h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This entry was a pleasant surprise. I've been a fan of Fred Rogers since I was a kiddo. There were two shows that really stick out in my mind. One was on the topic of divorce, and actually helped me cope with the divorce of my own parents. Another show was about death. It was illustrated by having one of his goldfish die (Did you mention feeding the fish everyday in the entry?) and he flushes it down the toilet. He then sings a song about how "you never will go down the drain".

lol... This was always one of my favorite shows! I liked the way he'd zip his sweater up all the way, and then back down halfway...and then the shoe toss was classic. I think my favorite episodes were the operas (there was one about a potato bug or something...?). Wow, this entry brought back all kinds of great memories - my sister and I were laughing hysterically trying to remember all the characters... :D

Thanks guys! I missed seeing this one go on the front page and therefore all your nice comments.

There's a traveling museum exhibit about his show that you simply *must* see! You can try on his sweaters and sneakers, operate the trolley, and play with the puppets!!

That exhibit was the inspiration for this entry. When I wrote in my journal about going to the exhibit with my daughters, Peta told me she'd never heard of the man.

There's simply *so* much to tell about him, I had a hard time narrowing my focus - though I probably put in too many of the puppets (but Make-Believe was always my favourite part of the show).

Thanks again for the nice words!

- Jimi X

I still have a puppet of X the Owl kicking around somewhere. I don't know where it came from.

I loved this show... when I'm home and I'm sick or just feeling dreary in general, I still watch Mr. Rogers. It's very comforting.

A few years ago Fred Rogers got a Lifetime Achievement Emmy award... he walked out on stage, looked around from the podium and smiled, and said in that very slow and gentle voice: "Well, it's a beautiful day in *this* neighborhood..."

The next time you watch the movie "Dogma", take a good look at the nun in the airport scene at the beginning-- it's Betty Aberlin.

And I really have to wonder where he got the inspiration for Lady Elaine Fairchilde... she must have been modelled after someone he knew in real life. She was b*tchy, opinionated, smart, brave, downright ugly (like a recycled Punch & Judy puppet, probably) and didn't take any cr*p from anyone, not even the King. As a character on a kiddie show, she was almost revolutionary. I've never seen anything like her since.

D'oh, I didn't format my swear words properly. Censor if you must, but I hope "b****y" is understandable.

Is the exhibit a touring one Jimi? I would love to see it. It would up there with my all time best Museum experiences (along with the Art of Star Wars in San Francisco and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam)

I will have to look closely at Dogma next I watch it. I am a Mr. Rogers fan and an avid Kevin Smith (the writer director of Dogma) fan and I never caught Lady Amberlin's role.

Yes it is touring - I believe there are several exhibits making the rounds at the same time. It left Harrisburg, PA on 29 April so perhaps check his website for details?

You know, I didn't feel at all silly when I sat on the bench and made the trolley go into the tunnel!

He's on the air at 12:30 pm where I live and I try to arrange my lunch break from work to get home to watch him with my daughters (6 & 2) a few days a week now that the eldest one is on summer vacation from school.

Obviously I'm something of a fan as well.