Donkey Hodie (TV series)

Donkey Hodie is an American puppet live action musical children's television series created by David and Adam Rudman for PBS Kids, and is aimed at preschoolers ages 3 to 5. Inspired by characters created by Fred Rogers, the series premiered May 3, 2021,^[1] and is the second spin-off of Rogers' television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood after Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.^[2] The first full episode was initially set to premiere in the winter of 2021 on PBS Kids in the United States, but it was pushed back to May 3 of the same year.

Donkey Hodie
Genre	Children's television series Musical Comedy
Created by	David Rudman Adam Rudman
Based on	Characters by Fred Rogers
Developed by	Ellen Doherty
Starring	Haley Jenkins Stephanie D'Abruzzo David Rudman Frankie Cordero
Theme music composer	Bill Sherman
Opening theme	"With Our Pal Donkey Hodie" performed by Taylor Iman Jones, Haley Jenkins, Frankie Cordero, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, and David Rudman
Ending theme	"With Our Pal Donkey Hodie" (instrumental)
Composers	Bill Sherman Zack Zeyde Noah Deblasis
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	65 (127 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	David Rudman Adam Rudman Ellen Doherty
Producers	Adam Rudman David Rudman Ellen Doherty Kristin DiQuollo
Running time	23 minutes (two 11-minute segments)
Production companies	Spiffy Pictures Fred Rogers Productions
Original release
Network	PBS Kids
Release	May 3, 2021 (2021-05-03) – present
Related
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Nature Cat

Plot

In the land of Someplace Else, just north of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Donkey Hodie and her friends go throughout their day while solving different problems along the way.

Cast

• Haley Jenkins as Donkey Hodie, the granddaughter of Grampy Hodie (the original Donkey Hodie^[3]). Like her grandfather, her name is a pun on the novel Don Quixote. She's eponymously named, sunny and brave.
• Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Duck Duck, Harriet Elizabeth Cow and Mama Panda; Duck Duck's name is eponymous.
• David Rudman as Bob Dog, an upbeat red dog, Grampy Hodie and Stanley the Dragon.
• Frankie Cordero as Purple Panda and Turtle Lou.
• Peter Linz as Clyde the Cloud.
• Matt Vogel as King Friday, the ruler of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
• Joey Mazzarino as Game Show Gator and Super Porcupine.
• Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Dodie Hodie, Donkey's cousin.
• Jimmica Collins as Rockstar Penguin.
• Melvin Campbell as Rogers the Fish

The original Donkey Hodie, Bob Dog, Purple Panda, Harriet Cow and King Friday all originated on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. All other characters were newly created for the Donkey Hodie series.^[3]

Episodes

Main article: List of Donkey Hodie episodes

Season	Segments	Episodes		Originally released
				First released	Last released
1	79	40		May 3, 2021 (2021-05-03)	February 23, 2023 (2023-02-23)
2	48	25		August 14, 2023 (2023-08-14)	April 17, 2025 (2025-04-17)
3	28	15		August 11, 2025 (2025-08-11)	TBA

Production

The series was announced in January 2020. The title character is the granddaughter of the original Donkey Hodie, a character from the Neighborhood of Make Believe on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.^[3][4][5][6]

Music

Like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, the series includes both new songs as well as songs written by Rogers.

The music for the show was composed by Bill Sherman, Zack Zeyde, and Noah Deblasis.

Home video

The following DVDs contain episodes of the show:

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: Playtime with Daniel!

1. "The Masked Veggies"
2. "The Royal Hosts"

PBS KIDS: Secret Superheroes!

1. "Donkey's Bad Day"
2. "Yodel Bird Egg"

PBS KIDS: Just A Little Bit Spooky!

1. "A Donkey Hodie Halloween"

PBS KIDS: We Love Camping!

1. "A Night Out"
2. "A Poetry Problem"

PBS KIDS: Get Up and Dance!

1. "The Cow & Potato Bug Opera"
2. "Everything Explorers"

PBS KIDS: 17 Puppy Adventures

1. "Fastest Fetcher"
2. "Bobbly Ball"

PBS KIDS: Book Buddies

1. "Bye Bye, Book"
2. "Tater Buddies"

PBS KIDS: 17 Fun Food Stories

1. "Flying Flapjacks"
2. "Pickle Penguin Problem"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2021	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming	Donkey Hodie	Nominated
2022	Children's and Family Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lighting Design for a Live Action Program	Joel K. Flory and Mark Kluiszo	Nominated
	Writers Guild of America Awards	Television: Children’s Script	Adam Rudman, David Rudman, and Joey Mazzarino	Nominated
2023	Children's and Family Emmy Awards	Outstanding Puppetry Performance	Harley Jenkins	Nominated
			Frankie Cordero	Nominated
	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming	Donkey Hodie	Nominated
2025	Children's and Family Emmy Awards	Outstanding Preschool Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Interactive Media	Cousin Hodie Playdate	Won
	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming	Donkey Hodie	Nominated	[7]