The Imagine Neighborhood

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The Imagine Neighborhood
A show where we use our imaginations to talk about the big feelings we all have.
Sun, 12 Feb 2023 23:45:00 -0500
No Filter with Rachel Litfin

Hi, everybody! I’m Count Vacula, and this is a brand-new No Filter with Count Vacula!

Today’s guest is a really cool author named Rachel Litfin. She writes books for young adult readers, which means people who are age 12 and up. Her stories are all about an imaginary land full of dragons and Epic Quests, and the main characters are all kids who have to save the world while also going to school and remembering to finish their homework!

Rachel started writing her very first story when she was only 13 years old, and now it’s her grown-up job. How great is that?! We talked about how stories help us to learn about our own feelings, and how they can also teach us that everybody else has big feelings, too!

Rachel had really fun answers to my Five Questions, and my favorite was when she said that she likes being asked “What is something that at first you thought was scary or bad, but it turned out to be good?” It reminded me of the time I met Princess Donnasaurus! She dropped her ice cream, which was bad, but when she bent down to get it, she saw me—and now we’re best friends! That turned out so good!

I really liked getting to know Rachel and I think you’re going to like her too!

I’ll be back next month with another new friend for you to meet, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear about a time something happened to you that seemed bad but turned out to be good. Maybe your class got a new teacher and you felt uncertain, but then she turned out to be awesome! Or maybe your grown-up served you a new food you thought you would hate, but it was delicious! I love stories like that!

I hope your week is full of good things! Talk to you soon!

Your pal,

Vac

Sun, 12 Feb 2023 23:45:00 -0500
Macho's Eggcellent Adventure

If someone doesn’t speak your language, and you don’t speak theirs, can you still find a way to communicate with them and make friends? That's the big question in today’s episode, "MACHO'S EGGCELLENT ADVENTURE"!

When Empress Bawkarella of the planet Cluckatron catches a lift in the Mach Billion, everything goes great. That is, until the gang runs into a field of dangerous EGGsteroids! And with Scotty out doing a squeegee spacewalk to wipe off the windshield, it’s up to Macho and Bawkarella to find a way to navigate the ship to safety together. But the Empress doesn’t speak English and Macho doesn’t speak Bawkish!

It’ll take patience and paying attention to social-emotional cues to get their messages across. And by the end, Bawkarella and Macho will be besties and Scotty won’t be the only one who’s a little bit bilingual! Bawk b’gawk, everybody!

HowWereYouKind.Today

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 12:28:00 -0500
Crossing Guardasaurus

BREAKING NEWS! This just in from WTIN Studios, The Imagine Neighborhood’s top radio station:

Reports indicate that many kinds of animals are having difficulty safely crossing the busy road in front of Princess Donnasaurus’s castle! Her Royal Highness is personally taking action to assist them, but it seems she hasn't made sure that they all want her help.

Is an act of kindness still kind, even if it's unwelcome? Let’s join lead anchor Cardboard Scotty with Count Vacula live at Donnasaurus Castle to bring you all the answers. Over to you, Cardboard Scotty! . . .

Get more social emotional learning tools from us at www.imagineneighborhood.org

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 23:45:00 -0500
Rerun: Raising the Steaks

Hey there, my little hardcore headbangers!

Doctor Apocalypso here, welcoming you back for Part Two of our slammin’ story about fighting discrimination.

So, last week, you heard how our new Big Bot Burger restaurant wouldn’t serve Wastelanders like me—and how me and Scotty led a peaceful protest to let them know unfairness is not welcome in our Neighborhood.

And for a while, our protest worked! After finding out that Big Bot discriminates, people refused to eat there, so our Big Bot location closed down. But guess what? Big Bot just opened their restaurants in other places. Lots and lots of other places!

And most folks didn’t know about Big Bot’s unfair rules against Wasties, so they kept eating there. And so Big Bot kept getting more and more powerful, and built more and more restaurants so they could discriminate against more and more people!

Like I said before—the thing about discrimination is that you have to fight it no matter where it happens. So even though Big Bot wasn’t open in the Wasteland anymore, we still had to do something. We had to let everyone know the truth! Because no matter how delicious a Big Bot burger is, nothing is tastier than some juicy justice!

I hope you have a great time listening to the episode, and always remember—whenever you and your friends stand together against injustice, you make the world a more rockin’, cooler, and kinder place!

Get more social emotional learning tools from us at www.imagineneighborhood.org

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 23:45:00 -0500
Rerun: Doctor Apocalypso Has a Beef

Hey there, rockers! It's me, Doctor Apocalypso!

Strap on your skull boots and crank up the volume because today, we're going to re-listen to Part One of a story that's really important to me. It's all about fairness and fighting back against discrimination. Discrimination is a word for when someone says that you can’t do something or have something just because of your identity! That’s about as unfair as you can get.

Maybe you remember that a couple of years ago, a new restaurant called Big Bot Burgers opened up in the Wasteland. We were all so excited—I even performed a slammin’ concert for their grand opening!

But the thing is, they wouldn't actually let any Wastelanders eat there! Other people could order all the tasty burgers they wanted, but when Wasties like me came in, the restaurant called us terrible names and kicked us out.

At first I got really mad. And sad! But then I decided to do something about it.

Big Bot needed to make things right—so we held a peaceful protest to let everyone know about the discrimination going on at the restaurant, and you know what? Our protest worked! Big Bot was forced to leave the Wasteland!

Well, it sort of worked.

It turned out that Big Bot just moved to other locations. And the thing about injustice is, you can't only care about it when it affects your own Neighborhood. You have to fight discrimination wherever it's happening. So Scotty and I called all our friends and we . . . oops! Oh man, I’m sorry! I'm getting way ahead of myself. We'll tell you that part of the story next week!

For now, it's time to rock and resist. Ready?

WE WANT JUSTICE! WE WANT RESPECT! BIG BOT BURGERS, GET CORRECT!

See you at the protest!

Get more social emotional learning tools from us at www.imagineneighborhood.org

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 23:45:00 -0500
Rerun: Hastabee Proud

Well hello there, you little throw rugs. It’s me! Your very favorite supervillain, Queen Hastabee!

You remember me, right? Of course you do. I’m the one who tried to teach Scotty and his rusty robot pal a lesson about the way a pillow fort HAStabee, but they escaped and instead I just got buried in fluffy blankets! Then I tried to make those two cornflakes understand the way a bowl of cereal hastabee, and they still got away from me!

So today, we are listening to this episode again, because it is clear to me that none of you understood it the first time!

You and your friend Scotty seem to think this story is all about being proud of your identity, when obviously it is all about the extremely demanding work I do to keep everything the way it hastabee!

Oh sure, that vapid vampire vacuum might have used different parts of his identity to free Scotty from my Crunchulator cereal-maker . . . and to reprogram my beautiful Bendomatic 5000 . . . and to cover my amazing supervillain outfit with icky sticky frosting, but so what?

Just because he called himself “Captain Vactacular” and accomplished amazing feats that only someone with his unique identity could have accomplished doesn’t mean he’s a superhero. He doesn’t even have a superhero voice!

I know that you’ll enjoy re-listening to this episode because it stars me, and anything starring me hastabee amazing. And just ignore the part where that pillow-fort fraud Scotty says that we all have a superhero inside us—what does he know? He’s the sort of person who puts two different kinds of cereal together in the same bowl!

Farewell for now, fringe fleas! And don’t forget to keep things the way they hastabee, or . . .

I’ll bee back!

Get more social emotional learning tools from us at www.imagineneighborhood.org

Sun, 08 Jan 2023 23:45:00 -0500
Rerun: The Trials of Vacstradamus

Hello, listeners. It is I, Count Vacula's Great-uncle Vacstradamus. But because existence is a delicate gift whose every fleeting if meaningless second we must cherish and not squander on unnecessary verbosity, you may call me Gruncle Vaxie.

I hope you all enjoyed your winter holiday celebrations. The season of mirth is now past. Now is the time for learning all about the inexorable march of time. And laundry.

Today we will be re-listening to the episode "The Trials Of Vacstradamus." It is about the time my Great-nephew Count Vacula turned one thousand years old. That is a big birthday. And big birthdays can also bring big responsibilities. Like laundry.

When we are little vacuums, we are not expected to help our family with chores. But as we become bigger vacuums, we can learn to be kind and help out so that our grown-ups don't have to do everything by themselves. And as we have discussed, grown-ups' lives are already very hard and they do not even have light-up shoes.

But they do have laundry.

I do not want to spoil the story for you, but I will tell you that I am very proud of my Great-nephew Count Vacula. Sometimes the most important thing is that we try our best, even if in the process we accidentally open an interdimensional portal through time and space. It is all part of growing up.

Enjoy this episode, listeners. If you are bothered that it is a re-run, just remember that there is no such thing as past or present in an indifferent and chaotic universe, and that the only thing that really matters is kindness. And clean laundry.

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 12:26:50 -0500
Rerun: Cardboard Boxing Day 2

Yes! Cardboard Boxing Day is finally here!

The day the Neighborhood waits for all the year!

But we want our friends to enjoy their holiday fun,

So today, we’re sharing a CBDay re-run!

Do you remember the story of CBDay Two?

When Scotty was tense and had too much to do?

He tried to make sure all his friends were okay

And he forgot to take time to enjoy the day!

And though the holidays sometimes can make folks feel stressed

From working so very hard to deliver their best—

What makes a day great isn’t because it’s grandiose,

It’s spending time with the people who matter the most!

So come revisit last year’s Boxing Day Eve

With its cardboard creations you just won’t believe!

And by the end, you too will opine—

“Right in this moment, everything’s fine!”

Sun, 25 Dec 2022 23:45:00 -0500
Cardboard Boxing Day 3

‘Tis holiday season across the land,

And the best celebration of all is at hand!

Cardboard Boxing Day’s here, so we get to play—

Building cardboard creations all through the day!

But not everyone’s ready for when this day ends . . .

Macho wants to keep making creations for friends!

He’s constructing a whole Cardboard Neighborhood

And he’s taking a lot more time than he should.

He won’t stop pasting and painting and priming!

He won’t stop drawing and cutting and rhyming!

He won’t listen when friends say the holiday’s through!

He won’t even stop for the Cardboard Kaiju!

The Kaiju has come for her annual dinner—

She can’t wait to get all that old cardboard in her!

She loves to bite boxes, crunch cartons galore,

Degustation of corrugation makes her heart soar!

But Macho won’t give her his cardboard to gobble

And the hungry Kaiju is starting to squabble!

Her tummy’s growling, she’s feeling frustrations—

It’s her job to munch up all the creations!

So what do we do when it’s time to be done,

But we aren’t ready to stop having fun?

Can Macho be macho enough to let go

So the Kaiju can have a good time, also?

It’ll take being brave, and grateful, and kind,

But if Macho can do it, soon he will find

Though happy things ending can give you the blues

It feels good to share things with friends—and Kaijus!

Happy Holidays, everyone—enjoy the show!

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 09:51:25 -0500
No Filter with Ray Porter

Hi, everybody, I’m back! It’s me, your pal Count Vacula, with a brand-new No Filter with Count Vacula!

I think you’ll have a lot of fun meeting today’s guest! His name is Ray Porter, and he’s an actor and voice artist who’s performed in all kinds of cool things!

Ray has been in TV shows and movies your grown-up might have seen, like Frasier, and Argo, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League—and he’s been in some that you might have seen, like Curious George, and The Little Engine That Could, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. He’s also narrated hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of audiobooks, so he’s really good at doing lots of different voices and accents.

To show me how he does it, Ray did a cool dragon voice, and then I did a giant’s voice—and then we talked about how it’s really fun to imagine how other people (or monsters!) might sound, but that you can never really tell just by looking at them. Even if someone seems scary, they could actually be a really kind person (or monster)!

Something Ray and I have in common is that we both love stories! Something we don’t have in common is that I like to listen to them, and he likes to read them out loud and perform them—and that’s a really fun difference to have. Ray gets to record books, and I get to go and listen to them whenever I want. How cool is that?

We talked about cardboard creations, and how penguins don’t like cheese, and how he likes to ask new people to tell him whatever they know the most about. I think that’s a great way to make friends, because someone might be an expert in something really surprising, and you’ll learn a lot about it—and them!

I learned a lot of things about Ray, especially that he’s super fun to talk to, and a really nice person. I think you’ll think he’s fun and nice, too!

Well, it was great talking to you again. I’ll be back after the holidays with some more cool people to introduce you to, and in the meantime, I hope you’ll be able to practice meeting some new people, too. If you’re uncertain how to start the conversation, you could do what Ray does and ask them about the thing they know the most about, or you can just try asking them, “How were you kind today?”

Have a great week, and if we don’t talk before then, have a terrific Cardboard Boxing Day, too!

Vac

Sun, 11 Dec 2022 19:00:00 -0500
A Very Macho Q and A

Hi, everybody!

I’m really excited about today’s show, because Macho is here with me and we get to snack on his delicious “Macho Nachos” while we answer more of the cool questions listeners like you sent in this season!

I can’t tell you enough how much all of us in the Neighborhood love hearing from you. Whether it’s a suggestion for us, or artwork you made, or sharing something that you wanted us to know about, we’re always delighted to get your letters. And we’re extra happy when we get to post your drawings on our Infinite Refrigerator, or answer your questions in a special episode like this one!

You know, one of the awesome things about asking questions is that they can lead to really cool conversations. While Macho and I were answering this week’s questions, we also talked about spaceship driving lessons, besties, scoot-juice, exercise, haberdashery . . . all kinds of stuff. We learned new things about each other and had a great time!

Special thanks to Brookson, Alma, Levi, Miles, Penny, and Jori for sending in today’s terrific questions—and hey Jori, here is the “Goodbye Giganticus” episode I mention in today’s show. I bet someone else out there might want to hear it too, so thank you for asking your question!

Well everyone, we’ll be back next week—and until then be curious, be kind, and be careful driving your friend’s spaceship.

  • Scotty

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Sun, 04 Dec 2022 23:45:00 -0500
Gruncle Vaxie's Grown-up Corner

Greetings, listeners. It is I, Count Vacula's Great-uncle Vacstradamus. Also known as Gruncle Vaxie. Isn't that amusing?

You know what else is amusing?

No, I am asking you. Please tell me.

Today, my young friends, I welcome you to “Gruncle Vaxie’s Grown-Up Corner.” Do not worry. This is not an episode for grown-ups. This is an episode about grown-ups.

Poor grown-ups. Poor, poor grown-ups. Their lives are very hard. They work boring jobs. They never get to play tag. And they have hardly any stickers.

It is very easy to forget how much your grown-up could use some kindness. But today I will share with you some of the terrible things that grown-ups have to endure, and when the episode is over, perhaps you will feel like giving your grown-up a hug.

You can also tell them, "I am very sorry that a creeping awareness of the purposelessness of the universe haunts your waking hours." But maybe just a hug would be best.

Well, children. That is all. I have enjoyed speaking with you today. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I even considered smiling. I look forward to considering smiling with you again. Until then, please remember to be kind and take good care of your grown-up. If you want, you could even give them a sticker.

Your acquaintance,

Gruncle Vaxie

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 23:45:00 -0500
Reckless Ricardo

Has anyone ever dared you to do something?

Maybe it was something silly, like hopping on one leg all day, or only talking Pig Latin at lunchtime. Or maybe it was something that felt dangerous, like petting a strange dog, or jumping off the swings. But no matter what it was—what if you just didn’t want to do it?

When someone dares us to do something—is it okay to say “no”? What if we already said yes, but then we change our minds? These are some of the questions Cap’n Marion is asking in this week’s episode, “Reckless Ricardo”!

Today, Scotty is at Lava Avenue, where a big crowd has gathered to watch Cap’n Marion perform three difficult stunts—stunts that only the legendary pirate Reckless Ricardo has ever accomplished! She completes the first two, but when the time comes to lava-ski down the side of boiling hot Mt. Infernus on just a pair of boat paddles, Cap’n Marion isn’t so sure she wants to keep going. Her sailor-sense tells her that it’s not a good idea, but everyone is watching and waiting!

--Will we ever know why the Dread Pirate Cummerbund kept a vat of tuna salad in his backyard?

–Will Scotty survive an entire afternoon of physical exercise?

–Will Cap’n Marion learn that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is say “no”?

For the answers to all these questions and a high seas adventure that’s sure to shiver yer timbers, hoist yer anchor and set sail with The Imagine Neighborhood!

Sun, 20 Nov 2022 23:45:00 -0500
Feelin' Groovy

Hi, everybody!

Today’s episode is all about one of my favorite things ever—music!

I love all kinds of music. I love hip-hop and classical and mariachi and punk and jazz and reggae and folk and blues and . . . well, you get the point.

One of the coolest things about music is that it can make different people feel different ways—even if they’re listening to the very same song! A piece of music that fills me with energy might make someone else feel relaxed. Or a song that makes someone else smile might remind me of something sad.

I think it’s really fun to find out how a song makes other people feel, so I invented a game about it! It’s called “Feeling Groovy,” and today I’m going to play it with Princess Donnasaurus. But you can play this game too—with your family, with your friends, or even with me!

The game starts by having all the players listen to a song together. Then, they talk about the different emotions it made them feel, and the different things it made them think about. And the best part about playing “Feeling Groovy” is that there are no wrong answers and everybody wins!

Do you want to play “Feeling Groovy” with me? I’d love that! After you hear today’s song, you can write me and tell me how it made you feel. Or if you have a song you want to share with me, you can send me the name of the song and tell me what emotions it reminded you of. I’ll listen to your song, and then I’ll write back and tell you what emotions it reminded me of!

I can’t wait to read your letters! I’m so excited to play “Feeling Groovy" with you, and to find out—how were you kind today?

Scotty

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 23:45:00 -0500
November Q&A

Hi there, Listeners!

Oh, um, I mean . . .LisTINers? Listenersesessess? . . . Hmmm...

Anyway, friends—this week on The Imagine Neighborhood™ we’re doing a Q&A episode, which is where we answer (As!) questions (Qs!) sent in this season by YOU, our awesome Neighbors!

Or, eh . . .

Should we call you "Neighborinos". . . or maybe "Neighborlings"?

Well, we'll get back to that . . .

As I was saying, today Vac and I got to go through all the mail we’ve received this season and decided to read your messages and answer some of your letters right here on the show!

You asked some really interesting questions about us, and about Cap’n Marion and Princess Donnasaurus, too—wanting to know about our favorite animals, our friends, and even what we do to help ourselves calm down when we feel worried!

We hope you like today’s episode, and if your question didn’t get answered this time, don’t worry—we’ll have more listener-questions in an upcoming show . . . er, um, I mean . . . listenarian-questions?

Hey, I know! How about you tell us what you’d like to be called?!

Have your grown-up email us at kind@imagineneighborhood.org—or leave us a comment on our Instagram or Facebook page—and tell us what name you think friends of The Imagine Neighborhood should be called! We can’t wait to read all the cool suggestions you come up with!

Special thanks to Florence, Travis, Harper, and Kobe for being part of today’s show. We loved getting your letters and being able to answer your questions, and most of all, we loved when you told us—how were you kind today?

Have a great week, everybody, and watch out for those draggers!

  • Scotty
Sun, 06 Nov 2022 23:45:00 -0500
No Filter: Weird Al - Bigger, Longer & Clean-cut

Hey everybody, it’s your pal Count Vacula!

I’m super excited because today I get to share a very special BONUS episode of No Filter with you, featuring my good friend, “Weird Al” Yankovic!

He and I met last season, but we had such a terrific time getting to know each other that we talked and talked and talked and talked for so long that not all of it could be in the original show. But Al has a really awesome movie coming out today called WEIRD:The Al Yankovic Story, so I thought it would be a great time to see if Scotty would let me share the rest of our meeting with you—and he said yes! How awesome is that?!

Weird Al’s name is really Alfred, but everyone calls him Weird Al because he’s extremely silly, and he’s famous for writing and performing hilarious parody songs. He’s so good that he’s won five Grammy Awards and sold more than 12 million albums! He’s also written two kids books, When I Grow Up and My New Teacher and Me!

The most important thing to know about Weird Al is that he’s a really nice and kind person!

I had a great time hanging out with him, and I think you’ll have a great time, too.

Have you ever made up new lyrics to a song? Write back and let me know! And in the meantime, I hope you and your family and all your friends have a great—and weird—weekend!

See you soon!

Your pal,

Vac

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 23:16:00 -0400
Sorry Not Sorry

Everyone makes mistakes, and that’s okay. What’s important is what we do after the mistake to help make things right!

One of the very first things someone can do to help make things right is to apologize. But what if the person apologizing doesn’t really mean it? Is it enough to just say the words, “I’m sorry”? And do you have to accept an apology even if it isn’t sincere?

Evil Billionaire Hamster Tantrumus Maximus sure thinks so!

In this week’s episode, Tantrumus is feeling very frustrated. He thinks that because he’s rich he should get attention and power, so he’s decided to trick Princess Donnasaurus into making him ruler of the Neighborhood!

He’s also decided that he can get away with hurting people’s feelings and doing unkind things just as long as he says “I’m sorry” afterwards—even if he isn’t the least bit sorry at all!

  • Will Scotty be able to scrape all the jam and birdseed off himself before the local sparrows decide it’s lunchtime?
  • Will Princess Donnasaurus have to go live with Harry and Meghan?
  • Will Tantrumus ever learn about the importance of empathy?

To find out the answers to these questions (and whether we all have to start calling Tantrumus “Your Highness”), sneak past the cream-pie Palace Guards and tune in to this week’s fantastic fable of forgiveness from The Imagine Neighborhood!

Sun, 30 Oct 2022 23:45:00 -0400
Re-run: Alakazambra's Halloween Party

It’s the season for tricks and treats, and here in the Neighborhood, we love to celebrate Halloween with scary decorations and all kinds of spooky fun! But what makes something scary? Is everybody scared by the same things?

Scotty and Vac thought so, until they invited Alakazambra over to see the cool haunted house they made last year. It had monsters, and alien eggs, and bowls of eyeballs . . . and Alakazambra wasn’t frightened at all! It turns out that when you’ve been battling demons for thousands of years, a mummy made of toilet paper just isn’t very exciting.

At first Scotty and Vac were a little disappointed. But when Alakazambra invited them over to visit her haunted house, they couldn’t wait to find out what kinds of chills and thrills a powerful sorceress puts together when she wants to have some frightening fun! Would they discover demons? Hordes of howling banshees? Gruesome ghosts? Or, um . . . is that a kitten?!

  • Did Alakazambra learn that different people can feel differently about things, and that’s okay?
  • Did Scotty survive the tiny tot talent show?
  • Are we sure that not everyone is afraid of Nickelback?

To find out, grab your most ghoulish getup and get ready to revisit one of the eeriest episodes ever of The Imagine Neighborhood!

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 15:03:00 -0400
No Filter with Kari Byron

Hey there, everybody! It’s me, Count Vacula, bringing you a brand-new No Filter with Count Vacula and a brand-new friend to meet!

I’m so excited about today’s guest! Her name is Kari Byron and most people know her from the TV show MythBusters, where Kari and her friends conducted all kinds of crazy science experiments to learn the truth about things. They tested everything from whether elephants are actually scared of mice (they aren’t) to whether a person can really climb a building on a rope of human hair like Rapunzel’s prince did (they can)!

Kari loves learning so much that she even started a kids’ content platform called EXPLR—it’s full of amazing science videos that teachers and families can use to help 5th–10th graders learn more about the world.

Kari and I have a lot of things in common, including the fact that we both like to eat delicious bugs! I eat them when they fall under the couch, but Kari buys hers specially. She even brought a bag of chocolate-covered crickets to the show! She taught me that eating food made from insects is a great way to help the planet, because they’re full of protein and it’s really easy to make more of them. But you probably shouldn’t eat any bugs unless your grown-up gives them to you.

Kari and I talked about toilet monsters, and cardboard spaceships, and how you need to keep practicing at things if you want to get them right. That’s why I keep practicing my getting-to-know-you skills! Making new friends can be difficult, or even feel a little scary—but the more I keep doing it, the better I get at it and the more confident I feel, even when I meet a TV star like Kari!

It was super fun getting to know Kari, and I think you’re going to have a great time too!

I’ll be back after awhile with another new person for you to meet, but until then, I hope you’re practicing making friends and meeting new people. Is there someone you made friends with who you really like? Write me and tell me about them! I want to know what you have in common with them, and what you don’t have in common with them, but most importantly, I’d love to know—how were you kind today?

See you soon, pal!

Vac

Sun, 16 Oct 2022 23:45:00 -0400
Bandersnatch Birthday Bonanza

If you wanted a glass of juice, you wouldn’t ask for a glass of moose, would you?

If you wanted to go to the park, you wouldn’t ask to go to the shark, would you?

Using the correct name for things is important—and using the correct name for a person is even more important! Because if you call your juice a moose, no one’s feelings will get hurt. But a person’s name is a big part of their identity, and saying their name wrong can make them feel very sad . . . in fact, in this week’s episode, calling someone by the wrong name can even make them turn invisible!

This week, we finally get to meet Alakazambra’s wizard boyfriend, Bandersnatch Countyseat! It’s Bandersnatch’s birthday, and a monster surprise party is in the works—but Bandersnatch isn’t really in a party mood. Everyone keeps saying his name wrong, and every time they do, a little piece of him fades away. And if the gang can’t fix the problem in time, Bandersnatch may disappear completely!

  • Will Scotty ever learn to say Bandersnatch Countyseat’s name right?
  • Will the multiplication table run out of treats before the party starts?
  • Will Alakazambra and Bandersnatch ever stop grossing us out with their lovey-dovey whispering?

To find out, put on your party hat and get ready to belt out “Happy Birthday” to Butternut . . . um, Bandicoot . . . um, Bandersnatch Countyseat in today’s transparently terrific tale from The Imagine Neighborhood!

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 23:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Dr. Marion Nestle

Hi there, everybody! It’s me, your pal Count Vacula, bringing you a new No Filter with Count Vacula, and introducing you to another interesting new friend!

Today’s guest is Dr. Marion Nestle, PhD! Her favorite thing (and one of my favorite things, and probably one of your favorite things, too) is food! She has spent her whole life studying food, and her main job is teaching people about the best foods to help keep your body—and even your pets’ bodies—healthy and strong.

Sometimes we choose our food based just on how it tastes on our tongue, but Dr. Marion taught me the word “nutrition,” which is how we describe the ways the other parts of our body react to food. Our muscles and our bones and our hair and even our mood can be affected by what we eat! I think that’s so cool to know about!

Dr. Marion gives lectures about food and nutrition all over the world, and she teaches at colleges, and she also writes books. They’re mostly for grown-ups, but she has one called Eat Drink Vote that’s filled with cartoons we think you and your family might like.

Dr. Marion talked to me about greenhouses, and about how some “junk” food (like her favorite—ice cream!) is ok to eat if you don’t overdo it. She also explained to me that she is uncomfortable making up answers to questions, so instead of giving a silly wrong answer to our science question, she explained the real reason why humans sweat, and that was really awesome! I liked learning the answer, but I also liked that she told me how she was feeling.

It was really fun to meet Dr. Marion, and I think you’ll have fun meeting her too!

I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with another new friend for you to meet. Have you met anyone new and interesting? Tell me about it! Or just let me know—how were you kind today?

Your friend,

Vac

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 23:45:00 -0400
The Temple of 'Do

Do you call it a see-saw, or a teeter-totter?

Do you call it soda, or pop? Do you say wash, or warsh?

Do you call them sneakers, or tennis shoes, or maybe kicks?

Do you “get ready” to do something, or “fix” to do it?

The way that people speak is called their “dialect,” and these are all examples of various dialects. Your dialect can reflect a lot of things about your identity—like your ethnic or cultural heritage, what part of the country you live in, and even where your neighborhood is.

Fun fact! We all learned to speak in ways that are a little bit different from each other, which means that everyone has at least one dialect—yes, even you! And some people learn to speak in more than one dialect, which can come in very handy. In fact, this week, having different dialects saves the day in The Imagine Neighborhood!

Today, Scotty, Alakazambra, and Miss Mamas are on an Epic Quest to find the enchanted spellbook The Glamoire. But the book is hidden deep inside the diabolical Temple of ’Do, which is filled with tricky booby traps . . . and Scotty falls into all of them! Miss Mamas and Alakazambra take turns casting wizarding spells in each of their own dialects, and together they save Scotty, get The Glamoire, and learn that the way everybody speaks is magical!

  • Will Scotty be able to tootsie-roll his way out of the bottomless pit?
  • Will Alakazambra and Miss Mamas uncover the speech secrets of The Glamoire?
  • Why did it have to be snakes?

For all the answers, grab thine magic wand, your curling wand, or whatever enchanting accessory reflects your identity, and get ready to get caught up in today’s spellbinding episode of The Imagine Neighborhood!

Sun, 25 Sep 2022 11:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Riley Black

Oh boy oh boy!

Hey, friends! It’s me—Count Vacula, starting off a brand-new season of No Filter with Count Vacula just for you!

My first guest is named Riley Black, and she has maybe the most fun job in the world. She’s a paleontologist, which means she studies dinosaurs! And Riley doesn’t just study them—she’s an explorer who hunts for fossils and dinosaur bones in the desert.

Riley loves to learn all about the way the world was millions of years ago, and she also loves to teach other people about it, so she writes articles and books, and she even helped make the movie Jurassic World!

Riley and I have a lot in common, like, we both love dinosaurs (although her neighborhood doesn’t have a Princess dinosaur like mine does), and we both love to taste rocks! Riley does it to help her know what kind of rock it is, and I do it just because I think they’re delicious. (But you should be careful to not lick any rocks unless you ask your grown-ups first.)

Riley talked to me about her favorite dinosaur (Allosaurus!), and about how she loves to be kind to her dog, and she also told me a terrific made-up story about why werewolves love fireworks. I really liked meeting Riley, and I think you’ll like meeting her too!

I’ll be back soon with more new friends for you to meet, and I hope you’ve been making some fun new friends of your own! You can write in and tell me all about it, or just let me know, how were you kind today?

See you soon!

Your pal,

Vac

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 02:39:00 -0400
Hastabee Proud

Have you ever done something good, and it made you feel great about yourself? That happy feeling is called being proud. Maybe you felt proud of yourself for picking up your toys before someone asked you to, or when you learned something difficult like riding a bike or doing subtraction.

We often feel proud when we do something special—but did you know you can also just be proud of all of the things that make you who you are?

You can be proud of your family’s heritage, and where you come from. You can be proud of liking to read, or how much you care about your friends. You can be proud of being someone who always tries their best.

You can be proud of all the different parts of your identity, because they are what make you, you!

In today’s episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, Count Vacula isn’t sure if it’s okay to just feel proud of who he is. In fact, Vac’s worried that he might need a secret superhero identity before he can feel proud. And when bossy Queen Hastabee kidnaps Scotty to teach him a lesson about how cereal “hastabee,” Vac decides that the only way to save him is to put on a cape and become Captain Vactacular!

  • Will Scotty finish eating his Choco-berry Marshmallow Bransplosion before Queen Hastabee takes it away from him?
  • Will Vac learn that he’s always been a hero, and that the things he can be proud of are already part of his own identity?
  • Will Queen Hastabee ever get the Crunchulator sugar frosting out of her Supervillain outfit?

To find out, grab a bowl and spoon and get ready to enjoy your recommended daily allowance of The Imagine Neighborhood!

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 11:45:00 -0400
The Poll-a-Keet

What are the things that make you, you? Some parts of who you are come from where you live or what culture you grew up in. Some of your identity can be physical, like how tall or short you are. Some of who you are includes the things you enjoy doing, like making art or playing sports. Your identity is full of unique and interesting things that make you the person that you are!

But what happens when you tell someone who you are, and they don’t believe you?

In this week’s installment of The Imagine Neighborhood, Princess Donnasaurus has sent her Poll-a-Keet out to make sure that the Royal Records are up to date on important things like everyone’s birthdays, favorite colors, and gender. But when Count Vacula says he’s a boy, the Poll-a-Keet insists that anyone who looks like a vacuum can’t be a boy.

That makes Vac wonder—What makes someone a boy? Is it the things that you like to do? Is it what your friends say? How does someone know for sure if they are a boy or not?

It’ll take an Epic Quest, sardine pancakes, and macho manicures for Vac to learn that there’s no one right way to be a boy, or a girl, or anything else, and that the person who knows you best—is you!

For activities based on this episode, have your grown-up sign up for our weekly Wednesday newsletter—but right now, get ready to find out who likes lemonade, who can do a thousand-and-one pushups, and who’s a pretty bird on today’s exciting episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Further reading:

https://allstatefoundation.org/

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2780234

Everymom

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Season Five Trailer

Hi there, listeners!

Summer’s almost over, but (buuuu-uuuuuut!) that’s good news—because it means that a brand new season of The Imagine Neighborhood is right around the corner!

Everyone here is so excited to share all of our exciting new adventures, and introduce you to all of our awesome new friends!

In Season Five we'll ride roller coasters, find wizard treasure, talk to space chickens, steal tiny spoons, do feats of daring, throw birthday parties, stop a royal rout, and of course, eat lots and lots and LOTS of cereal—so ask your grownup to get on our mailing list and get ready to spend some time with us in The Imagine Neighborhood!

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Cap'n Marion's Summer Postcard 2022

Avast, ye landlubbing listeners!

It be I, Cap'n Marion, sendin’ ye a piratey postcard direct from the deck of the Burn Voyage! Are ye havin' a swashbucklin’ summer? I surely be! For I be spendin' me summer tellin’ me friends—and even me enemies!—"I love you!"

And how does a scurvy sailor such as myself say "I love you"? Why, with compliments, o' course! Just this mornin' I told one o' the Fire Pirates that his hook glittered like a dolphin in the sun. And I told me adoptive mother that her laugh makes me happier than a treasure chest full o' gold!

How do ye say "I love you"? Let me know! Put yer message in a bottle and send it to kind@imagineneighborhood.org, and I'll make sure that Scotty rewards each and every one of ye beautiful buccaneers with a sticker!

Well mateys, keep yer sails to the wind and yer booty off the barnacles, and I’ll see you soon back at The Imagine Neighborhood!

PS: If ye be sailin’ near Madison, Wisconsin on August 18th, drop anchor at the Alicia Ashman Library where they be hostin’ a kids’ podcast listenin’ pARRRty all about The Imagine Neighborhood!

PPS: AYE love you!!

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 06:23:00 -0400
Princess Donnasaurus' Summer Postcard 2022

Greetings, my Royal Subjects! It is I, Princess Donnasaurus, wishing you a most resplendent summer!

I have been making sure that my summer is resplendent by bestowing Royal Hugs upon all of my friends. That is a very good way to say “I love you!” Of course, I only give Royal Hugs to my friends if they want them. If someone says they do not want a hug right now (even one from a Regal Personage such as myself!), another majestic way to say “I love you” is to save your hug for another time.

I would be delighted to offer you a Royal Hug, but unfortunately, we are too far apart. Instead, may I suggest that you have your grown-up help you write me to tell me—how were you kind today, and then I decree that Scotty shall send you a sticker!

Have a stately summer, my friends, and I shall see you soon in The Imagine Neighborhood!

PS: I love you!!

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Macho Supreme Summer Postcard 2022

Greetings, friends! Macho Supreme here!

How is your summer going? Is it extremely macho? Macho hopes that it is. Macho is making his summer extremely macho by doing one of the most macho things Macho can think of—saying “I love you!”

Macho has decided to say “I love you!” to all of Macho’s friends by helping them!

So far this summer, Macho has helped the Fire Pirates, and Nana Supreme, and Princess Donnasaurus, and Macho has even helped Count Vacula by leaving goblin glitter on the floor for him to eat . . . although, now that Macho thinks about it, that may not have been the best idea Macho has ever had.

What ideas do you have for saying “I love you” to your friends and family? You can have your grown-up help you write to Macho to tell him all about it, and then Macho can tell Scotty to send you some awesome stickers! That would definitely be extremely macho!

Well, Macho has more friends to go say “I love you” to, and Macho also thinks he should probably check on his friend Count Vacula. Macho is concerned that Vacula has eaten a little too much goblin glitter and might hurt himself zooming around so fast. That would not be macho at all.

PS: Oh! Did you think Macho had forgotten to say “I love you” to you? That would also not be macho at all!

PPS: I LOVE YOU!!

Sun, 24 Jul 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Alakazambra's Summer Postcard 2022

Salutations! It is I, Alakazambra Tyesha Morganis, sending you greetings from Flutterbudge Lake Summer Camp where I am saying “I love you” by teaching Charms and Crafts to all the campers!

This year, camp is extra special. Wanteth to know why? Because Count of Vacula is here as well! He has never been to camp before, so I thought sharing this experience with him wouldst be a terrific way to say, “I love you!”

We are having a spellbinding summer, and Vac is even helping me write a love letter to my boyfriend, Bandersnatch Countyseat. That is, Vac might help me as soon as he calms down from all the goblin glitter he hath eaten off the floor . . . By the Eye of Greldar, that stuff really makes him excited!

I shall see you all again in a few weeks back at The Imagine Neighborhood™, but in the meantime, I hope you are finding all kinds of magical methods for telling your family and friends “I love you!” Sendeth me a letter to tell me about it, and of course, I wouldst be delighted to know—how wast thou kind today?

PS: And remember—pixie wings do NOT go in thine mouth!

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 12:43:00 -0400
Doc Apoc's Summer Postcard 2022

Helloooo out there you radical rockers, and happy summer!

It’s me, Doctor Apocalypso, coming to you live from the Doc Apocapalooza music festival where ten thousand fans are having an awesome time jamming out to my newest song “The Way I Say I Love You!”

You heard a short version of the song in the Great Breakfast Mess episode, but today we’re sharing the whole entire thing, so crank up the volume and get ready to shout I LOVE YOU!

I’ll see you back at The Imagine Neighborhood in a couple weeks, and until then, keep rockin’ . . . and don’t forget to write in and tell us—how were you kind today?

Ps: I LOVE YOU!!!!

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Doctor Apocalypso and the Great Breakfast Mess

Everybody makes mistakes. Sometimes they’re small mistakes, like forgetting our jacket or dropping a fork on the floor. Sometimes they’re bigger mistakes, like breaking a rule or being unkind to someone. But whether the mistake is big or little, we might feel embarrassed, upset, or even scared about it.

What if the mistake makes someone angry? What if they yell at us? What if we can’t figure out how to make things right? . . . These are the questions that Doctor Apocalypso is asking herself in this week’s story.

It’s Father’s Day, and Doc wants to let her dads know how much she loves them, so she plans a very special breakfast-in-bed—maybe one that’s a little too special! And when Doc’s turbocharged breakfast catapult makes a mess in the house, her Papa gets very upset. He shouts at Doc in such a scary voice that she thinks he might not love her anymore, and so she runs away to live in Scotty’s cupboard!

Will one bite of Scotty’s Choc-o-Berry Marshmallow Bran Explosion send Doc hurrying home?

Will Papa’s apology help Doc understand that it’s okay to make mistakes, because they help us learn how to do better next time?

Will Doc’s new song “Ways to Say I Love You” be the world’s next huge hit?

For all the answers, agarra a alguien que amas and get ready to hit the dance floor for some heart-pounding headbanging on today’s rockin’ episode of The Imagine Neighborhood!

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 11:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Weird Al Yankovic

Hi, friends—guess what? It’s almost time for summer break, so today I get to bring you this season’s very last episode of No Filter with Count Vacula!

I’m so happy about all the amazing people I got to meet this year, but I’m super excited for you to meet my newest friend, “Weird Al” Yankovic! His first name is really Alfred, but everyone calls him Weird Al because he’s extremely silly, and he’s famous for writing and performing hilarious songs.

A lot of Weird Al’s music is in a style called “parody,” which means that he takes other people’s songs and gives them new and funny words. Some of my favorites are “Eat It”, “Yoda,” and the “Captain Underpants Theme Song.” He’s so good at making songs that he’s won five Grammy Awards and sold more than 12 million albums! He’s also written two terrific kids’ books, When I Grow Up and My New Teacher and Me!

But what matters most about Weird Al is that he’s a really nice and kind person! And even though I’m a vampire robot vacuum and he’s an accordion-playing human, we have lots of things in common. We both like cardboard boxes, and dogs, and cereal. . . and he says he’s a vampire like me, but I haven’t seen him at any of the meetings, so I think he was probably just being playful.

Weird Al told me an amazing true story about selling his old dryer lint for $600, and a hilarious made-up story about the tiny monsters that make all the echoes we hear. I had a great time getting to know Weird Al, and I think you’ll have a great time, too.

I can’t wait to practice meeting more new people over the break! Are you looking forward to trying out your friend-making skills this summer? Maybe you’re going to camp or on a family vacation, or you’re excited about spending more time at your favorite park—but wherever you go, I’ll bet there will be new friends just waiting to meet you and I can’t wait to hear about it! Until then, stay kind and have a great summer!

See you soon!

Your pal,

Vac

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 11:45:00 -0400
AlakazamBraids

What’s something you really like about the way you look? Is it your smile? Your funny little pinky toes? The cool T-shirt you always wear on Wednesdays? Maybe it’s your freckles or your strong legs that can run really fast. There are a lot of unique and beautiful things about the way every one of us looks!

But what if someone was mean to you because of something about your appearance? What if people excluded you just for the way you wear your hair? That’s what happened to Alakazambra, and that’s what this week’s story is about.

Today Vac is super excited, because Alakazambra is taking him to a fancy new roller-skating rink! But first, she’s getting a beautiful brand-new hairdo. And Alakazambra’s not visiting just any old salon—she’s seeing magical Miss Mamas, owner of The Enchanted Haus of Coils, Curls, and Charms!

After Miss Mamas gives Alakazambra the most bewitching braids we’ve ever beheld, she feels happy, confident, and ready to roll! But when we get to the rink, there’s trouble. A bunch of troller skaters show up and make fun of Alakazambra’s hairstyle. They tell her they won’t let her skate until she takes her braids out.

Will Vac give himself a tummyache eating candy off the floor of the Golden Rink Deluxe?

Will Miss Mamas teach Alakazambra to stand up against discrimination and let her inner light shine bright?

Will Scotty ever stop looking in the mirror at his fancy new fade?

To find out, tighten up those laces and get ready to rock the rink on today’s exciting episode of The Imagine Neighborhood (and if you have a minute between songs, remind your grown-up to get on our newsletter list for awesome episode activities)!

Ready? Set?

ALL SKAAAAAAAAAATE!

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Scared plus Mad equals Smad

Have you ever felt scared? I sure have. It can be really hard to feel scared feelings, and it can be confusing, too. Like, I know I’m scared of falling into quicksand, and being turned into a bagel (again), and I’m definitely afraid of being chased by Australian crocodiles! But I can feel scared even when none of those things are actually happening.

Sometimes I get scared just imagining scary things. I worry about things that might happen, and then I start thinking about how unfair it would be if they did happen, and then I get upset because those things shouldn’t happen but I don’t know how to keep them from happening, and then my face gets hot and my breathing gets fast, and then I feel really SMAD—scared and mad!

In today’s special episode, Vac and I are both feeling SMAD. But we talk through it together and that helps us feel a little better. Promising to be kind to each other and to all of our friends in the Neighborhood helps us feel a little better, too.

If you’re feeling scared or SMAD or any other big feelings, I hope you’ll talk to a trusted grown-up about them. And I hope you know how much Vac and I—and everyone in the Neighborhood—cares about you and wants you to feel safe. We love you. So much.

  • Scotty
Thu, 26 May 2022 10:50:00 -0400
No Filter with Lauren Ashley Smith

Hey there, friends! It’s me, Count Vacula, with a fresh No Filter just for you!

I’m really happy because this week you get to meet Lauren Ashley Smith. She’s a television writer and producer, and in fact, Lauren was the first-ever female African American head writer of a sketch comedy TV show! She’s smart and funny, and best of all, she’s very kind.

When you’re trying to make a new friend, it’s helpful to ask them questions about themselves and then really listen to what they tell you. I asked Lauren a lot of questions, and she answered them all! She told me about her dogs, Jelly and Rowdy, and about her sisters, and about her new robot vampire vacuum cleaner (hi, Florida!), and about how writers can make the actors on their shows say all kinds of silly stuff!

One thing we have in common is that we both host audio shows—even though mine is a podcast and hers is on the radio. We also both love to tell funny stories and joke around. Lauren told me a hilarious knock-knock joke, and a really great made-up story about how our shoes decide how tall we are, and then we made ourselves LOL all over the place pretending that we didn’t know each other. It was really fun!

You know, I used to be really nervous about meeting new people, but now every time I practice making friends I end up having a great time! I think you’ll have a great time getting to know Lauren, too!

Have you made any new friends lately? Or is there someone you want to make friends with, but you’ve been feeling shy? Tell me about it and maybe we can come up with some things you can do to get to know them better. In the meantime, I’m really glad that you’re my friend, and I’m really glad that we got to spend some time together today!

Talk to you again soon!

Your pal,

Vac

Sun, 22 May 2022 11:45:00 -0400
EnvyKazambra

Have you ever felt upset because somebody else had something you wanted? Maybe your friend got a great toy, or they won an award, or their team beat yours in a game. If you felt sad, or angry, or thought that maybe you didn’t even like that friend anymore, you might have been feeling envy.

If you’ve had envy, you know it doesn’t feel very nice. And in today’s episode, Alakazambra really wants to stop feeling envious of her friend, Barbara Cadabara. It all begins when Barbara gets chosen as Wizard of the Year by Merlin Monthly magazine, and instead of feeling happy for her friend’s success, Alakazambra gets upset!

She tries using magic to make her envy go away, but when the spell accidentally creates a terrible evil twin—EnvyKazambra—Alakazambra realizes it’s going to take something even stronger than sorcery to handle an emotion like envy!

Will Barbara Cadabara spend the rest of her life smelling like minestrone?

Will Irving the bodega werewolf receive enough skritches?

Will Alakazambra learn that to deal with a difficult emotion, you have to claim it to tame it?

For the answers to these and more, there’s only one spell to cast . . .

(But first, don’t forget to have your grown-up join our weekly Wednesday newsletter for awesome episode activities!)

Ready? . . .

Set?

Podcasticus Playicus!

Sun, 15 May 2022 11:45:00 -0400
It's Gonna Be May: Q&A May 2022

Hello, listeners!

This week we’re delighted to bring you—YOU!

You’ve been writing in all year with really thoughtful questions for your friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and today we’re going to try to track everybody down and get the answers you’re looking for!

Wondering about wizard powers, or musing over why Macho needs to know if things are macho?

Curious why we confronted Rick Fryer in “Doc Apoc Has a Beef”, or hoping for help on how to handle feeling bad when you make a mistake?

Want to know if I can eat an extra-large mushroom bacon green pepper pizza all by myself and not get a terrible tummyache . . . ?

If so—we’ve got your show!

I’m really excited for you to tune in today and join Vac, Alakazambra, Macho, and me as we read and reply to letters from listeners just like you.

And hey, did you know that getting your messages and questions is our very favorite thing? Well, it is! So, if there are things you’d like to ask us—about the Neighborhood, or about big feelings, or about anything at all—you can email us, or you can have your grown-up post your questions in the reviews section of your podcast provider.

We can’t wait to read what you have to say, and don’t forget to tell us—how were you kind today?

Talk to you again soon!

Scotty

Mon, 09 May 2022 02:17:00 -0400
No Filter with Molly Birnbaum

Hi, friends!

It’s me, Count Vacula, sharing my newest No Filter—and my newest friend—with you!

This week I got to meet Molly Birnbaum! If her name sounds familiar, it might be because she was in The Imagine Neighborhood™ just a few weeks ago, helping Macho and Mitsy understand each other better in “The Gourmetborhood.” But today, she and I got to just hang out and make friends!

Something Molly and I have in common is that we both have podcasts! Molly hosts Mystery Recipe, where you can learn how to make tasty treats at home. But even though we both really like to try new foods, something we don’t have in common is that she has never eaten lint from underneath the couch! Not even the tiniest piece. Can you believe it?!

Molly really loves to cook delicious food, and her favorite thing is helping kids learn how to be creative and safe in the kitchen, so that they can cook delicious food too. She also likes cardboard creations, and drawing treasure maps, and reading. Plus, she’s super kind, and she told me a very sweet true story about hugging her son when he was feeling frustrated, and a very sweet made-up story about whales and all their big feelings!

I really liked getting to know Molly and learning about the things that interest her—and after you listen to this episode, I think you might feel the same way!

With all this practice, I’m starting to get pretty good at meeting new people. Have you had the chance to try making friends with someone new and different yet? Email me to let me know how it’s going. Maybe your new friend can be my new friend, too!

See you soon!

Vac

Sun, 01 May 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Journey Into Macho

Have you ever been so caught up in playing that you didn’t realize you had scraped your knee? Were you so focused on finishing a puzzle or a game that you almost missed lunch? Have you been so excited to visit a zoo or go to a movie that you forgot to take a potty break?

Doing interesting things uses up a lot of our attention, and that’s okay—but it’s important to keep checking in on ourselves, because what our body is feeling can change how we feel! And if we let ourselves get too tired, or too hungry, or we wait too long to go to the bathroom, we can start to feel bad, or sad, and we can spoil our own fun.

In today’s episode, Macho is doing a very interesting thing! He’s been working hard for weeks and weeks to put the final touches on his brand-new spaceship, the Mach Mini, and now he’s invited Vac and Scotty over to see its first launch!

It’s an exciting day, but Macho doesn’t seem excited. In fact, it seems like something is very wrong. He’s getting upset easily and behaving rudely and unkindly. The Mach Mini is amazing, it’s a great day for a spaceship launch, and two of his best pals are there to celebrate with him . . . so, what’s making Macho so unhappy?

Is Macho annoyed that Vac needs to take a break to recharge his batteries?

Is Macho embarrassed because he doesn't seem strong enough to yeet Scotty today?

Is Macho’s Boo-Boo Module connected to the Flex Axis, and is the Flex Axis connected to the Potty Region?

It’ll take a pint-sized probe and a Macho Body Check-In to get the important answers on today’s stellar installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Get episode activity ideas and discussion prompts by having your grown-up sign up for our weekly Wednesday newsletter—but first, strap on your (itty-bitty) seatbelt, grab your (teensy-weensy) spaceship steering wheel, and get ready to take off with us for an adventure that’s out of this world (and into a Macho)!

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 11:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Robin Slonina

Hey, hi everybody!

It’s me, your good pal Count Vacula—bringing you another awesome new friend on another awesome No Filter!

This week I get to introduce you to the amazing Robin Slonina! She’s a multi-disciplinary artist, which means she makes lots of different kinds of art. Robin makes sculptures, and she paints giant murals on the sides of buildings, and she even paints on people! She’s painted people to look like zebras, and puzzles, and trees, and she’s even painted people to look like paintings!

Robin’s favorite thing is art. And one of the things I learned from talking to her is that art is everywhere! Museums are terrific for finding art, but Robin taught me that you don’t have to go to a museum. Wherever you are, if you just look around you, you can discover art. Plus, anytime you want to, you can make your own art! And best of all, whenever you have big feelings, you can just grab some paper and draw about them. When you’re done, you’ll have a beautiful piece of your very own art—and you might even understand your feelings a little better!

Robin told me a really great true story about kindness, and a really great made-up story about how seed kisses make flowers, and she talked about how she makes whole rooms filled with art that you can touch and explore! Robin and I both love puppies, and we both agree that making new friends is always a good idea. I especially think that making friends with Robin is always a good idea, and I’m excited for you to make friends with her!

Have you made any other new friends lately? I’d love for you to write in and tell me about them, or share some of your art with me, or just let me know—how were you kind today?

I can’t wait to hear from you!

Your friend,

Vac

Sun, 17 Apr 2022 11:55:00 -0400
The Gourmetborhood

Familiar things can be great! Sometimes it’s nice to know that there won’t be any surprises, and that things will turn out exactly as we expect them to. But if we never try anything different, we might miss out on discovering something awesome.

This week, we’re welcoming a couple of new friends to the Neighborhood! Molly and Mitsy can usually be found in the Mystery Recipe podcast from America's Test Kitchen, but today they’re joining up with us to make a brand-new TV show all about interesting recipes! Everyone’s getting involved—Alakazambra and Gruncle Vaxie made appetizers, Princess Donnasaurus and Doctor Apocalypso made main dishes, and Macho and Mitsy are making desserts!

Everything is going great until Macho finds out that Mitsy has baked a special kind of cake—one that is made without any flour! Mitsy’s family eats flourless cake every year at their Passover holiday celebration, but Macho doesn’t think a cake without flour is a real cake. In fact, he’s worried that a flourless cake might be slimy, or stick his mouth closed, or—worst of all—it might not taste good!

Will Mitsy and Macho destroy the kitchen with their spatula showdown?

Does Gruncle Vaxie’s bare-bowl appetizer accurately convey the emptiness of our cold, hollow march through time?

Is Macho truly macho enough to try something new?

For Mitsy’s cake recipe, plus great activity ideas and conversation starters, have your grown-up sign up for our newsletter—but right now, get the answers to all these important questions by taking a great big bite out of this week’s scrumptious installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Sun, 10 Apr 2022 11:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Tom Toro

Hello again, friends! It's me—Count Vacula, back with a brand-new episode of No Filter with Count Vacula!

This week, my guest is the very friendly, talented, and fun Tom Toro, who has one of the coolest jobs I’ve ever heard of. Tom is a cartoonist, which means his job is to draw! How great is that?

Your grown-ups may recognize Tom’s name because he draws a lot of cartoons for a magazine called The New Yorker, but he’s also put out two terrific books for kids. One is called How to Potty Train Your Porcupine, which Tom wrote and illustrated all by himself. The other one is called I’m Terrified of Bath Time, which was written by Tom’s friend Simon Rich—but Tom drew all of the pictures!

Tom and I have a lot of things in common. We both like cats—even though he mostly likes to play with them, and I mostly like to eat their hair off the floor (black cat hairs are the tastiest!)—and we both like to read cartoons. Something else we share is that we both live far away from our families. A lot of my family lives on the continent of Asia, and a lot of Tom’s family lives on the continent of Europe!

Tom talked to me about drawing, flying, hiding from imaginary monsters, and the “little library” he has at his house—and he also made up a great story about how cats use their whiskers to communicate with other planets! I had a great time learning about my new friend Tom, and I think you’ll have a great time, too.

We’ll be seeing each other around The Imagine Neighborhood™, but I also have more No Filter episodes coming up, with more new friends for you to meet. In the meantime, I hope you’re making some fun new friends of your own! You can write in and tell me all about it—or just let me know, how were you kind today?

See you soon!

Your pal,

Vac

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Bozelba For Beginners

Do you have a favorite game that you love to play?

Did you ever teach a friend to play it, too? Or maybe someone taught you about their favorite game, or book, or some other cool thing that they really like.

It's awesome when we can share the things we enjoy with other people! But it’s not so awesome when the person doing the teaching isn’t being patient or laughs when we make mistakes. It can feel hurtful and frustrating, and it definitely takes the fun out of playing together.

This week, Scotty and Vac are over at Preston Changeo’s house, learning Bozelba—the most popular board game in the wizard world! Preston is a Bozelba champion, and he’s very excited to get his friends involved . . . but he’s not doing a very good job of explaining how to play. He’s going very fast, he’s behaving rudely, and worst of all, he’s making fun of Vac for not getting things right the first time!

Will Preston do a Switcheroo, to help him remember what it felt like when he was first learning to play the game?

Will Vac be able to catapult the 100-Foot Chicken at the Power Pedestal to release the Bozelba?

Will Scotty eat up all the pizza muffins?

There’s only one way to find out!

For fun episode activity ideas, have your grown-up sign up for our weekly Wednesday newsletter—but right now, get ready to roll the (16-sided) dice on today’s exciting episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 11:45:00 -0400
Food Fight: Live from SXSW Edu

Hi, listeners! I’m so glad you’re here, because this week we’re sharing something a little different and very cool with you!

Do you remember the episode called “Food Fight”? It’s about the time Vac and I were pirate-sitting the Burn Voyage and mean Captain Deen took over the ship. She wasn’t happy that the pirates had all brought special ethnic foods from home, and she tried to make everyone eat her asparagus dumplings instead.

But the crew all stood up for each other, and—with the help of a big, delicious mess—taught Captain Deen that people’s ethnicities are an important part of who they are, and that the tastiest meals (like the greatest pirate crews!) are diverse.

Well, recently the team behind the scenes here at The Imagine Neighborhood™ had a chance to get on stage and share that story in-person with a new group of friends at an event called SXSW EDU (pronounced “South by Southwest ee-dee-you”). It’s a big gathering in Texas where people from all over meet up to share the things they like—and we really like sharing stories about the Neighborhood!

What was extra fun about telling the story of “Food Fight” to our new friends is that our team got to pretend to be different people in the story! Vac got to be himself, but Michal pretended to be me, Melly pretended to be all the pirates, and Bilal pretended to be Captain Deen. We had a blast using our imaginations and making the story fun and exciting for the audience. We hope it’s fun and exciting for you to hear it in this new way, too!

Thanks for checking out this special episode, and remember, you can use your imagination and play out stories from The Imagine Neighborhood, too—and if you do, we’d love to hear about it!

Have a great week, everyone!

  • Scotty
Sun, 20 Mar 2022 11:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Chris Ballew

Oh hey, everybody, Count Vacula here! It’s great to see you again!

I hope you’ve been having fun practicing everything we’re learning about how to meet new people—I know I sure have. And this week I got to use my friend-making skills with a very interesting and talented person named Chris Ballew!

Chris does really cool drawings, but he’s mainly a musician. Your grown-up might know him from his band Presidents of the United States of America, or you and your family might have listened to one of the nineteen Caspar Babypants albums he’s recorded! He even wrote a terrific “Five Questions” theme song for my show, which you’ll hear in this episode!

Chris told me all about his imaginary childhood friend Mr. Shadow (he also made up a great story about how shadows get fat!), and the cool things he’d make out of cardboard, and how being creative makes him feel really happy. Chris and I both love making jokes, and being kind, and we had a really fun time getting to know each other. I think you’ll like meeting him, too!

I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a new No Filter, but in the meantime, I’d love to get to know YOU a little better! You can write me anytime at kind@imagineneighborhood.org, and just tell me about yourself, or share a drawing, or let me know—how were you kind today?

See you soon!

Your pal,

Vac

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 11:55:00 -0400
Work it to Win it

Whether it’s playing an instrument, riding a bike, writing out your name, or putting the ball in the net, it feels terrific to be good at something. But what do we do if we want to be great? . . . We practice!

Practice means repeating a skill over and over until we get it right, and practicing can feel frustrating, disappointing, or even boring sometimes. But even if we are naturally gifted at an activity, we will only learn how to do our best by practicing.

In this episode, Doc Apocalypso is getting ready to compete in the Tour de Rancid, the greatest unicycle race in the world! But even though the racecourse has lots of new and difficult challenges, Doc hasn’t practiced at all. She’s confident that her natural ability will be enough to win the trophy . . . but co-pilot Scotty isn’t so sure. He’s feeling worried—about the piranha pits, about the field of booger craters, and about how Doc might react if things don’t go the way she’s expecting!

Will Doc learn that you have to “work it to win it”—even if you have talent and self-confidence? Will Scotty survive Doc’s skull-crusher slide move? Will anyone ever understand a word that unicycle champion Grand Leather Luda LeCruiser is saying? There’s only one way to find out!

For episode extras, have your grown-up get on our mailing list for the Neighborhood’s weekly newsletter with fun questions and activity ideas. And in the meantime, buckle up and climb aboard for today’s twisty, turny, mud-splattered, high-octane, and mutant-frog-filled ride!

Ready?

Set?

GO!

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 11:45:00 -0500
No Filter with Representative Marilyn Strickland

Hi, everybody! It's me—your pal, Count Vacula!

It’s been a long time since I got to share a new No Filter with Count Vacula with you, and I’m super excited for us to get back to practicing meeting new people and learning how to make friends.

My guest this week is the congresswoman for Washington’s 10th District—Marilyn Strickland! Congresspeople are a very important part of our government. They’re chosen by the residents of their state to work together to make lots of big decisions. It’s a tough job, but you get to help all sorts of people in all sorts of ways!

Even though Marilyn is a human and a congressperson and I’m a robot vampire vacuum cleaner, we have a lot of things in common! Both of our families come from the Asian country of Korea; we both like to travel (even though she mostly travels in airplanes and I’ve mostly traveled on Cap’n Marion’s ship or the Mach Billion); and we both think it’s really important to be kind and to help people as often as you can.

Marilyn had some really interesting things to say about meeting ghosts, and making cardboard sleds, and she told a fun make-believe story about how tigers got their stripes—and why they might sometimes smell like candy!

I really enjoyed getting to know Marilyn better and finding out about her, and I hope you will, too. If there’s someone you think I should get to know better—let me know. Maybe they can be a guest on my show!

I’ll see you next week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and stay tuned for more brand-new No Filter episodes in the weeks ahead!

Love,

Vac

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 11:45:00 -0500
The Ptwanger Part Two: Fartnado's Revenge

Welcome to Part Two of our putrid parable about problem-solving, as we rejoin Scotty, Princess Donnasaurus, and Pete Twanger in the middle of dealing with myriad magical messes all over town—plus a fart tornado that’s still headed right for the Neighborhood!

Last week, Pete Twanger tried to stop the fart tornado by throwing all kinds of objects at it with his “ptwanger” machine—including Princess Donnasaurus’s magical artifacts! And even though his solution didn’t work, Pete just kept on ptwanging and ptwanging. The items landed everywhere, creating lots of magical mayhem. Now the library is full of flying book-bats, Macho is having a disco dilemma, and a band of Royal Messenger Monkeys are harassing a new (and somewhat unexpected, if quite elegant) princess!

With so many things going wrong, it’s going to take every problem-solving approach that PD and Scotty know to get the Neighborhood sorted out and make sure everyone’s safe inside before the fart tornado hits!

So head on over to The Imagine Neighborhood™ for cardio conundrums, mole sauce (made by actual moles), and finally finding a problem that Pete’s ptwanger can solve in today’s second stormy story installment!

And hey, friends, if you enjoy the episode, you can send us your drawings about it for our Infinite Refrigerator—and if your grown-up signs up for our mailing list, you’ll get our Wednesday newsletter full of cool things to talk about and fun episode activity ideas!

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts about what’s going on in the Neighborhood, and of course, we’d love to know: how were you kind today?

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 11:45:00 -0500
The Ptwanger Part One

Have you ever come up with a really good solution to a problem? It feels great when we figure out how to fix something that’s bothering us. But what happens when you try your solution and it doesn’t work? Getting stuck in a problem can be super frustrating, so it’s important to know how to come up with new ideas!

This week, Scotty and Princess Donnasaurus will need a LOT of new ideas, because they have a LOT of problems to solve. First, there’s a dangerous (and very stinky) fart tornado headed right towards the Neighborhood! And second, there’s a new grown-up in town who isn’t very good at problem-solving. Pete Twanger thinks he can fix the fart tornado by throwing things at it with his “ptwanger” machine. From sofas to people to Princess Donnasaurus’s beloved magical treasures, he ptwangs and ptwangs, but of course the fart tornado keeps on coming—plus, he’s making a big magical mess all over the place!

Can Scotty and PD teach Pete Twanger how to Switcheroo before it’s too late? Will “getting large to take charge” help Pete stop creating magical kittens by mistake? Will “getting small to deal with it all” bring back PD’s enchanted record player? In any case, somebody better shake things up quick, because the Neighborhood is getting stinkier by the minute!

So, join us as we kick off Part One of this pungent parable, and don’t miss the thrilling story conclusion one week from today! In the meantime, have your grown-up get on our mailing list for our weekly Wednesday newsletter with episode discussion prompts and activity ideas. And hey—we’re so excited to welcome you back to another year in The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 11:45:00 -0500
Q&A Kobe Edition

Hey, friends—it’s the last Monday of the year, so you know what THAT means, don’t you? . . . Yup! It’s Cardboard Boxing Day! Happy Cardboard Boxing Day, everybody! We hope your family is making the most of any boxes left over from the holidays, and we can’t wait to see photos of all your amazing cardboard creations!

Today is also the day of our last episode for 2021, so we wanted to do something a little special—Recently our pal Kobe sent in a bunch of terrific questions for different folks in the Neighborhood, so we decided we’d just dedicate this whole episode to answering them!

If you’ve ever wondered about Vac’s attachments, or Alakazambra’s powers, or life in the Wasteland, or what the Space Machos are up to, or where Princess Donnasaurus comes from, then this special Kobe Edition of The Imagine Neighborhood™ is for you!

We’ll be taking the next few weeks off to rest up and get some new episodes ready for you—but if you miss us too much while we’re away, you can always have your grown-up grab you a copy of our new book to play with!—and if you’d like to have your questions answered on one of our next Q&As, just ask your grown-up to send them to us at kind@imagineneighborhood.org. We’ll see you soon, and until then stay happy, healthy, and kind.

Sun, 26 Dec 2021 11:45:00 -0500
Cardboard Boxing Day 2: Everything’s Fine

‘Tis Cardboard Boxing Day Eve, and all through our ‘Hood,

Friends are being generous, kind, cheerful, and good.

With boxes all set to become cardboard creations

To delight and amaze neighbors, pals, and relations.

From Lava Avenue to Alakazambra’s place,

Everyone’s got a bright holiday smile on their face.

But before morning shines down on our artistic ends

Cardboard Scotty will fly us to see all of our friends!

We’ll hang with an ogre, and our fave dromedary,

And clap as Mannrick performs the Sugar Plum Dairy.

Enjoy a stellar spaceout with the TIN PhD’s,

And spin a dreidel with Fieryous on the high seas!

We’ll welcome back an old friend with a royal greeting,

And count how many times another friend goes yeeting.

We’ll see Doc! And Donna! And Tia and Dotty!

Plus Music Man, Macho, and pals Vac and Scotty!

And though the holidays sometimes can make folks feel stressed

From working so very hard to deliver their best—

What makes a day great isn’t because it’s grandiose,

It’s spending time with the people who matter the most!

So come join us this magical Boxing Day Eve

With its cardboard creations you just won’t believe!

And by the end, you too will opine—

“Right in this moment, everything’s fine!”

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 11:45:00 -0500
No Filter with Aaron Horowitz

Hi, everyone! Guess what? . . . Vac’s back!

Oh.

You probably already figured that out when I said “hi.”

Well, anyway, I know we just had a No Filter episode last week, but I couldn’t wait for you to meet my newest friend, Aaron Horowitz!

Aaron is kind, and smart, and fun, and he has the coolest job I ever heard of! Aaron makes robots! And not only robots—he makes robots who have empathy! And not only robots who have empathy—he makes robots who have empathy in order to help kids!

His company is called Sproutel, and they make special robots that are designed to help kids with illnesses like cancer or diabetes. They also make robots like Purrble who helps kids get better at calming down when they’re upset. I thought that being a robot who keeps the house clean was pretty cool, but Aaron’s robots make kids' lives better and healthier! How cool is that?

Aaron’s not a robot, but some of his best pals are robots, which is something we have in common! Other things we have in common are that we both love making cardboard creations, and learning about—and from!—other people.

We talked about empathy, and about how we can pick up garbage in the park to help keep our neighborhoods clean, and he also taught me that every single one of us can make a positive difference in the world, all by ourselves—whether we’re a kid or a grown-up, or even a robot!

I really liked meeting Aaron, and I think you’ll like meeting him, too!

Ok, well, I’m gonna go now (my copy of Radio Free Imagine Neighborhood just showed up and I can’t wait to go check it out!), but I’ll be back soon with another awesome person for us to meet! In the meantime, if you have anything you want to tell me or ask me, just have your grown-up help you email it to me at kind@imagineneighborhood.org, and I’ll reply as soon as I can.

Have a great week, everybody, and I’ll see you later on in The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Your pal,

Count Vacula

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 11:45:00 -0500
No Filter with Melly Victor

Hey, everybody! It's me, your good pal, Count Vacula!

I’m really excited because this week, I get to bring you a very cool and very unusual episode of

No Filter with Count Vacula! It’s an unusual episode because my guest is Melly Victor—who is someone I already know and like a lot—and it’s a cool episode because. . . well, because Melly is super cool!

One of the reasons Melly is so cool is that she’s part of the awesome creative team at The Imagine Neighborhood™, and another reason is that she has a great podcast of her own called Stoopkid Stories, and another reason is that she’s a really terrific person to talk to about adoption—which is what she and I talked about on this episode!

If you listened to “Shkarf Attack” on The Imagine Neighborhood a couple weeks ago, you learned that Cap’n Marion is adopted, and that sometimes people have a lot of questions about adoption. Well, just like Cap’n Marion, Melly is adopted, too! She’s also very smart and kind, and she agreed to come talk with me and help me understand more about what it means and how it feels to be adopted.

I don’t want to spoil the episode for you, so I’ll let you listen for yourself—but some important things I learned are that adopted kids are just like anybody else, that not all adopted kids want to talk about adoption and that that’s okay, and most importantly of all, that all families are real families!

I hope you enjoy getting to know Melly a little better, and if you have any questions for her, or for me, please send us a message! I’m always so excited to get your letters and drawings—it’s great to get to know you a little better, too!

Well, thanks a bunch for listening to No Filter! I'll be back again soon with another terrific guest, and in the meantime, I hope all of you and your families are staying safe, happy, and kind!

Love,

Vac

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 11:45:00 -0500
Re-run: Friendsgiving

It’s almost Friendsgiving in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Scotty and Vac have been working on their thank-you jar all year: every time they feel thankful, they put a penny into the jar. And every year on Friendsgiving, a mythical yeti collects everyone’s jars and donates the money to help the Neighborhood—unless Tantrumus Maximus gets his way . . .

This year, Tantrumus Maximus is determined to ruin Friendsgiving. If nobody has anything to be thankful for, maybe everyone will pay attention to him instead. Tantrumus tries every idea in his evil ideas vault to make Scotty and Vac feel less thankful. But even with burned desserts, a pixie pandemic keeping their friends at home, and Tantrumus stealing the thank-you jar for himself, Scotty and Vac manage to find things to be thankful for—including a surprise visit from a mystery guest!

It can be hard to find reasons to feel thankful, especially when things go wrong, and especially when a pixie pandemic keeps everyone from being together in person. But that’s a great time to start a thank-you jar! Even if you only get to see your loved ones in BrineBlox instead of in person, you can still drop a penny (or a note, or a poem, or a drawing) in the jar. And if you start filling it up now, maybe you’ll get a visit from the yeti next year!

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Plus, there's special codes for our book Radio Free Imagine Neighborhood.

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 04:47:00 -0500
The Big Wave: Shkarf Attack!

Have you ever felt two things at the same time? Like, maybe you were excited for the first day of school, but also felt nervous about being in a new classroom. Or have you ever felt angry at a friend who you also really, really liked? When we have a bunch of feelings that seem to be the opposite of each other, it can be confusing—or even upsetting.

Cap’n Marion sure knows how that feels. In this week’s episode, she and Scotty are sailing the Burn Voyage to her annual family reunion when she discovers her original birth certificate . . . and her original name. Cap’n Marion is very proud of being adopted, but she’s never thought about her birth family before, and now she’s feeling. . . well, a whole lot of things!

Should she keep her birth certificate, or shoot it out of the Recyclocannon?

Is it okay to love her Fire Pirate family but still want to know more about her birth parents?

Is Scotty about to barf up his lunch all over the poop deck if she doesn’t stop turning the ship around in circles?

For the answers to these very important questions, plus pirate love letters, being confappy, and learning how we are all a little bit like a shkarf sometimes, hoist the mizzenmast and climb aboard for this week’s installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

And hey, listeners! If you want some more fun from this episode, have your grown-up get on our mailing list for our weekly Wednesday newsletter with downloadable discussion prompts and activity ideas—plus special discount offers for our new book, Radio Free Imagine Neighborhood!

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 11:45:00 -0500
The Sound Machine
Is Tantrumus Maximus the most evil billionaire hamster in the whole wide world? Yes. Yes he is. Does Tantrumus Maximus concoct the most evil billionaire hamster capers conceivable? Yes. Yes he does. And does this week’s episode have THE most evil billionaire hamster heinousness we’ve ever heard of (or, rather . . . NOT heard of)?! Yes. Yes it has! This week, evil billionaire hamster Tantrumus Maximus pulls off an auditory atrocity, a musical malefaction, a phonic felony SO diabolical you’ll have to hear it to believe it (or, rather . . . NOT hear it to believe it)! See, since we’re a podcast, we need sounds to tell our stories. And all of the sounds in the Neighborhood are created by our beloved Mister Music Man Lindsay Jones on his magical Sound Machine. But Tantrumus thinks that if he can take over the Sound Machine, he can take over the Neighborhood—and he just might be right! One thing’s for sure: When cats moo and ducks bark and Tantrumus starts talking about his feelings (gasp!), you know things are getting pretty bananapants around here. You can get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Tantrumus Maximus and the Sound Machine” by joining our mailing list. In the meantime, enjoy accidental bagpipes, runaway rhinos, disco duets, and learning ways to use sound to express ourselves on this week’s episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™!
Sun, 14 Nov 2021 11:45:00 -0500
Re-run: Macho's Shot
imagineNeighborhood.org/RadioFree If you think this week’s title looks familiar . . . you’re right! “Macho’s Shot” first came out in August, but we’ve been hearing that some of our listeners are feeling worried about getting their vaccine, so we thought it would be a good idea to bring this episode back for another look. If you’re also feeling uncertain about going to the doctor, we hope you’ll give “Macho’s Shot” a listen. It’s got spaceships, songs, and lots of surprises—but most of all, it will teach you some cool tricks to make going to the doctor a lot less stressful! In this episode, Scotty is headed to the doctor to get his Merman Measles shot, to keep him from getting sick. But it looks like he might miss his appointment, because before Scotty can even get to the doctor’s office, Macho Supreme yoinks him away in his spaceship, the Mach Billion! Macho’s heard some scary stories from his friends about Scotty’s new doctor, and he’s determined to keep Scotty safe. But Scotty is . . . NOT throwin’ away his shot! You can get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Macho’s Shot” by joining our mailing list—and in the meantime, enjoy pursuits, predicaments, problem-solving, and a pinch of parody this week on The Imagine Neighborhood™!
Sun, 07 Nov 2021 11:45:00 -0500
No Filter with Tig Notaro
Hey, everybody! Count Vacula here, welcoming you to my newest No Filter! This week, my guest is comedian, movie star, writer, podcaster, and cat-lover Tig Notaro! She’s best known for doing stand-up, which is a kind of comedy show where a person gets up on stage and tells stories about themselves and shares what they think about things. It’s kind of like making friends with a whole room full of people all at the same time! Trying to get better at making friends is something that Tig and I have in common—and we also both like animals, and making things out of cardboard boxes! Tig told me some great stories, shared a tasty ‘Tater Time’ recipe with me, and taught me that even when people aren’t being kind to you, you can still be kind to them—and that’s one of the kindest things you can do! I really enjoyed meeting Tig, and I hope you’ll enjoy meeting her too. Before I go, I wanted to say that I’m really happy about all the letters and drawings from listeners that we’ve been getting lately—and if you have a question, idea, or drawing you’d like to share, just have your grown-up email it to me at kind@imagineneighborhood.org! Have a good week, everybody, and I’ll see you soon in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Your friend, Count Vacula
Mon, 01 Nov 2021 11:42:00 -0400
Teen Force Trailer
This summer, thanks to a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation, the team at The Imagine Neighborhood launched Teen Force!, a virtual summer fellowship that brought together high school students from across the country. Together with expert consultants and a team of our mentors, 15 teens with interests in storytelling, podcasting, and social-emotional learning crafted these five Teen Force! segments for listeners of The Imagine Neighborhood. These stories show that no matter how old you are, whether you're an alien in a spaceship, a curious panda, or a princess-in-training, you can practice seeing the world from others’ perspectives and make your neighborhood a kinder place. https://www.imagineneighborhood.org/teenforce
Mon, 01 Nov 2021 11:02:00 -0400
Missing Doc
Having a best friend is, well . . . the best! But when our bestie suddenly can’t be around, it can feel terrible. Whether someone we care about is moving away forever, or even if they just have to miss an important day like our birthday, it can be hard not to feel hurt, or even a little angry. In this episode, we’ll talk about using kindness to help us understand the other person’s point of view, and we’ll learn ways to continue to show friendship to people even when they’re far away! This week, Scotty is heading to the Spooky-Ooky Fall Festival, the spooktacular and spine-chilling party that Princess Donnasaurus and Doctor Apocalypso throw every year. But when Doc’s music tour gets extended and she has to miss out, Princess Donnasaurus isn’t happy at all. In fact, she’s really upset! Who’s going to make the Spooky Juice? Or light the lanterns? Or carve the pumpkins? And what’s with the huge hole that just opened up in the floor?! Join us for glowing goblin pops, flamethrowers, and the coolest (and creepiest!) new dance this side of the cemetery on today’s episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™. Plus, get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Missing Doc” by joining our mailing list – where every Wednesday we send out downloadable content for your family or classroom to help keep the Imagination Conversation going! See you out there on the dance floor, everybody! Shake those bones!
Mon, 25 Oct 2021 01:59:00 -0400
No Filter with Dr. Jennie Warmouth
Hi everybody! It’s me, Count Vacula, bringing you a brand-new No Filter! I’m so excited to introduce you to this week’s guest, Dr. Jennie Warmouth! She’s a second-grade teacher, a college professor, and the co-author of a terrific book called Teacher Trade! AND she’s also a research scientist who works with animals and kids to study empathy—which is when we use our kindness, our experiences, and our imaginations to understand how others are feeling. She’s been to almost every continent on earth, and she’s met all kinds of animals—from dogs and cats to walruses and even elephants! Dr. Jennie and I talked about very intellectual, highly scientific topics such as why our dogs’ toes smell like corn chips, and whether walruses smell worse than black bears, and . . . okay, okay, maybe we talked about smells a lot, but we covered bunches of other fun things, too! Dr. Jennie taught me a lot about kindness, and doing research, and how animal feelings aren’t so different from human (or even vampire robot vacuum cleaner) feelings. Most of all, I learned that whether it’s a new friend or a new animal, when we take the time to get to know each other we’ll always discover that we have lots of things in common! I’m really glad I got to meet Dr. Jennie, and I think you’ll like meeting her too. Thank you to everyone who sent me a letter or a drawing last week, and for everybody else—I can’t wait to hear from you, too! Just tell your grown-up what you want to ask me, or have them scan or photograph your drawings, and they can send everything to me at kind@imagineneighborhood.org. I’ll have another No Filter ready for you all soon, and until then, have a great week, and I’ll be seeing you around The Imagine Neighborhood™! Your friend, Count Vacula
Mon, 18 Oct 2021 12:29:00 -0400
The Disappointment of Mannrick Allen
Disappointment is a very big feeling, and it can affect us in a lot of different ways. Someone who is disappointed might seem sad, or they might even act angry or mean. In this episode, we’ll talk about ways to help ourselves feel better when we’re disappointed—and we’ll also learn how to use kindness to understand when other people are disappointed and help them feel better, too! This week, Macho Supreme and Count Vacula are headed to Photon Fair—the annual Nebula Trek convention. The fair was cancelled last year because of the Pixie Pandemic, and although Macho and Vac are very glad it’s back, they’re a little disappointed when they find out that things will be more low-key this time. There won’t be a costume contest, and the rides are closed, but the good news is that Mannrick Allen (their second-favorite actor on Nebula Trek) will be there! Vac and Macho can’t wait to meet him and get his autograph . . . if only he would stop being so rude to everybody. Join us for Nirshese pepper-crabs, amazing burritos, and an udderly ridiculous amount of cow-themed puns in this episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™! As always, we’d love to see your drawings inspired by our story, and you can get artwork ideas and discussion suggestions in our Wednesday newsletter. Rockets away, everyone! See you around the Neighborhood!
Sun, 10 Oct 2021 11:55:00 -0400
No Filter with Janet Varney
Guess who? . . . That’s right! It’s me again—your pal, C.V.—bringing you a new No Filter! This week’s guest is the very kind and friendly J.V. (known to her acquaintances as “Janet Varney”)! J.V. is a comedian and actor, which is something we don’t have in common . . . but something we do have in common is that we both have podcasts! You might have heard J.V. on her Nickelodeon podcast Avatar: Braving the Elements, and your grown-ups might have heard her on her other podcast The JV Club. J.V. and I talked about nicknames (betcha can’t guess what my new nickname is!), armadillos, dreams, cactus plants, time travel, otters, fanny packs, thunderstorms, and how sometimes you think you won’t like somebody because they’re different from you—but once you get to know them, you find out that they can be a really good influence on your life! I’m really glad I got to know J.V., and I think you’ll be excited to know her, too! I’ll have another No Filter ready for you in a few weeks, and in the meantime, I hope you’ll keep sending me your questions and suggestions—and of course I love getting all your awesome drawings for the #InfiniteRefrigerator. Have a great week, keep an eye out for hummingbird messages, and I’ll see you soon in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, C.V. (aka Vaxxie, aka your friend Count Vacula)
Mon, 27 Sep 2021 12:42:00 -0400
No Filter with Peter Sagal
Hi, everybody! It’s your good friend, Count Vacula, bringing you my newest No Filter! My guest this week is Peter Sagal, the very fun and funny host of the NPR show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Peter’s been hosting this show for more than 20 years, which is a really long time . . . even to me, and I’m 1,000 years old! His show is on the radio, and mine is a podcast, but we both use our shows to meet new people and learn about them, as well as to do some hard-hitting journalism. For this No Filter, Peter and I did some hard-hitting journalism on the important topics of farts, fart jokes, and finding out who farted, as well as exploring the deeper issues of cookie-reaching, Frankenstein-fearing, and doghair-eating. We had a great time and learned a lot from each other. I bet you’ll have a great time and learn something too! I’ll be back soon with more No Filter, and if you have any suggestions, questions, or ideas for upcoming guests, it’d be great if you emailed me at kind@imagineneighborhood.org. Until then, I’ll see you around The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, Vac
Sun, 19 Sep 2021 11:45:00 -0400
The Hastabee

Whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, you probably know a lot of rules. Rules can help us stay safe, use good behavior, and make sure that everyone is treated fairly. But have you heard of “hastabees”?. . .

In this week’s episode, Scotty and Count Vacula are having a great time playing in their pillow fort until the famous blankie castle architect Jill Koy (the very funny Carly Ciarrocchi) shows up. Jill thinks that a pillow fort “hastabee” a certain way—but when she tries to change their fort to how she likes it, things start to get a little shaky!

There are lots of rules that protect us, or help us remember to be kind. But “hastabees” are just things we prefer to be a certain way—like what toy we cuddle with at night, or having the crusts cut off our sandwiches. But if we sleep with a different toy sometimes, or leave the crusts ON our sandwich, that’s okay! Do you have any “hastabees”? What would happen if you changed one of them? It might feel a little strange, but it also might be fun to try something different!

At The Imagine Neighborhood™, we think the only thing a pillow fort “hastabee” is fun—and if you have a pillow fort to show us, or if you want to share your design for The Best Pillow Fort Ever, we’d love to see it! You can also get suggestions of things to talk about, and additional activity ideas for this episode in our newsletter . . . but if you want to switch things up and try some different activities, that’s great too!

Keep it cozy, everyone. See you around the Neighborhood!

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 11:45:00 -0400
Re-run: Anyone Can Play

“ANYONE CAN PLAY”

Earlier this year, The Imagine Neighborhood™ released the limited series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right, which empowers listeners to take pride in their own identities, celebrate diversity, and stand up against discrimination.

Thanks to the generous support of The Allstate Foundation, this week, we're revisiting the Imagine Equity episode "Anyone Can Play"!

When Macho Supreme and Count Vacula find a big cardboard box and decide to play Nebula Trek in it, Vac is excited to pretend to be one of his favorite characters from his favorite movie! But every time Vac jumps in, Macho won’t let him play. Because the actors in the Nebula Trek movie are white, Macho thinks that only white people can play them, and Vac is Asian.

When we tell someone they can’t be part of something because of their identity, that’s called exclusion. And excluding people is not only wrong, it makes our world a little smaller!

When we exclude, we put limits on the kinds of fun we can have, the kinds of stories we can tell, and even the friends we can play with. But when we use our imaginations to make room for everyone to play, we can go anywhere, and we can do anything!

You can hear more from the Imagine Equity series by visiting the Imagine Equity page on our website—where you can also get downloadable PDFs with activity ideas and discussion prompts from the episodes. And as always, we’d love to get your feedback, drawings, and ideas at kind@imagineneighborhood.org.

This show is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 11:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

Hey, everybody! It's me again, your good pal Count Vacula—bringing you a brand-new No Filter!

My guest this week is the very kind and very smart Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. He’s a podcaster like me—but he’s also a professor, and a National Book Award winner, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author of really terrific books like Antiracist Baby and Stamped (For Kids)!

We talked about playing basketball, and cardboard creations, and how when the people you care about are happy, it can make you feel happy too!

But we also talked about serious things, like how there are some rules that aren’t fair to everyone, and that it’s up to us to change those rules! It reminded me of when Big Bot Burger made a rule that said Wastelanders couldn’t eat in their restaurants. That wasn’t fair, so we all joined together to protest, and we got rid of discrimination in our neighborhood! Dr. Kendi says that standing up to discrimination is one of the kindest things we can do, and I think he’s right.

A great thing about meeting different people is that you can learn all sorts of new ways to be kind. Did you do something kind this week? Tell me about it, and then maybe I can do it too! Yay!

Okay! I’ll be back soon with more No Filter—and in the meantime, I’ll see you around The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Love,

Vac

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 10:28:00 -0400
Bonus: Dr Leslie Walker-Harding on Macho's Shot

In this week's bonus episode Dr Leslie Walker-Harding joins us to discuss ways to help kids who are afraid of getting shots. Dr Walker-Harding is the chair of pediatrics at Seattle Children's hospital and she's had to give, and get, a lot of shots. We'll talk about how she helps kids and grown-ups who are nervous to get a shot, and has some great tips for dealing with those big emotions.

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 11:45:00 -0400
Macho's Shot

Going to the doctor can be scary, even if you’re as macho as—Macho Supreme! This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty needs to get his Merman Measles shot, but Macho is so afraid something bad might happen to Scotty at the doctor’s office that he yoinks Scotty away in the Mach Billion!

Will Scotty get back in time for his appointment with Dr. Alexander Camelguy, or will he . . . (apologies) . . . throw away his shot?

Will Macho overcome his fears before he and the rest of the Neighborhood turn into a bunch of scaly-tailed, scene-stealing divas?

Will listeners listen for the bonus content after the credits?

It can feel unfair when something that helps you also hurts a little bit. And shots can hurt for a second, but a lot of people need them to stay healthy. In today’s episode, we’ll learn some things that you can do to help make getting a shot less stressful. Along the way, we’ll hijack a spaceship, meet a very unusual medical professional, and make more Lin-Manuel Miranda musical references than, well, a Lin-Manuel Miranda musical.

Grown-ups—as always, we’d love to see your family’s drawings and creations inspired by the episode, and you can drop some knowledge with the discussion prompts and activity suggestions found in our newsletter. In the meantime, here’s an excellent article—recommended by our newest rock star, Dr. Leslie, P!H!D!—about ways to help kids navigate their fears about shots.

Stay safe, everyone. See you around the Neighborhood!

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 10:42:00 -0400
Re-run: Blizzards and Wizards

Welcome back to The Imagine Neighborhood™! Next Monday we’ll return with an all-new episode, but today, we’re revisiting “Blizzards and Wizards” from our series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right, funded by The Allstate Foundation.

Released earlier this year, the Imagine Equity series helps young people recognize prejudice and injustice, take pride in their own identities, celebrate diversity, and stand up against discrimination. Allstate and the team at The Imagine Neighborhood are proud of this opportunity to help families continue to build kinder, more inclusive futures for neighborhoods everywhere.

“Blizzards and Wizards” introduces us to the young wizard Preston Changeo, who shows up in the Neighborhood ready to learn all of the wizard Alakazambra’s moves for battling monsters. But instead of battling them, he discovers that Alakazambra is best buddies with one—Count Vacula!

Preston thinks that wizards and monsters shouldn’t be friends, but when he accidentally summons a rainbow sherbet monster, everyone in the Neighborhood has to work together to solve the problem. It turns out that having friends and neighbors with all kinds of different identities helps you learn new skills and be a better friend—and it’s also a lot of fun!

Regular episodes pick up again next week, but we hope you’ll also take time for our featured Imagine Equity episodes every Wednesday for the next five weeks. Follow our socials for weekly Imagine Equity content—and be sure to check out the new downloadable activity ideas and discussion prompts on our dedicated Imagine Equity webpage.

See you around the Neighborhood!

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 11:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Jad Abumrad

Hello, friends! It’s me, your pal, Count Vacula!

I’m really happy because today, I get to share a brand-new No Filter with Count Vacula! -- with you! Meeting all kinds of different people is one of my favorite things to do, and on No Filter, you can meet them too. How cool is that?!

This week, you’ll meet my new friend Jad Abumrad! We have a lot in common—like, we both make podcasts, although . . . my podcast doesn’t have a Peabody Award, and Jad’s podcasts Radiolab and Dolly Parton’s America do . . . But we both like synthesizers! And we like imitating the sounds of synthesizers! And we like comparing different kinds of synthesizers! We like other things too, though, not just synthesizers.

But synthesizers are really cool!

Jad and I also talked about daydreaming, and making cardboard creations, and how to stop an argument from happening by being kind instead of angry. Jad was so awesome!

If there’s someone you think people would like to meet on No Filter with Count Vacula!, let me know at vacula@imagineneighborhood.org! I really like to read your letters, and see your drawings, and learn about new people!

I’ll be back soon with another No Filter, and in the meantime, I’ll be seeing you in The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Love,

Vac

PS: Does anybody know where I put my synthesizer?

Sun, 08 Aug 2021 11:45:00 -0400
Cap'n Marion Finds Her Focus

This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty takes a pirate internSHIP (ahem) aboard the Burn Voyage, and finds out there’s a lot that a Second Mate needs to learn to do—especially the all-important ARRRt of treasure-buryin’. But Cap’n Marion keeps getting distracted, and the gold is just lying on the deck where anyone can steal it!

Will Scotty be able to help Cap’n Marion focus on what’s important before it’s too late, or will she lose her doubloons, her jewels, and even her mint-condition Splash Gordon action figure? Tune in to find out, and stay for a pirate chase, questionable parrots, and a pirate-approved technique that you can use to stay focused whenever your mind starts to wander.

Grown-ups, you can keep the conversation going with the discussion questions and activity ideas provided in our newsletter. And keep sending us your family’s creations , savvy? We can’t wait to add your drawings, stories, and art projects to our own pile of treasure!

Until next time, see you ARRRound the Neighborhood!

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 09:08:00 -0400
July 2021 Q & A

Hi everybody!

It's no secret that we love hearing from our listeners, or that we get really excited when you send in questions about things going on in The Imagine Neighborhood™, because then we get to do a Q&A episode!

So, if you’ve ever wondered how Dr. Apocalypso got her name, what species of dinosaur Princess Donnasaurus is, or how many relatives Count Vacula has (lemme tell ya, that family cookout requires a LOT of crumbs!), this week’s episode has all the answers you’re looking for!

If you have a question for us, you can email it, or leave it in the reviews section of your podcast platform (where you can also let us know what you think about the show).

Come back next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood when I take a pirate internSHIP (see what I did there?) aboard the Burn Voyage, and help a very distracted Captain Marion learn to focus on the important things she needs to do, like mainsail-hoistin’, timber-shiverin’, and of course, dishes.

In the meantime, some important things YOU can to do are to keep sending us your terrific questions and your amazing artwork for our #InfiniteRefrigerator, and of course we should all remember to do something kind today!

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, happy, healthy, and kind.

Scotty

Sun, 25 Jul 2021 11:30:00 -0400
No Filter with Carly Ciarrocchi

Hey, everybody . . . guess who? It's me again, your pal Count Vacula!

That's right—I get to bring you a new No Filter with Count Vacula for the second week in a ROW! How amazing is THAT?

And it's extra good news because my guest this week is the amazing Carly Ciarrocchi. You might know her from her Emmy-nominated work hosting The Big Fun Crafty Show and Snug's House for Universal Kids, or as host of Sprout's The Sunny Side Up Show, or from Weird But True! on Disney+, or from her terrific podcast HEY STORY GO!

Even though Carly likes to get up early and I'm nocturnal (I just learned that word!), it turns out we both like construction cranes, and bumblebees, and cardboard creations. In fact, Carly has a whole show JUST about making things out of cardboard.

You know, every time I meet someone new, I find out that even though we have differences, we also have a lot of things in common. That’s a really fun thing about making new friends!

If there’s someone you think would be a good new friend for me, let me know. In the meantime, thanks for listening to No Filter.

See you next week in The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Love,

Vac

Sun, 18 Jul 2021 10:44:00 -0400
No Filter with Brittany Murlas

Hi again, friends! It’s me . . . your pal, Count Vacula!

I’m really excited because this week I get to share with you a brand new episode of my brand new show, No Filter with Count Vacula!

On No Filter I get to practice making new friends and getting to know all kinds of people. This week I got to meet a very smart and kind person named Brittany Murlas. She's a mom who started a really cool book club called Little Feminist. They find terrific stories with all different sorts of heroes in them, and send the books out to families all over the world!

Brittany and I talked about a lot of very important things, like bedtime monsters, and feminism, and macaroni and cheese! She also taught me a cool new way to listen to music, and even gave me some great ideas for my next Cardboard Creation.

I had a great time getting to know Brittany, and I think you'll like her too. After you listen to the episode, you can let me know what you thought at kind@imagineneighborhood.org., or you can also follow me on Twitter and send me a message there!

And hey - if you’ve made a new friend that you think everyone should know about, or if there’s someone interesting that you'd like to hear on No Filter with Count Vacula!, let me know that too. I really like hearing from you, and seeing your drawings, and reading your questions about me and about The Imagine Neighborhood ™!

Well - thanks for hanging out with me today! Come back next week for a special BONUS episode of No Filter, and the week after that for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. Until then, remember to be kind. And if YOU have a robot vacuum friend, be sure to drop some crumbs on the floor for them.

Or some macaroni and cheese.

Either way.

Love,

Vac

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 11:45:00 -0400
Calmulor!

This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, our own magical maven Alakazambra Tyesha Morganis is getting ready to hold the world’s biggest wizarding festival! But planning something as amazing as the San Diego Conjure-Con isn’t easy... The bat wings are missing, the cauldrons are filthy, no one has any idea when the Port-O-Whiz delivery will happen, and the Wizards are getting restless. Alakazambra’s feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and she might even be about to throw a tantrum!

What’s the greatest wizard in the multiverse to do?... By The Eye of Greldar, she’ll cast the Calmulor spell on everyone to calm them down, and that will fix everything!

Or - will it just create more problems?...

Handling frustration can be challenging for everyone, not just wizards. In this episode we’ll explore what happens when we cover up our real feelings, and talk about effective ways to deal with difficulties. Get episode discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups in our newsletter – and keep sharing your family’s ideas, drawings, and creations with us - we love seeing what you come up with, and your contribution might get featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

See you around the Neighborhood!

Sun, 04 Jul 2021 11:45:00 -0400
June 2021 Q & A

This month we got some very important questions for our friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and it’s time to answer them with a Q&A episode!

Stay tuned next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. And keep listening the week after that for more No Filter with Count Vacula!

If you have a question for us, or a suggestion for someone for Vac to interview, you can ask it in a review (and while you’re there, tell us what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org.

Thanks for sending us your questions, your ideas, and your amazing drawings. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!

Sun, 27 Jun 2021 11:45:00 -0400
All Town Hand Me Down

This week in the The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty and Vac can’t wait for the All-Town Hand-Me-Down! Everybody in the Neighborhood collects clothes and toys they’re not using anymore, and they send them all down a chute so that someone new can use them. It’s a really fun way to be kind—plus, everyone gets a new hand-me-down in return!

But this year, something’s not right. The chute is malfunctioning, and all the toys are piling up outside Princess Donnasaurus’s castle. Princess Donnasaurus has been bitten by a gimme bug, and it’s making her want everything for herself! It’s up to Scotty and Vac to help Princess Donnasaurus find the generosity inside her and defeat the gimme bug—and get the All-Town Hand-Me-Down rocking again.

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 20 Jun 2021 10:45:00 -0400
No Filter with Biz Ellis

Hi, listeners! It’s me again . . . your pal, Count Vacula!

As you may have noticed, we’re now bringing you a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™ every other week. And on some of those in-between weeks, you can hear me, Count Vacula, on my very own show! It’s called No Filter with Count Vacula.

On No Filter, I’ll practice making new friends and getting to know all kinds of people. This week, I’m chatting with Biz Ellis from the podcast One Bad Mother. Biz and I talk about how being “bad” can sometimes be a good thing, how to find buried treasure in your own backyard, and how to be kind to teachers—with donuts!

Biz sure was a lot of fun to talk to. We even made up our own theme song! Anyway, I’m still figuring out how to host my own show, and I really want to get better at it. So go to our website and let me know what you think. And stay tuned for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood next week, and for more episodes of No Filter with Count Vacula!

Do you have a question for us? Or can you think of someone I should talk to on a future episode of No Filter? You can put your questions and ideas into a review (and while you’re there, let us know what you think of the show)! You can also email them to kind@imagineneighborhood.org.

We always love seeing your notes and drawings. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!

We’ll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood.

Love,

Vac

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 11:45:00 -0400
The Trials of Vacstradamus

This week in the Neighborhood, it’s Count Vacula’s 1,000th birthday! For his big day, Vac gets a visit from his Great-Uncle Vacstradamus (or “Gruncle Vaxie”), and an official Seven-Day Trial Period. With big birthdays come big new responsibilities: Gruncle Vaxie gives Vac one week to tackle cooking eggs for breakfast, and doing the laundry.

Vac is feeling overwhelmed by his new tasks, and Scotty is swimming in dirty laundry. How will Vac deal with an interdimensional portal and an eggy mess? It’s time for Vac to level up, and time to team up to level up! Because helping around the house isn’t just a chore—it’s a great way to be kind.

Q: Why does Vac need to learn to make breakfast and do the laundry?

A: Getting older means that Vac can start to help Scotty with some tasks around the house.

Q: Why is it kind to help your grown-ups with chores?

A: Taking care of you and your home is a lot of work for your grown-ups. If you help your grown-ups out, it makes things a little easier for them. And it will make them happy to know that you care.

Brainstorm Together:

  • Talk to the other people in your home about how you can team up to level up. What are some ways you can help out? How does it feel when things change and you take on new tasks? Are there ways you can make doing housework together fun? And if your grown-ups have more time to spend with you, what would you like to spend time doing with them?

Create:

  • In this week’s episode, Vac invented a new way to do the laundry! Invent a new way that you can do the laundry, or another household task, and draw or write about it.

We love getting messages from you! Keep sharing your drawings, your ideas, and your cardboard creations with us and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you.

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 12:00:00 -0400
May 2021 Q & A

This month we got some very important questions for our friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and it’s time to answer them with a Q&A episode!

We’ll answer questions about Vac’s digestive system and what inspires Doctor Apocalypso. Plus, we’ve got special guest Dr. Jasmine with us! She’ll talk with us about the food on her spaceship and about the best ways to stay kind to everyone, even when someone like Rick Fryer is being unkind or unjust.

Stay tuned next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. And keep listening the week after that for more No Filter with Count Vacula!

If you have a question for us, or a suggestion for someone for Vac to interview, you can ask it in a review (and while you’re there, tell us what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org.

Thanks for sending us your questions, your ideas, and your amazing drawings. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, happy, healthy, and kind.

Mon, 31 May 2021 01:09:00 -0400
No Filter with Macho Supreme

Oh, hey. Hey, listeners? It’s me! It’s your friend, Count Vacula.

This season, we’re switching things up in The Imagine Neighborhood™. We’re going to keep bringing you new episodes every other week for the whole rest of the year! And on some of those in-between weeks, I’ll be filling in with a little project I like to call: No Filter with Count Vacula.

No Filter features me, Count Vacula, chatting with all sorts of interesting people. And this week is our very first episode! To help me get started, today I’m talking to my good friend, Macho Supreme. We’ll talk about making friends with monsters, space squids, and how to prepare for disco emergencies! Macho was such a terrific guest. I really hope you listen.

Stay tuned for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood next week, and stay tuned for more episodes of No Filter with Count Vacula! Oh, and don’t forget to go to our website to vote on a new name for the Space Marines! Macho wanted to make sure I reminded you.

Do you have a question for us? Or a person you think I should talk to on a future episode of No Filter? You can put your questions and ideas into a review (and while you’re there, let us know what you think of the show)! Or you can email them to kind@imagineneighborhood.org.

I love seeing all the drawings and notes you’ve sent in. Especially all your drawings of me! Some really great likenesses there. Keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!

We’ll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood.

Love,

Vac

Sun, 23 May 2021 11:45:00 -0400
Macho Gets Bendy

This week in the Neighborhood, Macho Supreme is off to the Space Marines’ Space-Cademy summer camp. To keep the Pixie Pandemic at bay, the camp has made a whole lot of changes—but Macho liked things better the old way! Luckily, I’m around to help him learn to “get bendy.”

“Getting bendy” means using your imagination to think about something in a different way. When Macho learns about the safety changes at the Space-Cademy, he expects a disaster. But then when Macho “gets bendy,” he manages to think of ways those changes might be okay . . . or even fun.

This week, Macho learned about lots of new changes at the Space-Cademy—including a change to the Space Marines’ name. And listeners, YOU get to decide what the new name will be! Head over to ImagineNeighborhood.org to cast your vote.

Sun, 16 May 2021 11:45:00 -0400
April 2021 Q & A

Helloooooooo, listeners! It’s me, Doctor Apocalypso, live from the Wasteland!

My buddy Scotty is busy rounding up stories for a new season of The Imagine Neighborhood™. He’ll be back with new episodes next month, so keep your ear to the feed!

Some of you out there in Imagine Neighborhoodland sent in questions for me. So today, Cyclopia and I are rollin’ up to answer them in a Q&A episode! I’ll talk about how it feels to still miss Giganticus, and how to get out of bed like a rock star. And Scotty will answer questions about his house, new Imagine Neighborhood episodes, and even about sushi! Take a listen, and get ready to have your FACE rocked off!

If you have a question for us, you can put your question into a review (and while you’re there, let us know what you think of the show)! Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org.

I love seeing all of your awesome ideas and rad drawings. So keep writing to us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you!

We’ll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood. Until then, don’t stop rockin’!

Love,

Doctor Apocalypso

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 12:37:00 -0400
Bonus: Dr Aisha White on the Imagine Equity Series.

Bonus Episode. Dr Aisha White from the University of Pittsburgh's P.R.I.D.E. program joins us to talk about different ways to discuss racial identity with kids.

She mentions some great resources in the interview which can be found below.

Raising Race Conscious Children

Embrace Race

PBS Kids: Talking About Race

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 01:30:00 -0400
Bonus Grown-ups Episode: Behind the Scenes of Imagine Equity

We have a special episode for the grown-ups this week—it’s a little different, but a lot of fun!

Have you ever wondered who comes up with a dinosaur princess, Cardboard Boxing Day, pirate food fights, or Big Bot Burgers? Well, here’s your chance to find out! We gathered the team members who helped create our latest series, Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right, for a candid conversation about what happens behind the scenes.

In this episode, you’ll get a chance to meet the people who make the magic happen in The Imagine Neighborhood. We talk about our backgrounds and identities, and how we each brought our own unique perspectives to the Imagine Equity series. We also discuss what excited us about this series, some uncomfortable moments in the process, how we work together, and our hopes for the future. We’re a quirky, fun, and wicked-smart group, if I do say so myself! I hope you’ll take a listen and get to know us a little better.

This show is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org <https://email.imagineneighborhood.org/NzYzLVdWWi0zOTMAAAF71ntFlFZEbYjbgCwkVDP9K8ZHp7PLTHVzIw3UDZKNvLu2RBTubyq20Sr13ZIPzkBPXTKS7FY=>.

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 11:45:00 -0400
Re-run: The Very Best Robot

Today in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty and Vac visit a robot wrestling championship. Vac is so excited that he decides to be exactly like his new hero, the intergalactic robot wrestling champion Destructivir! It sounds like fun . . . until things get a little out of hand.

Vac decides to switch his robot code to change how he acts, and he builds himself a new robot body to change how he looks. But it turns out that being just like his favorite battling robot makes Vac miserable! It takes a visit from Destructivir to show Vac that the way you look is just one part of being a robot, but it’s not the most important part.

Destructivir reminds us that the way you look is only one little part of who you are. Being kind—and being yourself—is the best way to be a robot. (Or a person.)

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 01:09:00 -0400
Raising the Steaks: Doc Apoc Has a Beef Part Two

This is the last episode in our series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. It picks up where the previous episode left off and addresses the big topics of discrimination, injustice, and activism. It might be a good idea for you to listen together with your child (or your grown-up).

When we last left our heroes, Scotty and Doc were on a mission to stop discrimination at Big Bot Burger. But it turns out the injustice isn’t just at one location—it’s at ALL the Big Bot Burger locations. This week, they’re enlisting the help of everyone in the Neighborhood to get some justice!

The robots at Big Bot still won’t let anyone from the Wasteland into their restaurants. Even the intervention of Macho Supreme, Princess Donnasaurus, and Alakazambra Tyesha Morganis isn’t helping. In fact, the injustice is growing: when customers don’t pay attention to the discrimination at Big Bot, it grows more and more burger restaurants. It’s going to take the whole Neighborhood team using their voices, their friendships, their art, and their wisdom to make things right.

Last week, we sent you our list of songs by musicians who used their voices and instruments to speak out against injustice, just like Doctor Apocalypso. This week, we’ve added more songs to that list! Grown-ups, choose a few songs that work for your family to listen to together. Talk about the injustices those musicians were writing about and about how to make things right and get some justice. You can also refer to our interview with Dr. Jasmine or our list of resources for starting the conversation about race and injustice.

In this week’s episode, we talk about what it means to be an activist. There are lots of ways to support causes that are important to you. Even if you’ve talked to your child about injustice before, it’s always a good idea to talk about what’s important to you, and make a plan for how you’ll take action. What can you do as a family to “get some justice”? How can you make the world a kinder place?

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

This show is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 12:38:00 -0500
Doc Apoc Has a Beef

This episode is the fifth in our series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. This episode starts to address the big topics of discrimination, injustice, and activism, so it might be a good idea for you to listen together with your child (or your grown-up).

This week, a new restaurant called Big Bot Burger is coming to The Imagine Neighborhood™. Doc and Scotty are super excited to try it . . . until they find out that Big Bot won’t take Doc’s order. It turns out that Big Bot Burger has a company rule to not serve people from the Wasteland.

Being a Wastelander is part of Doc’s identity—and not letting someone do something because of their identity is a super-wrong type of unfairness called discrimination. When rules discriminate against someone, or against a whole group of people, that’s called injustice. And those kinds of rules need to change.

Doc and Scotty set out to make things right and get some justice. Doc uses her music and her voice to get people’s attention and start a peaceful protest. When the neighborhood learns that Big Bot discriminates against Wastelanders, they decide to leave and patronize Justice Burgers instead. But that doesn’t put an end to the injustice. Big Bot has locations everywhere, and it’s up to our heroes to stop them!

To be continued next week!

This week, Doctor Apocalypso used her voice and her music to speak up against injustice. There's a long history of musicians who have used songs to talk about injustices they see in the world—just like Doc. We've put together a list of some of those songs. Grown-ups, you could choose a few songs that would work for your family to listen to together, and then talk about the injustices those musicians wrote about.

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

This show is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 11:45:00 -0500
Anyone Can Play

This episode is the fourth in our series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right.

This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Macho Supreme and Count Vacula are using their imaginations to turn a cardboard box into the spaceship from their favorite movie, Nebula Trek! But every time Vac tries to jump in and help Macho save the galaxy, Macho won’t let him play.

Macho thinks that Vac can’t play as his favorite characters from Nebula Trek—because in the movie, those characters are white, and Vac is Asian. Scotty explains to Macho that he has excluded Vac, and that is not okay. To exclude means to leave someone out, or tell them they can’t play.

When you exclude, you get stuck: the game is less fun, the story is less interesting, and people’s feelings are hurt. Instead, the kind thing to do is to use your imagination to make room in the story for everyone. Make it okay for everyone to play!

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood™, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

This show is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 01:25:00 -0500
Blizzards and Wizards

This episode is the third in our series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right.

Today, The Imagine Neighborhood™ gets a surprise visitor from Alakazambra’s past! The young wizard Preston Changeo arrives, played by our very special guest star Tom Lenk, ready to learn all of Alakazambra’s tricks and spells for battling monsters . . . and is upset to learn that Alakazambra and her old nemesis Count Vacula are now good friends.

Preston doesn’t think that wizards and monsters are allowed to be friends. But when he accidentally summons a messy rainbow sherbet monster, everyone has to work together to solve the problem. It turns out that having friends and neighbors with all kinds of different identities is not only fun, it helps you learn new skills and be a better friend. Welcoming new wizards and monsters (and even people) into your neighborhood can help you, your new neighbors, and your whole community.

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator! Grown-ups, if you want to learn more about our special guest star Tom Lenk, you can find more info here.

This show is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 11:45:00 -0500
The Princess Quest

This episode is a collaboration with the Stoopkid Stories podcast. It’s the second episode in our series Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right.

Today, Princess Donnasaurus stumbles out of The Imagine Neighborhood™ and into the neighborhood of Princess Tia from the Stoopkid Stories podcast! At first, neither princess thinks the other looks the way a princess should, but Princess Tia and Princess Donnasaurus talk it out and team up. Together, they embark on a quest to open an enchanted backpack and defeat the evil identity-stealing Erazor!

Along the way, Princess Tia and Princess Donnasaurus meet Princess Slime Monster, Princess DottyPotty, and Mister Princess. They learn that a true princess is kind, brave, and proud of who they are—and takes care of their neighborhood. All princesses have that in common, but they also each have their own identity. Your identity is made up of all the things about you that make you who you are, and it’s special to you; no Erazor can ever take it away.

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

This show is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 07:59:00 -0500
Food Fight!

This episode is the first in a series of new adventures, called Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right.

Today in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty and Vac are pirate-sitting the Fire Pirates while Captain Marion is off at the dentist. Everything is shipshape . . . until Burn Voyage is attacked by the troublesome Captain Deen!

Captain Deen takes over the ship, and immediately insults everyone’s lunches. She thinks that pirates should only eat gross asparagus dumplings, not the food they brought from home. But the pirates’ foods are important to their ethnicities, which is a part of who they are. Vac decides to make things right, and mutiny turns into a food fight! It takes a giant, delicious mess to teach Captain Deen that everyone’s ethnicity is special—and that the strongest pirate crew is a diverse one.

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

This show is supported by a generous grant from the Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation works to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit allstatefoundation.org.

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 03:55:00 -0500
Imagine Equity Trailer

The Imagine Neighborhood returns next week with six new episodes! Subscribe to our newsletter for new activities and to know when the episodes are live! https://www.imagineneighborhood.org/contact

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 09:43:00 -0500
Cardboard Boxing Day

This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, special guest narrator Cardboard Scotty reads the fantastical tale of the first Cardboard Boxing Day.

While everyone in the Neighborhood busily prepares for different holidays, Princess Donnasaurus has a case of the end-of-year blues . . . which she decides to fix by buying up every toy she can get her claws on! But when her friends don’t come over to play with all her loot, Princess Donnasaurus learns that happiness doesn’t come from toys. The greatest joy comes from time spent with the people we love.

People in The Imagine Neighborhood celebrate lots of different holidays, and all of them are special. But there’s one holiday that everyone can celebrate: Cardboard Boxing Day! On the last Monday of the year, everyone gathers to spend time with each other (and with plenty of cardboard boxes). What cardboard masterpieces will you build with your loved ones this Cardboard Boxing Day?

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. When we come back next year, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Until then, share your drawings, your ideas, and your cardboard creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 11:45:00 -0500
December Listener Questions

Hey, everybody!

Do you ever have questions for your friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™? This week on the show, we’ve got answers! Listeners had questions about what makes Macho Supreme so strong, how Doctor Apocalypso spends her morning, and whether we ever fly paper airplanes in the Neighborhood. One listener even had a question about sharks!

If you have a question for us, you can find us on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts and put your question into a review (and while you’re there, you can let us know what you think of the show). Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org.

And if you want a say in next week’s episode, you can go vote in our joyful songs poll. We’ll play the most joyful song in our season finale!

Check out the episode, and hear what Macho, Doc, Vac, and I are all up to. And then send us a question of your own! We can’t wait to hear from you.

Thank you so much for sending in all of your feedback, ideas, and submissions so far! Keep sharing your drawings and ideas with us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you.

We’ll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood. In the meantime, I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, happy, healthy, and kind.

Scotty

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 11:32:00 -0500
Friendsgiving

It’s almost Friendsgiving in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Scotty and Vac have been working on their thank-you jar all year: every time they feel thankful, they put a penny into the jar. And every year on Friendsgiving, a mythical yeti collects everyone’s jars and donates the money to help the Neighborhood—unless Tantrumus Maximus gets his way . . .

This year, Tantrumus Maximus is determined to ruin Friendsgiving. If nobody has anything to be thankful for, maybe everyone will pay attention to him instead. Tantrumus tries every idea in his evil ideas vault to make Scotty and Vac feel less thankful. But even with burned desserts, a pixie pandemic keeping their friends at home, and Tantrumus stealing the thank-you jar for himself, Scotty and Vac manage to find things to be thankful for—including a surprise visit from a mystery guest!

It can be hard to find reasons to feel thankful, especially when things go wrong, and especially when a pixie pandemic keeps everyone from being together in person. But that’s a great time to start a thank-you jar! Even if you only get to see your loved ones in BrineBlox instead of in person, you can still drop a penny (or a note, or a poem, or a drawing) in the jar. And if you start filling it up now, maybe you’ll get a visit from the yeti next year!

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and ideas with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 22 Nov 2020 11:45:00 -0500
November Listener Questions

Hey, everybody!

Do you ever have questions for your friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™? This week on the show, we’ve got answers! I got to hang out with Macho Supreme, Princess Donnasaurus, and Count Vacula, and answer questions from listeners all over the country.

If you have a question for us, you can find us on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts and put your question into a review (and while you’re there, you can let us know what you think of the show). Or you can email your questions to kind@imagineneighborhood.org.

Check out the episode, and hear what Macho, Princess Donnasaurus, Vac, and I are up to. And then send us a question of your own! We can’t wait to hear from you.

Thank you so much for sending in all of your feedback, ideas, and submissions so far! Keep sharing your drawings and ideas with us, and follow our Infinite Refrigerator to see creations from listeners like you.

And we’ve got a new suggestion for listeners: Julie’s Library is a podcast for families that will inspire a love of reading across generations. Learn more at julieslibraryshow.org.

We’ll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood. In the meantime, I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, happy, healthy, and kind.

Scotty

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 11:45:00 -0500
Blurghsday 2: The Blurghsening!

It’s Blurghsday AGAIN in The Imagine Neighborhood™. On any given Blurghsday, we get a new rule that changes everybody’s plans for the whole day—usually we can just “Blame it on Blurghsday.” But when too many Blurghsdays happen in a row, Scotty and Doctor Apocalypso start to feel stressed. They need to “get small to deal with it all,” which means taking a break so they’re ready to tackle the next challenge. But when a tidal wave of deli meats threatens the Neighborhood, they realize it’s time to “get large and take charge,” which means to step up and be a helper.

We can feel stress when there’s too much to handle, and it can feel different to different people. You might feel it in your body, or in your thoughts and feelings, or in all three. It can make you feel crummy, and it can make it hard to focus your attention or remember to be kind. Sometimes your neighborhood may need you to “get large and take charge.” But if you’re feeling stressed, it’s also important to “get small to deal with it all.” Everybody has their own ways of “getting small” and taking a break from stressful things. You could try spending some quiet time in a private place, or reading a book, or even making some music, just like Doctor Apocalypso. With special guest voice, Mike Harrington!

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 08 Nov 2020 11:45:00 -0500
Macho and The Worrycane

It's Macho's time to shine at the Space Marines Annual Smelling Bee! But there's just one problem: Macho is full of worries. And when Macho's worries get out of control, they become worrywarts that get bigger and bigger! Macho needs Scotty's help to calm down, talk about his worries, and prepare for the things he's worried about—before the worrywarts turn into a worrycane that blows away his chance to win the Smelling Bee!

Sometimes we worry about everything at once—even the things we can't change. But it's important to calm down and talk about our worries. Otherwise, our worries might turn us into a worrycane! And then we won't even be able to help fix the things we can change.

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by pre-election stress, here are a few techniques that can help! And if you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 01 Nov 2020 11:45:00 -0500
Talking to Kids About Cyberbullying

Dr Kelly Mendoza from Common Sense Education, drops by to talk about what grown-ups can do about cyberbullying. We'll talk about resources and tools grown-ups can use to help keep their kids safe and kind online. For more information about Common Sense Education's amazing programs, hit the link and visit their website.

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 10:45:00 -0400
Macho is Cyberbullied

Today in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty is inside a video game called BrineBlox. It’s a place where you can build castles, dance studios, koi ponds, or whatever you want—all out of pickles! Everyone’s having a good time . . . until a malevolent bird starts blowing up other players’ creations and leaving mean comments. That’s no way to be a friend—not in a world made out of pickles, or in any game, or in real life. Macho and Scotty decide to get to the bottom of this bullying behavior—and find a big surprise.

In online and computer games, sometimes we forget that our words and actions can cause real hurt feelings. But meanness can’t be solved by more meanness. It’s important to remember to be kind and be a good friend, whether you’re playing on the playground or in a video game made of pickles!

This episode was created in partnership with Common Sense Media. They’re a leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families and schools, and they offer resources on online bullying as included in their Digital Citizenship curriculum.

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 11:45:00 -0400
Alakazambra's Halloween Party

It’s Halloween in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Scotty and Vac have built a super-spooky haunted house, and they can’t wait to scare the socks off of everyone. But when Alakazambra stops by, there’s just one problem: she doesn’t feel scared.

Alakazambra invites Scotty and Vac over to her house for a truly terrifying time, where she conjures the scariest creature in the universe! But this time, Scotty and Vac aren’t scared. It turns out that different people can feel differently about the same things—and that it’s always kind to understand our friends’ perspectives (and maybe help them chase down a monster on the loose).

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 18 Oct 2020 11:45:00 -0400
Talking to Kids About Racial Identity

Bonus Episode. Dr Aisha White from the University of Pittsburgh's P.R.I.D.E. program joins us to talk about different ways to discuss racial identity with kids.

She mentions some great resources in the interview which can be found below.

Raising Race Conscious Children

Embrace Race

PBS Kids: Talking About Race

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 11:57:00 -0400
The Very Best Robot

Today in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty and Vac visit a robot wrestling championship. Vac is so excited that he decides to be exactly like his new hero, the intergalactic robot wrestling champion Destructivir! It sounds like fun . . . until things get a little out of hand.

Vac decides to switch his robot code to change how he acts, and he builds himself a new robot body to change how he looks. But it turns out that being just like his favorite battling robot makes Vac miserable! It takes a visit from Destructivir to show Vac that the way you look is just one part of being a robot, but it’s not the most important part.

Destructivir reminds us that the way you look is only one little part of who you are. Being kind—and being yourself—is the best way to be a robot. (Or a person.)

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 11:45:00 -0400
October Q and A

Listeners write in with questions, we have answers!

Got a question for Scotty or any one on the show? Send it in to Kind At Imagine Neighborhood.org.

Sun, 04 Oct 2020 09:50:00 -0400
Goodbye Giganticus

It’s a sad day today in The Imagine Neighborhood™. Doctor Apocalypso’s motorcycle, Giganticus, has gone kaput. He really meant a lot to her; she built him from scratch and they had so many epic adventures riding through the Wasteland together! In a lot of ways, he was her best friend.

At first, Doc doesn’t know how to feel. She wants to be happy, but she really feels angry and sad. She wants to celebrate Giganticus’s life, but she is so upset that she decides to quit her band. Scotty, her family, and her friends all want to help Doc find a way to feel all her emotions—and they want her to know that she has people around who support her, even when she’s sad.

When you lose something or someone that is important to you, things can be confusing and really hard. The world feels upside-down for a while. It’s good to feel all of those big feelings, and it can help to talk to a friend or grown-up about what you’re going through. Remember, you have people who love you and who want to know how you’re really feeling. And you will feel more like yourself again someday, but it will take some time. Take that time you need to feel the feelings that come up. And if you have a friend or family member who lost someone or something important to them and is feeling big feelings, let them know that you are there for them.

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 27 Sep 2020 11:30:00 -0400
Alakazambra!

This week, in the The Imagine Neighborhood™, a powerful wizard comes searching for Count Vacula. It’s Alakazambra the Demon-Hunter! To complete her magic spell, she needs the teeth of an angry vampire. But . . . Vac’s not angry. In fact, he’s usually hungry and a little bit nervous.

Alakazambra needs some help figuring out how other people are feeling. This skill can come in handy, whether you’re making a new friend, trying to figure out what someone else needs or wants, or finding angry vampire teeth to complete a magic spell!

When you’re trying to understand what another person is feeling, you can look for clues in their face, body, and situation. Are their eyes wide open, narrowed, or closed? Are they standing with their arms crossed or fists clenched? Are they at a surprise birthday party, a petting zoo, or a spooky haunted house? All of these things can help you identify what they might be feeling. Alakazambra gets some good practice, and you can too!

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 11:45:00 -0400
The Nose Stealers!

This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty needs a little help learning to use his assertive voice with the dreaded Nose Stealers. Have you ever had someone play a game of “got-your-nose,” but you really didn’t want to play? Or did someone tickle you or pinch your cheek when you’d rather not be tickled or pinched?

When you don’t want to play anymore or don’t want to be touched, that’s totally okay. You can strike a confident rock star pose and say, “No, thank you,” or “I’m done playing,” or “Please stop,” loudly, respectfully, and clearly. If the other person keeps trying to play and doesn’t stop, that’s when you get a grown-up or someone you trust to step in. Even the Nose Stealers learn it’s not okay unless everyone wants to play.

If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And you can share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Play the Nose Stealing Game! (Two or more players)

  • Player One is the “Nose Stealer” and tries to steal Player Two’s nose.
  • Player Two fends off the Nose Stealer by striking a rock star pose and saying loudly, respectfully, and clearly: “NOSE, THANK YOU!” Then, the Nose Stealer must stop, and the players switch roles.
  • If the Nose Stealer ever steals a nose anyway, even after being told “Nose, thank you,” the Nose Stealer must ask to steal the nose for the rest of the game. If they steal the nose without asking first, they are then out of the game.
  • Sun, 13 Sep 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Bonus: Listener Questions from the Postcard Hotline!

    Next week we're back with a brand new episode, but this week we wanted to answer questions from our listeners. If you have a question you'd like answered, have your grown up go to ImagineNeighborhood.org, or ask them to call 206-438-6528 (206.4.FUN.LAVA). You can leave us a message there!

    Sun, 06 Sep 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Shake Your Monkeys

    It’s Take Your Scotty to Work Day at Princess Donnasaurus’s castle! Princess Donnasaurus has a productive workday planned . . . until the messenger monkeys show up. They all have messages that need her attention right away! How can Princess Donnasaurus choose just one monkey to focus on when the rest are wreaking havoc?! Fortunately, Scotty’s got an idea for a way to help her pick one and get it done.

    In this episode, we learn about focusing attention. Life is full of fun ideas, and it can be hard to choose just one thing to do. Sometimes your brain might feel too full of thoughts, like too many monkeys trying to get your attention. That’s when it’s time to shake your monkeys off. You might want to take a ‘shake break’ by shaking your body, or go for a walk, or sit quietly. You can even get up and dance! Once you’ve shaken off the distracting thoughts, you can pick one thing to do—and get it done.

    If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Every week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. And feel free to share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

    Sun, 30 Aug 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Macho and the Toucan't

    This week in The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty and Macho Supreme are taking on a dangerous creature: the Toucan’t! I’m sure you’ve heard of toucans before, but what about the dastardly Toucan’t?

    Have you ever had a voice in your head telling you that you’re no good at something? Maybe you’re trying something new or doing something really hard? A Toucan’t is that voice in your head telling you that you’ll never get it. But never fear! Macho and Scotty find a great way to shut that Toucan’t down—and so can you.

    In this episode, we’re reviewing the concept of a growth mindset: the idea that your brain gets smarter and stronger the more you practice new skills. If you get stuck learning something new, that’s okay! Take a few deep breaths and try again when you feel ready. Even if it’s still challenging, you can always remind yourself that you’ll get it SOMEDAY!

    If you want to keep the discussion going after each episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for the weekly newsletter. Each newsletter will include additional discussion questions for kids and grown-ups, as well as some activities. We’d love to see your drawings and reflections—and you could be featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

    Sun, 23 Aug 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Talking to Kids About Back to School 2020

    In this episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, our friendly emotion scientist, Dr. Sherri, P!H!D! drops by to discuss some back-to-school questions and concerns. With school districts still making decisions about the safest possible plan for students and teachers, there are a lot of unknowns. What can you do to help prepare your kids for more remote school this fall, and/or for going back to the classroom only a couple days a week? And how can you help your kids handle big emotions if everything still feels up in the air?

    If you have any questions you’d like to ask Dr. Sherri, or if there are some other themes you wish we’d talk about on the show, let us know! We love getting your feedback.

    Mon, 17 Aug 2020 01:00:00 -0400
    Blame it On Blurghsday

    Welcome to The Imagine Neighborhood! We’re back after a nice summer break to talk about how it feels when things don’t go according to plan. Every once in a while in The Imagine Neighborhood, we get thrown an extra day in the middle of a normal week when everything is topsy-turvy: that’s Blurghsday! There’s no right way to prepare for it, so you’ve just gotta roll with the punches. Scotty and Cap’n Marion both have a lot of adjusting to do and flexibility to practice when this week’s Blurghsday takes them by surprise.

    In this episode, we’re learning about being cognitively flexible—being able to change your plans when unexpected things happen. Unexpected things may throw you for a loop, and you can’t prepare for every possible scenario. Take a few deep breaths and name your feelings, then make a new plan. Sometimes you’ve just got to say, “Blame it on Blurghsday!”

    If you want to expand upon the themes in each episode, sign up for our newsletter. Every weekly newsletter will include additional discussion questions for kids and grown-ups as well as some suggested activities. Feel free to share your drawings and reflections with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you could be featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

    And an extra special thank-you to Marc Sanchez from the Brains On! podcast. Brains On! is an award-winning science podcast for kids and grown-ups to enjoy together. Check it out today!

    Sun, 16 Aug 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Re-run: The Pixie Pandemic with Audio Postcard responses!

    As many people are getting ready for back to school, we know that school might look very different than we're used to. Maybe you'll be in a smaller classroom, or maybe you'll be doing online school again. We're bringing back our Pixie Pandemic episode right before our next season starts.

    Plus, this episode has special shoutouts to some of our amazing listeners who called our audio postcard hotline. If you have a question about the show, you can ask your grown up about calling 206.4.FUN.LAVA and leave us an audio postcard.

    It’s pixie season in the Neighborhood. Everybody has to stay inside – even Macho Supreme. Macho was really looking forward to the Glamour Flex contest, and now he can’t go! Scotty and Macho discuss feeling frustrated, why we sometimes need to stay in to help everybody out, and tons of stuff you can do while you’re stuck inside.

    In this week's episode, Scotty and Macho discuss how it feels to be frustrated, and why it’s disappointing when you can’t do the things you were looking forward to. Feeling disappointed can feel like a real loss, so it's important to acknowledge those feelings before jumping in with alternative things to do.

    If you’re stuck at home, have you tried making new friends… from scratch? You and your child can try building your own Cardboard Scotty, or other friends, family, or imaginary characters. You can draw signs or pictures to put up around your house or your neighborhood (which you can share with us on the Imagine Neighborhood website!) And you can discuss how it feels to be frustrated or disappointed when you don’t get to do something you were looking forward to.

    This week's music is Cornerstone by Benjamin Clementine.

    Sun, 09 Aug 2020 11:15:00 -0400
    Summer Slow Breaths

    In our final summer short episode we hear from the entire Imagine Neighborhood gang about how they take slow breaths. Special Guest Host, Dr Sherri P! H! D!

    If you want to share how you take a slow breath, call our audio postcard hotline at 206.4.FUN.LAVA

    Mon, 27 Jul 2020 12:23:00 -0400
    Doctor Apocalypso's Summer Postcard

    Doc Apoc saved up enough in her summer job to get an awesome new instrument. Hear how it sounds in this week's Summer Audio postcard!

    If you'd like to send us a postcard, have your grown up go to ImagineNeighborhood.org, or ask them to call 206-438-6528. You can leave us a message there!

    Sun, 19 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0400
    Princess Donnasaurus' Summer Postcard

    This week, Vac is SUPER excited to get a postcard from Princess Donnasaurus. She tells us what he's been up to this summer, and it sounds like a lot of hard work.

    If you'd like to send us a postcard, have your grown up go to ImagineNeighborhood.org, or ask them to call 206-438-6528. You can leave us a message there!

    Sun, 12 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0400
    Summer Postcard From Macho Supreme

    Everyone in the Imagine Neighborhood is on summer vacation. Count Vacula likes to stay in touch by getting audio postcards from his friends. This week, Macho Supreme tells us what he's been up to this summer. Generally he's been having a good time, until that interrupting cockatiel shows up.

    If you'd like to send us a postcard, have your grown up go to HowWereYouKind.Today!

    Sun, 05 Jul 2020 11:33:00 -0400
    Imagine Neighborhood: Assemble!

    Scotty’s feeling a little sad today – and his friends are determined to change that! Vac sounds the alarm, bringing the whole gang to the rescue with exercise, music, and royal decrees. But sometimes when you’re sad, you need time to feel your feelings, to talk it out… and to remember that your friends have your back.

    Educational Goals:

    In this episode, Scotty’s friends try several strategies to help Scotty feel less sad: exercising, playing music, and asking what Scotty’s sad about. If you or your child feel a little down, you can try those things out, and see if they help you feel better. But being sad isn’t always a big problem that needs to be fixed. It’s okay to feel sad sometimes, and to take the time to work through sad feelings.

    Play at Home:

    Feeling sad can be complicated! You and your child might deal with sad feelings very differently. You may find that your child wants to talk to you about the sad feelings, or might just want to be alone for awhile. They might also try: singing or playing an instrument, an impromptu dance party, making a card for someone they miss, going outside, or calling a friend. There’s no right or wrong way to feel sad, but there are infinite ways to start feeling a little better.

    And remember, we have a special episode about how to start the conversation about racism, available on our website.

    https://www.imagineneighborhood.org/post/how-to-start-the-conversation-about-racism

    Sun, 14 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400
    Bonus: How to Start the Conversation about Racism

    Hey, everybody. So, we have a little bit of a different kind of episode ready for you. We’re going to talk to an expert named Dr. Jasmine, PhD. And we're going to learn about how kids, and their grown-ups, can have some important conversations about what’s going on in the world right now.Which can be hard, and maybe a little scary. But if we’re going to make our neighborhoods more like the Imagine Neighborhood, and make things right... we have to start having these conversations now. And keep having them.The episode actually isn’t in the podcast feed. But it’s available for everyone on our website, https://www.imagineneighborhood.org/post/how-to-start-the-conversation-about-racism

    We’re putting the episode online instead of here in the feed, because we want to make sure that kids and grown-ups listen to it together. And also, so that folks with younger kids have a chance to listen ahead of time. Because talking about this stuff is really tough — but really important. So you can find that episode at https://www.imagineneighborhood.org/post/how-to-start-the-conversation-about-racism

    I really hope you’ll take a listen.

    Wed, 10 Jun 2020 02:07:00 -0400
    Tantrumus Maximus!

    In this episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, we’re wrapping up our first season by talking about all the skills we’ve practiced and discussed over the last few weeks. Scotty and Count Vacula are going to need their wits about them when they encounter Tantrumus Maximus, an evil hamster who’s determined to cause as many tantrums as possible. Even though he throws every possible frustration, disappointment, and confusion their way, Scotty and Vac’s problem-solving skills prevail!

    In this episode, we’re reviewing many problem-solving skills: calming down and saying the problem, making amends, if–then plans, and perspective-taking. When kids find themselves feeling frustrated, needing help in a conflict, or not sure what to do with big, overwhelming feelings, it’s important for them to be able to find a solution in the moment.

    For the last six weeks, we’ve been posting daily activities that align with each episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. Head over to ImagineNeighborhood.org and check our full list of extras: Emotion Experiments, Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones, GoNoodle, Mind Yeti®, and more! If you had a lot of fun doing one of the activities or you’ve created your own drawing of one of The Imagine Neighborhood characters, send it in to be shared on our Infinite Refrigerator! And follow along on our Instagram page to see what other listeners send in.

    Sat, 06 Jun 2020 01:34:00 -0400
    Bonus: Mr Music Man Lindsay Jones Brings It All Together

    Mister Music Man, Lindsay Jones, is back for another Music Day! This week, Scotty and Mister Music Man talk about how to put lots of ideas together to create something new.

    Sat, 06 Jun 2020 01:10:00 -0400
    Macho Needs an Oven

    This week in The Imagine Neighborhood, Scotty and Macho Supreme need to find a solution to their problem: Macho needs an extra oven to bake a humongous batch of cookies for Nana Supreme’s birthday. But Scotty needs this oven to stay in his house because... well, because it's his oven! But when Macho comes over and rips the oven out of the wall, he and Scotty will need to talk about different ways to ask for the things you want and what happens when you don’t get them. Macho finds a great way to ask, complete with macho poses, and even discovers a great way to feel better if he’s disappointed by the answer!In this episode, we’re talking about how to ask respectfully for what you want and need ‒ and how to accept when the answer is no. Scotty and Macho Supreme practice asking for what they want: they take a deep breath and ask in a calm, respectful voice. It’s totally okay to feel bummed out if you don’t get the answer you want, but there’s always a good way to handle that feeling, too!For the rest of our season, we’re sharing daily activities that align with each episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. Head over to ImagineNeighborhood.org and check out our Emotion Experiments with Dr. Sherri and Music Corner with Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones! If you had a lot of fun doing one of the activities or you’ve created your own drawing of one of The Imagine Neighborhood characters, send it in to be shared on our Infinite Refrigerator. You can even show off your own glamour flex pose! Follow along on our Instagram page to see what other listeners send in.

    Sat, 30 May 2020 11:00:00 -0400
    Bonus: Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones Musical Conversations

    Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones is back on Wednesday to explore both music and social-emotional learning! He and Scotty have a great conversation and jam session to learn all about how to ask for what you want – through music! We’ll also get to hear some great ideas from our listeners! Each week on Music Man Jones, we put a question out to our listeners and read through some of the responses. Tune in to hear how your idea can be featured on the show!

    Sat, 30 May 2020 10:00:00 -0400
    Bonus: Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones Makes Things Right

    we’re back with Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones to explore how music and social-emotional learning fit together. Music can be a great way to communicate things that are sometimes hard to say. We’ll find out how musicians communicate with each other—sometimes without saying a single word! We’ll also get to hear some great ideas from our listeners. Each week with Mr. Music Man, we ask our listeners a question and read some responses on the show. Tune in to hear how your idea could be featured on The Imagine Neighborhood.

    Sat, 23 May 2020 10:00:00 -0400
    Doc Apoc on Making Things Right

    This episode is about how to make amends when you’ve made a mistake. In it, an imaginary monster “smashes” an imaginary village. It was written many months before the recent acts of violence and related protests. It is in no way intended to be a commentary on those events.

    This week in The Imagine Neighborhood, Scotty starts out having a pretty rough day. When Doc Apocalypso swings by to tell him there’s a giant monster on the loose who’s smooshing villages, the day gets even rougher! Scotty and Doc need to find this monster and figure out what’s going on—and figure out how to make thingsright. Turns out, there’s a lot more to this monster than either of them knew!In this episode, we talk about our angry feelings, what to do if you’ve made a mistake, and how to make amends. It’s okay to have big feelings. Everyone gets angry or sad sometimes. But it’s always important—for kids and for grown-ups—to know what steps they can take to make things right.For the rest of our season, we’re sharing daily activities that align with each episodeof The Imagine Neighborhood. Head over to ImagineNeighborhood.org and check our Emotion Experiments with Dr. Sherri, Music Corner with Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones, and more! If you made something you’re proud of during one of the activities or drew one of The Imagine Neighborhood characters, send in a picture to be sharedon our Infinite Refrigerator! Follow along on our Instagram page to see what other listeners send in, too.

    Sat, 23 May 2020 01:00:00 -0400
    If You Steal Socks, THEN Sock Goblins!

    This week in The Imagine Neighborhood, Scotty and Princess Donnasaurus have a big problem to solve: Sock goblins have stolen all of the socks in the neighborhood, right before the Sock Puppet Festival! To save the festival and return everyone’s socks, Scotty and Princess Donnasaurus need to track down those tricky sock goblins and find a way to recover their missing socks—without any sock goblins biting their toes. They explore a few different ideas and those ideas’ consequences before finally settling on the best solution.

    In this episode, we talk about creating if-then plans: breaking down the problem-solving process into steps to make it easier. It can be hard to find the right solution, especially when big feelings are involved. Creating an if-then plan helps kids and adults see different solutions to find the one that works best and is the fairest. And, like all skills, it’s okay if it’s difficult at first: We all get better at problem-solving with practice.

    For the rest of our season, we’re providing daily activities that align with each episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. Head over to ImagineNeighborhood.org and check our Emotion Experiments with Dr. Sherri and Music Corner with Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones!

    Plus, if you'd like to make your own sock puppet, check out this special how-to video from Macho Supr...er, Cardboard Scotty.

    Sat, 16 May 2020 11:00:00 -0400
    Bonus: Mr Music Man Lindsay Jones Tries Out Ideas

    Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones is back on Wednesday to talk about the link between social-emotional learning and music. This week, we’re talking about how important it is to try out different ideas until you find the one that’s right. This is true in problem-solving and in writing music! Sometimes you just need to try lots of different things and see what works. Each week on Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones, we put a question out to our listeners and read some responses on the show. This week, you can write your own lyrics to an if-then song and send it in to be read on next week’s show! We’ll also get to hear some great ideas from our listeners. Tune in to hear how your idea could be featured on The Imagine Neighborhood.

    Sat, 16 May 2020 03:00:00 -0400
    Switcheroo!

    This week, Scotty and Count Vacula get backstage passes to see Doctor Apocalypso’s band, the Dreadnaughts! Doc loves being onstage, hearing her fans cheer and seeing their flamethrowers. But to Count Vacula, this world is big, loud, and scary. When a bolt of lightning strikes the stage, these two switch bodies and can finally understand how the other person sees the world.

    In this episode, we talk about perspective-taking: looking at the world through another person’s eyes. Sometimes it can be hard to understand why someone else would act or feel so differently than you— especially when you’re in the middle of a conflict. But by practicing perspective-taking, you’re building a skill that will help you solve problems respectfully. Just like Doc and Count Vacula did by the end of the concert! In this week’s activities, we’ll practice taking on another person’s point of view with a game we call Switcheroo.

    For the rest of our season, you can get daily activities that align with each episode from the Imagine Neighborhood. Head over to ImagineNeighborhood.org and check out our Emotion Experiments with Dr. Sherri and our Music Corner with Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones!

    Sat, 09 May 2020 12:00:00 -0400
    Bonus: Mr Music Man Lindsay Jones Empathy Music

    Mister Music Man, Lindsay Jones, is back for another Music Day episode! This week, Mister Music Man chats with Scotty about how music can help you take someone else’s point of view. And he’s brought some songs along to help! Plus, Lindsay and Scotty have a new challenge for the listeners.

    Sat, 09 May 2020 12:00:00 -0400
    Bonus: Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones Calming Music

    Wednesdays are for exploring feelings with music! In every episode of the Imagine Neighborhood, we use music to help us talk about how we’re feeling. Once a week, we’ll be joined by a special guest, Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones, a Broadway sound designer and composer. He’s created music for movies, plays, TV shows, and documentaries. Sometimes his music is very soft and quiet; other times it’s loud and excited! Together, Scotty and Lindsay will take a deeper dive into music and learn more about how music tells stories and can inspire all kinds of feelings. And each week, Lindsay will give kids a chance to put their own ideas into music.

    Sun, 03 May 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Solving Problems with the Fire Pirates

    Captain Marion and her band of merry Fire Pirates have a big problem: their eternal feud with Fieryous George the Lava Monster is keeping them from reaching their greatest treasure, cheeseburgers. With a little help from Scotty, the Fire Pirates and Fieryous George learn to stop fighting, calm down, name the problem, listen to each other, and find a solution that works for everyone.

    In this episode, we talk about conflicts. Sometimes it feels like the same argument comes up again and again, and there’s only one way to see it—like when Captain Marion says that Fieryous George always blocks the Fire Pirates’ ship on their way to eat cheeseburgers. Scotty helps Captain Marion, the Fire Pirates, and Fieryous George practice some skills to name a problem without blaming and reminds them of how important it is to calm down so you can solve the problem.

    For the rest of our season, you can get daily activities that align with each episode from the Imagine Neighborhood. Head over to ImagineNeighborhood.org and check out our Emotional Experiments with Dr. Sherri and our Music Corner with Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones!

    Sat, 02 May 2020 04:18:00 -0400
    Princess Donnasaurus Waits For Her Birthday

    Princess Donnasaurus’s birthday is coming up soon, but not soon enough! She wants her birthday party NOW! In fact, she wants one every day, forever. When Scotty runs out of cake ingredients and Vac runs out of battery, Princess Donnasaurus learns that waiting is difficult… but sometimes necessary. She and Scotty discuss how to make waiting easier – and maybe even fun.

    In this episode, Princess Donnasaurus learns that it’s difficult to wait, but that there’s just no way around it. She learns about some things she can do to make waiting more fun, like counting the days, thinking about how much fun her party will be, and playing an ama—(wait for it)—zing! game.

    Practice waiting with your child. Pretend you’re in line at a store or at school, or waiting until it’s time to get out of bed. Try taking a belly breath to calm down. Then, think of things around you that you can count, or think about things you’ll do once it’s time to get up, or when it’s your turn. You can also play “Wait for the Zing”, and see who can say “Zing!” last, or make up your own ama…zing! version of the game.

    Sun, 26 Apr 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Macho's New Spaceship

    Macho Supreme takes Scotty along on an intergalactic bird-delivery mission! Scotty’s a little nervous, and Macho’s distracted by the chattering cargo. Fortunately, Scotty remembers the self-talk technique. Thanks to self-talk, Scotty calms himself down, Macho finds the blastoff button, and the grumpy cockatiel doesn’t crash-land.

    In this episode, Macho and Scotty use self-talk to help them focus, and calm down when they’re nervous. Whether you’re at home, at school, or on a spaceship, anyone can use self-talk! You might use it to remember tasks, like, “remember to deploy the solar sail,” or to keep yourself under control, like, “stay in my seat at dinner.” You and your child might use key words like “focus” or “listen” when you self-talk, to help you finish a task. And you might even use self-talk to calm yourself down when you’re nervous or excited, or to help yourself feel better.

    “Self-talk” means saying things quietly to yourself. But you can also self-sing! Think of some self-talk sentences that might be useful at school, at home, with family, or even while alone. Like, “Before I put on my pajamas, remember to put away my toys,” or, “Remember to put my lunch in my backpack.” Then, you and your child can set the words to the tune of a song you like, or even make one up!

    Sun, 19 Apr 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Crossing Lava Avenue

    To get to the library, Scotty has to cross the most dangerous street in the neighborhood… Lava Avenue. Luckily, he runs into Princess Donnasaurus along the way. Together, they brave rolling boulders, hot lava, and singing Fire Pirates – and learn to cross the street safely.

    In this episode, we talk about crossing the street safely. Scotty shows us how to avoid obstacles by using “SPEW” (stop, pay attention, use your ears, and wait) before crossing the street. And Princess Donnasaurus shows us how to use our Danger Voice to be loud and assertive when it’s important to get someone’s attention.

    Practice crossing the street by pretending the floor is made of lava! Or dream up other imaginary obstacles with your child. Then practice using SPEW and your Danger Voice (or whatever methods you prefer) to practice crossing the street and avoiding pitfalls safely.

    Songs in this episode:

    Improper Dancing by Electric Six

    Let's Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez

    Sun, 12 Apr 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    How to Talk About Quarantine Frustrations

    Frustration and disappointment are powerful feelings, and Scotty needs a little help talking about them while he’s stuck indoors. In this bonus episode, we call up Dr. Sherri for some tips on how grown-ups and kids can talk about frustration and disappointment, and how to tell the two feelings apart.

    It’s important for grown-ups and kids who are stuck at home to talk about how they’re feeling… and it’s a great time to find new ways to show the people you love that you care about them! You might want to send a card to someone you miss, like Dr. Sherri did, or help out a family member you know is feeling frustrated.

    Tue, 07 Apr 2020 07:26:00 -0400
    The Pixie Pandemic: Macho Has To Stay Inside

    It’s pixie season in the Neighborhood. Everybody has to stay inside – even Macho Supreme. Macho was really looking forward to the Glamour Flex contest, and now he can’t go! Scotty and Macho discuss feeling frustrated, why we sometimes need to stay in to help everybody out, and tons of stuff you can do while you’re stuck inside.

    In this week's episode, Scotty and Macho discuss how it feels to be frustrated, and why it’s disappointing when you can’t do the things you were looking forward to. Feeling disappointed can feel like a real loss, so it's important to acknowledge those feelings before jumping in with alternative things to do.

    If you’re stuck at home, have you tried making new friends… from scratch? You and your child can try building your own Cardboard Scotty, or other friends, family, or imaginary characters. You can draw signs or pictures to put up around your house or your neighborhood (which you can share with us on the Imagine Neighborhood website!) And you can discuss how it feels to be frustrated or disappointed when you don’t get to do something you were looking forward to.

    This week's music is Cornerstone by Benjamin Clementine.

    Sun, 05 Apr 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    The Phone Gremlin

    What happens when it’s time to finish up screen time and switch to something new? Does it ever turn you into a scaly little monster? Scotty and Doctor Apocalypso are about to find out! When Doc’s dad turns into a naughty gremlin, it takes a lot of weird ideas (and some awesome tunes!) to get him to take a deep breath and put down the phone.

    This week, Doctor Apocalypso’s dad has so much trouble putting his phone down that he turns into a gremlin! Scotty and Doctor Apocalypso explore coming up with many ideas and choosing the most practical one to solve a problem. They practice saying, “Pause, breathe, finish up” when it’s time to finish an activity or put down a device.

    Think with your child about a problem they might encounter. List lots of ideas to solve the problem – the sillier the better! Then discuss which idea makes the most sense to each of you.

    Practice saying, “Pause, breathe, finish up” together in kooky voices. Then, practice finishing up an activity, putting down a device, or leaving a place like school or the playground. Your child can also role-play as the adult, asking you to pause, breathe, and finish up what you’re doing.

    This episode was produced in partnership with Common Sense Media and their easy-to-use digital literacy curriculum. Click here to check it out!

    This week's songs:

    You are Smart

    Changes

    Sun, 29 Mar 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Macho Supreme Has an Accident

    Macho Supreme, the toughest space marine in the galaxy, is at Scotty’s door – and he can’t get out! Can he make it through the doorway and boldly go inside for a playdate? With a little help from Scotty, Macho learns that accidents happen to everyone, and that it is totally macho to ask for help.

    In this episode, we talk about accidents. Sometimes things happen even if you didn’t mean them to – like Macho Supreme getting wedged into a doorway. Scotty helps Macho Supreme learn that accidents (like getting stuck) happen to everyone, and that when they do, it’s okay to ask for help.

    Practice asking for help or apologizing when accidents happen. Think with your child about something silly that might happen by accident. Then, think about how you would address the situation, and whom you might ask for help.

    Songs in this Episode: Macho Man by the Village People

    Old Magic by Maree Sioux

    Sun, 22 Mar 2020 11:36:00 -0400
    Talking to Kids About Corona Virus Fears

    In this special bonus episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, we meet Dr Sherri PhD. She's a developmental psychologist, and gives us some tools to help parents talk to kids about feeling anxious about the news. With a lot of kids home from school due to Corona Virus concerns, we hope this episode helps you talk to your smaller persons about changes in their schedule, or fears about the world at large.

    For more information, head over to CfChildren.org.

    Tue, 17 Mar 2020 02:01:00 -0400
    The Clouds are Made of Cake

    Getting excited can feel great! And cake is SUPER exciting. But how excited is TOO excited? This week, the neighborhood’s grown-ups make a cake mistake so exciting that they run wild! Only Scotty’s pal Doctor Apocalypso can save the grown-ups from themselves (and the dump) by helping them calm down.

    In this episode, we talk about feeling excited and calming down. Scotty and Doctor Apocalypso discuss what it feels like to be super-duper excited, and why it’s important to learn to calm down so that you can pay attention. And when the neighborhood grown-ups get stuck in the garbage, Doctor Apocalypso helps them escape by teaching them to calm down using belly breaths.

    Practice identifying feeling excited, and calming down. Think with your child about things that make each of you excited. Talk about how being really excited feels to each of you. Then, practice calming down using belly breaths: put your hands on your tummy, fill your belly up with air, and exhale.

    Powerhouse by Raymond Scott

    Deep Blue Day by Brian Eno

    Sun, 15 Mar 2020 11:45:00 -0400
    Count Vacula Feels Afraid.

    How does your body feel when you’re frightened? Does your heart pound? Does your tummy get tight? Today, Count Vacula is having some separation anxiety because the babysitter is coming over. But with some help from Scotty, Vac shares his worries, and learns that talking about scared feelings can help you feel better.

    Get more social emotional learning tools from us at www.imagineneighborhood.org

    Fri, 13 Mar 2020 06:45:00 -0400
    Episode Zero: The Imagine Neighborhood

    Has your child ever been so angry that they wanted to smoosh something? Have they ever been scared of the babysitter? Have they ever had a hard time putting the phone away? The Imagine Neighborhood is the show for you, and your kids.

    Each episode tells a story that’s amazing, fantastical, and maybe a little bananas, while it tackles the big feelings that come with growing up. And the Imagine Neighborhood gives you and your kids fun activities to do at home, in the car, or anywhere you talk to each othe

    Fri, 28 Feb 2020 09:00:00 -0500
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