Mr. Rogers vs. Mr. Dressup

I recently (finally!) saw the documentary about Fred Rogers, better known to most Gen Xers like myself, as “Mr. Rogers.” To be quite honest, although I have a passing familiarity with his show, I was never a regular viewer. Growing up out in the sticks, one of the things we sacrificed was decent TV reception. Hence, most of PBS passed us by as kids. I digress…

I was really impressed by the depth of kindness Fred Rogers showed not just to children, but adults and everyone he met as well. He also had a thick skin and believed imitation was the sincerest form of flattery as comedians sometimes put their own spin on his show – 

the best known being "Saturday Night Live’s" rendition of “Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood” starring Eddie Murphy as Mr. Robinson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_MDCH-W2WU I remember seeing that sketch as a teenager and thinking it was one of the funniest things I ever saw.

Probably the most impressive segment in the movie was the clip showing Fred Rogers testifying before the Senate subcommittee to save the funding for PBS (President Nixon wanted to cut it in half). There’s only a minute or so in the film, but it’s worth watching the entire clip on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEuEUQIP3Q. No spoilers, but I challenge you to not want to stand up and clap at the end of it.

If you enjoyed the Fred Rogers documentary, check out my friend's blog for some truly eloquent thoughts on the meaning of it all: https://insightstothesoul.wordpress.com/

Anyway, while my peers were glued to their TVs watching “Mr. Rogers,” my brother, sister, and I often tuned in to Fred’s Canadian competition, “Mr. Dressup” starring Ernie Combs. Oddly enough, even though we couldn’t tune in many programs from Cleveland (only a mere 60 miles away), we had no trouble receiving TV from Canada or Erie, PA (60 miles in the other direction).

“Mr. Dressup” was similar in that he lived in a neighborhood and often had visitors. He also had a puppet named Casey that I think was supposed to be his son, though I’m not sure that fact was ever stated. Casey had a dog (also a puppet) named Finnegan who was also present during most of the show.

My favorite part of the show was when Mr. Dressup would open the “tickle trunk” and remove various colorful items of clothing and play “dress up,” hence, the name. I also enjoyed when he would pull out a sharpie and draw pictures on his giant sketch pad.

Imagine my excitement when a couple summers ago on a visit to Toronto, I got to see the treehouse Casey and Finnegan hung out in, and the tickle trunk and clips from the show. I can now remember the theme song whenever I want.

I think adults underestimate how important these programs are to a child’s development and how many happy memories come from watching these gems. I still watch programs on PBS today and am now old enough to be a financial contributor in the hopes of keeping this wonderful advertising-free service on the air.