[Upbeat music plays, birds sing]

Paths lead to houses in a small village on a grassy hill. Four sails on a windmill rotate slowly.

Singers sing, HERE COMES DONKEY HODIE.

Donkey Hodie, a yellow donkey with a purple mane and long eyelashes, exits the windmill through a doorway.

Donkey says, HEE-HAW!

The singers sing, DONKEY HODIE.

A person sings, SHE LOVES ADVENTURE, SHE LOVES SURPRISE. WHEN THERE'S A PROBLEM, SHE TRIES AND TRIES.

[Slide whistle]

The singers sing, LET'S GO, DONKEY HODIE.

The person sings, IF SHE FAILS, SHE'LL BOUNCE RIGHT BACK. COME ON, DUCK DUCK, GIVE A QUACK.

In front of Grampy Hodie’s house, Donkey jumps onto a drum and bounces off. Grampy Hodie watches her bounce up in front of Duck Duck in the sky.

[Slide whistle]

Duck Duck, a green duck, quacks, KEE-KEE! QUACK!

The singers sing, DONKEY HODIE.

In Bob Dog’s front yard, Donkey and Bob Dog, a brown dog, ride on top of bouncing balls.

[Boings]

The person sings, PLAYS WITH BOB DOG, THEY HAVE A BALL. IT'S FUN FOR THEM, IT'S FUN FOR ALL.

Donkey bounces off her ball and lands in front of Purple Panda’s spaceship.

[Boinging, slide whistle]

Bob Dog barks, BOW-WOW!

The singers sing, DONKEY HODIE.

In outer space, Donkey and Purple Panda ride in the spaceship.

[Whoosh]

The person sings, JUST FOR FUN, SHE'LL TAKE A TRIP. WITH PURPLE PANDA IN A SPACESHIP.

Purple Panda says, HEY-O!

The singers sing, DONKEY HODIE.

Text reads, Created by Adam Rudman and David Rudman. Developed by Ellen Doherty. Inspired by the work of Fred Rogers. Title: Donkey Hodie.

[Slide whistle]

The person sings, HEE AND A HAW AND A HAW AND A HEE. SOMEPLACE ELSE IS THE PLACE TO BE.

The singers sing, WITH OUR PAL, DONKEY HODIE.

[Slide whistle]

Donkey says, HEE-HAW!

Episode title: Balancing Team Troubles.

[Slide whistle, clunking, tense music plays]

Donkey puts a ball on a table tennis paddle.

Donkey says, ALL RIGHT, DONKEY. TIME TO PRACTICE YOUR BALANCE BALL SKILLS.

[Slide whistles]

Donkey says, OKAY. OH... WHOA. OKAY.

Donkey says, YES.

[Gasping]

Donkey balances the ball in the middle of the paddle.

Donkey says, HEE-HAW! I DID IT!

[Upbeat music plays, birds chirping]

Harriet arrives.

Harriet says, OH, DONKEY HODIE! AREN'T YOU TERRIFIC AT BALANCE BALL! OH, I AM SO IMPRESSED BY YOUR BALANCING.

Donkey says, OH, THANKS, HARRIET! I PLAY BALANCE BALL A LOT.

Harriet says, WELL, LUCKY FOR YOU, TODAY IS PRACTICE FOR THE SOMEPLACE ELSE BALANCE BALL TEAM!

[Donkey gasping]

Donkey says, WE HAVE A BALANCE BALL TEAM?

Harriet says, MM-HMM. I'M THE COACH. AND I THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PLAY ON THE TEAM.

Donkey says, HEE-HAW! I'D BE HEE-HONOURED!

Harriet says, WELL, PRACTICE STARTS SOON. IF YOU WANT TO JOIN, JUST COME ON BY MY BARN.

Donkey says, OH, OKAY!

[Giggling]

Donkey says, OH, I'M SO PROUD I WAS INVITED TO BE ON THE TEAM!

[Giggling, gentle music plays]

Donkey says, BUT...I'VE ONLY EVER PLAYED BALANCE BALL BY MYSELF. NEVER ON A TEAM.

[Gasping]

Donkey says, WHAT IF I'M NOT AS GOOD AS EVERYONE ELSE?

[Chiming, Donkey whimpering, slide whistle]

Donkey daydreams about trying to balance a ball on a paddle.

An announcer says, IT'S ALL UP TO DONKEY HODIE!

[Donkey whimpering, slide whistle, ball boinging]

Donkey says, WHOA, WHOA!

[Thunking]

Penguin Referee says, BALANCE BALL NO!

An announcer says, OOH! THE SOMEPLACE ELSE BALANCE BALL TEAM HAS LOST.

[Team gasping, sighing sadly, Donkey gasping]

Penguin Referee says, BALANCE BALL NO!

The daydream ends.

[Chiming, whimpering, gentle music plays, birds chirping]

Donkey trembles.

Donkey says, UH... I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO PLAY ON A TEAM. EVERYONE WILL BE COUNTING ON ME, AND-- AND WHAT IF I MAKE A MISTAKE AND LET THEM DOWN? HMM. BUT... BUT MAYBE ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS WILL BE THERE. YEAH, YEAH! IF PANDA OR DUCK DUCK OR BOB DOG IS THERE, I WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE.


[Gasping]

Donkey says, YES! BALANCE BALL PRACTICE, HERE I COME!

By Harriet’s barn, the team practices.

A blue mouse says, WHOA... WHOA...

A red bird with orange spots says, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! WHOA...

Donkey says, OH, I DON'T SEE ANY OF MY FRIENDS. I'M GETTING A LITTLE NERVOUS.

Harriet says, MM-HMM, KEEP IT UP! THAT'S SOME BEAUTIFUL BALANCING THERE. KEEP THAT PADDLE NICE AND STILL AND THAT.

Donkey says, MAYBE I'LL JUST WATCH OVER HERE FROM THE SIDE FOR A BIT.

[Slide whistles]

The spotted bird balances a ball on a paddle.

Donkey says, WHOA. THAT BIRD IS A REALLY GREAT BALANCER. HMM. BUT AM I THAT GOOD?

[Thunking, sighing]

Behind Donkey, the blue mouse drops the ball and paddle.

Harriet says, HEY THERE, DONKEY! HEY! YOU READY TO COME OUT AND JOIN US?

Donkey says, NO, I'M FEELING REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT JOINING THE TEAM.

Harriet says, OH! THAT'S OKAY. YOU KNOW, JOINING A NEW TEAM CAN BE REALLY HARD.

Donkey says, YEAH, I DON'T KNOW ANYONE. I'M NOT SURE I'M AS GOOD AT BALANCING AS THEM. I JUST WISH I FELT MORE COMFORTABLE SO I COULD JOIN THE TEAM.

[Harriet clearing her throat]

Harriet says, WELL, YOU KNOW SOMETHING, DONKEY...

[Soothing music plays]

Harriet sings, WHENEVER THINGS ARE NEW, AND IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU; I'VE LEARNED A LITTLE TIP, AND THAT LITTLE TIP IS THIS…

Harriet says, COME ON!

[Whooshing, upbeat music plays]

Harriet dances.

Harriet sings, IF YOU'RE FEELING NERVOUS ABOUT A THING YOU'RE NOT USED TO. YEAH! ONE CAN GET UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT THE THING YOU'RE ABOUT TO DO. AND THAT'S THE TIME THAT I HAVE FOUND TO START IT ALL UP, TO SLOW IT ALL DOWN. RELAX, AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND TAKE IT STEP BY STEP. FIRST THINGS FIRST, SECOND THINGS NEXT. STEP BY STEP, UNTIL IT ALL CONNECTS. IT MAY FEEL HARD TO DO IT SO TAKE IT STEP BY STEP.

Donkey sings, SO IF I FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, I CAN ALWAYS TAKE THINGS SLOWLY.

Harriet sings, YES, RELAX AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND TAKE IT STEP BY STEP.

[Birds singing]

Birds fly over Harriet and Donkey.

Both sing, FIRST THINGS FIRST, SECOND THINGS NEXT. STEP BY STEP UNTIL IT ALL CONNECTS. IT MAY FEEL HARD TO DO IT SO TAKE IT STEP BY STEP. IT MAY FEEL HARD TO DO IT SO TAKE IT STEP BY STEP.

[Music ends, tapping]

Harriet high-fives Donkey’s paddle.

Harriet says, YOU CAN DO THIS, DONKEY!

[Donkey laughing]

Donkey says, THANKS, COACH!

[Uplifting music notes play]

Donkey says, I, DONKEY HODIE, WILL TAKE THINGS SLOWLY UNTIL I AM READY.

Harriet walks away from Donkey.

Harriet says, SOUNDS GOOD! OKAY, TEAM, PADDLES UP!

[Team chattering]

Donkey says, NOW, HOW DO I TAKE THINGSSTEP BY STEP? THINK, DONKEY HODIE, THINK. HMM. HEE-HAW! I KNOW!

[Slide whistle]

Donkey lifts her hoof.

Donkey says, AT HOME, I ALWAYS WARM UP MY HOOF BEFORE I START BALANCING. THAT CAN BE MY FIRST STEP.

[Slide whistles, upbeat music plays]

Donkey moves her hoof.

Donkey says, MM-HMM. ALL WARMED UP. NEXT STEP.

[Slide whistles, others muttering]

Donkey looks at the team holding balls on their paddles.

Donkey says, HMM. UH...MAYBE I'LL FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IF I PRACTICE WITHOUT EVERYONE ELSE WATCHING ME.

[Donkey grunting]

Donkey says, I CAN BALANCE MY BALL OVER HERE FOR A BIT, ON THE SIDE. YEAH. THAT'S FEELING BETTER.

[Slide whistle, upbeat music plays]

Donkey balances the ball on the paddle.

Donkey says, WHOA, WHOA.

[Exhaling]

Donkey says, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA.

[Exhaling, birds chirping]

Harriet says, WOO! LOOKS GOOD, DONKEY HODIE! SO, UH, HOW YOU FEELING NOW?

Donkey says, WELL, I DO FEEL BETTER. BUT I'M STILL A LITTLE NERVOUS. I THINK I NEED TO KEEP TAKING IT SLOWLY UNTIL I'M READY.

Harriet says, THAT'S ALL RIGHT! SO, WHAT'S YOUR NEXT STEP GOING TO BE, HMM?

Donkey says, HMM. PRACTICING ON THE SIDE HELPS ME FEEL BETTER. SO, MAYBE I CAN PRACTICE ON THE FIELD NEXT! JUST A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE TEAM.

Harriet says, WELL, THAT IS A WONDERFUL IDEA.

Donkey says, YEAH! AND IF I FEEL BETTER AFTER THAT, MY LAST STEP CAN BE TO JOIN THE TEAM.

Harriet says, OH, WELL, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN!

[Upbeat music plays, Donkey inhaling]

Donkey moves closer to the team.

Donkey says, OKAY. I'M ON THE FIELD NOW. TIME TO BALANCE.

[Slide whistles, gentle music plays]

Donkey carefully balances the ball on the paddle.

Donkey says, WHOA... WHOA!

[Gasping]

Donkey says, HEE-HAW! I DID IT! HMM. YOU KNOW, I FEEL BETTER NOW. I THINK I AM READY FOR THE LAST STEP. GOING OUT THERE WITH THE TEAM.

[Inhaling deeply]

Donkey says, OKAY, COACH HARRIET! HERE I COME.

[Upbeat music plays]

Harriet says, OKAY, EVERYONE, LISTEN UP! I WANT YOU'UNS ALL TO WELCOME THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR BALANCE BALL TEAM, DONKEY HODIE!

A penguin says, HI, DONKEY!

The spotted bird says, HI, DONKEY HODIE!

Donkey says, OH, HI!

The blue mouse says, HEY, DONKEY, UM, MY NAME IS HAKIM, AND I AM SO EXCITED THAT YOU'RE ON THE TEAM!

[Donkey giggling]

Donkey says, THANKS!

[Harriet blowing whistle]

Harriet says, OKAY, NOW, TIME FOR THE BALANCE BALL RELAY!

[Excited exclamations, upbeat music plays]

Harriet says, NOW EVERYONE WILL BALANCE THE BALL FOR THREE SECONDS AND THEN PASS IT TO THE NEXT TEAMMATE. AND THE LAST ONE IN THE LINE FLIPS THE BALL INTO THIS BUCKET. HMM?

Donkey says, UH... OH. I'VE NEVER DONE THE BALANCE BALL RELAY BEFORE.

[Sighing nervously, gentle music plays]

Donkey says, WAIT. IF I'M UNCOMFORTABLE DOING SOMETHING NEW, I CAN JUST TAKE THINGS SLOWLY, UNTIL I'M READY! TIME OUT, COACH HARRIET! I NEED A LITTLE MORE TIME TO GET READY.

Harriet says, BY ALL MEANS!

[Whistle blaring]

Harriet says, TIME OUT!

[Birds chirping, upbeat music plays]

Donkey walks away from the team.

Donkey says, OKAY, I…I NEED TO TAKE THIS STEP BY STEP. HMM. STEP ONE IS TO WARM UP.

[Slide whistles, upbeat music plays]

Donkey stretches her hoof.

Donkey says, HOOFS FEELING GOOD. NEXT STEP, BALANCE THE BALL. EASY DOES IT, DONKEY. YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU CAN DO THIS.

[Slide whistles]

Donkey balances the ball on the paddle.

Donkey says, WHOA, WHOA! I DID IT! FEELING MORE COMFORTABLE NOW. NEXT STEP IS TO GO ON THE FIELD AND BALANCE THE BALL THERE.

[Inhaling deeply]

Donkey says, OKAY.

[Slide whistles, upbeat music plays]

Donkey says, WHOA... OH, OH, OH. YEAH! I'M FEELING BETTER!

[Chuckling]

Donkey says, LAST STEP IS TO GO OUT THERE WITH THE TEAM. I'M READY, COACH HARRIET!

Harriet says, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD. YEAH, YEAH, TAKE YOUR PLACE IN LINE, DONKEY HODIE.

Donkey says, YOU GOT IT, COACH!

The spotted bird stands at the beginning of the line, Hakim is next, Donkey stands beside him, and the penguin stands beside the bucket.

Harriet says, OKAY NOW, ON MY WHISTLE, WE WILL BEGIN THE BALANCE BALL RELAY.

[Team grunting]

Harriet says, READY, SET, GO!

[Whistle blaring, tense music plays]

The spotted bird balances the ball on her paddle.

The spotted bird says, ONE, TWO, THREE.

[Slide whistle, grunting]

The spotted bird bounces the ball to Hakim, and ball falls.

Harriet says, THAT'S OKAY! IF IT FALLS, JUST PICK IT UP AND TRY AGAIN.

The spotted bird says, GO, HAKIM! YOU CAN DO IT!

[Penguin squibbits supportively, Donkey gasping, upbeat music plays]

Donkey says, GO, HAKIM!

Hakim says, ONE, TWO, THREE, TOSS!

[Slide whistle, upbeat music plays]

Hakim bounces the ball to Donkey, and she balances it on her paddle.

Donkey says, OKAY. YOU GOT THIS, DONKEY.

Harriet says, WOO-HOO!

Donkey says, ONE...

Hakim says, YES, YOU'VE GOT THIS.

Donkey says, TWO. WHOA!

[Thunking, Donkey sighing sadly]

The ball rolls off Donkey’s paddle.

Hakim says, HEY, DONKEY? HEY.

Donkey says, HEY, HI.

Hakim says, THAT'S OKAY, DONKEY. KEEP TRYING.

[Donkey inhaling, boinging, slide whistles]

Donkey nods and picks up the ball.

Donkey says, ONE. TWO. THREE.

[Gasping]

Donkey says, HEE-HAW!

[Slide whistles, everyone cheering]

Donkey tosses the ball to the penguin, who bounces it into the bucket and dances.

The penguin says, SQUIBBIT.

[Team exclaiming]

Donkey cheers, YEAH! WOW! HEY, NICE SHOT!

The penguin says, OH, SQUIBBIT.

[Whistle blaring, upbeat music plays]

Harriet says, OH, WHAT A RELAY! WHAT A PRACTICE! GIVE YOURSELVES A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, TEAM.

[Everyone cheering]

The penguin says, SQUIBBIT. SQUIBBIT.

Harriet says, OH, WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU ON THE TEAM, DONKEY HODIE!

Donkey says, AWW, THANKS, EVERYONE, FOR MAKING ME FEEL SO WELCOME.

The spotted bird says, YOU'RE WELCOME, DONKEY! HEY, DOES ANYONE WANT TO GO AND GET SOME FRO-YO?

[Team gasping]

Hakim says, YEAH, I LOVE FRO-YO!

[Exclaiming, cheering]


[Upbeat music plays]

End credits. Executive Producers: Ellen Doherty, Adam Rudman, David Rudman. Directed by Frankie Cordero. Written by Louie Lazar. Starring: Haley Jenkins, Stephanie D’Abruzzo. Donkey Hodie. Copyright 2024. The Fred Rogers Company. All rights reserved. Logo: Spiffy Pictures.

[Clink]

Logo: Fred Rogers Productions.

[Daniel Tiger giggles]

Logo: Nine Story Media Group.