Guest post by Gia Krotulski,

Do you have little one who loves Daniel Tiger? Then hop aboard a trolley fueled-ride through the eyes of preschooler in Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood live. We took our two children, Ryder, 1, was celebrating his first birthday. Our almost 3-year-old Keller also attended the show Sunday at the Hult Center. We arrived about an hour early to stroll through the lobby, do diaper changes, and have a snack before we found our seats. A giant trolley projection circled over the theater before the show began. Keller enjoyed following it with his eyes and was entertained as we waited for the lights to dim.

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Daniel and his friends in the live show. Photo courtesy of the Hult Center

The lights went low and the familiar theme song “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” began to play. Sounds of giggling, singing and laughter of little voices filled the air. Every child absolutely enthralled as Daniel Tiger with his iconic red sweatshirt took center stage. Joined by O the Owl, Katerina Kittycat, Prince Wednesday and Miss Elaina, we were taken on a journey through the magical world of Daniel Tiger. The familiar songs “Grownups Come Back” and the clean up song were definite crowd favorites, all based off of the PBS Kids television show. The animated TV series won a 2015 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Preschool Animated Program, and was also recognized as being a top parent choice and best preschool series.

Scanning the crowd, you could see delighted little hands clapping in joy and thankful parents singing along the positive messages this tiger conveys. The show had a running length of about two hours with an intermission in between as Mr. McFeely needed to “deliver some more packages” in between sets. The intermission was plenty of time for the kids to use the restroom and get some M&M’s from the concession stand.

We paid $25 (plus fees) per seat and did have to purchase our 1-year-old’s seat but it gave our two year old a little room to fly in between us and a place to stash all our many bags and snacks. The show is a must-see for families and was a completely kid-friendly atmosphere from cooing babies, to wiggly toddlers to giggling outbursts. My one year old and two year old thoroughly enjoyed it down to the last second and were completely immersed in the colorful familiar songs and dance. A true classic for the whole family. We had a, as Daniel Tiger would say “Grr-ific” time!