One of the biggest highlights of my trip to SXSW this year was the PBS Kids brunch. I got to meet one of my heroes, Angela Santomero. Why is she a hero? She’s the creator of Blue’s Clues. That TV show that had the single biggest boost to my autistic son’s development out of anything he watched. At age seven, he’s still influenced by the show, and he still sings a few of the songs. I had the chance to personally thank Santomero at the event.
This brunch was also about introducing a hero of hers, Fred Rogers. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was her favorite show as a child, and she credits it as her inspiration for creating shows like Blue’s Clues and Super Why.
Her next show is called Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and it’s inspired by Mister Rogers’ land of make believe. It focuses on socio-emotional development and is aimed at the preschool crowd. The characters we knew from Mister Rogers have grown, and many of them have children of their own. Most of the show will be animated, but there will also be live action sequences interwoven in the episodes. There’s no new actor playing the role of Mister Rogers, because there’s no substitute for Fred Rogers, period.
The brunch preview of the show had a few technical glitches, so we didn’t get to see Daniel Tiger make his debut that day. But you can catch a streaming preview on PBS Kids. With Angela Santomero at the helm, I’m confident it will end up being fantastic. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood will debut in the fall.
I know what you mean about “Blue’s Clues”. My son is 2 and he has a great understanding of things that most kids at 2 don’t. He is not autistic so I get how it is a bigger deal in your situation as I’ve known autistic children over the years, and finding things they can grab onto and learn from can make a difference in a lot of ways. I would of thanked and shook her hand still.
I really enjoyed meeting you Marziah at SXSW and thank you so much for spreading the word about Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (PBSkids).
It’s absolutely a labor of love and to positively affect children with quality media, the way Blue’s Clues has affected your son…well, I’m still feeling the excitement of this opportunity!
xo
Angela
Thanks for stopping by, Angela. It really came across that this was your passion and not just your profession. I hope that Daniel Tiger ends up being the next Blue.
So impressed…..
I love Angela to pieces and feel the same. Great post, so glad you got to see the preview!