Remember ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’? There is good news for fans of this children’s television series as Funko has announced that they are releasing a series of Mister Rogers Funko toys. The range is being introduced in time for the 50th anniversary of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’. Some of the toys being manufactured are limited edition versions, so they have the potential to become valuable collectors’ items in the future.
This exciting information was revealed at the New York Toy Fair. Funko, the toy company that loves pop culture, revealed their latest Pop Funko! This is a toy in the likeness of Mister Rogers that will hold a Neighborhood Trolley. They also revealed a SuperCute Plush and a Mister Rogers Pop! Keychain in their range of new products.
Along with the standard Pop! figurine, there are also some special edition figurines. One exclusive version is the Funko Shop figurine with Mister Rogers wearing a blue sweater. There is also a special edition figurine that is exclusive to Barnes & Noble. This version of Fred is not holding a Neighborhood Trolley. Instead, he is holding a King Friday puppet and is wearing a red cardigan.
The different clothes worn by the figurines reflect the importance of Fred’s cardigans in ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’. The range of colorful cardigans he wore was an integral part of the show. It is an interesting fact that his mum knitted all of these herself and Fred Rogers wore them as a tribute to his mother.
If you are excited by this news and want to go out and get your own figurine, you will have a while to wait yet. Funko is not releasing this range of figurines until June 1, 2018. However, it is possible to pre-order them on Amazon if you are keen to avoid disappointment.
For those of you who do not know what ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ is, it was a children’s television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. It was first aired on CBC Television in 1963 and was originally called ‘Misterogers’. In 1966, it was rebranded ad ‘Misterogers’ Neighborhood’ and then again in 1968 as ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ when it made its debut on Eastern Educational Network.
The show was produced by WQED and Fasmily Communications Inc. The latter was the non-profit production company founded by Fred Rogers. Following his death, it was renamed The Fred Rogers Company.
By 1997, ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ became the longest running children’s television of all-time. This was an accolade that the series held until 2002 when it was overtaken by Sesame Street. Reruns of the series were available to watch on many PBS stations until 2007.
The series was so popular that it has inspired other programs and films. For example, ‘Daniel Tigers’ Neighborhood’ was a spin-off that made its debut on PBS. There is also a documentary feature film about ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ in production. The film is called ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ and is being released by Focus Features in June 2018. This will also tie-in with the 50th anniversary of the series and the release of the Funko range of products.
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