My love for Fred Rogers runs deep—and spans decades. I watched Mister Rogers' Neighborhood religiously as a child in the 1990s, and teared up through the closing scenes of the 2019 Tom Hanks biopic.

How a 1981 episode of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' opened kids' eyes to one boy's story — and now inspires a new character on the spinoff, 'Donkey Hodie.' ...