The Imagine Neighborhood

Hello, 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!

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!

This episode 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.

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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.

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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!”  

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‘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!

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In this week's No Filter with Count Vacula you'll meet the amazing actor and voice artist, Ray Porter! Ray has been in movies like Argo, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League—and he’s been in kids' TV shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 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 learned a lot of cool things about Ray, especially that he’s super fun to talk to and a really kind person. I think you’ll think he’s fun and kind, too!

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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!

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!

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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

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A big crowd has gathered to watch Cap’n Marion perform the three difficult stunts that only the legendary pirate Reckless Ricardo has ever accomplished! She completes 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!  When we get dared to do something, is it okay to say “no”? And what if we already said "yes," but then we change our minds? For the answers to these questions plus a high seas adventure that’s sure to shiver yer timbers, hoist the anchor and set sail with The Imagine Neighborhood!

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Today Scotty and Princess Donnasaurus are playing a game called “Feeling Groovy!” 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! Ready to play? . . .

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Today Vac and I get to go 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!  

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



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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?!

See you soon!

Your pal,

Vac

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

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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! 

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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

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An ALAKAZAMBRA™ episode.

This week, we finally get to meet math wizard (and Alakazambra's beloved boyfriend), Bandersnatch Countyseat! It’s Bandersnatch’s birthday, and a monster surprise party is in the works—but he isn’t really in a party mood. People keep saying his name wrong, and every time they do he fades away a little more. And if the gang can’t fix the problem in time, Bandersnatch may disappear completely!

So put on your party hat and get ready to belt out “Happy Birthday” in today’s transparently terrific ALAKAZAMBRA™ tale!

This episode 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.

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Count Vacula here, bringing you a new No Filter with Count Vacula! 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

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An ALAKAZAMBRA™ episode.

Scotty, Alakazambra, and Miss Mamas are on an Epic Quest to snatch the enchanted spellbook The Glamoire from the diabolical Temple of 'Do . . . but it's 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! 

So grab thine magic wand, curling wand, or whatever enchanting accessory reflects your identity, and get caught up in this spellbinding ALAKAZAMBRA™ episode!

This episode 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.

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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

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In today’s episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, Count Vacula isn’t sure he has anything to feel proud about. And even though there are lots of unique things about his identity, Vac's worried that he needs something else to be special... like superpowers! So when Queen Hastabee kidnaps Scotty to teach him a lesson about how cereal “hastabee,” Vac decides he'd better put on a mask and cape if he wants to save his best pal. Will Scotty finish eating his Choco-berry Marshmallow Bransplosion before Queen Hastabee takes it away from him?... Will Queen Hastabee ever get the Crunchulator sugar frosting out of her Supervillain outfit?... Will Vac learn that his own identity is already full of things to be proud of?... To find out, grab a bowl and spoon and get ready to enjoy your recommended daily allowance of The Imagine Neighborhood podcast! 

This episode 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.

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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 identity. But when Count Vacula says he’s a boy, the Poll-a-Keet isn't so sure. 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!

This episode 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.

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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!  

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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! PS: AYE love you!!

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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!! 

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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!!

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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!



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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!!!!

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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 so upset that she thinks he might not love her anymore! 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!

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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

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Today, Count Vacula is super excited, because Alakazambra is taking him to a fancy new roller-skating rink! But first she’s getting a her hair done by magical Miss Mamas at The Enchanted Haus of Coils, Curls, and Charms. With her bewitching new braids, "AllyK" feels happy, confident, and ready to roll! But at the rink, there’s trouble. A bunch of troller skaters make fun of her hair and say 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, lash up those laces and get ready to rock the rink on today’s exciting episode of The Imagine Neighborhood!

Ready? Set?

ALL SKAAAAAAAAAATE!

This episode 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.

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A COUNT VACULA™ episode. 

In today’s special episode, Scotty and Count Vacula are feeling scared and mad! But they talk through their feelings and that helps them feel a little better. Promising to be kind to each other and to all of their friends in the Neighborhood helps them feel a little better, too. 

If you’re feeling scared or SMAD or any other big feelings, we hope you’ll talk to a trusted grown-up about them.

In the meantime, come feel better with your friends in this calming COUNT VACULA™ episode.

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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

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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 . . . Ready? . . . Set?

Podcasticus Playicus!

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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

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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

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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™!



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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

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A MACHO SUPREME™ episode.

This week, Molly and Mitsy from America's Test Kitchen's Mystery Recipe podcast are joining up with us to make a Neighborhood cooking show, and everyone’s getting involved! But when Macho Supreme and Mittsy get together to create some tasty treats, there's a spatula showdown about how to make a cake, and things in the kitchen get a little kooky!

Is Macho Supreme macho enough to try something new? To find out, take a great big bite out of this week’s scrumptious MACHO SUPREME™ story!

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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

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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™!

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Do you remember the episode called “Food Fight”? Well, recently we 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!  

Food Fight is part of our 'Imagine Equity' project. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation; working 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.

Have a great week, everyone!

• Scotty

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

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A DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ episode.

Doctor Apocalypso is about to compete in the Tour de Rancid, the greatest unicycle race in the world! But even though the racetrack is difficult, Doc hasn’t practiced at all. She’s confident her natural ability will be enough to win, 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 Doctor Apocalypso might react if things don’t go her way. . .

So buckle up for today’s muddy, and mutant-frog-filled DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ milestone! 

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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!

Love, Vac

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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!

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!

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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™!

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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!

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‘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.

There's Doc! And the Cap'n! PD and Princess Dotty!

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

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!

And though sometimes holidays 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!” 

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

Your pal,

Count Vacula

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Hey, everybody! It's me, your good pal, Count Vacula! This week my guest is Melly Victor—who is super cool, and is someone I already know and like a lot!

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

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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 . . .

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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™!

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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™!

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Scotty is headed to get his Merman Measles shot, to help keep him from getting sick. But before he 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! 

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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.  

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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

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™. See you out there on the dance floor, everybody! Shake those bones!

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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.  

Your friend,

Count Vacula

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A MACHO SUPREME™ episode.

Today, Macho Supreme and Count Vacula are headed to Photon Fair - the amazingly awesome annual Nebula Trek convention! They can't wait to meet their second-favorite actor, Mannrick Allen, and get his autograph and ask him some questions . . . that is, until they get there and see how rude he's being to everybody!

Join us for Nirshese pepper-crabs, amazing burritos, and an udderly ridiculous amount of cow-themed puns in this moo-ving MACHO SUPREME™ episode!

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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!

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)

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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!

Love,

Vac

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A COUNT VACULA™ episode. 

In this week’s episode, Scotty and Count Vacula are having a great time playing in their pillow fort . . . that is, until the famous blanket-castle architect Jill Koy (Carly Ciarrocchi) shows up. She's convinced that a pillow fort “hastabee” built a certain way—but when she changes everything around, things start to get a little shaky!

So, meet us under the couch cushions for another cozy COUNT VACULA™ chronicle!

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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!

This episode is part of our 'Imagine Equity' project. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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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!

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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.

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Going to the doctor can be scary, even if you’re as macho as—Macho Supreme! This week, 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?

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. Stay safe, everyone. See you around the Neighborhood!

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Preston Changeo (special guest star Tom Lenk) doesn’t think that wizards and monsters should be friends, and when he learns that Alakazambra and Vac are buddies he gets so upset he accidentally summons a rainbow-sherbet monster! Everyone has to work together to solve the problem, and Preston learns that being pals with all kinds of different identities is not only fun, it helps you learn new skills and be a better friend. 

This episode is part of our 'Imagine Equity' project. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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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!

Love,

Vac

PS: Does anybody know where I put my synthesizer?

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This week 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.

Until next time, see you ARRRound the Neighborhood!

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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!

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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!

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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. Come back next week for a special BONUS episode of No Filter, and 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

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An ALAKAZAMBRA™ episode

Magical maven Alakazambra Tyesha Morganis is getting ready to hold the world’s biggest wizarding festival! But planning something as amazing as the 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.

What’s the greatest wizard in the multiverse to do?... By The Eye of Greldar, Alakazambra will cast the Calmulor spell on everyone to calm them down, and that will fix everything! Or - will it just create more problems?...

So whip out your wand, and enter this enchanting ALAKAZAMBRA™ episode!

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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!

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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!

Hi, listeners! It’s me again . . . your pal, Count Vacula, with my very own show, 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! I'll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood!

Love, Vac

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A COUNT VACULA™ episode. 

Count Vacula is celebrating his 1,000th birthday, and his Great-Uncle Vacstradamus has come to visit! With big birthdays come big new responsibilities, and Gruncle Vaxie gives Count Vacula one week to learn to make breakfast and do the laundry. It’s time for Count Vacula to level up, because helping around the house isn’t a chore—it’s a great way to be kind!

So snap on your attachments and gear up for another terrific COUNT VACULA™ tale!

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It’s time for a new 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.

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Oh, hey listeners, it’s me! It’s your friend, Count Vacula, and 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! 

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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, Scotty is around to help him learn to “get bendy" and think of ways those changes might be okay . . . or even fun!

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It’s me, Doctor Apocalypso, live from the Wasteland! Some of you out there 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!

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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

This episode supports our series of new adventures called Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from the Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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 Imagine Neighborhood 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.

This episode supports our series of new adventures called Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from the Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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A COUNT VACULA™ episode.

Today Scotty and Count Vacula are having a great time at a robot wrestling championship, until Count Vacula decides that he needs to look exactly like his hero, intergalactic robot wrestling champion Destructivir! It takes a visit from Destructivir to show Count Vacula that the way you look is only one little part of who you are, and that being kind—and being yourself—is what matters most! So rev up your engines and hit the mat for another awesome COUNT VACULA™ adventure!

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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.

This episode is part of our series of new adventures called Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from the Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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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.

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!

This episode is part of our series of new adventures called Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from the Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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A MACHO SUPREME™ episode.

Macho Supreme and Count Vacula are playing their favorite movie, Nebula Trek! But every time Count Vacula tries to help Macho Supreme save the galaxy, Macho Supreme won’t let him play—because in the movie, the Nebula Trek actors are white, and Count Vacula is Asian. Scotty explains to Macho Supreme that excluding Count Vacula is not right, and that the kind thing to do is to make it okay for everyone to play!

So, grab your photon phaser and get ready to save the cosmos in today's MACHO SUPREME™ chronicle!

This episode is part of the 'Imagine Equity' project. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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An ALAKAZAMBRA™ episode.

Preston Changeo (guest star Tom Lenk) doesn’t think that wizards and monsters should be friends, and when he learns that Alakazambra and Count Vacula are buddies he gets so upset he accidentally summons a rainbow-sherbet monster! Everyone has to work together to solve the problem, and Alakazambra helps Preston learn that being pals with folks who have all kinds of different identities is not only fun, it helps you learn new skills and be a better friend.

So seize your spellbook for this sociable ALAKAZAMBRA™ story!

This episode is part of our series of new adventures called Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from the Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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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 they talk it out and team up. Together, they embark on a quest to open an enchanted backpack and defeat the evil identity-stealing Erazor because anyone can be a princess, as long as they are kind, brave, proud of who they are—and takes care of their neighborhood.

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

Imagine Equity 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.

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Today, Scotty and Vac are pirate-sitting the Fire Pirates while Captain Marion is off at the dentist. Everything is shipshape . . . until Burn Voyage is taken over by Captain Deen! 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!

This episode is part of our series of new adventures called Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from the Allstate Foundation; working 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.

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The Imagine Neighborhood returns next week with a special series called Imagine Equity: Six New Stories About Race, Identity, and Making Things Right. Imagine Equity 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.

The Imagine Neighborhood celebrates lots of different holidays, and they're all special, but our favorite is Cardboard Boxing Day! On the last Monday of the year, everyone gathers to spend time with each other and make cardboard masterpieces.. but how did it begin? Special guest narrator Cardboard Scotty is here to tell fantastical tale of the very first Cardboard Boxing Day!

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Do you ever have questions for your friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™? This week 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!

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A COUNT VACULA™ episode. 

It’s almost Friendsgiving in The Imagine Neighborhood, and Scotty and Count Vacula™ have been working on their thank-you jar all year! Every time folks in the Neighborhood feel thankful, they put a penny into their jar, and then on Friendsgiving, the magical Yeti comes and collects all the jars and donates the money to help the community. The Yeti is on its way, and this year's donations are about to be made—that is, unless a certain evil hamster gets his way!

So stick around for some common cents in this altruistic COUNT VACULA™ adventure!

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This week Scotty, Macho Supreme, Princess Donnasaurus, and Count Vacula answer questions from listeners all over the country!

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When too many Blurghsdays happen in a row, Scotty and Doctor Apocalypso start to feel stressed. At first they “get small to deal with it all,” but when a tidal wave of deli meats threatens the Neighborhood, they realize it’s time to “get large and take charge!”

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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!

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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.

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Today Scotty is inside a video game called BrineBlox! Everyone’s having a good time until one of the players starts leaving mean comments and blowing up other people's creations. Macho and Scotty decide to get to the bottom of this bullying behavior—and find a big (very big!) surprise!

This episode was created in partnership with Common Sense Media, who invite you to visit their Digital Citizenship curriculum's resources on online bullying.

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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. 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).

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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

A COUNT VACULA™ episode.

Today Scotty and Count Vacula are having a great time at a robot wrestling championship, until Count Vacula decides that he needs to look exactly like his hero, intergalactic robot wrestling champion Destructivir! It takes a visit from Destructivir to show Count Vacula that the way you look is only one little part of who you are, and that being kind—and being yourself—is what matters most! So grease your gears and lets hit the mat for another awesome COUNT VACULA™ adventure!

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We love getting listener letters so much! In fact the only thing we like better than reading them is answering them! Today we're taking questions from Neighbors all over the country!

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Doctor Apocalypso is feeling grief. Her beloved motorcycle, Giganticus, has gone kaput, and she doesn’t know how to react. She wants to celebrate everything Giganticus meant to her, but she also feels really angry and sad. It'll take Scotty and the gang to help her understand that all of her different feelings are ok - and that it's sometimes even healthy to feel sad!

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Alakazambra the Demon-Hunter is hunting for Count Vacula! She needs the teeth of an angry vampire for one of her magic spells—but Vac’s not angry! In fact, he’s mostly just 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!

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This week Scotty needs a little help learning to use his assertive voice to help make the dreaded Nose Stealers stop stealing his nose. They think it's a fun game, but it's not fun for Scotty... and it's his nose they want to steal! Sometimes we need to let other people know that what they're doing to us is not okay--and with a few tips we can learn to be assertive and kind and say “NOSE, THANK YOU!”

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This week we're answering questions from our listener hotline! 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 question, or message!

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A PRINCESS DONNASAURUS™ episode.

Princess Donnasaurus has a productive day planned... that is, until her Messenger Monkeys start drowning her in Royal Demands! With so many things to handle, she's anxious and overwhelmed and nothing's getting done at all. What's a stately Saurischian to do? Will she learn how to "shake her monkeys," and "pick one and get it done!"

Buff your scales and get ready to roar for another PRINCESS DONNASAURUS™ report!

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Have you ever tried to do something new or difficult, and it felt like there was a mean little voice in your head telling you that you'd never succeed? Today Macho is trying something hard, and he's hearing that voice. But it's not in his head - it's for real! A strange Toucan’t bird is doing its best to make Macho give up, but with Scotty's help Macho will get his confidence back and learn to stick with it!

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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. 

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The Imagine Neighborhood™ returns for Season Two! Today we're learning how to adjust to the unexpected - like all of us in the Neighborhood have to do whenever a Blurghsday rolls around! On Blurghsdays it might rain chickens, or everyone might rhyme when they talk, or gravity even might take an afternoon off. It's frustrating when things don't go the way we expect, but a little self-talk and slow breathing will help us get better at being flexible, and pretty soon we'll all be able to just shrug and say, "blame it on Blurghsday!"

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Folks are getting ready for back to school, but it might look very different this year than you're used to. Maybe you'll be in a smaller classroom, or maybe you'll be doing online school again.  In this week's episode, Scotty and Macho discuss how it feels to be frustrated, and how we can acknowledge those feelings before we figure out alternative things to do.

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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

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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!

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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!

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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!

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A MACHO SUPREME™ episode.

When Scotty is feeling a little sad, Macho Supreme gets Count Vacula and the whole gang together to cheer Scotty up with exercise, music, and even Royal Happiness Decrees! But sometimes when you’re sad, you just need time to feel your feelings. And sometimes being a good friend means just being there for someone while they feel them!

So, be philanthropic and join us for this affectionate MACHO SUPREME™ fable!

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Grown-ups! Today we have a different kind of episode. We’re talking to Dr. Jasmine, PhD. about how kids and their grown-ups can have some important conversations about what’s going on in the world right now. Because if we want to make all our neighborhoods more like the Imagine Neighborhood we have to have these conversations. And keep having them.

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 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. 

You can find it here:

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

I really hope you’ll take a listen.

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Today, Scotty and Count Vacula are going to need their wits about them when they encounter Tantrumus Maximus! He's an evil hamster who’s determined to cause as many tantrums as possible. And even though he throws every possible frustration, disappointment, and confusion their way, Scotty and Vac use all the tools they've learned so far this season, and their problem-solving skills prevail!

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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.

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When Macho walks into Scotty's house, tears the oven out of the wall and leaves with it, Scotty has a lot of questions! Why does Macho need another oven? How is anyone strong enough to carry an oven down the street? And most importantly, why does Macho think it's okay to take other people's things without asking? They talk about getting permission, and how sometimes you might feel dissapointed if someone says "no," and how that's okay too!

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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!

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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.

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Doctor Apocalypso's village has been smashed up by an angry monster, and Doc wants to teach them a lesson! But when she meets the monster, it turns out he's not mad, he's just sad. His sister broke his toy and he had a temper tantrum. Doc and Scotty explain that it's not okay to smash things or be hurtful just because you're feeling big feelings. You need to understand what you're really feeling, and find a positive way to make things right - including apologizing if you smushed someone's village!

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A PRINCESS DONNASAURUS™ episode.

It's the day of the Neighborhood's annual Sock Puppet Festival, but the socks are missing! Princess Donnasaurus was feeling left out because her little T-Rex arms are too short to make puppets, so she hid all the socks in her Royal Sock Vault. But when she and Scotty go to retrieve them, it turns out they've been stolen by a horrible horde of Sock Goblins! Will Princess Donnasaurus learn that IF you do something without thinking it through, THEN there may be unexpected consequences? Pull on your softest stockings and settle in for this snuggly PRINCESS DONNASAURUS™ story!

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Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones is back to talk 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! 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.

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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.

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A DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ episode.

Doctor Apocalypso and The Dreadnaughts are playing a rock concert, and Scotty and Count Vacula have backstage passes! But Count Vacula's feeling uncertain. It's loud and there's flashing lights, and so many people! Doctor Apocalypso is super stoked for the show and doesn't understand why Count Vacula is nervous - until a lightning bolt switches their places and they get to see the world through each other's eyes!

Plug in your amps and get ready to rock this DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ exploit!

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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, but now every week we’ll be joined special guest Mr. Music Man Lindsay Jones! He's a sound designer and composer who has created music for movies, TV shows, and Broadway plays! Today Scotty and Lindsay learn more about how music tells stories and can inspire all kinds of feelings.

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Captain Marion and her band of Fire Pirates have a big problem: 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!

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Princess Donnasaurus could barely wait for it to be her birthday, and when it finally comes she loves it so much that she decrees that EVERY day will be her birthday! Now the Neighborhood has to throw another party for her . . . and another . . . and another . . . and another! There's no more cards or cake or ice cream left in town, and everyone is exhausted from too much partying. Can Scotty help PD learn patience, and that some things are worth waiting for? 

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Today Scotty is going to ride along in Macho's brand-new spaceship, and he's feeling a little nervous. Scotty's never been to space before, and sometimes doing new things can give you uncomfortable feelings. But Scotty knows how to use 'self-talk' to calm himself down, which is a good thing, because it turns out that Macho is nervous, too! Self-talk is also good for remembering things, like how to prepare for launch, and where the blast-off button is! 

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A PRINCESS DONNASAURUS™ episode.

This week Scotty's walking to the library, and he's using S.P.E.W. (Stop, Pay attention, use your Eyes and Ears, and Wait until it's safe!) to make sure he's crossing the streets safely. But the street is made of boiling hot lava, and as if that wasn't tricky enough, there's also a giant T-Rex on the corner! Her name is Princess Donnasaurus, and she knows a lot of interesting things--but she doesn't know how to S.P.E.W. . . . yet!

So look both ways and be ready to use your Danger Voice for this adorable PRINCESS DONNASAURUS™ anecdote!

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There's a Pixie Pandemic in the Neighborhood, and everyone has to stay inside! They might get attacked, or a pixie might even sneak into someone's pocket and follow them home. But it's time for the annual Glamourflex Intergalactic Bodybuilding Contest and Macho is very frustrated that he can't go. Scotty video chats with Macho and they talk about why staying home right now is such a kind thing to do -- for your friends, your family, and your Neighborhood. They also talk about how it feels to be disappointed, and share some ideas for fun things to do at home . . . things like making a Cardboard Scotty to play with!

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A DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ episode.

Today Scotty goes to visit Doctor Apocalypso, and discovers that a grumpy gremlin is trashing her house! But it turns out that it's just her dad. He loves his smartphone, and when she took it away from him, he turned into a little monster! Lots of folks get upset when they have to stop doing something they like, and have to focus on something else, but Doctor Apocalypso knows some things you can do to reset and refocus without letting a gremlin get out!

Power down and tune in for this timely DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ tale!

This episode was produced in partnership with Common Sense Media and their easy-to-use digital literacy curriculum.

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Today we meet Macho Supreme, the most muscly Space Marine in the galaxy! Macho is supposed to be having a playdate with Count Vacula over at Scotty's house, but something's keeping him from coming inside. He's so big that he's gotten stuck in the doorway! He feels a little embarrassed at first, but with a little help from Scotty, Macho learns that accidents happen to everyone, and that it is totally macho to ask for help.

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In this special bonus episode of The Imagine Neighborhood, developmental psychologist Dr. Sherri PhD. 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 family about changes in their schedule, or fears about the world at large.

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A DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ episode.

Wasteland rockstar Doctor Apocalypso can't wait to tell the tale about the time her dads made a cake mistake that got all the Neighborhood grown-ups SO excited they started shouting and running around and just couldn't calm down! Scotty and Doctor Apocalypso teach us how to do belly breaths, and share why it’s important to learn how to calm yourself down when you need to focus on something important.

So take a deep breath and join us for this tasty DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ tale!

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Count Vacula is a friendly - if somewhat anxious and excitable - robot vampire vacuum cleaner. He lives with Scotty and usually things are pretty awesome! Vac naps all day, and at night he gets to come out and eat all the tasty crumbs Scotty has spilled on the floor. But tonight Vac is having some separation anxiety. Scotty's going out and the babysitter is coming over, and Vac's not sure Scotty's ever coming back! Vac's tummy hurts, his chest is tight, and he's breathing pretty fast. It feels terrible! But with a little support from Scotty, Vac shares exactly how he's feeling, and learns that talking about scared feelings with your family can help you feel better about things. A COUNT VACULA™ episode.

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Introducing The Imagine Neighborhood! A kind and kooky podcast for kids and their grownups to listen to together! Set in a place where anything can happen (and it usually does!), our cast of vampire robot vacuums, dinosaur princesses, sequin-sewing weightlifters, rambunctious rock stars, sorceresses, fire pirates, and the occasional evil billionaire hamster use wild adventures to help kids learn to identify and manage the big feelings that we all have, and invites families to talk about the things that matter with the people that matter most!

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