Mr. Rogers Article

This is an article I wrote for an assignment in creative writing:

Mr. Rogers mystifying off-camera life is explored in depth.

Everyday we watch him stroll into his house crooning a tune proclaiming yet another wonderful day in the neighborhood. We watch him change cardigans and from dress shoes to slippers. The he usually plays with a child’s toy or gets a phone call.

We may learn about how orange juice is made or build periscopes out of a milk cartons. We visit the fascist Land of Make Believe and we watch him change back into his regular clothes and leave.

But where does Fred Rogers go? After all, doesn’t every episode take place at Mr. Rogers home? Does he return home at night after leaving the set? What is this man, whom our children admire and spend time with every day doing when he’s not being filmed?

When asked about Mr. Rogers off-camera life, Mr. McPheely said, “I go to the billiards hall most every day of the week and he comes every Tuesday, but that’s the only place I’ve ever seen him off-set.” Bill Frye, the Garbag Guy on Mr. Rogers said, “He came to the Bingo club I attend once, but I’ve never seen him there since.” No other character on the show offered any other insight into the life of Mr. Fred Rogers.

So who is he? Does he gamble away his money at the local casino, preventing him from buying new sweaters? Does he work a side job at the Sizzler to provide for 4 wives and 27 children? Does he return home to eat Lean Cuisine and watch soap opera re-runs? Or does he simply visit the local craft store to figure out something new he can make out of construction paper, glue, staples, and rubber bands?

Whoever he is, more needs to be learned about the overly cheerful mysterious old man with a strange imagination and too much time on his hands before he infects the developing minds of our children.




Ask me to show you the whole paper sometime, it's quite well done if I do say so myself.