The Story Behind Mister Rogers' Habit Of 'Announcing' When He Was Feeding The Fish

Looking back on old television programs, ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ is one of those shows that people always think of with warm sentiments. And you may remember that Mister Rogers would make a point to announce when he was feeding the fish on his show. The real reason behind that is heartwarming.

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In 1996, the book ‘Dear Mr. Rogers, Does It Ever Rain in Your Neighborhood?’ was published. It contained a large collection of children’s letters written to Mister Rogers. In his book, the TV personality notes:

“One girl and her family wrote to tell us there was a special reason why she wanted me to talk about feeding the fish each day. 

‘Dear Mister Rogers, 

Please say when you are feeding your fish, because I worry about them. I can’t see if you are feeding them, so please say you are feeding them out loud. 

Katie, age 5 (Father’s note: Katie is blind, and she does cry if you don’t say that you have fed the fish.)’”

Reason Why Mister Rogers Said When He Was Feeding The Fish

In response to Katie’s letter, Mister Rogers began to mention whenever he was feeding the fish. That way, the sweet, visually-disabled girl would know and not worry.

"I need to feed the fish right away," Mister Rogers says in one of his episodes. "I have some friends who get very concerned when I forget the fish during our visits."

He goes on to reassure his audience. "I just wanted you to know that even if I forget to feed them when we're together, I come back later and feed them, so they're always taken care of. It's good to know that fish and animals and children are taken care of by those who can, isn't it?"

Thank you, Mister Rogers, for always teaching us how to be a kind and compassionate neighbor!

WATCH: Mister Rogers Feeds His Fish

h/t: Upworthy

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