Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Did You Know?

• Daniel Tiger has been the mascot of Fred Rogers Productions since 2018.
• The series is animated with Adobe Animate (formerly Adobe Flash Professional), with music created at Voodoo Highway Music & Post.
• Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood won Silver Parents' Choice Awards in 2013 and 2014.

Premise

The show follows Daniel Tiger, the child of Mom and Dad Tiger, and his pals from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. These friends include Katerina Kittycat, Miss Elaina, O the Owl, Prince Wednesday, and Jodi Platypus. Daniel and his friends sometimes talk directly to the audience, asking questions about what is happening in the story. Each episode has two eleven-minute parts connected by a single emotional topic, like anger, sadness, disappointment, or thankfulness. For each topic, there is a special song, called a "strategy song," that helps kids remember the lesson. The program is made for preschoolers and focuses on emotional intelligence, kindness, and respect. Its lessons come from Fred Rogers' ideas and modern child development research.

Characters

Daniel Tiger, a 5-year-old anthropomorphic tiger cub, lives on Jungle Beach with his parents. His favorite toy is a blue stuffed tiger named Tigey, named after his favorite storybook hero. He is allergic to peaches and uses catchphrases including "Grr-ific!" and "Ugga Mugga." His little sister Margaret, introduced in season 2, is 1 year old and calls him "Dan-Dan." Mom Tiger works as a carpenter; Dad Tiger is a photographer who also works at a clock factory maintaining clocks and overseeing "chime time." Grandpere Tiger, Daniel's paternal grandfather with a French accent, travels in his sailboat. Other characters include O the Owl, a blue owl who lives with his uncle X and says "Hoo hoo!" and "Nifty galifty!"; Teacher Harriet, Daniel's kindergarten teacher; and classmates Miss Elaina, Jodi Platypus, Katerina Kittycat, and Prince Wednesday. The children ride Trolley, a semi-sentient trolley similar to the one in Mister Rogers.

Release and availability

In 2006, three years after Fred Rogers' death, The Fred Rogers Company contacted Angela Santomero to create a show promoting Rogers's legacy, leading to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. PBS initially ordered 40 episodes broadcast from September 3, 2012 to February 21, 2014. Subsequent seasons followed: season 2 (20 episodes, premiered August 18, 2014), season 3 (25 episodes, premiered September 5, 2016), season 4 (20 episodes plus a one-hour special, premiered July 11, 2018), season 5 (premiered August 17, 2020 with a musical special about the COVID-19 pandemic), season 6 (premiered September 5, 2022), season 7 (premiered August 12, 2024), and season 8 (premiered June 29, 2026). The series aired on Cartoon Network UK's Cartoonito from March 1, 2016, and on international CBeebies channels. It was previously on Netflix before July 1, 2016, when a multi-year agreement with Amazon Prime Video took effect; current episodes are available via the PBS Kids app.