Filmed and produced in Pittsburgh, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is considered a classic of U.S. children’s television. In each episode, Mister Rogers talked with and learned from his (sometimes celebrity) neighbors before taking viewers on a Trolley ride into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, where hand puppets like Daniel Tiger and X the Owl sang, explored, and learned together. Through stories, songs, conversations, and educational video segments, the show invited children to learn about the world around them as well as the complex universes inside themselves. Dedicated to teaching children about big feelings, complex social interactions, empathy, and radical acceptance, Mister Rogers championed kindness by entreating his viewers: “Please, won’t you be my neighbor?”  

This theme invites us to consider how neighborhoods, for better or worse, shape childhood, community, and belonging: In the 21st century, what might it mean to be a good neighbor? Who are the people in your neighborhood? Who counts as neighbors? How can we account for inclusion or exclusion when talking about our global neighbors? Are neighborhoods limited by space, proximity, time, and shared values? Who gets to define the boundaries of a neighborhood? What role(s) do children play in the neighborhoods of today or the technologically advanced neighborhood of the future? How has our conception of neighborhoods changed?