>>110973900Because he unabashedly believed in everything he espoused on his show. He was a minister, you might know, and children's entertainment was his calling. He wanted a place that kids could feel safe, get straight answers to tough questions about their feelings, and never be talked down to just because they were kids.
The puppets were, in many ways, extensions of himself. King Friday XIII was the imperious adult whose judgement was not to be questioned, while Daniel Striped Tiger was the questioning, timid child who didn't always understand what was going on or why he was expected to behave in certain ways. Giving these and other characters a chance to voice what they thought and felt without having them be summarily dismissed (or, worse yet, punished for not agreeing) gave him a chance not just to show how you were supposed to think and behave but good reason why, as well as ways for kids to deal with feelings that they just can't process with their limited experience:
>What do you do with the mad that you feel>When you feel so mad you could bite?>When the whole wide world seems oh, so wrong...>And nothing you do seems very right?Fred Rogers was many things, but the most important thing to remember was that he was genuine. If you ever get a chance watch the documentary, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?". It shows just how serious he was about serving the needs of kids watching television.
