Mister Rogers Visits the Sneaker Factory

Making sneakers is hard work. In this classic clip, Mister Rogers shows us how a U.S. sneaker factory works. "Sure doesn't look like the bottom of a sneaker to me," he says, observing slabs of blue rubber shooting out of a machine. "Not yet, but just wait!" exclaims sneaker manufacturing expert Mister McFeely. Here's six minutes of your childhood:

These sure look like Sperry Top-Siders—the same shoes Mister Rogers took off at the beginning of each show.

For a critical view of this video, see Shoe Factories and Lost Opportunities, in which Tove Hermanson points out how Mister Rogers missed an opportunity to talk about labor rights and the nature of factory work.