We Finally Know Why Daniel Tiger Never Has Any Freakin’ Pants On

If you have a toddler or preschooler, chances are you've seen roughly four million episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. The show is fantastic because it teaches kids all about friendships, managing their feelings, and how to be kind. But there's something else most of us have noticed when we watch the show–and no, it's not just that Daniel's parents are so unrealistically patient that they're probably robots. It's that Daniel and his dad don't wear any pants. But, strangely, Mom Tiger does. Now, thanks to an interview with the creator, we finally know why.

If you've noticed Daniel's lack of pants and felt weird about it, you aren't the only one.

It's a running joke on Twitter and anywhere else parents talk about their kids' favorite shows.

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CrystalPepsi/Twitter

One person actually created a petition decrying Daniel's lack of "good moral values" because he's "half naked." LOL

People have even noticed weird nuances to the no-pants factor, like that Daniel wears them to bed but not to school.

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vid_icarus/Twitter

In an interview with The Atlantic, Angela Santomero, the creator of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, finally addressed #PantsGate head on.

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PBSKids/Instagram

"For Daniel Tiger, we love how plushy and tiger-y he is, and we didn't want to hide that by completely covering him up," she explained. "But we really wanted to create that signature red sweater and sneakers, which of course is a nod to Fred [Rogers of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood]. And then because Dad Tiger’s based on the original Daniel Striped Tiger, it made sense to us to emulate that same look."

The creator also explained that Mom Tiger wears pants because they wanted to show her as "active and real" and not just in a dress and pearls all the time. Mom Tiger is even getting overalls and a tool belt in the upcoming season because she's starting a new job as a builder. 

Still, if they wanted Mom Tiger to bust the "lady in a dress" stereotype, I wonder why she couldn't just rock the no-pants look as well?

Either way, now we have an answer and we can start worrying about more important things, like why the hell the Tiger family has tiger skin curtains.

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Ashley Austrew/Instagram