The Neighborhood of Make-Believe is the fictional kingdom inhabited by hand puppet characters on the children's television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which originally aired on PBS (and its predecessor NET) from 1968 to 2001, and its predecessor Mister Rogers, which originally aired on CBC from 1963 to 1966 with the name Neighbourhood of Make Believe. Principal puppeteer Fred Rogers developed many of the characters in the 1950s for Josie Carey's program The Children's Corner. Both shows were shot in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Overview The adventures of the Make-Believe Neighborhood citizens appear in a short segment once in the middle of almost every episode. Rogers deliberately makes the distinction between the real world and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe clear by transitioning in and out of the Neighborhood segment via a distinctive red and yellow model electric trolley that enters and exits through small tunnels in the wall. He occasionally sets up small tabletop models of the various Neighborhood of Make Believe buildings and discusses what had happened with his audience after the end of each segment. The same storyline continues for a week or more similar to that of a soap opera, though Rogers always recaps the plot for the audience as well.
Characters Characters in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe were portrayed by both hand puppets operated by puppeteers and on-screen actors. They would occasionally talk to the viewers in specific episodes.
Regular puppets (performed by Fred Rogers in the original series, Matt Vogel in Donkey Hodie) – King Friday XIII is the imperious monarch of the neighborhood. He is relatively egocentric, irrational, resistant to change, and temperamental, although open-minded enough to listen when told he is wrong. He has a fondness for giving long-winded speeches and using big words. When meeting with someone, he would quote "[insert character name here], I presume." He or she would respond: "Correct as usual/always, King Friday." King Friday has two pet wooden birds named Troglodytes aedon and Mimus polyglottos (the scientific names, in genus and species, of the house wren and the northern mockingbird, respectively). Mimus appeared first in Episode #20 from 1968 and Troglodytes appeared in Episode #1285 from 1973. King Friday also uses big words for certain songs like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", which he refers to as "Royal versions". King Friday was the second puppet to appear on Children's Corner. Queen Sara Saturday (performed by Fred Rogers) – Queen Sara Saturday is King Friday's wife. She was first introduced as a commoner from Westwood on Episode #32 and the two married in Episode #1015. In the third-season episode #1117, they had a son named Prince Tuesday. Queen Sara is more rational and level-headed than her husband. She frequently mentions doing charity work for Food for the World. Queen Sara was named for and resembles Fred Rogers' wife, Sara Joanne Rogers. Prince Tuesday (performed by Adair Roth (pre-1979 seasons), Fred Michael (1979–1980), Charles Altman (1981–1986), briefly Carole Switala, Lenny Meledandri (1987–2001)) – Prince Tuesday is the son of King Friday and Queen Sara. Born in the third season (Episode #1117) and named for the day of the week when he was born, Prince Tuesday is one of only two characters to age during the course of the series (he starts as a baby, then a toddler; and from 1979 onward, he is elementary school-aged). He is curious and enthusiastic and attends the school in Someplace-Else. (performed by Fred Rogers) – X the Owl lives in an old oak tree in the Neighborhood. He is eager and cheerful and has a strong desire to learn new things. Many of X's stories involve assignments from the Owl Correspondence School and he idolizes Benjamin Franklin. He also has trouble making decisions. X was the third puppet to appear on Children's Corner. (performed by Fred Rogers) – Henrietta Pussycat is X's neighbor and lives in a small yellow and orange school house supported by a strong limb on the tree. Early episodes established her as the governess of several nice mice, thus the schoolhouse. She has a habit of randomly inserting "meow" into her sentences due to being a cat. When she was first introduced, she could only say "beautiful", "telephone", and "Mister Rogers", in addition to "meow". She is anxious, preoccupied with beauty, and prone to jealousy. She also was the flower girl at Betty and James' wedding. She is the fourth puppet to appear on Children's Corner. Lady Elaine Fairchilde (performed by Fred Rogers) – Lady Elaine Fairchilde is an outspoken, cranky schemer who moved to the Neighborhood from Someplace Else to run the Museum-Go-Round after the Froggs moved out in early 1969. Lady Elaine was often known to say "Okay, toots," and is generally the antagonist when a storyline calls for one. One of her prized possessions is her Boomerang-Toomerang-Zoomerang, with which she can turn the neighborhood upside-down. Although a frequent antagonist (hinted at times to hide possible insecurities), she is not portrayed as evil, but as someone who challenges authority, particularly King Friday's authority, as she often has rows with the king. She first appeared in Episode #5 of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and is named after Fred's adopted sister. (performed by Fred Rogers) – Daniel Stripèd Tiger is the first puppet ever to appear on Children's Corner and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He is a shy tiger who lives in a non-functioning grandfather clock with no hands, as it is whatever time can change in The Land Of Make-Believe. Despite his shyness, Daniel exhibits wisdom and intelligence when he does speak. His favorite toy is a small dump truck and he wears a watch on one arm because he lives in the clock and always has to know what time it is. He was the ring bearer for Betty and James's wedding. He was named after Dorothy Daniel, who gave Fred his first puppet.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Daniel was the puppet most frequently brought along by Rogers for live performances and Rogers stated that Daniel represented certain aspects of his personality. In July 2011, PBS announced that Daniel's son (also named Daniel) would be the star of his own show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Cornflake "Corney" S. Pecially (performed by Fred Rogers) – Cornflake S. Pecially is a beaver-like character who is the proprietor of a factory specializing in rocking chairs. His original factory caught fire and was damaged during the first season, and his neighbors pitched in to help him rebuild. Corney has also been known to produce dolls, pretzels, model trolleys, and other goods. He debuted on Mister Rogers, the precursor of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Corney's middle initial and last name are a play on the word "especially." Grandpere Tiger (performed by Fred Rogers) – His real name being "Henri Frederique de Tigre", Grandpere Tiger is a French tiger and bon-vivant who lives to the left of the castle in the Eiffel Tower. He has a very kind heart and often donates the use of the tower to his neighbors whenever they ask. Collette Tiger (performed by Fred Rogers) - Collete is Grandpère's granddaughter who lives in France and appears in 1971 and 1984. At first, Henrietta Pussycat becomes jealous of Collette because of her beauty. In time, they become good friends. The Frogg Family – The Frogg Family are a family of frogs who were the original curators of the Museum-Go-Round. The family is made up of Dr. Frank Lee Frogg who works as a pediatrician, Mrs. Frogg, and their son Tadpole. The family moved to Westwood during the first color week of the series and were only seen infrequently after that. The Platypus Family – The Platypus Family are duck-billed platypuses who live in a mound. It consists of Dr. Bill Platypus (performed by Bill Barker in a Scottish accent), his wife Elsie Jean Platypus (also performed by Bill Barker) and their daughter Ornithorhynchus Anatinus (Ana) Platypus (the Latin scientific name for a platypus) (performed by Carole Muller Switala). Along with Prince Tuesday, she is one of two puppet characters to age during the series. Ana has four grandparents: Grandma Nell Platypus, Grandpa Tom Platypus (maternal), Nana Platypus and Dada Platypus (paternal). Dr. Bill works at the Eiffel Tower where Grandpère lives and plays the bagpipes. "Doc Bill" plays on the word "duck-bill." (performed by Bob Trow in the original series, Stephanie D'Abruzzo in Donkey Hodie) – Harriet Elizabeth Cow is the school teacher and Donkey Hodie's co-worker in Someplace-Else. She played the organ for Betty and James' wedding and is named after Fred Rogers' aunt. Edgar Cooke (performed by Fred Rogers) – Edgar Cooke is the chef of the castle who sings everything he says, per King Friday's request for a "singing chef" H.J. Elephant III (performed by Chuck Aber) – H.J. Elephant III is one of Prince Tuesday's friends. Betty Okonak Templeton-Jones (performed by Michael Horton) – Betty Okonak Templeton-Jones is the longtime friend of Lady Elaine who occasionally comes to visit from Southwood. She was a widow until marrying James Michael Jones. James Michael Jones (performed by Michael Horton) – James Michael Jones is Betty Okonak Templeton-Jones's second husband. James is a resident of Glassland where he did "Exactly Like Me" portraits (which are really mirrors). Carrie Dell Okonak Templeton-Jones – Known as "Carrie Dell" for short, Carrie Dell Okonak Templeton-Jones is the adopted daughter of James Michael Jones and Betty Okonak Templeton-Jones. Old Goat (performed by Tom Megalis in the first storyline, Michael Horton in the second storyline) – Old Goat is a resident of Northwood and speaks only in "goat sounds". New Goat (performed by Sara Locklard) - New Goat is a resident of Northwood and can translate for Old Goat. Donkey Hodie (performed by Fred Rogers in the original series, David Rudman in Donkey Hodie)
Donkey Hodie is a donkey that lives in Someplace Else with Harriet Elizabeth Cow and operates a Washer Dryer Sorter Dumper there. Originally, Donkey Hodie came to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to build a windmill, but King Friday didn't like having it so close to the castle. At the scientific advice of Scientist Adler, Donkey Hodie relocated to Someplace Else. The name "Donkey Hodie" is a pun of the name of Don Quixote, and the windmill storyline is a spoof of Don Quixote's penchant for tilting at windmills. Donkey Hodie has a series which aired on May 3, 2021, and was redesigned as a more modern felt-faced puppet. The titular character from Donkey Hodie is the granddaughter of the original Donkey Hodie, and the original Donkey Hodie is referred as Grampy Hodie. Hilda Dingleboarder (performed by Barbara Russell) - An employee at Corney's factory. She once invented a recycling machine when the Neighborhood of Make-Believe faced a garbage crisis. Yo-Yo LaBelle (performed by Michael Horton) - An alien from the stars. All he can say is "Mee" and "Thee." Only Daniel Striped Tiger can understand what Yo-Yo LaBelle is saying. Audrey Duck (performed by Susan Linn) - An occasional visitor to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Catalion (performed by Susan Linn) - A lion who is an occasional visitor to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and is a friend of Audrey Duck. Mr. Skunk (performed by Chuck Aber) - A skunk who lives in Westwood and occasionally visits the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. As he is insecure, he tends to spray when nervous or startled.