Yes, I always noticed that. In fact, it always particularly hit me, since I was born in June 1979 (just before the "modern" series started on Aug. 20, 1979), and I graduated from college in the spring of 2001 (and then started grad school in September 2001), so the "modern" MRN series rougly coincided with the start and end of my childhood, and 9/11 also coincided with the end of my childhood. In fact, since my research assistantship (which was basically a full time job) started on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2001 (and officially it started Sept. 1, but that was a Saturday, and Sept. 3 was Labor Day, so it didn't really start until Sept. 4), August 31, 2001 (the day of the series finale) was basically the last non-holiday weekday of my childhood.
Another interesting coincidence: in Episode 1386 from the 1974 season (which would be the Monday episode of the last pre-79 week ever to air, during the week of Aug. 7-11, 1995), Fred shows his drivers license, and the expiration date was clearly shows as Aug. 31, but the year was illegible (presumably to avoid confusing kids when the episode reran), and, as I said, the series would end on Aug. 31, 2001, so that was, in a way, foreshadowing the end of the series 27 years later.
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sun_scryer
14 years ago
That is freaky. Shiver.
Kids are really missing out nowadays :( There are no Fred Rogers on television, but there is plenty of wack re-edited anime.
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ExplorerDS6789
9 years ago
Another interesting coincidence: in Episode 1386 from the 1974 season (which would be the Monday episode of the last pre-79 week ever to air, during the week of Aug. 7-11, 1995), Fred shows his drivers license, and the expiration date was clearly shows as Aug. 31, but the year was illegible (presumably to avoid confusing kids when the episode reran), and, as I said, the series would end on Aug. 31, 2001, so that was, in a way, foreshadowing the end of the series 27 years later.
Good observation! The driver's license was clearly a prop, and not Fred Rogers' actual license, because the address on it is that of Family Communications, Inc. A license usually expires on the person's birthday, so it should've read March 28. Which means that date was made up. Very ironic indeed.
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pioneergrrrl (2412)
7 years ago
I'm within your same time period---it's like how the Kennedy assassination took away the innocence of my dad's childhood.
I bet social...etc scientists somewhere could write a really interesting book on connection between 9/11 and ending of Mr Rogers/our generation's innocence.
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