WATCH: Mr. Rogers meets The Incredible Hulk.
Yes, the title is correct, Mr. Rogers did meet the Incredible Hulk.
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was a very popular show for children that spanned from 1968-2003.
The show was very educational and Mr. Rogers was a genius in getting the attention of children, with his calm voice and excellent communication skills.
Mr. Rogers introduced an excellent segment on his show show, that explained to children how characters such as The Hulk are real people with make up.
In episode 1468, which aired on February 6, 1980, Mr. Rogers leaves the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to hang out on set with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, stars of the TV show The Incredible Hulk. There, Rogers discusses how David (Bruce) Banner and the Hulk himself are still the same person and shows Ferrigno with and without his full Hulk makeup.
The idea was to explain that TV is just another type of make-believe, but as psychologists wrote in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media in 1988, Rogers also had struck on two brilliant approaches to quell kids’ fears about scary media.
Mr. Rogers and Bill Bixby explained in detail the process of transforming Lou Ferrigno into the Hulk.
Bill Bixby also answered several questions, and explained them so the young viewers can understand.
From Mr. Rogers’ Archive:
Mister Rogers meets Mr. McFeely at the television studio where they meet Bill Bixby, star of the television program The Incredible Hulk. Mr. Bixby shows them the set and explains that what takes place in a television studio is just pretend — it is his type of make-believe. Mr. Bixby goes on to show a few clips from the show and to talk about how he liked to pretend when he was a child. He also mentions that he would get angry from time to time when he was younger: “It’s okay to be angry and it’s alright to let it out as long as we don’t hurt anybody else and as long as we don’t hurt ourselves” Before leaving, Mister Rogers and Mr. McFeely get to watch as a scene from The Incredible Hulk is filmed. The scene features co-star Lou Ferrigno in full character as the Hulk. They set up another visit for the following day to see Mr. Ferrigno without his make-up.
The Incredible Hulk Extended Intro from Evolution of Bodybuilding on Vimeo.
