Mister Rogers visits the San Diego Wild Animal Park where guide Joan Embry shows him giraffes, elephants, tigers and other animals living there. In Make-Believe the neighbors are making plans for a musical playabout the value of uniqueness, “Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe.”Daniel is worried that he is different from all the other tigers he knows about because he does not roar and growl and scare people. Lady Aberlin assures him that she likes him just the way he is.
Mister Rogers visits a film processing plant to learn how people turn an unexposed roll of film into finished photographs. In Make-Believe, the Neighbors are preparing for a special musical story, “Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe.” Neighbor Aber will play J.R. Giraffe, Bob Dog will play a tree, Miss Paulifficate and Handyman Negri, elephants, Chef Brockett a bulldog and Daniel Tiger a flower . At the school, Miss Cow teaches the children about flowers.
The Neighborhood of Make-Believe presents “Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe,” a musical story for children by Fred Rogers. We meet Josephine who feels badly because her neck is shorter than those of the other giraffes. More than anything she wants to look like the other giraffes.Her friends, a Tree, a Frog, a Sunflower and Hazel Elephant, suggest that she may feel more accepting of herself if she attends the “School for Growing.”She clings to a false hope: that at school she might learn to make her neck grow.
The special 3-part musical story for children continues in this episode as Josephine and Hazel Elephant enroll at the “School for Growing” where they meet a snake who can’t hiss, an elephant with stripes, and a very shy giraffe.Theybegin to learn about the value of being unique. But Josephine is trying to grow a longer neck and feeling discouraged, and she decides to leave the school. Mister Rogers helps children know that we are more than any one part of us.
Mister Rogers recaps the first two parts of the musical story of Josephine the Short-Neck Giraffe. In this concluding episode shy J. R. Giraffe helps Josephine learns to accept her neck- and herself, just the way she is, and Josephine helps J. R. feel more confident. Sam Snake learns he can hiss and all learn that there are many different ways to grow.The parents arrive for the final celebration with everyone singing, “I’m Glad I’m the Way I Am.”