NEW NEIGHBOR: “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” comes from Fred Rogers’ (inset) production company. (
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An adorable, animated tiger has taken over “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
And not a moment too soon.
“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” — and updated, animated spinoff of the children’s TV classic — has likely saved the late Fred Rogers’ cash-strapped production company from being shuttered, his widow says.
“If we didn’t produce a new program, we were not going to make it,” Joanne Rogers tells The Post. “I think everybody knew that.”
“They thought maybe they could carry on with the work they were doing — helping teachers and parents and caregivers — but it was becoming impossible.”
In 2006, just three years after Rogers died of stomach cancer, execs from the nonprofit organization teamed up with “Blues Clues” creator Angela Santomero to figure out how to honor the TV icon’s legacy.
“The challenge was that you can’t just hire a new Mr. Rogers,” Santomero says.
But they were able recreate much of his make-believe world.
“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” — premiering Sept. 3 on PBS — features many of the familiar songs and characters that Rogers made famous during his 33 years on public television.
Daniel, the star of the half-hour weekday series, is the 4-year-old son of Daniel Striped Tiger, Rogers’ very first puppet.
The town — complete with its own little red trolley — is now filled with the children of Rogers’ beloved characters.
Each episode features two short, related stories designed to teach preschoolers little life lessons — like how to deal with loss or disappointment.
“There’s little nods of love throughout the episodes,” Santomero told TV critics in Los Angeles Sunday.
“You’ll see [Daniel in] his little, red sweaters. You’ll see the little traffic light. There’s a lot of . . . the nostalgia.”
While Daniel still lives in a world without telephones, computers or TV, the show has been updated to include a more diverse set of characters than its predecessor.
“Fred’s owl was X the Owl,” executive producer Kevin Morrison says. “O the Owl is his nephew. We have no clue what his parentage is. So, there is only one father figure in that unit.
“Henrietta Pussycat has a daughter, Katerina Kittycat. There is no clue there what happened to the dad. So, that is a mom-only household. And we’ve got a mixed marriage with Music Man Stan, who is African-American, and Lady Elaine Fairchilde, who is white.”
The show also includes a child character named Chrissie — the cousin of Prince Wednesday and niece of King Friday XIII — who suffers from Cerebral Palsy.
What’s missing from the neighborhood is so much as a photo or mention of the man who created one of television’s most successful franchises.
“We talked a lot about how to include him,” Santomero says, “and we felt if he wasn’t in it in any specific way, he’s in it in the entire feel of the show.”