I agree. There's a lot to be said for a kindly human figure explaining these (to a child) weighty topics. An anthropomorphic tiger seems to undercut the message.

(Mind you, this is not intended to be a heavy slam on the show, which in my limited experience is head and shoulders above what passes for children's TV now.)

The show isn't entirely animated. Each show intersperses live action cuts, although with rotating characters relevant to the episode, not a star character like Mr. Rogers.

But too be honest...these parts are terrible. It's what inspired by 2.5 yr old to learn how to use the fast forward button on the remote control.