This clip of Daniel Tiger and Lady Aberlin is from “Making Mistakes” week. Inspired by events that happened earlier in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Daniel is thinking about mistakes. He wonders if he is a mistake because he is tame and lives in a clock, unlike any other tigers he knows. He sings a song questioning if he is a mistake because he is so different. Lady Aberlin sings back to him that he is just fine as he is; he is a wonderful tiger and her best friend. Daniel and Lady Aberlin express their friendship and love through a duet.
This Neighborhood of Make-Believe segment was one of the most important to Fred Rogers. He often referenced it in his speeches and would show the clip to adult audiences he was speaking to.
Mister Rogers first sang this song in 1972 in an episode when he talked about history in general—and then his own history. This song might be particularly helpful for children who are dealing with a new baby in the family, or for children who are feeling like they are not big enough or old enough to do certain things.
Fred Rogers first sketched out the idea for this story in 1950. Josephine is a giraffe with a short neck who is desperate for her neck to grow so she will look like her parents and other giraffes. In 1989, Fred produced the story as an opera for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
The Fred Rogers Institute Archivist is available for requests and inquiries from students and researchers.
