A Quick Tribute to Mr. Rogers…look what you left today’s kids...

It's such a good feeling to know you're alive.
It's such a happy feeling: You're growing inside.
And when you wake up ready to say,
"I think I'll make a snappy new day."

I watched Mr. Rogers daily when I was a little kid playing with G.I. JOES, Matchbox Cars, Crayons, and dirt. I would sit there in my Under Roos eating Apple Jacks or Lucky Charms and sing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.” Good times. You know, the time when GPAs, money, and other superficial materialist inventions didn’t matter. You were five and spilling cereal on his parent’s carpet. Dirt was interesting and fun, not gross and a threat to your clothes. You would willingly pick up insects and worms just to watch them move around in your hands. All you knew was Mr. Rogers was on T.V. and you were hungry. Should anything else matter?

I look at his successors on PBS and shutter: Barney, Teletubbies, and various cartoons that can’t hold a candle to those of our generation. What happened to cartoons like The Get Along Gang, Shirt Tails, and Fat Albert? Were did you go Tiny Tunes? What about He-Man: Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power?

Mr. Rogers was a nice guy. He wasn’t some giant purple dinosaur or some odd little creature with a symbol on its head. You looked at Mr. Rogers and saw a happy man. I know pedophile jokes exist. I know there are nasty rumors about Fred doing the show to work off community service for pedophilic acts. Bullshit…all of it…I hope.

I remember Mr. Rogers as a source of entertainment. Picture Picture (the frame on the wall that played films about how people made crayons, sneakers, etc…) was always my favorite part. I can’t say I miss him because he’s still on T.V. singing…

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.
Since we're together we might as well say:
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you please,
Won't you please?
Please won't you be my neighbor?

- Bob Sullivan