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I grew up with Fred Rogers. He was as much an institution in my household as Sesame Street, Thundercats, Transformers and all those other series that have been strip-mined clean of their original value by psuedo-comedians whose stock in trade is capitalizing on the hazy memories of a generation caked in bong resin and the glamour of recreational heroin abuse.

To watch him in the above clip, in which he comes face to face with Miyamoto's Donkey Kong, brings back a flood of memories from a happier, more innocent time, but it also fills my mind with questions:

First, do we all sound autistic when explaining video games to the older generation?

Second, when did we start basing all of our pedophile stereotypes on Fred Rogers, and what the hell is wrong with all of us?! 

[Thanks to Mog ... er ... Fae ... er, Mark, for sending this in and forcing me to spend ten minutes figuring out his confusing signature.]


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25 comments | showing # 1 to 25

William Haley's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 03:30
William Haley
I think I started basing my pedopile stereoptypes on him right around the part where he looked the kid directly in the eyes and said "What other types of games do you like to play?"

But seriously, is that Ernie Hudson up in that bitch?
Necros's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 03:37
Necros
Explaining old games in general is kind of awkward, as some stand-up comedian on Comedy Central pointed out. "Well, you're this little man...and there's a monkey! And he throws barrels at you! And you have to save the princess!" "You're this big dot, and you have to eat the smaller dots. And there are ghosts! Quick, grab the cherry!"

Any person who hadn't heard of Donkey Kong or Pacman would think you're crazy. Not to mention all the trippy elements of Super Mario Bros...
blackacidevil's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 03:43
blackacidevil
he sounds really creepy, like hes trying to lure that kid into his van
"you know video games are fun, but i got some cool video games in the back of my van and puppies and candy. Wanna see?"
Pangloss's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 03:45
Pangloss
@Necros:
True, but usually I think that the whole "left to go left and right to go right" thing needs no explanation.

My favorite moment of that entire clip is when the kid chimes in with "Down's not really used." He's a goddamn expert at the importance of "down" in various video games. The kid actually sounded mad at the suggestion that one would press down while playing Donkey Kong.
William Haley's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 03:47
William Haley
I stand corrected, its Keith David from Pitch Black. Either that, or I'm really, really racially insensitive.
Pangloss's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 03:49
Pangloss
Side note: as far as comedic strip-mining of that era of cartoons is concerned, the single best cartoon reference in history went down recently in Hot Fuzz. So much for old cartoons being played out.
DrRockso's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 03:53
DrRockso
By the power of Grayskull...

And was it just me, or did the chef totally get you pumped up as he brought Mr. Rogers into his forbidden love den?
russiaisHERE's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 04:09
russiaisHERE
a friend of my family's (now we sort of don't talk to him) had a donkey kong machine. the furthest i got, on unlimited quarterss, was the 6th level. credit to fred, who i saw more than my own dad for the first three years of my life, for showing how playing games is fun. i miss that man.

you're all special in your own way, every one.
A New Challenger's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 04:16
A New Challenger
You know, for a good 5 seconds, I was like "Who the hell is Fred Rogers?" I can't believe I blanked on that. I also apparently don't read post titles well.

I wish I'd met Mister Rogers. Not while playing Donkey Kong though, because I'd rather not shout "FUCK" into his ear 47 times.

Someone track down that kid.
BluDesign's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 07:01
BluDesign
Mr. Rogers was awesome. No one can make fun of Mr. Rogers.

Meow-meow Kitty OTOH... Fair game.

What a pussy.
Gameboi's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 08:19
Gameboi
The two staples of any great childhood were Mr. Rogers and Captain Kangaroo back in the day. Looking back at that kid in front of the DK machine, I gotta laugh and remember that we looked and talked like that back then.

Autistic sounding or not, if Fred Rogers had me on the show as a kid, and offered me a part playing Donkey Kong, It would have been "on like neckbones"
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 08:39
deiga-the-semivaliant
There should be more people out there like Mr. Rogers. Maybe then the world would be a better place.
ZMTToxics's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 09:13
ZMTToxics
Holy crap I can not watch 5 minutes of that show with out being creeped out.
Oni's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 09:25
Oni
Man, the world is so much worse off now that Mr. Rogers is dead. What a sad, sad places this is.

I do admit, looking at that now, with the way the world is now, he's kinda creepy. He's the guy you'd tell your kids to watch out for. But back then, he was just a nice guy who liked to teach kids things and learn stuff, and that was alright.

God, I wanna go watch some more Mr. Rogers and find some Captain Kangaroo. Maybe some old-school Sesame Street (back before it started sucking balls). I'm off to Google Video to re-live a bit of my childhood. Toodles!
Mxyzptlk's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 09:34
Mxyzptlk
Hey Keith, how about next time you wait 45 seconds until my fucking game is finished before you kick me off the machine to collect the quarters? Dick.

Also, I have it on good authority that King Friday totally owned at Asteroids.
stangend77's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 10:39
stangend77
If things have gotten so homophobic that Mr. Rogers is considered creepy now I guess this world really is gettin screwed up. Sesame Street, Mr Rogers, and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego FTW.
Slacker's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 13:16
Slacker
Yep, Keith David plays Keith the Carpenter. He also voices the Arbiter in Halo 2, and does the Navy commercial voiceovers. He's been in a bunch of shit, come to think of it... He's no Cowboy Curtis, but he's pretty cool.
imbeta's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 14:27
imbeta
Ha ha ha - Super Mario Bros. the Carpenters... I wonder what kind of gameplay that would bring.

And second the thought... WAIT FOR ME TO FINISH MY DAMN GAME, BEFORE YOU COLLECT THE QUARTERS! Dayum.
Ph1dra's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 14:47
Ph1dra
i depise that childs voice. "you dont really use DOWN! much in this game."
Michmaster's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 14:58
Michmaster
he sounds like a child abuser...
wario67's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 15:53
wario67
this has been posted on here before
Ninjajuice66's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 18:38
Ninjajuice66
"When you wanna go this way you push it this way, and when you want to go that way push it that way". Hahahaha. Kids are funny...unless they're closer than twelve feet away from me.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 18:54
Im OK
Jack Thompson is wrong. It isn't video games that make me wanna go on a shooting spree. It's the people who compare Mr. Rogers to a pedophile or some other type of unsavory character that make me wanna go on a shooting spree.

And for all those ragging on the kid: come on, give the kid a break. He can't be much older than like six years old or something. And he's talking Serious Business here.

Also, maybe I'm just retarded or something, but I never made the connection between Mario originally being a carpenter and there being a hammer in Donkey Kong before. I mean, I knew he was originally a carpenter before he was a plumber, and I knew that there was a hammer in Donkey Kong, but the neurons that said "Duh, stupid, that's not a coincidence" just never fired until now. Thanks, Mr. Rogers! I have learned something this day.
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/26/2007 20:30
deiga-the-semivaliant
Even after death can Rogers inform in a kind, gentle way.

WIIIISE FWOM YOUH GWAAAVE!
Purringturtle's Avatar - Comment posted on 04/30/2007 14:21
Purringturtle
Wow, what won't they put on youtube? Personally I thought it was cute. and I agree with OK, its people that find Mr. Rogers creepy that are most likley to make me violent.
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