Mister Rogers DID NOT (Intentionally) Flip The Bird

Mister Rogers Flipping the Middle Finger

Mister Rogers Fake Flipping the Bird

This photo of Mister Rogers has been sent to Boring Pittsburgh several times. It was ignored each time because frankly it’s old news and we thought it was already well known that the picture is obviously photoshopped. We would like to dispel the myth once and for all so that nobody ever sends it to us again (see pics below).

Q: Did Mister Rogers really flip the bird?
A: No and yes.

The pic above is said to be a fake that has been passed around the internet for quite some time. We’re not sure whether the entire arm was added to the photo, or just part of the hand. However, If you look closely, there is a slight change in the texture of the middle finger, all the way down the hand.

Like many well-loved public figures, Mr. Rogers was dogged by several odd rumors. Which of these is actually true? …The flipping the bird rumor has been circulating on the Internet, but the accompanying photo is fake. -funtrivia

Update: It turns out that Mister Rogers really did flip the bird and the photo wasn’t photoshopped. Click the link for video proof.

Mister Rogers flipping the bird pic is FAKE

Mister Rogers middle finger myth - evidence of photo editing

So there you have it. Mr. Rogers did not flip the bird in the picture above. He would never intentionally do such a thing, and shame on the person who created this image to mislead the public into believing that he did.

This doesn’t mean Mister Rogers never showed his middle finger. He flipped the bird one time on camera, BUT IT WAS A COMPLETE ACCIDENT because he was holding a paintbrush!

Update: It turns out that Mister Rogers really did flip the bird and the photo wasn’t photoshopped. Click the link for video proof.

Maple

Real or not, that picture is epic!
- Tracebombzzz
  
  The pic is not photoshopped at all. However, that does not mean he flipped the bird. It is a still from him singing “where is thumbkin.” If you look in the left bottom corner you can see a small boy also holding up “tall man”. Heck, there’s footage of it on YouTube. Maybe check a little before pulling out all your “evidence” of photoshopping.
  - http://BoringPittsburgh.com BPGH Staff
    
    Heck, we already posted an update with a link to the video. Maybe read the full article before commenting.
Kate

Thanks for posting this. I hated seeing this picture. He was such a good soul and even though it was a joke, it just went over the line.
- http://BoringPittsburgh.com Boring Pittsburgh
  
  Thank you Kate! We really didn’t want to show the photo out of respect, but also wanted to prove to everyone that it wasn’t real. The best we could do was at least mark it with a big bold “FAKE.”
  
  He was truly an amazing person, and most people don’t know how cool he really was. Thanks for commenting =)
  - Terrible
    
    Wow. Terrible reporting. Finding “evidence” that doesn’t even exist. Nice.
  - http://BoringPittsburgh.com Boring Pittsburgh
    
    Snopes and other sites were insisting that Mister Rogers didn’t flip the bird. The screenshot that was floating around the net didn’t reference any particular episode, and after playing with the picture in photoshop, it really looked like it was a fake.
    
    Since then, someone put out video evidence of Mr. Rogers so-called flipping the bird – which we put a link to above (lazy people click here). It just so happens that Google likes placing this post above the updated one.
Bethany

This picture is not a fake! Rather, the “bird flipping” is a misinterpretation. On episode #4 of the first season of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, Mr. Roger sings the song “Where is Thumbkin” with some children. This screenshot is taken from the part of the song where they sing about “Tall Man”. Amazon prime has free episodes of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood if you’d like to verify this information.
Billay

Ummmm… Not fake. I just watched it with my daughter. He’s singing “where is thumbkin” song with a group of kids. The middle finger is “tall man”. He does it with both hands.
Pingback: Mister Rogers Flips the Bird (video) in Boring Pittsburgh
Nathan Davis

I would have to say that the most logical is the “Where is Thumbkin” explanation. To point and lines that could be caused by compression on a low res image anyway does not prove that Photoshop was used to make this image. To me this was a still that was taken out of context, and used as a joke (in poor taste)…
Tracy

Way to do your research. The video clip is on Youtube. http://chzgifs.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/funny-gifs-childhood-memories.gif It’s completely taken out of context in the pic but the video shows that it’s clearly part of a song… http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=ic4mEc_6JQ8
- http://BoringPittsburgh.com Boring Pittsburgh
  
  Way to read the post. We added two updates with links to the video you mentioned.
  - me
    
    Or…maybe just remove the entire thing which is 99% false info with one minor ‘update’ link since in light of that the whole article is pointless anyway…
    
    Or continue to leave butthurt response, your choice.
Rabid

Umm Maybe you wouldn’t get so many replies that it’s not fake if your retraction wasn’t practically in small print.

A retraction for a completely wrong article, in error, should go ABOVE the article, if not in very noticeable color and weight.
http://www.facebook.com/nickford.walker Nickford Walker

Hey guys you have the link to the wrong video. True that he is giving the finger their too (on accident) but the picture goes with this counting game video. By the way my new wallpaper is Mr. Rogers smiling and flippin the bird with a caption that reads, “Hi Neighbor!”
- http://BoringPittsburgh.com Boring Pittsburgh
  
  Hi Nickford, the video above is not the one that is shown in the pictures, it was another instance when Mr. Rogers flipped the bird while holding a paintbrush. The updates above link to an entirely new post that features the video here: http://boringpittsburgh.com/entertainment/mister-rogers-flips-the-bird-video/
Monica

what about this link? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic4mEc_6JQ8
http://buttcheeks.com pirate_raider

We thought it was already well known that the picture is obviously photoshopped

UPDATE: WE’RE FUCKING RETARDED, NEVERMIND THE WHOLE POINT OF THE ARTICLE LOL GUYS
- http://BoringPittsburgh.com BPGH Staff
  
  LOL good one. But you still found the post and took the time to comment, so thanks
Rationalific

That picture is a complete fake! How could anyone believe that it’s reall! Here is my completely solid scientific evidence showing that it’s fake!

Oh, it’s not fake? I was completely wrong? Oops!
My name is

Nice “investigative reporting” guys. Now tell me all about the moon landings.
boringcommenter

I love that this “article” or whatever it is has GIANT “This is fake!” written all over it with tiny little “update it’s not fake” text stuck in there. Mr Rogers give this (first result on google for “Mr Rogers giving the finger” search!) two fingers up! http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view4/3608244/mr-rogers-flips-you-off-o.gif
http://www.facebook.com/FLSwampYetis Leah N Joe

For crying out loud he was playing a game with children that involved the use of each of the fingers on the hand. Although I’m sure he was chuckling inwardly.
- http://www.facebook.com/FLSwampYetis Leah N Joe
  
  I believe it’s called “where is thumbkin”
shinmai

Maybe put the update about you completely failing to do your research and stating the exact opposite of the truth at the beginning of this sorry excuse for an article, rather than as a footnote at the end?
Kitty

http://www.break.com/index/mr-rogers-so-knew-what-he-was-doing-2392513/ How about this?
Dumb Pittsburgh

Who ever writes this shit is obviously an idiot who does NO research….
- http://boringpittsburgh.com/ Boring Pittsburgh
  
  Who ever wrote this comment is obviously and idiot who did not read the
  full post. This was posted back when everyone though it was fake, even
  snopes.com which is where we originally got the info. Since then an
  update has been posted.
  http://boringpittsburgh.com/entertainment/mister-rogers-flips-the-bird-video/
  But hey, thanks for the pageview and comment
  - http://boringpittsburgh.com/ Boring Pittsburgh
    
    This article inspired someone to go dig up the actual video and post it on YouTube. So there was some benefit from it. Thank us very much.
  - Thinklaboutit
    
    which is what you should have done before calling it fake.
  - http://boringpittsburgh.com/ Boring Pittsburgh
    
    So should every other site that claimed it was fake. It’s not exactly something that can be researched without going back to rewatch every single Mr. Rogers tape. It would require someone to recall the instance based on seeing the actual episode. In all fairness, the title states that he did not intentionally flip the bird.
  - Pinko Scum
    
    except you were pretty arrogant about it! and still are being.
  - http://boringpittsburgh.com/ Boring Pittsburgh
    
    Would you rather a little arrogance or simply hurry up and delete the post like all the other sites did? We corrected the issue, aren’t running from it, and are still dealing with trolls who love coming back to leave finger-pointing comments (no pun intended) – which, by the way, thank you for taking the time to comment.
- http://boringpittsburgh.com/ Boring Pittsburgh
  
  http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Mr-Rogers-The-Man-The-Myth-The-Sweater-201687.html