The Real Origins Of Mr. Rogers' Daniel Striped Tiger

As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette details, during Fred Rogers' early days in television, he collaborated with Josie Carey, the host of The Children's Corner which aired on WQED. Reminiscing on their creative run together, Rogers and Carey told WQED that when putting the Children's Corner together, they intended to have a bird puppet pop out of a clock to dispense facts. Due to time constraints, they never procured a bird but they did have a tiger puppet.

Rogers and Cary received the puppet as a present from WQED's general manager, Dorothy Daniel, and the duo named the tiger Daniel in her honor. As a staple of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Daniel would tap into the uncertainty and insecurity that so many children feel growing up, but in a way, Daniel was Rogers' inner child. Rogers used his many puppets to reflect facets of his own life and personality, and according to his widow, Joanne, "Daniel was the real Fred."

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