Some cultures put their gods in temples, with statues bedecked in gold. Others immortalize them in myth and legend. In America, we put them on stamps. And so, we’re happy to note this week that Fred Rogers—the children’s entertainer who did his darnedest for decades to help kids be the best version of themselves—is being inducted into the American pantheon, right alongside Elvis and The Simpsons, on his own U.S. Postage stamp.
This is per The New York Times, which also showed off the portrait of the Mister Rogers Neighborhood creator, right alongside his old puppet pal King Friday XIII. Rogers died back in 2003, but his long-time co-star David A. Newell, who played recurring mailman Mr. McFeely on the PBS classic, said he would have been touched by the gesture. “I think he would be honored. Because Fred would write a thank-you note for everything.” (Of course he did.)
The stamp isn’t the only tribute Rogers has received in recent months; Funko just announced a line of new figures using his calm, genial likeness, and Tom Hanks was recently cast in a biopic about him, You Are My Friend.