‘Mister Rogers’ Moves to Twitch’s Neighborhood for an 18-Day Streaming Marathon

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Mister Rogers Neighborhood, the beloved children’s classic series starring TV icon Fred Rogers, is coming to Twitch starting Monday, May 15. The unlikely pairing — in the form of an 18-day streaming marathon — is all about raising money for PBS.

Twitch will begin the 886-episode marathon at Noon PT on Monday, May 15 with Rogers’ historic statement to the U.S. Senate in 1969 — his plea for continued government funding of public television.

Included in the marathon will be numerous episodes that have only aired once and aren’t available anywhere online.

Watch the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood marathon:

“Fred Rogers created a blueprint for children’s television that still works today, and his messages of acceptance and inclusion remain just as timeless and relevant as they did when Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood first aired,” said Paul Siefken, president and CEO of the Fred Rogers Company. “We are delighted to be working with Twitch to make the show available to fans, as well as reach a whole new whole new audience that did not grow up watching the program.”

Throughout the marathon, Twitch is running a fundraising campaign asking viewers to consider making a donation to support their local PBS station.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood aired from 1968 to 2001, each episode hosted by Rogers who warmly invited his child and adult viewers to be his neighbor. In contrast to other children’s television programs of the era, the show’s themes were centered around the emotional lives of young children. “I talk with children about such things as the drama of getting a haircut,” Rogers told the Senate in 1969, as part of his statement that ultimately won $20 million in funding for public television.

The Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Twitch marathon runs through June 3.

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