Crossover special with ‘Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood’ animated characters reimagined as puppets will join the new season’s episodes, all coming in 2025.
PBS Kids has greenlit Season 3 of the Emmy-nominated series Donkey Hodie, a popular puppetry series produced by Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures. The show, which launched in 2021, builds on the kids’ television pioneer Fred Rogers’ legacy with reimagined characters from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The new season debuts in 2025.
Season 3 of Donkey Hodie promises fans more “hee-hawesome” adventures in Someplace Else led by Donkey Hodie and her friends Purple Panda, Duck Duck, and Bob Dog. The show will continue to highlight themes of resilience, perseverance, and problem-solving with fresh and fun stories that explore emotional well-being, building confidence in girls, and belonging. New interactive games and short-form digital content, including ten original music videos, will accompany the new season's episodes.
The announcement follows Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Season 7 premiere, the first spinoff series inspired by Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood from Fred Rogers Productions. The two series will come together in a Donkey Hodie Season 3 special with Daniel Tiger and Dad Tiger reimagined as puppets climbing aboard Trolley from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to visit Donkey Hodie and her pals in Someplace Else. The collaboration brings Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’s animated characters to life in the live-action Donkey Hodie.
“Both Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Donkey Hodie are inspired by the creativity and imagination of Fred Rogers and the world of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, where the characters of Daniel Striped Tiger and Donkey Hodie were first introduced,” said Fred Rogers Productions chief creative officer Ellen Doherty. “There is a natural connection between the series through both the learning goals that drive them and the legacy that led to them, and we are thrilled to continue to tell stories of empathy, resilience, and friendship.”
“We are eager for kids and families to see what we have coming up for Season 3, including our crossover episode,” said Spiffy Pictures co-founder and series co-creator and executive producer David Rudman. “It’s been a fun and exciting process to design these beloved characters as puppets who stylistically fit into the world of Donkey Hodie while staying true to the animated versions we all know and love from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.”
“Fred Rogers’ timeless lessons are core to what we do at PBS Kids,” added PBS Kids senior vice president and general manager Sara DeWitt. “We’re excited for a new season of Donkey Hodie, and for the special treat of seeing Daniel Tiger and Donkey Hodie together!”
Set in the whimsical land of Someplace Else, Donkey Hodie seeks to empower children, ages 3-5, to dream big and overcome obstacles in their own lives, work hard and persevere in the face of failure, be resourceful and discover they can solve problems on their own—and laugh themselves silly along the way.
Source: PBS Kids
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
