Tuesday, September 19, 2023 -- The Reading Public Museum is proud to present Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: A Grr-ific Exhibit®. This new exhibit brings to life the themes presented in the award-winning PBS Kids television series created by The Fred Rogers Productions that follows the adventures of 4-year-old Daniel Tiger and his friends. This exhibit will be open from September 30, 2023 to January 14, 2024 on The Museum’s first floor.
The exhibit, created by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in partnership with Fred Rogers Productions, brings to life the themes presented in the PBS series such as community, communication, and emotions, which enables young children to understand their feelings and those of their neighbors. Visitors can walk the paths and hear the sounds of Daniel’s world as they encounter the meaning of empathy, gratitude, sharing, and diversity in an environment of creative and interactive play. Through music, kids can sing along with Daniel, work together to solve problems, and even experience the contagious nature of kindness.
“Daniel speaks directly to children, and he is their age,” notes Paul Siefken, President and Chief Executive Officer with The Fred Rogers Company. “Because of that, they see him as their friend, and he goes through a lot of the challenges that they face, whether it’s dealing with mad feelings or learning how to share.”
Along with the emotional lessons gleaned in the Neighborhood, visitors can transform into a favorite character with masks and costumes, compose a song or play along with one-of-a-kind instruments, and visit the Post Office and sort, deliver and receive packages and letters. Families can create stories through the Movable Character Mural, step inside the Clock Factory to play with a variety of clocks, and help identify spots on the Neighborhood map. Children can write or draw thank-you notes and put them on the Thank You Tree, cozy up with a good book in O the Owl’s Reading Nest, and stroll with a Trolley along the path, ringing the bell upon arrival!
To welcome Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood®: A Grr-ific Exhibit, The Museum will host a special members-only preview. During this early access, visitors will explore the exhibit and take home a fun craft. Immediately following the preview, enjoy brunch at The Neag Planetarium catered by Kathryn’s Katering. Families will have the opportunity to meet and have their picture taken with Daniel Tiger at the brunch! This morning is sure to be a blast for all ages! Members can register for this event on The Museum’s website.
The Reading Public Museum is supported in part by grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and is located at 500 Museum Road, Reading, PA. Admission per day is: $10 adults (18-64), $6 children/seniors/college students (w/ID), and free to Members and children three years old and under. The Museum is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit Online: www.readingpublicmuseum.org
About Reading Public Museum
In the decades that followed, The Museum developed a world-class collection of more than 300,000 objects, including art, antiquities, and scientific and cultural artifacts from around the globe. Thanks to RPM’s sponsors and generous community support, the collection continues to grow and diversify. Have you ever wanted to be face-to-face with an ancient Egyptian mummy or among dinosaur bones from millions of years ago? Maybe you’re more interested in original works by artists including Degas, Rodin, and Warhol. Perhaps you’d like to investigate mysterious Mayan treasures, American Indian artifacts, or one of the traveling exhibits The Museum hosts each year? There’s something for everyone to enjoy at RPM!
About Children’s Museum Pittsburgh
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is a place that provides innovative and inclusive museum experiences that inspire kindness, joy, creativity and curiosity for all learners. Our imaginative, open-ended exhibits and programs give families the opportunity to explore topics like art, making and social-emotional learning in ways that are authentic, meaningful, and most of all, fun! The museum is open every day, from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm.
About Fred Rogers Productions
Fred Rogers Productions was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the non-profit producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for PBS. In the years that followed, it created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program and extended Fred’s values and approach to other efforts in promoting children’s social, emotional, and behavioral health while supporting parents, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals in their work with children. Fred Rogers Productions continues to build on Fred’s legacy in innovative ways through a wide variety of media and engages new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom. The company’s highly-rated children’s series, including Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Peg + Cat, Odd Squad, and Through the Woods, have earned 30 Emmy® Awards among other important honors. Newly launched in 2021 on PBS KIDS is Donkey Hodie, the innovative puppet series inspired by characters from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; and most recently Alma’s Way, an animated series created by Sonia Manzano, known to generations of children and adults as “Maria” on Sesame Street. For more information, visit www.fredrogers.org
