Growing up, I remember feeling a sense of happiness and warmth whenever I saw Mister Rogers wearing his cardigan and switching his shoes on the television screen. So it comes as no surprise to me that I’d shed a few tears and get goosebumps after seeing Google’s tribute to children’s TV icon Mister Rogers on its search page today, celebrating the 51st anniversary of the first episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
The stop-motion animation starts with a recreated introduction to the TV show, featuring Mister Rogers strolling through the neighborhood singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” The Google Doodle‘s YouTube channel, where the video lives, states that the Doodle “aims to be a reminder of the nurturing, caring, and whimsy that made the show feel like a ‘television visit’ between Mister Rogers and his young viewers.”
According to CNN, while the Doodle honors the filming of the first episode on September 21, 1967, the show did not air nationally on PBS until February 1968.
The Doodle ends with Rogers teaching one lesson: “You help to make each day a special day by just your being yourself. There’s nobody else in the whole world who’s exactly like you, and people can like you exactly as you are.”
Try holding back your tears while watching this nostalgic Doodle (I know I can’t).