# Mr. Rogers' Tattoos **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937 "2012-02-06T04:37:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/1 "2012-02-06T04:37:08Z")
This weekend I was at a get-together and someone said “Mr. Rogers always wears long sleeves because he was a sniper in the military and his arms are covered in tattoos.” I said “That is absolute bullshit. I’ve never even heard that. I’ve read a lot about him and I don’t even think he was in the military.” “No it’s true. It’s one of those ‘Known Things’” (to which TWO other people said “Yeah, it is”) “[Oh like Dr. Ruth being a sniper?](http://www.snopes.com/medical/doctor/drruth.asp)” “Ha ha yeah right!” So now I’m all crabby because I wasn’t able to [disprove them right away](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp), nor prove the thing about Dr. Ruth. No smartphone for me! And if I go posting links to Snopes on their Facebook pages I’ll look like a total bitch. So make me feel better - have you heard the Mr. Rogers tattoo myth and did you think it was real? ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/2 "2012-02-06T04:41:50Z")
I’ve heard that he was a sniper and know that it’s fake never heard of tattoos ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/3 "2012-02-06T05:48:16Z")
I “heard it” but “heard it” via clicking random myths on Snopes. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/4 "2012-02-06T06:26:09Z")
Another vote for “first heard of it when I read on Snopes that it wasn’t true.” ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/5 "2012-02-06T08:34:13Z")
I know that anecdotes aren’t data, but a commenter on [this site](http://www.factropolis.com/2006/11/fred-rogers-better-known-as-mister.html) claims to have met Mr. Rogers in person. They say he was wearing short sleeves and there were no tattoos in sight. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/6 "2012-02-06T09:05:26Z")
No idea what you are talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/7 "2012-02-06T10:23:09Z")
You left off the “I’ve heard of it and it’s utter BS” poll choice. I’ve heard this before, and read the Snopes. I’ve met Mr. Rogers in person (when I was a child in the hospital) but I don’t remember what he wore, so that means nothing. Heck, didn’t he roll up his sleeves from time to time when he was getting into something messy? It’s been almost 40 years so I don’t have encyclopedic knowledge of the show, but I recall that vaguely. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/8 "2012-02-06T11:14:35Z")
Heard sniper. Never heard tattoos. Besides, his Vietnam service record is still Classified for national security reasons, and was so traumatic that he became a minister upon his return to the US. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/9 "2012-02-06T12:07:08Z")
According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers), he was ordained in 1963, and never served in the military. [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp) agrees. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-rogers-tattoos/611937/10 "2012-02-07T01:52:38Z")
Read [Rotten’s page about him.](http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/misc/fred-rogers/) They routinely list any & every salacious rumor possible about every celebrity, and yet they freely admit that the man had not a hint of anything even remotely scandalous…