PBS KIDS Slates Donkey Hodie-Daniel Tiger Crossover

A special half-hour crossover episode of Donkey Hodie featuring Daniel Tiger from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is slated to premiere on August 11 on PBS KIDS.

Produced by Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures, the episode reimagines Daniel Tiger and Dad Tiger as puppets. They are voiced by the same actors from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, but Dad Tiger is puppeteered by Frankie Cordero and Daniel Tiger is puppeteered by Ryan Dillon, who is also behind Sesame Street’s Elmo.

In “Daniel Tiger Visits Someplace Else,” Grampy—who is the original Donkey Hodie from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood—invites his old friend, Dad Tiger, to come and help him fix his beloved clock. Dad Tiger brings along Daniel, who quickly becomes friends with Donkey Hodie.

The special features a new version of the Fred Rogers classic “Look and Listen.”

The Donkey Hodie special also features other elements from the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood universe. Grampy Hodie’s clock borrows features from the original Daniel Striped Tiger’s clock in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and from the Clock Factory in Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. The trolley rides through a tunnel to get to Someplace Else, just as it does in the original series and Daniel Tiger spin-off. Also, Dad Tiger’s toolbox looks the same in both Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and the new special.