Courtesy: PBS/PBS Distribution
Late this past July, PBS Distribution released a brand new collection of episodes from the timeless, beloved PBS series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Released July 16, Would You Be Mine Collection is the second official collection of episodes from the series to be released by PBS Distribution, its predecessor It’s A Beautiful Day Collection having been released last year. This latest collection is another wonderful presentation from what is one of the greatest programs in the modern history of television. That statement is supported in part through the collection’s episodes and their content. This will be addressed shortly. The four-disc box set’s packaging proves to be just as important to the collection’s presentation as its primary content and will be addressed a little later. The set’s bonus content rounds out its most important elements, and will also be addressed later. Each item addressed here is important in its own way to the whole of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: Would You Be Mine Collection. All things considered, they make this collection one that every family will want to make theirs.
PBS Distribution’s recently released Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood box set Would You Be Mine Collection is another impressive presentation from a series that is one of the greatest programs in the modern history of television. That is proven in part through the collection’s primary content. The primary content is made up of 30 more episodes lifted from the series’ years-long run. The episodes are pulled from as far back as 1979 and as recent as 2000. The set opens fittingly with the episode “Mr. Rogers Rides The School Bus.” Considering that the set was released in late July, just ahead of the start of the new school year, it is a great way to start the set and start getting. A little deeper into the set, Mr. Rogers tackles the subject of the different kinds of families that exist in the Disc Two episode, “Mr. Rogers Talks About Families.” Even farther into the set, audiences are presented with one of the series’ heaviest episodes in “Mr. Rogers Talks About Mistakes.” The episode finds Daniel Tiger asking if he was a mistake at one point because there is no one else like him. This is a huge deal that so many parents have to tackle, as well as children. The episode also focuses on the less deep matter of making mistakes in general in life, and explaining that mistakes happen, that it is natural. The whole thing closes with Mr. Rogers showing a tape of how erasers are made. This is important because while he does not just come out and say it, the focus on erasers serves as a starting point on talks about how mistakes can be “erased” whether they be on paper or in real life. It’s too bad he did not get to start that talk, but it is there. This is just the start of how much the set’s content has to offer audiences of all ages. Mister Rogers also tackles issues, such as pollution and ecology, dealing with negative emotions and even the arts in this set’s episodes. Between all of this and much more, the primary content featured in this set offers audiences of all ages plenty to appreciate. It is just one part of what makes the set so enjoyable. The set’s packaging adds to its appeal.
The packaging of this latest collection is right in line with its predecessor. It features a brief synopsis of each of the featured episodes as well as the exact episode number. The episode summary makes it easier for viewers to choose which episode(s) they want to watch. This is an aesthetic element, but truly important in its own right. The less time viewers have to spend choosing a favorite episode, the sooner they can enjoy the set’s episodes, so kudos to those responsible for this addition. The specific episode number might not seem important, but in fact is very important in that Mister Rogers tackled many of the same topics many times over throughout the course of his show. At the same time, he tackled the topics in many different ways throughout that run. The discs are placed on either side of two plates inside the case, protecting each from scratching, and at the same time, assuring the case itself is not a bulky package. That means that the case saves space on DVD racks and shelves. So herein is another positive in the set’s packaging. All of these positives taken into consideration make clear why the packaging of this set is just as important to its whole as the set’s primary content. When the two elements are examined together, they show even more clearly why the collection is another appealing offering from PBS Distribution. They are not the set’s only positives. Its bonus content rounds out its most important elements.
The bonus content featured with Would You Be Mine Collection is an extra episode that is also perhaps one of the most famous and beloved of the series’ run – “Mister Rogers Talks About Competition.” It is within this episode that audiences are taken into a factory and learn how crayons are made. The segment is a subtle starting point on a discussion on crayons’ different colors and how they come together to make a beautiful whole. The crayons are a metaphor for humans and the different colors of everyone’s skin. This is genius and is just as relevant today as it was in its original broadcast. He also uses this episode as the basis for a discussion about the importance of doing instead of just winning. This is an all-too-important lesson considering how competitive so many parents can and do get when they put their children into competitive sports. Stories have run on the news quite a bit even now in the 21st Century, about parents who are so overly competitive with their kids’ sports that they interject themselves into their children’s sporting events in violent fashion. Keeping that in mind, this lesson is one from which viewers of all ages can take a certain amount of insight and knowledge. He also takes a moment to remind his young viewers that they are special because they are not like anyone else. This echoes the sentiment in the episode noted here about mistakes. No one is a mistake, and we are all special. These lessons, reiterated by Mister Rogers, make this collection that much more special. When all of this is considered, it shows why the famed “Crayon Factory” episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood is such an important presentation. When the importance of this bonus is considered with the impact of the collection’s primary content and its packaging, all three elements join to make the collection in whole another presentation that every family in America will want to make theirs.
Mister Rogers Neighborhood: Would You Be Mine Collection is another positive presentation from PBS Distribution. It is more proof that while Fred Rogers might not have been Catholic or performed physical miracles, he did perform miracles in making this world and its people better, and in turn deserves sainthood. This collection also serves as another reminder of why television needs more of this and less of the crime and drama that makes up so much programming today. These statements are all supported through the set’s primary content and its packaging. The bonus content that is featured with the set rounds out its most important elements. All things considered, they make this collection another that every family in America will want to make theirs. It is available now. More information about this collection is available online now along with lots of printables, activities and more at:
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