It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood: A Look Back At Mr. Rogers

Rumors and Facts About Mr. Rogers

There are a variety of interesting stories that circulate around Mr. Rogers. Let’s explore what is true and what is false. One story is that he had the habit of swimming laps every morning completely in the nude. This story is true! Wow, Mr. Rogers! Another often-heard rumor is that Mr. Rogers was once a sniper in the military and that he wore sweaters to hide all of his military tattoos. This one is false. Mr. Rogers never served in the military and considered himself a pacifist. Another story is that Mr. Rogers specifically watched his weight to be exactly 143 pounds. This one is true! Mr. Rogers said the number 143 means I love you; he said, “It takes one letter to say ‘I’ and four letters to say ‘love’ and three letters to say ‘you.’”

Another popular rumor about Mr. Rogers is the story of his car being stolen. The story goes that the media did a story on the incident and the following day Mr. Rogers found his car back in its parking spot, along with a note that read, “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it.” It is undetermined if this story is true or not. Lastly, a photo has circulated the internet purporting to show Mr. Rogers flipping off the camera. This is … kind of true. In actuality, Mr. Rogers was teaching the song “Where Is Thumbkin? In this song, the singer holds up each finger as they are named. So he did hold up his middle fingers but not for the reason commonly said. Although he does look quite amused; see for yourself in the video below.

Mr. Rogers Involved With the Political?!

In the late 1960s, Mr. Rogers famously addressed the Senate regarding funding for public television. He only spoke for six minutes, yet he was able to ensure $20 million in funding for PBS. Mr. Rogers had addressed the Senate because President Nixon suggested that funding should be cut in half. Mr. Rogers was able to concisely state how this would have a devastating effect on children’s lives and learning. After his statements, John O. Pastore, who was the Chairman of the Subcommittee of Communications, said, “I’m supposed to be a pretty tough guy, and this is the first time I’ve had goosebumps for the last two days.”

Mr. Rogers also believed that individuals should be able to record television programs and said so in a testimony to Congress. And in other news, in 2010, Fox News stated that Fred Rogers was “an evil man” and that the children who watch his television program created “lazy entitled socialists” and that he had “unintentionally did a whole generation or two a disservice.” I suppose Fox News felt this way because Mr. Rogers touted the importance of kindness and loving one another. Ridiculous.