his efforts to provide quality TV for children was renewed. I was also impacted by some of the quotes that swam through Facebook, and I finally understood what type of person he was.

Another quote attributed to him showed up in my Facebook feed. In an attempt to see if the attribution was correct, I looked up his official website and found this clip.

Mr. Rogers was in the same league as Sesame Street and Mr. Dressup: using public television to educate kids. His focus was on their emotional development. This clip is only seven minutes long. Watch it. You’ll learn about how much creativity he put into his shows, what his budget was when he first started out in the 50s, and how he used his knowledge of children’s development to advocate for better television.

45 Years Ago — Mister Rogers Addressed Congress | The Fred Rogers Company.