PITTSBURGH — Heather Bambrick's first indication that "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" was catching on occurred at a Toys R Us. The longtime voice of Mom Tiger was picking up a gift for a pregnant friend and was pleasantly surprised to find a whole shelf of Daniel Tiger merchandise.
"That's when I thought, 'OK, there are some legs here,'" Bambrick told the Post-Gazette.
As the years went by, she continued to see tangible examples of the show's impact on its target demographic of preschoolers. She visited a friend in New York City who told her that she regularly uses the songs and strategies featured on "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" in her own parenting. Her "heart melted" after seeing a video of a child coming down from a tantrum after his mother asked him, "What does Daniel say?"
The first episode of "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" premiered Sept. 3, 2012, on PBS Kids. To commemorate its 10-year anniversary Saturday, PBS Kids will air a five-hour "Top Ten Tiger Tales" marathon of favorite episodes as voted on by fans.
That's just the appetizer, though, before Fred Rogers Productions and PBS Kids debut Season 6 of "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" on Sept. 5 and kick off four days of new episodes. Season 6 will consist of 18 30-minute episodes that contain "Daniel Tiger" hallmarks like original songs, life lessons and live-action vignettes filmed in Fred Rogers' hometown.
"This is 10 years of live-action segments on 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood' that were all shot here in Pittsburgh," said Paul Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions. "I like to think 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood' is the best postcard for Pittsburgh that Pittsburgh has ever had."
The show is a continent-spanning team effort between Pittsburgh-based Fred Rogers Productions, Canadian children's media company 9 Story Media Group and 9 Story's animation studio Brown Bag Films. Fun fact: Fred Rogers actually started a version of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" in Toronto before moving the show back to Pittsburgh. "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" is animated in Toronto as an homage to those Canadian roots.
There was quite a bit of pressure surrounding the launch of "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" back in 2012. It was the first Fred Rogers Productions show following the end of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" in 2001 and Rogers' death in 2003. Chris Loggins, the show's supervising producer, said the production team was nervous about how the show would be received by the Mister Rogers faithful.
"Everyone had a lot of great care and attention to detail going into the show, but there was no guarantee how it was going to resonate until it was out on the air," Loggins said. "I just remember a feeling of, we think this is good and hopefully others will like it too. ... I like to think that we got it right, because we're still around and kids and families seem to enjoy the show."
Tammy Langton, the show's director, has also been with "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" since its inception. She and Bambrick grew up watching both "Mister Rogers" and "Mr. Dressup," a Canadian children's show hosted by Rogers protege Ernie Coombs. Langton was excited about being part of a Mister Rogers-related project and getting "to contribute to that legacy."
She worked as an assistant director on "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" before she was named director in 2018. Langton always had a sense that it could be something special.
"You felt it," she said. "The more involved that I got to be with the creative team, you just knew and could feel in the room that it was so cared for and there was so much love for Fred Rogers. ... It's impressive and humbling in a really nice way that we've been allowed to keep going and be part of people's lives for a decade."
For Bambrick, part of the show's lasting appeal has been its "sense of authenticity in every respect." She appreciates that "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" never talks down to its audience, whether it's presenting a song designed to assure children that their caregivers will eventually pick them up or trying to explain early 2020 COVID lockdowns in a kid-friendly way.
"The one thing Fred Rogers taught us was the idea of respecting young people and giving them truth that satisfies curiosity but does it in a kind and gentle way," Bambrick said. "I think we need to tell these stories and explain things to kids as opposed to, 'Oh it's fine, don't worry about that.' I think kids need to know about things in the right way."
Ellen Doherty, Fred Rogers Productions' chief creative officer, used Daniel's "grr-ific" catchphrase to describe how happy she is that the show is "still relevant and going strong" after 10 years. That was evident last year when Daniel was featured in a holiday tour of the White House conducted by first lady Jill Biden and earlier this year when the little tiger made an appearance at the White House's Easter Egg Roll.
Loggins thanked parents and children for "going on this journey with us" for a decade, while Bambrick simply said, "How many ways can you say thank you?"
Photos of Daniel-themed Halloween costumes and birthday parties never cease to make Langton smile.
"It's part of their life, and they're sharing that with us or other people," she said. "I think that's pretty awesome."
