Vacuums on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

[fan-of-fans]

Does anyone remember the week that Mister Rogers had a lot of vacuum cleaners on his program? When I was a kid I was home one summer and remember it.

There was an episode where he comes in with a Dirt Devil Can Vac and vacuums the pull out couch with it. Then Mr McFeely brought in a tape showing How People Make Vacuums and it showed the Royal/Dirt Devil assembly line for the Can Vac.

That week in the Neighborhood of Make believe, they were using over the shoulder type vacuums (dark blue, I think maybe Metro Vacs?). Lady Elaine didn't like vacuums so she hoarded them all at the Museum Go Round and there were a bunch of woven hoses with wands nozzles sticking up over the wall.

This part I didn't recall seeing, but eventually that week she had a dream where she danced with a Hoover Convertible Model 69 I think (white with dark blue hood but instead of a blue bag it had a plaid bag) and decided she was ok with them and gave them all back.

 

[kirby519]

I do remember one time during the opening scene in the 70's that Mr. Rodger put away the vacuum cleaner the cleaning lady had left sitting out. That was a Rexair vacuum of the time.

 

[myles_v]

I also remember the episode where they visited a Dirt Devil assembly line. Wow, I'd like to see that again if anyone finds it somewhere online.

 

[oldskoolguy]

Oh man, you’re talking nostalgia!

a vacuum sweeper can never sweep us never sweep us cause we’re people!
If my memory serves me right that’s how the song went. Strong memory on “we’re people” and “we’re panda” but don’t recall if it was vacuum SWEEPER or CLEANER. But I do know it went “never sweep us.” I know lady Elaine used her boomerang toomerang soomerang on the person-sized lady Elaine with the vacuum. I recall the factory video too. Where have the years gone? I’m sure the episode will be released on DVD some day. They had “Mr Rogers Makes Mistakes” with a copyright year of 2019, so that gives us hope that maybe we’ll see that and other Mr Rogers episodes again. I would also look at Mr. Rogers VHS tapes you find online or at second hand stores to see what episodes are on there. I’m certain someone somewhere has a recording of the episode saved in VHS and maybe some day they’ll be nice enough to put it on YouTube!

 

[oldskoolguy]

Update!

Google is my friend once again! Episode 1701 is available on Amazon (listed there as season 1996 episode 6). You have to pay to watch it though.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Pretty sure it was "vacuum sweeper." For some reason Fred referred to them as vacuum sweepers, could it be a Pennsylvania dialect thing? Here in Florida I hear "vacuum cleaner" mostly but people that come here from northern states call them "sweepers."

 

[jo]

Sweepers vs vacuum cleaner

Sweeper is more of a midwestern and country term. I grew up in Northern NJ and know a lot of people in New England area...they are called vacuum cleaners there. My Aunt lived in southeastern Ohio, south of the Cambridge area in Noble county, a very rural area...undoubtedly the term there was “sweeper” or “vacuum sweeper”. But my Sister lived in Cincinnati for many years, it was mostly vacuum cleaner there.

Perhaps the name never evolved to vacuum cleaner from back in the day before electricity and people had carpet sweepers...people out in the country and rural areas were always the last to get the latest innovations in utilities so surely they were late getting electricity in their homes so many had carpet sweepers for a lot longer time before getting electric vacuum cleaners and once they did...they just kept on calling the thing they cleaned the floors with a “sweeper”. You have to understand also that while they may have gotten electric service to their homes finally...they didn’t immediately run out and buy a bunch of electric appliances right away...so chances are they had carpet sweepers for a very long time after their homes became electrified. Also electric vacuum cleaners were expensive back then, many farmers couldn’t afford expensive appliances unless it was really necessary and the vacuum cleaner was less important over perhaps getting an electric refrigerator or electric clothes washer into a house to make life easier.

Full term would have been “Electric vacuum sweeper” and it was shortened over time for convenience in conversation.

We have to remember the Hoover company was in North Canton Ohio...and their advertising slogan was...”it beats as it sweeps as it cleans” so sweep was in their slogan so it does seem logical that the vacuum cleaner would have been referred to with the term “sweep” in the name. Upright Hoover’s did indeed sweep after all.