Ella Jenkins (1924–2024), first lady of children’s music

Ella Jenkins was a singer and songwriter who focused on creating music for children during her entire decades-long career.

Caroll Spinney (1933–2019), Sesame Street's beloved Big Bird

He played the giant character ever since the show's 1969 premiere — and also played Oscar the Grouch.

Simon Shelton Barnes (1966–2018), Played Tinky Winky on "Teletubbies”

The children’s show was an international sensation…

Doreen Tracey (1943–2018), original Disney Mouseketeer

One of the original Mouseketeers on "The Mickey Mouse Club" who also worked as publicist for Frank Zappa.

The Kindest Man in the World: Fred Rogers (video)

Fred Rogers ( ) changed the face of children’s educational television as the creator and host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” The show, produced for 33 years in Pittsburgh and broadcast to homes across America on PBS, gave preschoolers a daily half hour of imaginative “make-believe” puppetry and gentle talk that encouraged every child’s inner life.

New Tributes to Seuss and Henson

Sept. 24, 2016, represents an interesting coincidence of anniversaries: It would have been Jim Henson's 80th birthday, and it's the 25th anniversary of Dr. Seuss' death. That's two major anniversaries for two great men who changed the landscape of children's entertainment.

Jim Henson, Muppet Man

Here are 20 things you might not know about the puppet master who created the Muppets.

Bob Keeshan: Captain Kangaroo

Bob Keeshan's career took him from a short stint as the original Clarabell the Clown on NBC's Howdy Doody to a 30-year run as Captain Kangaroo on his own CBS show. The New York Times called the captain "one of the most enduring characters television ever produced."

Buffalo Bob Smith: It's Howdy Doody Time!

Buffalo Bob Smith and Howdy Doody: the two were inextricably linked thanks to pioneering children's television show "Howdy Doody," which ran on NBC from December 1947 through September 1960.

A Visit to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Anyone who grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood — that is, almost everyone under the age of 50 or so — probably feels like they know Fred Rogers . As the gentle, friendly host of one of television's longest-running children's programs, Rogers taught, sang toand counseled generations of kids. His frequent, reassuring presence in their lives elevated him to the status of a beloved uncle or grandfather. Many of those viewers already know that Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister, or that he wrote all the songs he sang on his show.

Jerry Nelson, Muppeteer

Jerry Nelson was more than a puppeteer—he was a Muppeteer.