Friday, March 4, 2011

Mr. Rogers: Vintage Style Icon!

My two-year old daughter is in the process of potty training. She was sitting on the potty today and asked me, ever so sweetly, if she could fall down the drain. Of course, I told her no, but it brought to mind immediately the Mister Rogers song "You Can Never Go Down the Drain".

It may seem silly and corny to us, but as a child I remember singing that song to myself, and how reassuring it was. That was the appeal of Mister Rogers- he spoke directly to children in a language they understood.



I know a lot of adults like to poke fun at him for that, because the language and themes are so innocently simplistic. But children really responded to that approach and they always have. It's a very refreshing style now, with so much audio and visual bombardment on contemporary kids' TV (and believe me, I've seen a lot of that!) I wish there were reruns still on TV, but the best we can do is YouTube, and there are probably more parodies on there than the real thing.

Plus, Mr. Rogers always wore cardigans and keds. His set had a great vintage look to it, with that antique fridge and that traffic light. The music is piano jazz. Who wouldn't want their kids to absorb some of that goodness!

Here are a couple of YouTube clips- go get your kids and make them watch! They can watch iCarly later OnDemand.


Mister Rogers shows how a voting machine works.


This is one of my favorites- featuring Wynton Marsalis, the jazz trumpeter.




And did you know that March 20th is Mister Rogers Sweater Day? In honor of everyone's favorite neighbor, wear your favorite cardigan on what would have been his 83rd birthday!
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9 comments:

  1. Lauren HairstonMarch 4, 2011 at 7:17 PM

    I had no idea there was a Mr. Rogers Sweater Day! I still know all the songs from the show--it was the BEST. They ought to be on DVD.

    I'm totally wearing a cardi and keds March 20th.

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  2. Carrie at In the Hammock BlogMarch 4, 2011 at 8:53 PM

    Thank you for posting this! I love love love his show! I am definitely pulling out a vneck cardi on March 20!

    http://inthehammockvintage.blogspot.com

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  3. MaryMarch 4, 2011 at 8:55 PM

    We are able to view Mr. Rogers. He is on PBS. My daughter even to this day (age 19) loves to watch him. I we both love to watch when he goes on trips to show how things are made. There will never ever be another Mr. Rogers. I recall his wife saying he was the same at home as he protrayed on the show. That makes him even more so a person to look up to and those are few and far between.

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  4. Dana@Mid2ModMarch 5, 2011 at 12:48 AM

    The show truly was wonderful, and no one could sport a sweater like Fred. He deserves a Sweater Day!

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  5. Sassy Lassies Vintage LifeMarch 5, 2011 at 8:25 AM

    I adore the man and always will. When my children were small we watched him everyday at 5:00. I was in a bad marriage and to hear him say. "I love you just the way you are", took away some of the hurt and pain I was going through. I love him.

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  6. miss jilleMarch 5, 2011 at 9:40 AM

    I'm going to make a note in my planner right now for the 20th! His show was one of my favorites, and those clips are a trip down memory lane :)

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  7. beetreeMarch 5, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    Love and kindness never go out of style...and children instinctively know that best!

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  8. Amber Von FeltsMarch 7, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    Mr. Rogers was wonderful! I loved watching the "how its made" segments. I still vividly remember how they make crayons! Long live the sweater wearing legacy of Mr. Rogers!

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  9. SusieQTMarch 7, 2011 at 12:58 PM

    Wow, guys, sounds like Mr. R really touched your lives. He was a realy great man.

    And I loved the "how things are made" episodes also. Funny you mentioned the crayon factory, Amber, because that is very near me and I am going to be featuring that in an upcoming post.

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