Eddie Murphy's "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood" Was His First Iconic SNL Sketch
Eddie Murphy's hilarious recurring Mister Rogers' Neighborhood parody definitely wasn't for kids.
In the weeks leading up to February 16's three-hour 50th anniversary celebration on NBC, the team behind Saturday Night Live has selected one sketch from every single season — 50 seasons in 50 days — to reflect the show's rich legacy across five decades. Presenting the sketch chosen to represent Season 7: "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood: Puppet Show" starring cast members Eddie Murphy and Tim Kazurinsky.
Fred Rogers shaped several generations' young minds with his educational children's TV show, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. And like many influential cultural institutions, it was parodied on SNL. But save for imitating the show's deeply-sincere format and theme song, there's arguably very little similarity between Rogers and Eddie Murphy's Mister Robinson. As with all of his memorable characters, Murphy truly made it his own.
Written by Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, the character appeared a total of ten times: eight during Murphy's original run as a cast member from 1980 to 1984, and twice more when Murphy returned to host SNL in 1984 and 2019. "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood: Puppet Show," from the October 17, 1981 episode with Host George Kennedy, was only the second installment of the recurring sketch (notably, Murphy also debuted his Velvet Jones character during Kennedy's episode).
When the first "Mister Robinson" sketch debuted in early 1981 during Season 6 — Murphy's first as a cast member — it marked a true breakout moment for the comedian. Then-Featured Player Patrick Weathers told The Ringer in 2019 that he recalled Murphy suddenly getting recognized by fans while returning to 30 Rock after lunch with a friend, actor Clint Smith.
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"Clint was saying, ‘Eddie got mobbed in the lobby! He got mobbed in the lobby!'" Weathers told The Ringer. "It was so funny. He was really taking off."
Eddie Murphy is among the cast alum set to participate in the three-hour live special, SNL50: The Anniversary Show on February 16, so we'll have to watch and see whether Mister Robinson makes an eleventh appearance.
"Mister Robinson's Neighborhood: Puppet Show" was the second in a series
"It’s one hell of a day in the neighborhood, A hell of a day for a neighbor / Would you be mine? Could you be mine?" Murphy's Mister Robinson sings at the top of the sketch, mirroring the shoe-and-cardigan clothes change sequence that happened during the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood theme. "I hope I get to move in your neighborhood someday /The problem is, is when I move in… y’all move away!"
We soon met a new character in the neighborhood, Mr. Landlord (Season 7 cast member Tim Kazurinsky). He handed Mister Robinson an eviction notice, leading to the introduction of a new "special word."
Then it was time to visit the Land of Make Believe — again, definitely not the same one where King Friday lived.
Watch "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood" from Season 7, Episode 3 above, and stream all 50 seasons of Saturday Night Live on Peacock anytime.
The real Mister Rogers wasn't offended by Eddie Murphy's SNL sketches
When Fred Rogers sat down with David Letterman in 1982, he shared a Polaroid of himself with Murphy that was snapped in 30 Rock earlier that day. (Coincidentally, Rogers also revealed that one of his first jobs was as a floor manager for a show filmed in the very same building).
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When Letterman asked Rogers how he felt about the "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood" sketches, noting that 60 Minutes correspondent Andy Rooney didn't take kindly to his, Rogers gave an evenhanded, extremely-Mister-Rogers answer. "Well, some of them aren't very funny. But I think that a lot of them are done with real kindness in their hearts," he said.
