I recall seeing an interview show a few years back in which Mister Rogers talked a bit about his early days on TV, and as he and the interviewer talked, they showed some clips. Way back, Daniel wasn't particulary shy; in fact he was pretty quick with the pun or the clever remark.

Also, some of what might be called "ritual" started on that earlier show. Mister Rogers said that it was always cold in the studio, and when he ran around behind the sets to manipulate the puppets, you could hear the "thump thump thump" of him running. So when he first came into the studio to do the show, he'd put on a sweater and a pair of sneakers. Later, he started doing that on camera as he sang the opening song of the show.

Don Firth