BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 31 (UPI) -- The classic U.S. children's television "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" is getting a 21st Century overhaul, the Public Television System announced Sunday.
The "new animated multi-platform series" is called "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" and will debut in Autumn 2012 with a 4-year-old Daniel Tiger in the lead role.
"'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood' is based on the next generation of the original 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' characters," PBS said in a written statement issued at a TV critics conference in California. "All of the original characters have grown up and now have preschoolers of their own."
The news series was developed by The Fred Rogers Co. and stays true to the original "Mr. Rogers" strategies of developing social skills for kids and getting them ready to start their school careers.
Angela Santemoro, a veteran of children's TV and one of the executive producers of the new series, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the late Mr. Rogers won't be forgotten in the new series. Daniel Tiger will be seen putting on a pair of sneaker, which was a trademark of the old series' opening segment.
