Mr. Rogers’ Favorite Sperry Sneakers Make a Cameo in the New Tom Hanks Film
Barbara Schneider-Levy
Senior Editor, Men's and Comfort
Mr. Rogers may be as well remembered for the knit cardigans he wore on his weekly TV show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” as the lessons he taught his young audience over the decades. However, the show’s creator and host, Fred Rogers, also had a favorite pair of shoes: Sperry’s men’s Captain CVO, a navy canvas sneaker that he sat down and laced up at the start of each show.
For those who grew up watching Mr. Rogers and want to step into a pair of the classic kicks in time for the Nov. 22 release of the film, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” starring Tom Hanks, they are currently available at Sperry.com. Even Hanks wears a pair as he portrays the legendary Rogers.
One of the TV icon’s many cardigans, a red sweater knit by his own mother, is on permanent display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, while the sneakers were on view last year at Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center. They had been in the museum’s storage area, along with a green sweater from Rogers’ on-screen wardrobe, previously on loan and touring with the Minnesota History Center’s “1968” exhibition.
While Rogers may have been satisfied wearing the Sperry sneakers exclusively in classic navy canvas, those with a more adventurous spirit may like to know that it’s now also available in a range of colors and materials that include washable nubuck, wool and even Sperry’s Bionic material, made from plastic recovered from marine and coastal environments. Women can also channel Rogers’ vibe with the female version of the Captain’s CVO in canvas and washable leather.
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