Fred Rogers’ legacy lives on for today’s children through Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood spin-offs Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the Emmy-winning animated show now in its 7th season, and Donkey Hodie, the Emmy-nominated puppet series inspired by Fred’s quirky, funny side.
The new crossover special of Donkey Hodie, produced by Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures reimagines Daniel Tiger and his dad as puppets once again (Dad Tiger is actually Daniel Striped Tiger from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) when they leave the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and hop aboard Trolley to visit Donkey Hodie and her pals in Someplace Else for the very first time!
In Daniel Tiger Visits Someplace Else, Grampy (the original Donkey Hodie from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) invites his old pal – Dad Tiger – to come and help him fix his beloved clock. Dad Tiger brings along Daniel, who quickly becomes Donkey’s newest pal, and they set out on an adventure full of fun and surprises. The special features a new version of the iconic “Look and Listen” song, a Fred Rogers classic, reinforcing for young viewers the importance of looking and listening to figure things out, and asking lots of questions to get to know someone better.
Re-envisioning the animated characters for Donkey Hodie was a true labor of love and every detail of the Daniel and Dad Tiger puppets was thoughtfully designed to maintain the characters’ familiar trademarks – from Daniel’s watch to the texture and uneven drawstrings of his signature red sweater. The Daniel and Dad Tiger characters on Donkey Hodie are voiced by the same actors who play them on Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Dad Tiger is puppeteered by Frankie Cordero, the puppeteer who brings Purple Panda to life in Donkey Hodie, while Daniel Tiger is puppeteered by Ryan Dillon, the puppeteer behind Sesame Street’s Elmo.
The Donkey Hodie special also includes other notable elements from the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood universe such as:
- Grampy Hodie’s clock borrows features from the original Daniel Striped Tiger’s clock in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and from the Clock Factory featured in Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, like its wood color, round shapes, and sunflower designs.
- Trolley rides through a tunnel to get to Someplace Else, just like in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
- Dad Tiger’s toolbox looks the same in both Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and the Donkey Hodie special.
- Fun family tree facts: Donkey Hodie is the granddaughter of the original Donkey Hodie from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Daniel Tiger is the son of the original Daniel Striped Tiger from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
- Donkey Hodie lives in the land of Someplace Else, which was created by Fred Rogers as part of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
