Episode 0081
Air Date: June 10, 1968
Previous Episode: 0080
Next Episode: 0082
Purchase/Stream: Amazon
Mister Rogers has spent some time over the weekend responding to some letters from friends and takes a moment to finish the last letter. Waiting on the porch for the mailman to pass by, he sings You Are Special.
Mr. McFeely stops by and graciously agrees to mail the letter for Mister Rogers since the mailman has already passed by. Back inside, Picture Picture shows a film about what happens to a letter after it is dropped in a mailbox.
In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Reardon is delivering mail through the Neighborhood when he stops by the clock to talk with Daniel. He shares a letter from King Friday and Edgar Cooke who are enjoying their visit with Sara Saturday. Reardon agrees to stay in the Neighborhood for a few days to help out while King Friday and Edgar are away.
At the tree, Reardon has a letter for X the Owl who shares that he has been asked by Lady Elaine Fairchilde to help set up camp sites at the castle. It turns out that the letter is from Lady Elaine herself and communicates the same request.
Moving on, Reardon finds Lady Elaine setting up tents in the castle garden. She thinks a royal castle camp site would be of great interest to others as it would be the only one of its kind in the world. Reardon is not so sure that King Friday would agree -- let alone approve. Before leaving, Reardon delivers a box to Lady Elaine which turns out to be a Lady Elaine Fairchilde-in-the-box -- a jack-in-the-box type toy with a Lady Elaine puppet inside.
Back at the house, Mister Rogers talks about Lady Elaine and how sometimes people just like to play. He concludes by singing The Clown in Me and demonstrates a jack-in-the-box.
Notes
The address written on the outside of the Lady Elaine in-the-box is 15213 -- the zip code for Pittsburgh, PA.
The information seen on the mailbox where Mr. McFeely drops off the letter reveals it's location -- the corner of Beacon and Wightman in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill Neighborhood.
A look at Google Maps shows that while the mailbox is no longer in this location the surrounding landscape is still very much the same.
Appearing In This Episode
Songs
Images
Episode Credits
Produced by WQED - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for National Educational Television
Neighbors: David Newell, John Reardon
Film: Diana Dean, George Boyle
Musical Director: Johnny Costa
Producer: Fred Rogers
Director: David Fu-Ying Chen
Executive Producer: Paul K. Taff
Production funds for this series were provided by a grant from The Sears-Roebuck Foundation and a children's program fund established by N.E.T. affiliated stations.
© 1968 National Educational Television and Radio Center