'Donkey Hodie' is replete with homages to 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'

A yellow donkey puppet looks at a green turtle puppet.

By Amy Amatangelo

Aug. 7, 2023 6 AM PT

Trolley and its distinctive dings are an “undeniable connection” between “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and “Donkey Hodie,” says the show’s production designer Justin Vandenberg. But Trolley isn’t the only familiar thing viewers will find in the series. “We have placed many Easter eggs throughout the show and we lean into and nod to the ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’” Vandenberg says.

From the beginning moments of the opening credits, which traverse over a miniature landscape just like in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” the series is chock-full of lovely homages to the groundbreaking and beloved children’s television series. Here’s a list of the show’s delightful Easter eggs.

The series is set in Someplace Else

A red train trolley rides through a cobblestone path that winds through green rolling hills.

In the March 11, 1968 episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Donkey Hodie visited the Neighborhood of Make-Believe with grand plans to build a windmill near the castle. When Donkey Hodie makes too much noise, King Friday XIII tells him to build his windmill Someplace Else. Donkey Hodie lives in a windmill just like the one her grandfather built all those years ago. (Literary fans will also remember the phrase “tilting at windmills” comes from the classic novel “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes.)

“[Mr. Rogers] created Someplace Else because it was a place where when you’re making a lot of noise and you are getting dirty and your parents say, ‘Will you take that someplace else?’ This is the place you can go to be who you are, be yourself and not worry about anything,” says David Rudman, a founder of Spiffy Pictures, which produces “Donkey Hodie.”

Turtle-Lou makes his debut

The second season will also see the debut of another legacy character: Turtle-Lou, the Speedy Delivery turtle, who will help make all the deliveries in Someplace Else. He’s based on Mr. McFeely, the character played by David Newell in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Mr. McFeely sang the “Speedy Delivery” song throughout the series. And like Mr. McFeely, Turtle-Lou dons a mustache and a cap and will sing his version of “Speedy Delivery” when he’s introduced in the third episode of the new season.

“Turtle-Lou came to Someplace Else to realize his big dream of opening a speedy delivery service and that is our conceit for Someplace Else,” says “Donkey Hodie” supervising producer Kristin DiQuollo. “It’s the place where everybody comes to pursue their big dreams and have a supportive community to help make their dreams happen.”

Frankie Cordero, who plays Purple Panda on the series, will also play Turtle-Lou. Cordero recalls that “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” provided his first glimpse into how TV was made. “I just loved how Mister Rogers would break down the fourth wall,” Cordero says. “I remember seeing an episode where he took out a trunk and showed each of the puppets from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.”

“Watching so many of those episodes as a kid meant having Mr. McFeely’s voice and rhythms in my head. I’ve always liked that old timey, snappy way of speaking,” Cordero says. He made sure to include things that were important in Newell’s portrayal like using the pointer finger and the phrase “speedy delivery” as an enthusiastic greeting.

“It’s something that’s almost too specific of a dream to ever dream up,” Cordero says of being part of the show.

Grampy Hodie is the original Donkey Hodie

Grampy Hodie, played by David Rudman, is the original Donkey Hodie first introduced in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” He even wears a sweater and has a porch and porch swing, just like Mister Rogers.

A framed picture of Fred Rogers with the original Donkey Hodie puppet hangs on the wall of the show’s Chicago-based studio. (“Donkey Hodie” films at the PBS affiliate station WTTW in Chicago, much like “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” filmed at the PBS affiliate WQED in Pittsburgh.)

“Lots of characters from the original neighborhood have been reimagined in ‘Donkey Hodie,’” DiQuollo says. Purple Panda, Bob Dog and Harriett Elizabeth Cow also all appeared in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Mister Rogers’ songs

Many of the songs from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” have been performed on “Donkey Hodie.” In a Season 1 episode, Donkey and Panda sing the beloved classic “You Are Special.” In a Halloween episode, Panda sings “I Like to Be Told” about wanting to know about any scary surprises. Rogers similarly sang this song about children wanting to be told the truth, perhaps a novel concept at the time, beginning with the show’s inaugural season. Other familiar songs include “You’ve Got to Do It,” “Today Is New” and “I Like to Take My Time.” “We only do it when it makes sense for the story,” says Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer of Fred Rogers Productions and executive producer of “Donkey Hodie.”

Other familiar objects on set

In the background and in other places on the set, some astute viewers will recognize familiar objects. “The art department also inserts many references from the old show,” says Cordero. “It’s pretty neat.”

Donkey Hodie has a toy Trolley and Museum-Go-Round in her bedroom. Her pet goldfish is named Rogers. She also has a traffic light and plaid couch in her living room, just like Mister Rogers.