Does photo show Mr. Rogers with Steve Irwin while wearing Bob Ross shirt?

For years, people on the internet have shared what's been described as a "wholesome" photo that "our childhood hearts can't handle" supposedly showing Fred Rogers, better known as "Mr. Rogers" from "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," wearing a T-shirt with artist Bob Ross's face on it and standing alongside crocodile hunter Steve Irwin.

The image earned over 55,000 reactions via an April 2025 Facebook post (archived) and 526,000 likes in an Instagram post (archived) the following month. Reddit users also posted the image multiple times in 2025. However, the image first started going viral on social media in 2021 (archived).

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by 80s 90s Nostalgia | Retro Throwbacks (@insta80s90s)

But this is not a genuine photo of Rogers and Irwin together. The image is a composite of separate photos of Rogers and Irwin, who died in 2003 and 2006, respectively. Additionally, the Ross T-shirt and rainbow in the background were digitally added to the image. (Ross died in 1995.)

Vemix, an Instagram account that describes itself as an artist and "fauxtographer," was likely the image's creator. The account posts digitally edited images of celebrities to make it seem as if they were in the same place, including a photo of Kurt Cobain with Tony Hawk and Michael Jackson with the Notorious BIG.

Vemix first posted the image (archived) of Rogers and Irwin on March 14, 2021. Its caption now reads: "This is a photoshop."

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Vemix (@_vemix_)

The Facebook page of Davide Gourmet Pasta Sauce, a company that sells tomato sauce, first posted the photo (archived) of Rogers in 2013 to commemorate him 10 years after his death. The photo shows Rogers wearing a T-shirt that says "Davide Fresh Pasta and Sauce."

In a July 2024 post to its website, Davide shared the story behind the photo of Rogers:

In 1995, Davide met Fred Rogers, the beloved host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, who became a loyal customer and friend. Fred loved the sauce and would often buy it for his family and friends. He even wore a Davide Sauce t-shirt while relaxing outside of the show, which he shared in photos to us.

The image of Irwin was taken from a Sept. 16, 2003, photo of him posing with his father in Beerwah, Australia, according to the photo's caption in Getty Images' database. In the fake image with Rogers, Irwin was mirrored to make it look as if he was to Rogers' right.

The T-shirt edit was based on a real Ross T-shirt design.

Snopes first reported on the image in March 2021 after it initially went viral.

Snopes' archives contributed to this report.