The Legacy of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: Then and Now

White Whale Bookstore for an evening of joyful conversation about the impact of Fred Rogers’ legacy in Pittsburgh and around the world in this exclusive event.

Join guests David Newell, the iconic Mr. McFeely from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer at Fred Rogers Productions, and Haley Jenkins and Frankie Cordero, cast members from Donkey Hodie, for a lively discussion led by Ryan Deto of Axios Pittsburgh. They’ll dive into David's days on set with Fred, carrying on the funny and quirky side of Fred's work through reimagined puppet characters on Donkey Hodie, the thoughtful ways the world of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood has been reenvisioned in Donkey Hodie and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood for new generations on public media — and the Pittsburgh inspiration in all three series!

In anticipation of the August 11 PBS KIDS premiere of the first-ever, live-action crossover episode, “Daniel Tiger Visits Someplace Else,” White Whale will have advance copies of the companion children’s book, “Donkey Hodie Meets Daniel Tiger,” for purchase at the event. This special marks Daniel Tiger’s return to his roots as a puppet character for the first time since Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

David Newell played the beloved character “Mr. McFeely” for over 40 years on the landmark PBS children’s series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Even though Mr. McFeely’s schedule was often busy, he always had time for his familiar “Speedy Delivery!” greeting.

Away from the character make-up, Newell assumed many behind-the-scenes responsibilities for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Having been with the series since its creation in 1967, he was Properties Manager, Associate Producer, and Director of Public Relations for Family Communications, Inc. (now Fred Rogers Productions), the producers of the series.

Newell’s background includes a wide-ranging involvement in theater arts as an actor, technician, stage manager, and administrator. A Pittsburgh native, he has worked with the Pittsburgh Playhouse, The Civic Light Opera, and The Little Lake Arena Theater. He has also been involved in theater productions in Los Angeles and Honolulu. Newell is a board member of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and the Theatre Historical Society of America. He also sits on the advisory committee of the Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater.

Newell's numerous accolades include being inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Gold Circle in 2023 for his significant service to children's television. Additionally, he was presented with the 2019 NATAS Mid-Atlantic Board of Governors Award. Newell received his certification in Theater Arts from the Pittsburgh Playhouse and a B.A. degree in English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Nan.

Ellen Doherty is Chief Creative Officer for Fred Rogers Productions, overseeing the development and production of content for all platforms. She serves as executive producer for the company’s current series on PBS KIDS—Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad, Donkey Hodie, and Alma’s Way. She also developed Donkey Hodie and Alma’s Way and is the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the award-winning Through the Woods, a shortform series about nature also available on PBS KIDS. In 2023, Ellen was inducted into the inaugural cohort of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Silver Circle, which recognizes distinguished service within the industry for 25 years. In 2024, she was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s list of “The 50 Most Powerful Players in Kids Entertainment” for the second year and was also spotlighted in Variety’s 2022 Family Entertainment Impact Report as one of the year’s top content creators, producers, directors, and executives. In 2018, Ellen was nominated for a Primetime Emmy® Award for Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like, the retrospective tribute to the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

A Webby® and four-time Emmy® Award-winning producer and writer with more than 20 years’ experience in children's media, Ellen was previously executive producer and story editor of the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase. She oversaw production of television and digital content for the series for six seasons, including creating several shortform video series. Ellen began her career as an associate producer on the beloved PBS KIDS series Reading Rainbow. She has a B.A. in Communications from Boston College and will show you on her hand where she grew up in Michigan.

Haley Jenkins plays the title role of Donkey Hodie in Donkey Hodie. Her puppeteering can most recently be seen in the Sony Pictures film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. On television, Jenkins puppeteers Karli on Sesame Street as well as Marvie for Sesame Studios. Her puppetry can also be seen on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, America’s Got Talent, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and The Katie Couric Show, as well as in commercials for H&M, National Geographic, McDonalds, and Comedy Central. Jenkins has performed on stage in The Pee-wee Herman Show (Original Broadway Cast), John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean, and The Center for Puppetry Art’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Frankie Cordero plays Purple Panda in Donkey Hodie and also serves as one of the series’ puppet builders. He is deeply honored to be a part of this Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures production. He began working with Spiffy Pictures and Sesame Street during summers while majoring in puppetry at The University of Connecticut. Cordero has worked internationally as a puppeteer/builder, bringing countless characters to life in short films, music videos, national commercials, and TV shows. His work has appeared on Sesame Street as Rudi, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Tick, CSI: Las Vegas, It’s a Big, Big World, Julie’s Greenroom as Spike, Oobi as Papu, Frankie and Frank as Frankie, Jack’s Big Music Show, and Nature Cat. He has also trained puppeteers for international Sesame Street productions: Afghanistan’s Baghch-e-Simsim and Bangladesh's Sisimpur.

Cordero’s theater credits include performances at La MaMa ETC, Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, and The Metropolitan Opera, in which he was one of three principal puppeteers in Madama Butterfly, portraying the title character’s three-year-old son, Sorrow. He has also toured nationally and internationally with companies including Blair Thomas & Co, Hystopolis Productions, Phantom Limb Company, Walking with Dinosaurs, and Dramaton Theater, where he was a principal performer and co-Artistic Director. Cordero’s work was recognized by the 2002-2004 Jim Henson Memorial Prize in Puppetry while he was a student in The University of Connecticut's Puppet Arts Program and more recently with the 2015 Armstrong Vine Award in Comedy.

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