But the very same people who are bad sometimes Are the very same people who are good sometimes. It's funny, but it's true. It's the same, isn't it for me... Isn't it the same for you? - Fred Rogers

There’s always one of them, even in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Fred Rogers' parallel universe of puppets and trolleys, castles and clocks was an alternate reality to our own, complete with difficult personalities. The most difficult of all was Lady Elaine, the sharp-tongued, selfish, occasionally even destructive curator of the Museum-Go-Round. She was unattractive, rough around the edges. She called everyone “Toots.”

She was the foil to all the pleasantness around her, the shadow. But that also means she was necessary. She would say what others would not; would question the arbitrary rules of King Friday; would cut through any politeness getting in the way of honesty. She was the fearless space explorer who discovered purple planets, keeper of the boomerang that turned the world upside-down. And she showed her tender core: “It seems I’m always falling, and somebody else is standing all the time,” she sings dejectedly in one episode. Even as children, we could relate.

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Remarkably, the other characters accepted her. The great lesson of Fred Rogers—what he preached, if you will—was not just radical tolerance, but community resilience. Lady Elaine was allowed her full, thorny personality without ever being cast out. The others included her, worked through conflicts with her.

It seems the country has gotten so down on itself. But we’re all here together in this, our land of make-believe. We can make ourselves believe anything, including the essential goodness of our neighbors and ourselves. So let's make the most of this beautiful day.

This post is part of The American 250, a series featuring 250 objects made by Americans, located in America, in honor of the country's 250th anniversary. 250 words on 250 works, from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

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