Fred Rogers Productions’ Katie Huber on recent highlights – and working with first-time licensees

Katie, it’s great to catch up. When we spoke at Licensing Expo, you were wearing some of the terrific Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood range from Todd Snyder and Sperry. How did that collaboration come about?
When I started with Fred Rogers Productions back in 2024, I made a list of the quintessential product collabs to bring to fans of our brands, which included the iconic sneakers and sweater from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Then about a year ago, a team member from Sperry had reached out to share that they had started to see an emerging trend for their CVO sneaker – which is the style sneaker that Mister Rogers so iconically wore. It was an organic collaboration that came from their team seeing an opportunity to recreate this sneaker style and celebrate Mister Rogers and his style in collaboration with Todd Snyder.

And Todd Snyder works with Sperry a lot?
Yes, their teams have done several collaborations. Todd Snyder is a men’s apparel brand here in the States. They have several brick-and-mortar locations in key cities, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Nashville, and Boston. They were really leading the charge from a creative standpoint around the aesthetic for the sneaker and the sweater.

And the timing of the product release just so happened to coincide with the announcement of the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood YouTube channel and the Mister Rogers stamp being selected by the United States Postal Service for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of both the organization and the United States.

Amazing! And both the CVO Sneaker and Zip-Up Sweater wear the brand quite subtly. If you’re a fan of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, you know the meaning here… And if not, they’re still stylish items!
Absolutely, and it’s important to note that Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was more than just Mister Rogers. It was about the Neighborhood and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. There is so much to pull from creatively to celebrate the show: from the Neighborhood Trolley to Picture Picture to the array of characters and puppets in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and the iconic sweater and sneakers that signified it was time to slow down and have a visit.

Here was an opportunity for us to illustrate what it is that made Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Part of illustrating that story is focusing on the details that were a constant throughout the nearly 900 episodes, which include Mister Rogers’ sweaters and sneakers along with the Neighborhood Trolley that all evoke an emotional connection to fans.

The design teams at Todd Snyder and Sperry created a product range that captures the special moment of the show’s opening to evoke the memories and emotional connection so many people have to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood – by putting on the sneakers to slow down or changing into a sweater and having that cozy, quiet moment.

Diving into another recent launch – the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Tonie! And this product doesn’t replicate Mister Rogers himself…
Yes, we were very passionate about the Tonie being a figure that transcended generations, and we advocated that figure to be the Neighborhood Trolley. That maybe feels counterintuitive – Tonie figures are generally a figural character, which would naturally be Mister Rogers – but as the brand owner, we felt the Neighborhood Trolley is what connects the generations. It resonates with children as much as adults.

I saw a social post where a woman opens it up, and she’s excited because she’s thinking of her childhood watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. She shows it to her child, and they recognize Trolley and associate it with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Then she puts it on and has a whole nostalgic moment. That’s exactly what we’ve been striving to capture. We want to connect the generations and allow parents to share a wonderful moment with their child, while also leveraging all of the wonderful content that Mister Rogers created.

The brand also has a strong attachment to Pittsburgh and I know you’ve done several activations with other iconic IP from the city. What’s it like creating for a brand that has such strong ties with a place?
It’s a big responsibility. We want to make sure we stay true to and honour the love and pride that the city of Pittsburgh has for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. One of the ways that we try to celebrate that and bring it to the community in an organic, fun, and engaging way is through partnerships with local sports teams.

We were really excited to partner with the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team last year for our first ever drone show. We also had a partnership with the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team for a multi-year activation celebrating Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. And we had the first game themed to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in March; the Penguins had a ticketed giveaway of cardigans that sold out of in a blink of an eye.

We also partner with local businesses as well. A company called Mix Candle Company is literally our neighbor down the road from our offices. They’ve created some amazing scents, and it’s a completely new category for us as well. Right now, I have the ‘It’s You I Like’ candle burning that smells of sunshine and clementine!

How did you approach capturing the brand in a category like candles?
We wanted to lean into the icons, puppets, and sentiments of the show. They have a wonderful artist who created some adorable sketches that brought the Neighborhood Trolley to the forefront, with all of the puppets interacting in sweet and interactive ways.

And the full range of scents also includes ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’, ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’, and ‘Snow Day in Make-Believe’, a wintry scent. It’s a great gift for fans to be able to take a little piece of the Neighborhood home. They also included on the label, ‘Poured in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ which I thought was a really nice touch.

Terrific. And how important is it for you to partner with new licensees and companies new to licensing?
It’s very important. What’s unique about Fred Rogers Productions is that we’re a 501c3 nonprofit, mission-based organization that allows me the latitude to partner with a range of companies. We want to build our licensing portfolio but also engage in ways that give our various brands exposure and deliver on our organization’s mission in addition to driving revenue.

Now, a candle doesn’t necessarily deliver on our mission per se – although it can be emotional support for having a nice calming moment at home! – but bringing in first-time licensees is like my own little incubator program. It’s a more business-to-business approach to serving the mission because we’re helping someone else learn, grow, and get that greater reach.

What makes working with smaller businesses and first-time licensees is helping them navigate the complexities of being a new licensee. It’s the reporting. It’s understanding the computation. It’s making sure that you sign up for a very conservative and realistic minimum guarantee as well. And being a mission-based organization allows us the chance to work with a partner like our friends at Mix Candle Company.

I think the recipe to success working with a first-time licensee is to start with a conservative minimum guarantee, walk their team through the reporting, the selling, the submission process, etc. And Mix Candle Company has now completely exceeded the minimum guarantee we established, and they get orders from partners all the time.

There are a couple of other smaller businesses that we’ve worked with to onboard as a licensee. One of them is called Cat’s Meow, which creates adorable little hand-painted, decorative wooden shelf toppers. We started working with them on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and they’re also doing products for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie, and Alma’s Way. In addition, we’re working with a first-time licensee called Upbounders on some amazing products for Alma’s Way.

Looking ahead, what else are you excited about?
We have a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. We’re also very excited to have a new licensee for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in Retro Kid, based in Canada. They’re working fast and furiously to create some amazing products across apparel and collectibles.

From a location-based entertainment standpoint, in October – with our partners here at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh – a new travelling exhibit will be launching called ‘It’s a Beautiful Day to Be You: Inspired by Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Donkey Hodie.’

Then, in 2027, Steiff will be launching a Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood collectible teddy bear. We’re thrilled about that! And those are just a few collaborations that we’re extremely excited about.

Amazing. Before we go, last time we caught up we spent some time talking with M Style on the first-ever style guide for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Has that led to further guides?
Yes, it will. There’s so much to explore and create from an art and style guide perspective. I also think it’s so important as brand owners to bring new art to life for licensees.

Terrific. Katie, it’s always a pleasure. Let’s tie-in again soon!