PBS KIDS Greenlights Donkey Hodie Season Two

Donkey Hodie, a puppet series spin-off of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood from Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures, has been renewed for a second season by PBS KIDS.

The social-emotional learning series empowers young children to dream big and overcome obstacles by demonstrating skills such as resilience, persistence and problem-solving. Season two is expected to debut in spring 2023.

The new season will feature 25 half-hour episodes and two specials, and it will introduce new characters and locations. It will also feature new storylines, while still modeling and practicing empathy, perspective-taking, understanding, managing feelings and more.

“Woven into every lighthearted Donkey Hodie story is the central theme of resilience, which is an essential skill for children—and it’s one that can be learned,” said Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer at Fred Rogers Productions, who developed the show and serves as an executive producer. “Donkey and her pals model positivity and persistence through stories focusing on being flexible and adapting to change, cooperating with your friends, managing big feelings and more. Giving young children examples of how to overcome obstacles is especially important now, given the unique challenges of the last two years.”

“We are excited to tell more silly, surprising and endearing stories as we dive deeper into these beloved characters’ backstories and introduce kids and their families to some new neighbors and locales of the whimsical world of Someplace Else,” said Adam Rudman and David Rudman, co-founders of Spiffy Pictures, who created the show and serve as executive producers.

Sara DeWitt, senior VP and general manager of children’s media and education at PBS, added, “Since its premiere last year, Donkey Hodie has brought engaging stories full of fun, humor and important life lessons to kids across the country, helping them to see a world of possibilities. We couldn’t be happier to bring a second season of adventures from Donkey and her friends to PBS KIDS.”