# What did Mister Rogers do for a living? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570 "2003-08-12T03:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/1 "2003-08-12T03:20:55Z")
Not in real life, on the show. In real life, Fred Rogers was a minister in addition to his children’s show. But on the show itself, what did he do? At the beginning of each episode, he’d come into his house, singing “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,” and he’d change into his sneakers from his work shoes. So he was obviously coming from somewhere where he needed to dress up. Was he a minister on the show, too? And it wasn’t very obvious? ---
**Author:** ![Hauky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@Hauky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hauky)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/2 "2003-08-12T03:37:15Z")
WAG: I always figured he was just being a typical coming-home-from-work father figure from the '50s. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/3 "2003-08-12T03:39:49Z")
I always assumed it was a show about a retired guy sitting around his house all day. For kids. Getting the mail, feeding the fish, practicing penmanship. I was amazed that it worked so well, but it did. 🙂 ---
**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:** [August 12, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/4 "2003-08-12T03:39:51Z")
I thought we were supposed to know that wasn’t his real house, considering he talked about his sons and his wife and they weren’t there, and he was coming to his hangout house to hang out with us. ---
**Author:** ![BrianS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c6cbf5/32.png) [@BrianS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianS)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/5 "2003-08-12T03:42:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hauky \* > \*\*WAG: I always figured he was just being a typical coming-home-from-work father figure from the '50s. \*\* Yep, me too. I never thought about it too much. ---
**Author:** ![Tradnor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@Tradnor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tradnor)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/6 "2003-08-12T04:05:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ZipperJJ \* > \*\*I thought we were supposed to know that wasn’t his real house, considering he talked about his sons and his wife and they weren’t there, and he was coming to his hangout house to hang out with us. \*\* This was always my interpretation as well, especially considering that at the end of each show he changes back into his other clothes/shoes and leaves (presumably to go home to his real house). ---
**Author:** ![BrianS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c6cbf5/32.png) [@BrianS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianS)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/7 "2003-08-12T04:36:56Z")
Maybe Mr. Rogers just had a really bitchin’ tree house. ---
**Author:** ![hammerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hammerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammerbach)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/8 "2003-08-12T05:12:22Z")
It wasn’t about going to his house, it was about going to a neutral place without the kid’s grownups around making demands. How better for a kid to get dependable one-on-one time with a grownup who understood, cared, and knew how to speak to kids? That’s what Mr. Rogers did. So, ridiculed though he may have been, my hat’s off and glass lifted to the memory of Fred Rogers. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/9 "2003-08-12T11:49:23Z")
Yeah, but he got changed as soon as he got there. If it wasn’t his house, he would have gotten changed before coming over. He was obviously coming home _from_ somewhere - but where? ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/10 "2003-08-12T11:56:21Z")
pimpin’ and dealin’ ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/11 "2003-08-12T12:44:53Z")
According to _Captain Kangaroo_, a definitive source if ever there was one, Freddy was **king**. > [@](#): > > “Fred did what he knew needed to be done in his sphere of influence. He had his own kingdom.” ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/12 "2003-08-12T12:47:38Z")
Crap on a stick - should this be in CS? It’s a GQ about a CS topic. Maybe it should be moved PDQ and ASAP, SVP? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/13 "2003-08-12T12:51:00Z")
I reckon he spent all day hanging around by the 7-11, dancing for nickels. ---
**Author:** ![bubbrrr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@bubbrrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubbrrr)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/14 "2003-08-12T12:51:52Z")
Catholic Priest??? ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/15 "2003-08-12T12:53:10Z")
Maybe he was a ninja warrior. At the end of a long day fighting evil overlords, he might need to kick back in the Land of Make-Believe for a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/16 "2003-08-12T13:04:46Z")
I assumed that he was a hitman for the CIA, after his stint as a [sniper](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp) in Vietnam. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/17 "2003-08-12T13:52:21Z")
He was not only the Host of the show but he played voice characters with the puppets. I know he was the king but I can’t remember who else he played. He was a great guy and will be missed. ---
**Author:** ![dead0man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/18 "2003-08-12T13:55:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ZipperJJ \* > \*\*I thought we were supposed to know that wasn’t his real house, considering he talked about his sons and his wife and they weren’t there, and he was coming to his hangout house to hang out with us. \*\* This is also what I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/19 "2003-08-12T14:54:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Isabelle \* > He was not only the Host of the show but he played voice characters with the puppets. I know he was the king but I can’t remember who else he played. Hmm, I thought he played all the puppets. All the ones I can think of sounded like him, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570/20 "2003-08-12T15:26:14Z")
I was always under the impression that we were to believe him to be a real estate mogul, as it was _his_ neighborhood, after all. I figured he had a set of shoes and a sweater hanging inside the closet of every house on the block. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mister-rogers-do-for-a-living/194570.md?page=2)