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It’s Jolly Holly season, and everyone in town is brimming with holiday cheer. The Society of Bards and Balladeers has come together to build the festive set for their annual event. There’s just one tiny problem: Redge has no idea what this year’s show should be! From classic Quilliam Shakespeare plays, to poetry readings and ballets, to comedy jests and holiday whodunnits, they've already done it all. Just when Redge thinks the show won't go on, Jonathan has a brilliant idea. So cue the lights, sparkle the snowflakes, and raise the curtain for this ode to our friends in Once Upon a Time and a heart-full tribute to our listeners (that’s YOU) who are the magic that makes our adventures so extraordinary.

Jolly Holly Hedgehog Holiday, our original song is featured in this episode! The full song with lyrics is available on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/album/jolly-holly-hedgehog-holiday

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/the-jolly-holly-herald/

GIFT FOR OUR FANS: Redge has a special video message for all of our listeners and you can download it here: https://bit.ly/2025RedgeHolidayMessage

DOWNLOAD JOLLY HOLLY WORKSHEET: https://bit.ly/dorktalesEP125worksheet

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS STORY about Jolly Holly, you may also enjoy EP102: Pinocchio’s Jolly Holly Jumble: https://jonincharacter.com/pinocchios-jolly-holly-jumble/

CREDITS: This episode is a Jonincharacter production. It was written and produced by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Pacific Grove Soundworks.

Four easy ways to support Dorktales to keep the mic on and the stories coming: donate, subscribe or follow, leave a review, tell a friend! All support links are here in the show notes below👇🙏

Support the show

REACH OUT!

• Send us a TEXT: if your young listener has a question. Pls include their first name in the text. Your name/number is hidden so it's a safe way to reach out.
• Send us an email: dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
• DM us on IG @dorktalesstorytime
• Library of Resources: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card
• One time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
• Our Pod's Songs on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/music

Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

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Jonathan and Redge come home in the middle of the day to find that the Folktale Forest folk are fast asleep and no one can wake them up! The mystery leads to Tinkerbell, who’s created a pixie dust harvesting mix-up of magical proportions. In an attempt to fix things, she borrowed a bit of stardust and accidentally sent all of Once Upon a Time into a super-deep slumber. Determined to make things right, she and her friends put their clever tinkering skills to work, turning the season’s first snowfall into an enchanted wake-up call.

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/pixie-dust-fuss/

GRAB YOUR FREE PDF list of conversation questions for this episode:
https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/ep124freePDF

PARENTS, TEACHERS AND HOMESCHOOLERS: In Pixie Dust Fuss, Tinkerbell’s earnest intentions to fix a problem goes awry puts the entire land into a deep slumber. Through her journey to set things right kids learn about responsibility, problem-solving, and the importance of asking for help when things go wrong. The story highlights how mistakes can become meaningful learning moments when approached with openness and honesty.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS STORY about a fairy, you’ll also enjoy this story about Hesper, the Fairy of the Evening Star, in episode 75: Once Upon a Lullaby: https://jonincharacter.com/once-upon-a-lullaby/

CREDITS: This episode is a Jonincharacter production. It was written by Monique Hafen Adams, edited, directed and produced by Molly Murphy. Monique Hafen Adams voiced Tinkerbell and all other characters were performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Pacific Grove Soundworks.

Four easy ways to support Dorktales to keep the mic on and the stories coming: donate, subscribe or follow, leave a review, tell a friend! All support links are here in the show notes below👇🙏

Support the show

REACH OUT!

• Send us a TEXT: if your young listener has a question. Pls include their first name in the text. Your name/number is hidden so it's a safe way to reach out.
• Send us an email: dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
• DM us on IG @dorktalesstorytime
• Library of Resources: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card
• One time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
• Our Pod's Songs on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/music

Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

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Redge takes Jonathan on a wild ride through the city of Litropia, heading straight through a brick wall into the hidden tunnels of a secret lair. Deep beneath the streets, they meet Rat King Cam M. Bert, a cheese-loving, pun-tastic ruler who keeps Once Upon a Time’s magical trains running on schedule. From the buzzing Bee-Train to the groovy Bandstand Train and the twinkling Jolly Holly Express, every ride is full of surprises. But when a jolly jam threatens to derail the fun, Jonathan and Redge join the Rat King to keep the tunnels full of holiday cheer.

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/lair-of-the-rat-king/

DOWNLOAD COLOR PAGE: https://bit.ly/dorktalesEP123colorpage

GRAB YOUR FREE PDF list of conversation questions for this episode:
https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/ep123freePDF

PARENTS, TEACHERS AND HOMESCHOOLERS: “Lair of the Rat King” celebrates curiosity, teamwork, and joyful problem-solving. When Jonathan and Redge drive into the secret tunnels of Litropia, they meet the Rat King, who proudly oversees a bustling network of magical trains. Together, they discover the importance of working cooperatively to solve problems, think creatively under pressure, and spread kindness to keep the holiday cheer on track. The story highlights how humor, gratitude, and collaboration can make tricky situations turn into times of connection and fun.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS STORY about the Rat King, you may also enjoy EP79 A Big City Adventure where Redge visits Once Upon a Time’s city of Litropia and first hears about the Rat King: https://jonincharacter.com/big-city-adventure/

CREDITS: This episode is a Jonincharacter production. It was written and produced by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Special shout out to Owen Sullivan for voicing Ronnie the Rat. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Pacific Grove Soundworks.

Four easy ways to support Dorktales to keep the mic on and the stories coming: donate, subscribe or follow, leave a review, tell a friend! All support links are here in the show notes below👇🙏

Support the show

REACH OUT!

• Send us a TEXT: if your young listener has a question. Pls include their first name in the text. Your name/number is hidden so it's a safe way to reach out.
• Send us an email: dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
• DM us on IG @dorktalesstorytime
• Library of Resources: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card
• One time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
• Our Pod's Songs on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/music

Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

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Cast off on another T.A.L.E. (Thrilling and Astounding Lore Expedition) Tour and take an unexpected turn, straight through a waterfall and into the Quotatious Period! It’s a dino-tastic world of plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, and prehistoric parties. But one young Maiasaura isn’t in the mood to celebrate. He’s being teased because no one believes his theory about the power of the moon’s pull. But when his auntie’s nest suddenly disappears, his scientific curiosity and careful lunar observations just might be the key to saving the day.

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/maiasaura-and-the-moon/

DOWNLOAD COLOR PAGE: https://bit.ly/dorktalesEP122activity

GRAB YOUR FREE PDF list of conversation questions for this episode:
https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/ep122freePDF

PARENTS, TEACHERS AND HOMESCHOOLERS: In “Maiasaura and the Moon,” young listeners join Jonathan and Redge on a prehistoric adventure where curiosity and science key themes. Through Minh, a thoughtful young dinosaur who studies the moon and tides, kids see how observation, persistence, and self-confidence can lead to problem-solving and understanding. The story encourages scientific thinking, celebrates the value of staying true to one’s ideas, and models empathy and cooperation when helping others.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS STORY about a special place on the T.A.L.E. Tour, you may also enjoy the time when the tour took Jonathan and Redge to the Cliffhanger mountains in EP108 The Color Pillars: https://jonincharacter.com/the-color-pillars/

CREDITS: This episode is a Jonincharacter production. It was written by Monique Hafen Adams, edited and produced by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Pacific Grove Soundworks.

Four easy ways to support Dorktales to keep the mic on and the stories coming: donate, subscribe or follow, leave a review, tell a friend! All support links are here in the show notes below👇🙏

Support the show

REACH OUT!

• Send us a TEXT: if your young listener has a question. Pls include their first name in the text. Your name/number is hidden so it's a safe way to reach out.
• Send us an email: dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
• DM us on IG @dorktalesstorytime
• Library of Resources: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card
• One time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
• Our Pod's Songs on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/music

Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

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Oh helloooo, boils and ghouls! It is I… Jonathan Cormur, the SCARE-rator! If you've been following our Kooky Spooky Countdown, it has all been leading up to this: Elise Parisian, the host of Unspookable, sits down with Adam Gidwitz, the creator and host of Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest and New York Times best-selling author, to talk about scary stories themselves. Why do we tell them? What purpose do they serve? And what has Adam learned in all his years of studying and retelling Grimms’ Fairy Tales?

So gather close, our little creatures of the night. It's a conversation you don't want to miss!

The Kooky Spooky Countdown

Three award-winning, family-favorite children’s podcasts - Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest (Pinna), Unspookable (Soundsington Media), and Dorktales Storytime - have teamed up this October for the Kooky Spooky Countdown, a seasonal, screen-free listening event for families and classrooms everywhere. Participants are challenged to listen to 13 “spooky-ish” podcast episodes to earn rewards, including exclusive congratulatory videos from all three podcast hosts.

The challenge celebrates October’s festivities with safe thrills, playful storytelling, and engaging experiences. It launched on October 2nd and runs until October 31, 2025. You can download the challenge materials at https://jonincharacter.com/kooky-spooky-countdown/

About the Podcasts

Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest (Pinna)

It's Grimm fairy tales like you've never heard before! On every episode of Pinna Original Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest, bestselling author Adam Gidwitz retells a classic fairy tale to a group of inquisitive kids, who anticipate plot twists, crack jokes, and share their own perspectives on these very Grimm stories.

Unspookable (Soundsington Media)

Unspookable is a family-friendly podcast that explores the history, brain science, and real-world influences behind spooky stories, myths, and urban legends. Host Elise Parisian takes the scare out of spooky stories by digging into the real history behind them, the cool facts, and why people keep telling them.

Dorktales Storytime

Be the hero of your own story with Dorktales Storytime, a podcast for kids and their pop culture loving grownups. Hosts Jonathan Cormur and Mr. Reginald T. Hedgehog share reimagined fairytales and fables with SEL themes, stories of hidden heroes, and wildly imaginative

Four easy ways to support Dorktales to keep the mic on and the stories coming: donate, subscribe or follow, leave a review, tell a friend! All support links are here in the show notes below👇🙏

Support the show

REACH OUT!

• Send us a TEXT: if your young listener has a question. Pls include their first name in the text. Your name/number is hidden so it's a safe way to reach out.
• Send us an email: dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
• DM us on IG @dorktalesstorytime
• Library of Resources: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card
• One time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
• Our Pod's Songs on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/music

Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

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A tale of artistry, innovation, and lasting legacy! Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese American landscape architect, transformed a World’s Fair exhibit into San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden. It's the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, still cherished as a place of peace and natural beauty. Makoto was also the inventive mind behind the modern fortune cookie! Despite wartime hardships and lost recognition, his creativity, friendship, and tasty experiments turned a simple crunchy cookie into a sweet symbol of good fortune enjoyed around the world.

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/makoto-hagiwara/

Get a free activity guide on Makoto Hagiwara: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/ep121freePDF

This episode of Dorktales Storytime is presented by Red Comet Press, and their hardcover children’s book, Fortune Cookies for Everyone: The Surprising Story of the Tasty Treat We Love to Eat by Mia Wenjen with illustrations by Colleen Kong-Savage. This Smithsonian collaboration unwraps the mystery of the fortune cookie and the immigrant stories behind it: https://www.redcometpress.com/nonfiction/fortunecookie

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS STORY, try this playlist of Asian American Hidden Heroes of History who were belonging builders and community creators like Makoto Hagiwara: https://bit.ly/belonging-and-community

CREDITS: Hidden Heroes of History is a Jonincharacter production. Today’s story was written and produced by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Pacific Grove Soundworks.

Four easy ways to support Dorktales to keep the mic on and the stories coming: donate, subscribe or follow, leave a review, tell a friend! All support links are here in the show notes below👇🙏

Support the show

REACH OUT!

• Send us a TEXT: if your young listener has a question. Pls include their first name in the text. Your name/number is hidden so it's a safe way to reach out.
• Send us an email: dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
• DM us on IG @dorktalesstorytime
• Library of Resources: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card
• One time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
• Our Pod's Songs on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/music

Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

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Don your finest mythical attire and set off for a day of frolic and festivity at Mythdom’s annual Fairy Faire. Let the Fairy Godmother, Fey, be your enchanting guide on a grand tour through stalls brimming with splendid finery and magical wares crafted by the fair folk of Fairie. Meet a pint-sized blacksmith who forges armor fit for legends, wander the lanes in search of joyful jousting and jesting, and take your best shot with Rapunzel’s Accurate Archer 5000 at the archery competition. Then, cheer for the Kings and Queens at their Royal Decree before a thrilling ride on the Fairy-Go-Round, powered by pure fae magic!

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/ye-olde-fairy-faire/

DOWNLOAD COLOR PAGE: https://bit.ly/dorktalesEP120colorpage

GRAB YOUR FREE PDF list of conversation questions for this episode:
https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/ep120freePDF

PARENTS, TEACHERS AND HOMESCHOOLERS: In “Ye Olde Fairy Faire,” Jonathan, Redge, and their friend Fairy Godmother Fey spend a day exploring a lively renaissance style fair and each stop along the way highlights curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Children learn the value of expressing themselves, supporting their friends, and celebrating the diverse talents that make a community thrive. It’s a gentle, imaginative reminder that everyone brings their own kind of magic to the world.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS STORY with the Fairy Godmother, Fey, you may also like her appearance in EP90 Cinderella and the Dough Ball: https://jonincharacter.com/cinderella-and-the-dough-ball/

CREDITS: This episode is a Jonincharacter production. It was written and produced by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Pacific Grove Soundworks.

Four easy ways to support Dorktales to keep the mic on and the stories coming: donate, subscribe or follow, leave a review, tell a friend! All support links are here in the show notes below👇🙏

Support the show

REACH OUT!

• Send us a TEXT: if your young listener has a question. Pls include their first name in the text. Your name/number is hidden so it's a safe way to reach out.
• Send us an email: dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
• DM us on IG @dorktalesstorytime
• Library of Resources: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card
• One time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
• Our Pod's Songs on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/music

Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!

Send us a text

The leaves are crunching, the apples are baking, and Redge is wearing his favorite autumn sweater… He’s ready to for another round of your curious, clever, and heartwarming questions.

In this autumn edition of Mr. Redge’s Hotline, Jonathan and Redge talk favorite sports, real-world friends, and the finest forest snacks. They share a collection of your brilliant ideas, heartfelt reviews, and a flurry of shoutouts. Grab your headphones, coziest blanket, a favorite snack, and get ready for a cheerful harvest of listener love.

JOIN THE KOOKY SPOOKY COUNTDOWN CHALLENGE and earn rewards:
https://jonincharacter.com/kooky-spooky-countdown/

FOR THE GROWNUPS: We want to hear from your kids! Email us at dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com with your their first name, age, and their awesome question—written or recorded! You can also reach us through our contact form at https://jonincharacter.com/contact-the-podcast/, leave a comment on Spotify, or include a question in a 5-star review. We’ll do our best to feature as many as we can!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• EP41 A Hedgehog’s Homerun: https://jonincharacter.com/hedgehogs-home-run/
• EP71 Zinnia Fig and the Droop: https://jonincharacter.com/zinnia-fig-and-the-droop/

Support the show

REACH OUT!

• Send us a TEXT: if your young listener has a question. Pls include their first name in the text. Your name/number is hidden so it's a safe way to reach out.
• Send us an email: dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
• DM us on IG @dorktalesstorytime
• Library of Resources: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card
• One time donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dorktales
• Our Pod's Songs on Bandcamp: https://dorktalesstorytime.bandcamp.com/music

Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!