Project 143 is an Entertainment Technology Center initiative to celebrate the 50th anniversary of PBS children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood by honoring the legacy of the friendly neighbor who started it all: Fred Rogers. Over the course of a semester, we will be working with the Fred Rogers Center in Mister Rogers’ hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania to construct an interactive experience exploring the giving-centric ethos of the man behind the iconic red sweater. Simultaneously, we aim for this experience to reflect the values Fred strived to embody through every fibre of his work: unwavering acceptance, gentle honesty, and fearless authenticity. Above all, we hope that this project will help the Fred Rogers Center continue where Fred left off, lovingly cultivating the ideals he stood for in fans both old and longstanding, young and brand-new.
Specifically, Project 143 is aiming to highlight a few of the major themes Fred sought to teach in both his professional and personal lives: outward and healthy shows of emotion and appreciation. Operating under his assumption that everyone has had someone in his or her life that has “smiled them into smiling, talked them into talking, sung them into singing, and loved them into loving”, we are working to develop an experience where guests are encouraged to think about the special people in their lives and to express their appreciation and allow it to be shared in the space around them through projectors. With both digital and physical components, hopefully this experience will empower people to follow in Fred’s footsteps and continue to show appreciation to those in their lives that deserve it long after they leave the Fred Rogers Center.