I remember feeling frustration when I saw the 2005 documentary Haack: The King of Techno (about synth pioneer Bruce Haack) because only the briefest glimpse of the legendary synth pioneer’s 1968 appearance on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood made the final cut. The entire segment has since turned up on YouTube, and you can take it in via Dangerous Minds where you can also read more about Haack.

The Neighborhood Archive is a gathering place for “all things Mister Rogers” lovingly maintained by curator Tim, who adds to it regularly.

Five of my favorite discoveries:
1) If We Were All the Same, a storybook about Lady Elaine Fairchild discovering the Purple Planet.
2) The Matter of the Mittens, a 1973 storybook featuring Lady Elaine at her edgiest and King Friday ordering everyone to wear mittens in the middle of the summer.
3) A plastic trolley that plays “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” as it rolls around.
4) The Mr. Rogers record player (this page has a bonus link to the Mr. McFeeley Speedy Delivery documentary DVD).
5) The Johnny Costa Plays Mister Rogers Neighborhood piano jazz LP.

Five things that I’ll be recommending for Tim the curator to include:
1) Footage from synth legend Bruce Haack’s appearance on the show. [Update: The whole thing’s now on YouTube]
2) More stuff about Chef Brockett.
3) A mid-fifties appearance by Johnny Costa and “Handyman” Joe Negri on Ken Griffin’s 67 Melody Lane.
4) The floppy blue record Lady Aberlin gave me at the Valley Fair Mall in 1975.
5) A terrific 1998 Esquire article by Tom Junod called “Can You Say…Hero?“

In 1975 or so my mom took us to see Lady Aberlin and two purple pandas at the Valley Fair Mall in Granger, Utah. Happy memory. This record came with a gift bag that Lady Aberlin handed out to all the kids. Hear it as it now sounds. Confession: I’ve sung the “meow meow pretty” routine at 3:11 to more than a few cats.

Fred Rogers – “Around the Neighborhood: Puppet Voices”