We all know that there are lots of superstitions and movies and memes based on the idea that Friday the 13th is an especially unlucky day.
But what if it might be a really cool day instead?
That was what the one and only Mister Rogers thought, and that’s how he portrayed the day on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, through the character of King Friday XIII.
As Now I Know explained, Fred Rogers put a lot of thought into the King of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe (and everything else on the show, honestly).
The king was, of course, an important figure who made rules that not everybody could change.
That’s because Mister Rogers wanted to show kids that those unbreakable rules and limits that grown-ups set for kids could help them stay safe and grow.
He was a caring figure, like a lot of grown-ups, but also like many adults, he was pretty pompous.
He loved hearing himself talk, especially when he got to use big words, he organized a lot of special events and festivals that featured him, and the king really loved it when people told him how smart or right he was.
All of this was to show young viewers that sometimes adults, even the caring and kind ones, weren’t perfect.
As for the name, this was another way that Mister Rogers tried to anticipate what kids might find scary and then address those fears.
He knew that because some adults were superstitious about Friday the 13th, some kids might get worked up about it too.
So he named his puppet monarch King Friday XIII, and set his birthday as Friday the 13th.
That meant anytime Friday the 13th rolled around, kids who were watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood could expect a big birthday bash for King Friday.
Instead of worrying about bad luck and scary stuff, they had something fun to watch.
I mean, it’s a much healthier way to confront your fears about Friday the 13th than, say, trying to fight Jason Voorhees.
Today in 1991, DGC Records threw a release party for the album “Nevermind” by Nirvana.
Of course nobody knew what a gigantic and influential hit this record was going to be, and you definitely wouldn’t have guessed it from this party.
The band got a food fight going and started rolling kegs of beer around the bar, which prompted the owner to throw the band out of their own record release party.
Afterward, did they feel stupid and contagious?
HOW MR. ROGERS MADE FRIDAY THE 13TH LESS SCARY (Now I Know)
FOOD FIGHT! Nirvana gets thrown out of their record release party on Friday the 13th, 1991 (Dangerous Minds)
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Photo by jpellgen via Flickr/Creative Commons
