The show began in 1962 as "Misterogers," a 15 minute program on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. (Ernie Coombs, a.k.a Mister Dressup, got his start as a puppeteer on "Misterogers.")
The first broadcast of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" was on the National Educational Television network on February 19, 1968. The following year it moved to NET's successor, PBS. The last set of new episodes began airing in August 2001. Reruns continue to be broadcast on many PBS stations.
The show was characterized by its simplicity and calmness. Episodes had no real plot, and instead consisted of Fred Rogers speaking directly to children about various issues, taking them on tours of factories, demonstrating experiments and crafts, and interacting with his friends. The half-hour episodes were punctuated by a puppet segment chronicling the adventures of the inhabitants of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
Characters on the show include Mr. McFeely, Betty Aberlin, Chef Brockett, and Bob Trow.