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Comment by lotsofpulp | Hacker News Reader

I am curious why Daniel Tiger’s creators decided to incorporate a monarchy in that society.

I tried looking into why Mr Roger's Neighborhood had a monarchy (since the show is based upon that) but all I could find was references to him as an authority figure who cared about his people.

Given how intentional he was, I'm sure there's got to be an explanation for why he selected that. Unless it was just because it's the kingdom of make-believe, and hence has a king.

I think at the time, fantasy fiction was really popular. Stuff like King Arthur, Merlin, etc... 1963 was the release date for Disney's Sword in the Stone 4-5 years before Mr. Roger's Neighborhood in 1968. I imagine kings, queens, knights, and dragons were a common trope that children would be familiar with. Using a Mayor or Governor would require a lot more explaining for children to understand his role and have more political undertones. It also kind of made the land of make believe a little more fantastical.

Because Queen Sara Saturday and King Friday the XIII were from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, specifically the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and that's where Daniel Tiger originated.

Probably because it's reusing existing characters from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and they didn't change it.

Kids like princes and princesses, I would guess. It's a theme that goes way back in children's literature.

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