Mister Rogers Episode Inspires New Donkey Hodie Character Jeff Mouse (Exclusive) – ryan

Always one to broach any topic kindly with kids, Mister Rogers aired an episode in 1981 that featured 10-year-old Jeff Erlanger.

At 7 months old, Erlanger was diagnosed with a spinal tumor; the surgery required to remove it left him as a quadriplegic. A fan of Fred Rogers and his beloved Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Erlanger was invited to appear on the show in his electric wheelchair to help explain his life story, and duetted with the children’s TV star on his iconic song, “It’s You I Like.”

Erlanger died in 2007 at 36 years old, following a life of activism and a lifelong connection to Rogers, whom he supported at his Television Hall of Fame Induction in 1999 and later at his funeral in 2003.

Today, his legacy is living on thanks to a new character on the Rogers-adjacent PBS KIDS children’s television series, Donkey today. This week, the show — produced by Fred Rogers Productions and Spiffy Pictures — introduced a new character, Jeff Mouse, who is named for Erlanger and uses a motorized wheelchair just like him, too.

Jeff Mouse is voiced by Jay Manuel, star of TLC’s Jay & Pamela and a motorized wheelchair user himself.

“It’s such a surreal experience,” Manuel, 29, tells PEOPLE. “I’m looking at myself — I see myself in Jeff, and I thought it was so cool. Seeing how his chair rolls, all the things that I do in my daily life as a human being, to see how all these movements were put into puppetry, it’s an incredible thing. Just the time and work that was done on this character really shows how important it was to everyone that’s involved in this project to make the character be who he is. I was blown away.”

Growing up with Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3, Manuel says he never really saw himself represented in media.

“So this is definitely something that has healed my inner child, doing this role,” he says. “And I think it’s important to leave a positive impact on the world, and impact communities that I’m a part of. It’s great to be the person that I needed as a child. I’m hopeful there’s a child out there who will see this and feel seen.”

Jeff Mouse, according to a release, is “an intrepid explorer and avid nature lover” who “was born with congenital muscular dystrophy, which limits his physical abilities.” Fred Rogers Productions engaged Disability Belongs, the national disability-led nonprofit that works to empower people with disabilities to have a better future, to advise on the development of the character, and Permobil, a company that makes wheelchairs, to help create Jeff’s chair.

“I really hope that Jeff is going to make a long-term impact and hopefully be able to appear in more episodes, for sure,” Manuel says.

Though Jeff Mouse and Manuel don’t share the same disability, “I can still relate from being a full-time power chair user and also using a grabber,” Manuel says. “To get someone who has a disability to play a disabled character is very important. And the main message is that we can do things differently. That’s something I’ve always had to do in my life: adapt. So I can relate to adapting and overcoming.”

Manuel’s Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3 (OI) is also known as Brittle Bone Disorder.

“It affects me in a lot of ways,” he says. “Outside of just breaking my bones easily, I’m short in stature, I’m not able to walk or stand, so I use a power chair full-time. And it affects my GI (gastrointestinal) system. I also have breathing issues, heart issues, scoliosis, chronic pain — a long list of things.”

His GI flareups can often land him in the hospital, and while he touts the advancements that have been made around OI, “it’s still a very rare disorder,” he says. “There’s still a lot to be learned about it, and every single time I’m hospitalized, I have to explain what OI is — it’s the same conversation.”

His mental health can also be impacted by his ups and downs. “That’s not really talked about as much,” he says, “but when you’re going through hospitalization and chronic pain and the physical stress, it also causes mental stress. You’re like, ‘I wish I didn’t have to do these things so I could just lead this, air quotes, normal life.’ “

He credits his support system for helping him through the good times and bad, as well as the fans, who are starting to recognize him more thanks to his TLC fame.

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“It’s interesting to be on the other side of it where people are wanting to talk to you because they respect you, or you’re doing something they feel is entertaining or inspiring. People aren’t looking at me like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ It’s like, ‘I saw you on social media’ or ‘I saw you on TV’ and it’s been a cool thing to be able to experience — a new world but I’m happy to be here.”

“I’m super grateful,” Manuel adds. “Watching it … there aren’t enough words to really describe how grateful and honored I am to play this character. The journey is just getting started, and my hope is that I can be able to bring other people along and help them on a wider scale. Yes, you can have all these benefits of success for yourself, however the real joy comes from being able to do something for others.”