Season 7 of PBS KIDS’ hit animated series Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood from Fred Rogers Productions premiered today, expanding the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Twelve years after the spin-off debuted, the animated series from Fred Rogers Productions is changing things up, offering stories from the point-of-view of other characters in the neighborhood, and also revealing a new skill for everyone’s favorite way to get around town, Trolley. To celebrate the launch, I got to speak with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood supervising producer Chris Loggins about what’s new for the show, how this season can help with potty training, and the show’s legacy twelve years into its run.
(Fred Rogers Productions)
Alex: Congratulations on the seventh season of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. There are some big changes coming with the show's format and some of the things the characters can do. Why was this the right time, a little over ten years after the show began, to start changing the perspective and points of view?
Chris Loggins: Well, it really felt like the right time to us. We've told a lot of wonderful stories with Daniel Tiger as our neighbor who leads us through the day, but we thought it was time to explore the other neighbors too. We see that children really love spending time with some of those other neighbors, too, and they're an important part of the neighborhood. We had ideas of stories we wanted to tell that would be best told from their unique perspectives. Miss Elena, Katerina Kittycat, O the Owl, and Prince Wednesday allowed for so many storytelling opportunities. We wanted to have more fun with the other characters in the neighborhood and tell stories from their unique perspectives. We hope viewers will enjoy getting to know the other neighbors even a little bit more.
Alex: Trolly’s got a pretty big trick up its sleeve in the first episode, the new special. Was there a lot of market research as to what other things Trolley might be able to do?
Chris Loggins: There's a whole lane of things that go that excite young children and Trolley is definitely a thing that goes. We didn't necessarily do market research, but we wanted to be thoughtful about introducing this new format. We asked ourselves, "What's the social and emotional storytelling aspect of this?" We wanted to help young viewers and their families remember the importance of connecting with others and getting to know people in a deeper way. That's where we get the strategy, “I like learning something new about you.” Trolley is a major component of the neighborhood, helping everyone get where they need to go, and also acts as a comfort to everyone. So we thought it would be great to learn something new about Trolley. We're excited that Trolley is also a boat now. Being able to go on land and water felt very exciting. You see those kinds of vehicles around cities sometimes, and some children might be familiar with them.
Alex: Does Trolley’s ability to travel on land and water open up new storytelling possibilities, like world travel in the future?
Chris Loggins: It does. We will see Trolley transform into a boat in other episodes and take Daniel to different places around the neighborhood in a different way.
Alex: I wanted to ask about your journey. It looks like you grew into the producer role through Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and possibly started as an education curriculum advisor. What was your journey like to getting where you are now?
Chris Loggins: I had an interest in working with children and families and doing something impactful for them. I moved to Pittsburgh and started working with Beginning with Books, a nonprofit early literacy outreach group. I coordinated volunteer programs and drove the Storymobile, a mobile library. I also worked at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in the children's department. While I was doing that, I knew I wanted to work in media. I started working in development with WQED, our local public television station. I got to know people at the Fred Rogers Company [now Fred Rogers Productions], which was on the second floor. They needed help on the production side of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and I was hired as a production manager. I've been with the show for about twelve years now and have grown into the supervising producer role.
Alex: That's awesome. In addition to encouraging children to ask questions and learn more about their friends and neighbors, this new batch of episodes also incorporates stories about potty training. Is that a topic that a lot of parents write in to ask for stories about?
Chris Loggins: Very much so. We get a lot of positive feedback from viewers who say they use our potty training episodes in their routines. This season, we have a story about helping kids get comfortable using the potty outside of the home, like at a music festival with O the Owl and Jodi. We help kids understand what a porta-potty is and how it's similar yet different from what they have at home. Fred Rogers used to say “I like to be told,” and in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, we have a strategy where when we do something new, we talk about what we'll do. This is a version of talking about it so that we can hopefully help kids at home know what to expect, and maybe inspire some conversation. We’re demystifying it and helping with that aspect of life. We will have a game associated with this episode as well that teaches children about these different types of bathrooms. In the game, there's a bathroom at the neighborhood train station that they can explore, a porta-potty, and Daniel's bathroom.
Alex: That sounds great. Does the game include public toilets with an automatic flush? That can be such a fear factor for young children.
Chris Loggins: It does it does, and the episode does as well. The train station bathroom in the neighborhood has that feature, and also another aspect that we included is the hand dryer because that's not something that you would normally have in your home. It can be loud. Daniel talks through what that is with his mom.
Alex: Switching perspectives and getting to know Daniel's friends and neighbors better might open up doors for talking about different types of abilities and skills. Was that in the back of everyone's mind during this format change?
Chris Loggins: Yes, there were stories we thought would be better told from another character's perspective. We can tell more personal and authentic stories by focusing on the other characters.
Alex: The show is deeply rooted in the legacy of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Were you an avid watcher of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as a kid, or did you have to immerse yourself in the world twelve years ago?
Chris Loggins: A little bit of both. I watched it as a child but wasn't a super fan or knew every detail. I've learned a lot from people who worked directly with Fred Rogers, including Margaret Whitmer, who was a longtime producer on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely. It's been so valuable to hear their stories, how they approached the show, how Fred Rogers approached his work, and also some behind-the-scenes stuff. I feel like I have a good base of knowledge now. My earliest television memory is seeing how people make peanut butter on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. I remember seeing those jars going down the line and being filled with peanut butter. It's the earliest thing I can think of in my head, thinking, “Oh wow, people make the peanut butter I eat.” Making that connection was definitely there from the beginning.
Alex: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood has live-action segments similar to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Do those moments mean something special to you given that early childhood experience you had?
Chris Loggins: Yes, it's an important format of the show. We wanted to have animation and live-action segments, in an homage to Mister Rogers visiting his neighbors. I get to direct those segments, which is one of the most fun parts of my job. We highlight people doing cool things around the community, mostly filmed in and around Pittsburgh. The kids and people featured are not actors, but people who are doing really cool things around the community.
Alex: I really liked the segment where a child visits their local fire station and gets to see firefighters doing something fairly normal and mundane – making lunch.
Chris Loggins: Fun fact about that. We said we wanted to make spaghetti that day because it's something that kids have a frame of reference for, and it's a pretty easy recipe. We were filming with firefighter Billy, but when we got to the station that day, it wasn't firefighter Billy’s day for cooking. It was one of the other firefighters, and he just happened to be making meatballs when we came to film, so they had the meatballs and the spaghetti and they were really cooking. They really are there for many hours in the day, and they have to eat. The whole point of that interstitial is to show kids that people have multiple aspects. You can be more than one thing. With “I like learning something new about you,” you could think of a firefighter as a certain sort of persona in your head, but firefighter Billy also likes to cook.
Alex: Since you direct the live-action segments, is directing animation a future goal of yours?
Chris Loggins: We've had two great directors for Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Vadim Kapridov and Tammy Langton, and I've learned a lot from them. I can't say it's a goal, but I wouldn't rule it out.
Alex: Was there a character on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, outside of Mister Rogers, that resonated with you as a kid, and does that translate to a counterpart of theirs in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood?
Chris Loggins: Daniel Tiger really connected with me. Mister Rogers had that sense of vulnerability that we all feel as a child, but if we’re honest, we all have that vulnerable side. Daniel personified that, and he was a puppet that I've learned was very important and close to Mister Rogers as well. I identify with Daniel the most from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. On Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, I connect more closely with O the Owl because he's analytical and likes to read, similar to me working at the library. He’s one of my favorites.
Alex: Children's media is going through a new renaissance with shows like Bluey. Co-viewing has become more common for parents and kids. Does that impact how you approach new episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood?
Chris Loggins: It definitely influences us. We've always hoped that parents and caregivers watch with their children. At the same time, we do understand that as parents, it's helpful to have those five minutes when you can go and do something that you need to do and know that the children are watching something that can be trusted. We want to earn their trust and provide examples and helpful models for interactions. But the ideal is when parents and caregivers can watch together with the kids in their lives, and then talk about it afterwards. We try to have a little humor in there for the grown-ups, but I think Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is one of the more sincere shows on on television, and we try to make it specifically for our audience, which is 2 to 4-year-olds. We want to give examples and helpful models for interactions parents and caregivers can have with children but also show our parents as real. An example I like to give is we have the mad strategy, “When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four.” In the episode, that's not just used by the children. Mom Tiger gets mad because Daniel decided to bring a beach into the house and put sand all over the kitchen. She gets mad and her cheeks turn red and Daniel's like, “Mom, you look mad.” And she has to use the strategy herself. We want to make sure that we're conscious about showing that these strategies and techniques are not just things for children.
Alex: For a final question, we’re seeing many shows aimed at young children from two decades ago getting a revival, like Teletubbies and Barney. Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood was inspired by Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, but the show is also turning twelve this year. Are you starting to see the effects of this show’s legacy?
Chris Loggins: We have kids who were watching the show that are now teenagers. We recently had some very informative and interesting research done talking to teens now who watched the show when they were younger and found some pretty powerful findings from that research. One of the quotes that stands out is, one of the teenagers said, "Ugga mugga was a core part of my childhood. I used to say that to my mom and my grandparents." Coming from a teen, that's pretty impactful because it's interesting to hear that. A lot of them were saying they would love a show that was similar to Daniel for them now as teenagers, so maybe that's something that we can work on.
Alex: Wow, that would be awesome. Thank you very much for your time, and congratulations again. I'm excited for this new batch of episodes to hit and for kids to get to see stories from the perspective of everyone in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
The first four episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Season 7 are now available to stream on PBS KIDS, and being aired on local PBS stations (check local listings for times). In addition, kids can interact with their favorite characters from the neighborhood at pbskids.org/daniel, including the new potty training game mentioned in this interview. The following episodes are now available:
- “Something New About Trolley” – There’s something new about Trolley, and Daniel is so excited to find out what it is! As he waits, he learns new things about his friends. In the end, Daniel discovers that Trolley can turn into a boat. Daniel and his friends enjoy a ride!
- “Daniel Asks What Friends Like/ Miss Elaina's Space Restaurant” – Teacher Harriet helps Daniel make a chart to ask his friends how they like to say hello./When Miss Elaina and Katerina play together, they ask each other how they like to play. Sometimes they like different things!
- “Daniel Doesn't Want to Miss Out/Cousins at the Castle” – Daniel has to go potty, but is worried there won’t be space for his sea turtle on the class mural when he’s done in the bathroom./Prince Wednesday needs to get dressed before he can go outside to see the butterflies and play with Chrissie.
- “Daniel and O Make Deliveries/Jodi Makes a Boat with Max” – When Daniel and O are playing post office, their wagon breaks. They look around and find something else to use./Jodi and Nana see Teacher Harriet and Max playing with a homemade boat. Jodi uses things she finds in nature to make one, too.