The special episode from Fred Rogers Productions reimagines Daniel Tiger and his dad as puppets when they leave the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to visit Donkey Hodie and her pals in Someplace Else; airs August 11 on PBS Kids.
Fred Rogers Productions has announced that characters from the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood spin-offs Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Donkey Hodie will meet for the first time in a crossover special, airing August 11 on PBS Kids.
The Donkey Hodie episode, produced by Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures, reimagines Daniel Tiger and his dad as puppets (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.
The special “Daniel Tiger Visits Someplace Else” features a new version of the “Look and Listen” song.
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:
- 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.
Source: Fred Rogers Productions
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
