Mission Yearbook: Before ‘Mister Rogers’ was ‘The Children’s Corner’ with Josie Carey

"The Quiet Success of Fred Rogers," Robert Bianco,
The Pittsburgh Press Sunday Magazine, 1989; from
the archives of the Presbyterian Historical Society.

When Fred Rogers met Josie Carey at the brand-new Pittsburgh public television station WQED, he likely had no idea of the extent to which their collaboration would shape his career. 

At the vanguard of children’s educational television, the two developed content that would shape many elements of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” from singing puppets to moral messages of kindness. 

Josephine V. Franz was born in Pittsburgh on Aug. 20, 1930. Raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, by her mother and grandmother, Josie’s was a childhood filled with joy. She took singing, dancing, and piano lessons and loved to “play show” for whoever would watch. 

Despite her idyllic upbringing in Butler, Josie dreamed of moving to Pittsburgh. So, she learned to type and got a job with a Pittsburgh advertising agency in her early 20s. 

Josie spent evenings acting at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. It was here in 1953 that she was “discovered” by WQED manager Dorothy Daniel.

When WQED hit the air in April 1954, it did so as the first fully community-funded public television station in the country. It was here that Josie would connect with Fred Rogers, and once the two learned that they both had an interest in children’s television, they decided to work together. “We learned right on television how to do television,” Josie said of the period.

Running from 1954 to 1961, Josie and Fred’s program “The Children’s Corner” was one of the first programs to air on the station. Fred and Josie wrote and acted the entire show, which ran for an hour each weekday, and the two had almost unlimited creative freedom. Aimed at children ages 8–12, the show was a pioneer that set the standard for future children’s educational television.

Episodes of “The Children’s Corner” consisted of songs, gags, guests and, especially, Fred’s puppets. Much of the show saw Josie chatting the puppets, many of whom would go on to appear in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood." These dynamic conversations were entirely improvised. “Josie would talk to Daniel as if he was the only person in the room,” Fred said of her interactions with Daniel Tiger. “It was magical how they would converse.”

Josie and Fred used the show to interact with children across the region. Kids would write in to share their birthdays and would tune in to hear the puppet King Friday XIII sing “Happy Birthday” on air. Children could also be part of a club in which they “earned stripes.”

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/embed/adNaBEtbrnA

One day, they invited all the kids who had earned four stripes to Daniel Tiger’s birthday. They expected to see a handful of kids, but instead, children lined up around the block. Josie led the kids in a song in French that they had learned to earn a stripe and every one of them sang it perfectly. Josie declared it one of the most exciting moments in her career.

“The Children’s Corner” was so successful that soon NBC called. Josie and Fred started traveling to New York for Saturday-morning episodes. In the first several weeks, the network received 138,000 letters about the show, breaking a record. 

It was during his time on “The Children’s Corner” that Fred enrolled at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and began studying to become a Presbyterian minister. The show itself was not explicitly religious. “We didn’t try to tell the children what religion to follow or that they should go to church or anything like that,” Josie said of the messaging. Rather, Christianity was primarily expressed through song. Josie performed “Good Night, God” and “Good Morning, God” every week. Both Josie and Fred heard from families that their children sang the former every night before bed. Josie stated, “I always felt that God really did have a hand in what was happening to us.”

Though lesser known than “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood," “The Children’s Corner” carried immense meaning for its fans. Josie would later receive letters from people telling her she shaped their careers. Musicians, teachers and even a professor of French were inspired by the whimsy of “The Children’s Corner” and its surprisingly robust educational content. Of her legacy, Josie stated, “I’d like to be remembered as someone who brought a little light into the world.” 

Olivia Cacchione, Presbyterian Historical Society (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Charles Baker, Production Clerk, Presbyterian Distribution Service, Administrative Services Group
Kristine Baker, Associate for Risk Management, Administrative Services Group

Let us pray:

God of all Creation, we thank you for all the ways you shelter and encourage us during the storms of life. As we seek to restore what has been broken in our world, restore us in faith and purpose. Help us to be your hands and feet and to witness to the love you give us through your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.