The Neighborhood is filled with people and puppets that children have come to know and love. Each has a distinctive personality and unique ways in which they contribute to the community.

The stories in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe portray common concerns of young children and a range of feelings that young children experience -- anger, fear, envy, joy and pride. They illustrate how people can work together and support each other, sharing their feelings with one another and modeling prosocial behavior. While the puppet characters have identifiable personalities, they, like all of us, have the capacity for growing.

The following are descriptions of some of the better-known characters:

Puppet characters

The Royal Family: King Friday XIII, Queen Sara, and Prince Tuesday experience many of the same typical situations that occur between all parents and children. Some of those situations have to do with celebrations, pride, and joy. Others are more challenging, such as dealing with rules, with parents going to work, with angry feelings, with misinterpreting what someone has said. As children watch those scenarios play out, they can appreciate the good feelings that nurturing, caring, and belonging means in families. They can also come to understand that their own feelings and concerns are a natural part of family relationships, and that people can find positive ways to deal with the challenges of family life.

King Friday XIII: As the ruler of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, King Friday XIII represents a child-like view of authority figures as people who are caring, but often unreasonably demanding. Viewing children see the inhabitants of his kingdom deal with his commands in a variety of ways, sometimes finding creative ways to compromise, sometimes finding thoughtful ways to persuade him to change his commands. Through these stories children learn to manage with adults and peers in their own lives who are demanding.

Queen Sara Saturday: Queen Sara's ways of dealing with situations show children the powerful effect of affirmation, unconditional love, and thoughtful understanding. Children can see that her kind and wise tone soothes her husband, King Friday XIII, and her son, Prince Tuesday, and the whole kingdom. She also represents a caring mother and wife who is a responsible citizen of the world in her work on the international task force called "Food for the World" -- which adds the dimension of helping children deal with a mother who's away at work or busy with concerns outside the family.

Prince Tuesday: As a curious, friendly kindergarten-aged boy, Prince Tuesday runs into some of the same situations with his family and peers as many of the viewers. His explorations sometimes get him into trouble. He's easily persuaded to join with friends in situations that his parents may not approve. Because his father doesn't understand much about the needs of young children, he often makes preposterous demands. Although that sometimes frustrates him, Prince Tuesday is respectful and finds ways of helping his father learn some important things about childhood. Watching how he handles typical family and peer experiences, viewers can work through some of their own feelings in positive ways.

Daniel Striped Tiger: A favorite of many, Daniel Striped Tiger represents the shy, gentle, and tame side of children. Although he is generally timid, with support of his good friends, he finds that he is indeed brave. Seeing that he can handle things he wasn't sure of lets viewers know that they can find the confidence to grow as well.

Henrietta Pussycat: Henrietta Pussycat is a loveable and feminine character. Many young children relate to her, partly because of her gentleness, but also because her speech is similar to theirs. She says only a few words, using "meow" to express many of her thoughts, and young children who are just learning to speak communicate in primitive ways, too. As their language ability develops, many children delight in playing with sounds and words, similar to her "meow" talk. Her speech can also be an intellectual exercise for children as they find that they really can figure out what she's saying from the context of the conversation. Her friendship with her tree neighbor, X the Owl, can help children find ways to understand and deal with the ups and downs of their own friendships.

X the Owl: X the Owl brings an older school-aged child's perspective to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. He's like the children who are eager to learn about all sorts of things in the world, and his lessons come through the Owl Correspondence School. His happy-go-lucky personality sometimes creates conflicts with that of his neighbor and good friend, Henrietta Pussycat. As their caring friends help them work through their differences, children can see that even good friends can sometimes disagree -- and still be friends.

Lady Elaine Fairchilde: As the feistiest character in Make-Believe, Lady Elaine Fairchilde often creates trouble and gets into mischief. In spite of her odd looks and often difficult personality, she has strengths that the others don't have: she adds a refreshing sense of humor, and she's the one who speaks up and lets King Friday know when he's being unreasonable. Even though the neighbors at times find her exasperating, they treat her with respect, giving children a clear message that everyone is a valuable member of the Neighborhood.

"Neighbors"

Lady Aberlin: Niece of King Friday XIII, Lady Aberlin models the kinds of support children need from a caring adult. She enjoys celebrating with the characters in Make-Believe when they're happy and proud. She's also sensitive to their needs and feelings. Watching her help them talk about their feelings when they're upset can let children know how helpful it can be to talk about their concerns... and shows adults how powerful that kind of support can be.

Mr. McFeely: Mr. McFeely is the grandfatherly figure who runs the Speedy Delivery Messenger Service. Because he wants to be "speedy" with his deliveries, he's often too busy to spend much time for a visit, allowing Mister Rogers to talk about feelings children might have about adults in their own lives whose work occupies their time. Through his deliveries, especially the factory videos, Mr. McFeely is also someone who opens the door for children to learn all sorts of fascinating things in the world.

Mayor Maggie: Maggie Stewart not only adds diversity to the neighborhood as an African-American woman, she also makes the Neighborhood program more accessible for children who have hearing impairments because of her expertise as a sign language interpreter. Known as "Mayor Maggie" in Make-Believe, she presides over the neighboring community of Westwood, often visiting King Friday and his kingdom to share ideas or projects.

Neighbor Aber: As a good friend of Mister Rogers, Chuck Aber stops by the television house to share his many interests, from classic cars to rollerblading to heavy equipment. In Make-Believe, he plays the role of "Assistant Mayor" to Mayor Maggie, representing a working relationship that crosses genders. As a frequent visitor to Make-Believe, he's a male friend who is caring and thoughtful, and comfortable talking -- and singing -- about all kinds of feelings with the puppet characters and other neighbors.

Handyman Negri: As an accomplished guitarist, Joe Negri is the owner of "Negri's Music Shop" in Mister Rogers' real Neighborhood. In the rehearsal room next to his music shop, viewers are introduced to a wide variety of musicians. In Make-Believe, he is the royal handyman, available to help with repairs around the kingdom. As a friend for the puppet characters and other neighbors, he's always there to lend a caring ear, a helping hand, and sometimes a song on his guitar.