The Bronx Zoo just got an upgrade. In collaboration with Fred Rogers Productions, the zoo is introducing a new exhibit inspired by Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to inspire curiosity and wildlife advocacy through interactive experiences, performances, and more.
“Daniel Tiger’s all about empathy,” says Rachel Libretti, director of Event Programming & Rides at Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which runs The Bronx Zoo. “This is what we’re trying to do as well. At an early age, it fosters children’s empathy and love for animals, creating future wildlife champions.”
The Daniel Tiger exhibit is packed with hands-on activities, including a life-sized Trolley to explore, a replica of the Neighborhood Music Wall, a seek-and-find Nature Walk, and Same & Different, a tactile station where kids can explore differences between species of animals.
The Daniel Tiger exhibit at The Bronx Zoo features a recreation of the Neighborhood Music Wall. | Source: Terria Clay @WCS
Kids can take photos with families from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood in the exhibit. | Source: Terria Clay @WCS
The exhibit also features an original live show featuring Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat as they go on adventures to discover the neighborhood habitats of animals found at the Bronx Zoo. Kids can also meet the two characters or take photos in the Tunnel of Make-Believe and the I Love to Be With My Family photo op, which features the families of kids’ favorite Daniel Tiger characters. Parents can complete the family visit with exclusive merchandise, including plush, Daniel Tiger ear headbands, Neighborhood Trolley figurines, and more.
“Daniel is a meaningful part of children’s lives, and we want to be in every area where they can make significant and meaningful memories with the world around them and with their families,” says Christopher Arnold, chief operating officer of Fred Rogers Productions. “Being able to be with your family and making an incredible memory of a zoo that encourages itself with natural wonder and sparks imagination and curiosity, we thought it was a perfect marriage, and specifically, the Bronx Zoo is designed for their youngest visitors to really be able to experience natural wonder in the world in a way that’s digestible to them, that’s tactile to them.”
The Daniel Tiger exhibit at The Bronx Zoo features bilingual elements for families who speak Spanish and English. | Source: Terria Clay @WCS
Kids can meet Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat during the Daniel Tiger live show. | Source: Terria Clay @WCS
During the Daniel Tiger live show, Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat learn how to explore at the zoo. | Source: Terria Clay @WCS
There are many ways to interact with the different elements in the Daniel Tiger exhibit at The Bronx Zoo. | Source: Terria Clay @WCS
Families can find adorable Daniel Tiger merchandise in the new exhibit at The Bronx Zoo. | Source: Terria Clay @WCS
One of the most important elements of the exhibit is that it is bilingual. Upon entering the exhibit, kids can get an activity book featuring both English and Spanish. The interactive elements where kids can interact with Daniel Tiger and his friends are also in both languages.
“One thing that I really hope parents understand about this is that we’ve taken a lot of care to make this accessible in multiple dimensions,” Arnold says. “We understand that there are many families that speak Spanish as a first or second language. We want it to be accessible to them in the most direct and exciting ways possible.”
It was also important for Fred Rogers Productions and WCS to make sure the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood exhibit was accessible for kids of different physical abilities.
“It’s really important for us to offer children of different ability levels ways of participating and having fun,” Arnold says. “The trolley, for instance, has a wheelchair accessible space. All of the things that are physical can have different levels of engagement depending on your physical abilities. We wanted to really mix imagination moments that are accessible to everyone with physical and gross motor skill play. The bottom line is we want this to belong to all kids and to be developmentally appropriate for everyone within that age group.”
The Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood experience will be at The Bronx Zoo from May 22 to Sept. 7. Entry is free with a Wildlife Conservation Society membership or the purchase of Bronx Zoo admission. You can buy tickets at bronxzoo.com.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
