The opening view of the model neighborhood says it all. This program isn’t just about Mister Rogers and his “television house.” It’s Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, a whole neighborhood full of interesting places and people.
The “neighborhood” allows Mister Rogers to expand children’s world, as he opens his door and invites us to “come along” with him to other places in his neighborhood.
Nearby there are places where the familiar neighbors work and live. There are visits to Joe Negri’s Music Shop, Bob Trow’s workshop, Chef Brockett’s Bakery, Betty’s Little Theater, Elsie Neal’s Craft Shop, or the McFeelys at their home.
In later years technology made it possible to extend the neighborhood beyond the studio to include a wide variety of places that children might find in a larger neighborhood. Mister Rogers introduced children to many new neighbors and visited places like the zoo, the art museum, the fire station, the dance studio, a restaurant, a dairy farm.
