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By My Neighbor / Nicest Neighbor Costume Kits (Yandy)

As Halloween 2019 approached, Yandy, a distrubutor of adult costumes, fed off the Neighborhood hype leading up to the release of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood by offering a costume marketed as the "Be My Neighbor Costume Kit." Two variations of the costume were sold -- both including two hand puppets (representing King Friday XIII and Daniel Striped Tiger) and a vinyl wig -- the more expensive variation also included a red sweater.

It wasn't long before Yandy made headlines by pushing the envelope with a female version of the costume marketed as the "Nicest Neighbor Costume." Included with this costume were a "red top with a V-neckline, long fitted sleeves, a white detachable collar with a black neck tie, and matching high waisted gray shorts with belt loops." The hand puppets and wig were not included.

The women's costume was promptly dubbed by the media the "sexy Mister Rogers costume" which, of course, ruffled the feathers of many who saw it. Social media was in an uproar over Yandy's decision to take one of America's most wholesome role models and reflect his image through a "sexy" costume. Meanwhile, Fred Rogers' own family felt less of a need to take offense. According to sources:

The late Fred Rogers' son, John, [says] ... his dad probably wouldn't have been upset or outraged at the costume, which he calls "silly" and "ridiculous." He says he thinks it's strange that someone would wanna dress as that for Halloween -- as the costume doesn't even slightly reflect Fred's real-life work and legacy -- but adds the Rogers' have a good sense of humor, and if dad was alive ... he'd get a chuckle out of it. [1]


References

  1. "Sexy Mister Rogers Costume No Big Deal For His Own Family..." TMZ.com (2019.09.24)

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