Lemonada.
Hey, Story Pirates podcast listeners, Lee here.
Today we have a very special bonus episode for you, featuring another new story written by not one, not two, but over a hundred different kids in our creator club.
This time an anime beaver leads a cross-country road trip to California with side trips to Iowa, Mount Everest and a bunker below a gas station.
And oh, don't forget the Story Pirates just announced live shows for the spring.
Tickets are on sale right now at storypirates.com slash live.
A brand new Creator Club story and story love, with Lee and Peter coming up right after.
A few words for the grown-ups.
Hey, grownups, Lee here.
See Story Pirates Live.
Our amazing touring cast, including Eric, will be visiting some East Coast cities this spring to perform some of your favorite songs from the podcast.
And they'll take suggestions from kids in the audience to create a brand new story that will only be seen once.
Best of all, all of our upcoming shows are on weekends, so no need to worry about school nights or bedtime routines.
We'll see you soon in Munhall Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh Cincinnati Ohio Portsmouth, New Hampshire Medford Massachusetts, just outside of Boston and Richfield, Connecticut.
Tickets to all the shows are on sale now at storypirates.com slash live.
It just filled me up with joy.
My mom loves the jokes.
Yo, yo, my joke.
It made me very proud about my writing.
Yeah, we're just getting like really deep into like, I want to say philosophy.
I definitely think I can be more creative now.
I'm the champion.
The Sully Pirates.
Okay, everybody, here's what's up.
As you may know, every once in a while we invite all our Creator Club members to join me and Peter on a Zoom to write a story together.
This time, over 100 different kids from all over the world showed up and together we wrote an incredible story about an anime beaver, a car named Honks, a chickpea named Cucumbre and a volcano, the god Pan and the wonderful people of the state of Iowa.
And yes, the god Pan is played by Peter, which you are not going to want to miss.
And PS grown-ups.
We're doing this whole thing again on Zoom with me and Peter in April, and it's not too late to get your kids involved.
We're going to write a brand new story together and then adapt it for the podcast, just like in today's episode.
So information on how to join us is in the episode description for today's episode.
So grown-ups, check it out and please join us.
And now, without further ado, we present to you a story by the Story Pirates Creator Club the great Californian adventure that could have been so much better than it was.
All right, car salespeople.
Salespeople right sorry, ruffle sales people and sales anime beavers, thank you.
As you all know, today is our biggest car sales event of the year.
Don't worry boss, i know i've literally never sold a single car, but today's the day anyway, team.
It may be ice cold outside because we live in arctic temperatures, but today in here, our sales are gonna be hot, hot Yeah.
I'm motivated.
Okay, Ruffle, you got this.
Open the doors!
Excuse me, do you... Oh, you're walking away.
Okay, excuse me, sir.
Hello there, ma'am.
Are you... None of these customers are noticing me.
I noticed you.
Sorry, are you... A three-eyed chickpea looking to buy a car?
Hi, my name is Cucumbre.
The name's Ruffle.
You got any cars?
Let me just look around and see what we have left.
Oh, no.
Did you just look around and notice that there's only one car left, but when you saw which one it was, you pretended like it wasn't there, because there's some sort of personal tension between you and that specific car.
Good read.
Show me the car.
All right.
Follow me.
Well, well, well.
Look who it is.
Ruffle, the anime beaver.
Hello, Honks, the car.
Wow, I've never seen a car with such long, curly hair.
Honks is the name.
Going fast is my game.
Well, that and not liking this beaver.
What did I ever do to you?
You know what you did.
No, I don't.
And if you think you're a second, I'll ever heal.
Huh?
I didn't come here to watch you bicker.
You know how hard it is being a chickpea in these temperatures?
So I'm getting out of here.
I'm hitting the road and moving to the land of sunshine.
California.
I also feel trapped here at this car dealership where no one respects me.
Do you want to come with me?
A million times yes.
I'm in too.
But this doesn't mean we're friends, Beaver.
Understood.
Hop on in.
What are you doing inside hawks with that chickpea?
I'm selling my first car boss, and my last.
Wow, it was really cool the way you flipped down those sunglasses.
Hit it, honk.
You didn't pay for that.
California, here we come.
We've been driving for so long honks, you need a break.
You think i can't handle a cross-country drive?
Why do you take everything I say as an insult?
Oh, boy.
We are rivals.
Oh, yes, we are.
Please, give it a rest.
I think we're all hungry.
Oh, a gas station.
Let's stop for some snacks.
Hey, I just thought of something.
Did any of us bring any money?
That's a major oversight.
Hey, look over there behind the gas station.
It's a hatch.
Oh, you think there's food down there?
Only one way to find out. a big hatch.
Let's go.
My wheels.
Look, at the bottom, there's a bunker door.
Honks, you think you're strong enough to open?
You did it.
Look, it's, it's.
A coconut in a bunker?
Oh, hi there.
We were just hoping that.
And what?
There would be free food down here?
Yeah, actually.
You're in luck.
Want to try some of my canned hot They are only 100 years old.
Wow, you can really taste all 100 years.
Thank you.
Now you're probably trying to get to California?
Yeah, how did you know?
I just did, okay?
Yeesh, sorry.
Well, you might as well take this tunnel.
It's a shortcut.
To California?
To Iowa.
Well, that is the right direction.
Come on, let's get driving.
Thanks for all your help, Coconut.
Say, you didn't tell us your name.
I sure didn't.
Bye!
California, here we come!
And that's when I said, I may be an anime beaver with 65 siblings, but at least I'm not rude.
Wow, did you really say that?
No.
Hey, we're coming out of the tunnel to Iowa.
So this is Iowa, huh?
I've heard good things.
That the people are very nice and nothing weird ever happens.
Is that... Pan, the Greek god of the wild laughing maniacally on top of a mega volcano?
It sure is.
Pan flute.
Pan, did you raise this volcano here in the middle of Iowa?
I sure did.
Pan flute.
Why?
I'll tell you why.
Because werewolves kidnapped Pyle, my pet talking mushroom, and I'm taking it out on Iowa.
Pan flute.
But that doesn't make any sense.
I'm a god.
I don't have to make sense.
Pan flute.
Come on, fellas.
This problem doesn't concern us.
Please help us, Iowans.
We need you.
We can't abandon these people.
But we don't even know them.
You didn't know me when we started this journey.
Why are they any different?
By golly, you're right, Pan.
We'll do it.
Where have the werewolves taken Pile the Mushroom?
To their secret hideout on top of Mount Everest, which is currently floating inside another giant volcano.
Goodbye!
Pan flute!
All right.
To Mount Everest!
Yeow!
Us werewolves have been defeated.
Curse you, anime beaver!
And don't come back!
Wow, Ruffle, those were some sick moves.
You weren't too bad yourself.
You saved me!
Of course we did, Pyle.
Why would you bother saving a talking mushroom like me?
Because we heard that you were a fungi.
Funny.
Wow, that was good.
Let's get back to Iowa.
Pan, we have returned from Mount Everest.
So you have failed in your quest, I see, as I knew you would.
Pan flute?
Not so fast.
Huh?
They didn't fail.
Pile, they saved you.
Pan flute.
I guess Iowa is saved.
Volcano be gone.
Hoot!
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Now, before I go, is there anything I can do to help you in your quest?
Can you help us get to California?
I'm a god.
I can help you get there using directions.
Oh, well, we sort of already know which way to... Just drive west.
Say goodbye, pile.
Goodbye, pile.
You are such a fun guy.
Magic!
I guess we have no choice but to keep driving.
You know what?
That's okay with me.
I have to admit, I've enjoyed the journey with you, Cucumbre.
And with you, Ruffle.
Me too, Honks.
Can I tell you something?
Sure.
I honestly can't remember why we're enemies.
Me too.
Oh man, I'm so glad you said it.
I feel like I've committed to it for so long now, I was afraid to ask.
Friends?
Friends.
Huh?
Huh?
Who's that?
Not only have you saved all of Iowa, but you've also saved yourselves.
Are you?
Yes.
The president of Iowa.
Wow.
We owe you much.
Please name your reward and we will use our small amount of remaining Iowa magic to grant your wish.
You have Iowa magic?
Just a little bit.
We spent most of it on the Iowa State Fair.
If you haven't been, it is spectacular.
The only thing we really wanted was to get to California.
Your wish is granted.
Enjoy California with Iowa Magic.
Whoa.
Look, we're in California.
And look, we all have big muscles now.
And look, we're all best friends.
And look, I'm here too.
And?
California pan flute.
Ah!
The end.
Oh, Biles.
We'll be right back after a few words for the grown-ups.
People keep asking me about my 2026 resolutions.
Sure, I've got the usual goals.
You know, hang out more with my friends, make more phone calls to family members, get a back massage every once in a while.
But this year, there's a new one at the top of my list.
Get comfy.
That's where Bombas comes in.
They're bringing serious comfort to all my everyday go-tos.
This year, I'm planning to do a lot of walking because I like to walk.
And these all-new Bombas sports socks, they are perfect for long walks.
They're engineered with sport-specific comfort for running golf hiking skiing, snowboarding and all sport or walking, like me, because they're cushioned where I need it most, sweat-wicking and loaded with other tech features to keep me comfy and locked in.
And for those everyday around the house resolutions.
Bombas also has got you covered with the comfiest footwear imaginable.
And when I'm chasing a small child around the house.
There's only one slip-on shoe that I want to wear the new, Squishy Saturday Suede Slip-on Shoe.
It's got comfort on the go!
And underneath it all, the softest base layers that will have you rethinking your whole wardrobe.
Bombas underwear and t-shirts are flexible, breathable, and buttery smooth.
Premium everyday go-tos that won't leave the house without me inside of them.
For 20% off your first purchase, that's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com slash family 26.
Code family 26 at checkout.
Hey, grownups, Lee here.
See Story Pirates Live.
Our amazing touring cast, including Eric, will be visiting some East Coast cities this spring to perform some of your favorite songs from the podcast.
And they'll take suggestions from kids in the audience to create a brand new story that will only be seen once.
Best of all, all of our upcoming shows are on weekends, so no need to worry about school nights or bedtime routines.
We'll see you soon in Munhall Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh Cincinnati Ohio Portsmouth, New Hampshire Medford Massachusetts, just outside of Boston and Richfield, Connecticut.
Tickets to all the shows are on sale now at storypirates.com slash live.
Welcome back to Story Love, where we read stories written by kids and we talk about them.
Hello, Peter.
Hi, Lee.
Would you like to read the first story for today?
There's nothing I would love to do more.
I'm so excited!
Wow.
Oh, sorry.
Here we go.
This first story Lee, comes to us from an eight-year-old from Missouri named Eli, and Eli's story is called The Dirty Floor.
Once upon a time, there was a marshmallow in a cabin with hot cocoa.
And then he accidentally spilled his hot cocoa, and he didn't have any rags or anything.
So he went to the store to get some dirt.
Okay.
And then he laid it out.
And then he said, ah, now my floor is dirty.
So then he went to the store to get some grass to clean it up.
Of course.
And then he said, ah.
Oh, my floor looks like a field.
And then he went back to the store again and to buy some apple seeds.
And then he said, ah, no, it's more of a farm.
And then he started his own business and he got a lot of money and he used that money to buy some more hot cocoa and some apple cider and then share it with a friend.
The end.
And that man was Johnny Appleseed.
It all started with a dirty floor.
No seriously though, I feel like this story is sort of showing a key point in evolution, which is the development of agriculture.
Ooh, yes.
Maybe this is how it actually happened first.
So, you know, it's like way back there was a hunter-gatherer who was like, this cave is a mess.
That's right.
I'm going to put dirt on it.
Yeah, get some dirt.
That's dirt.
Dirty.
That was a bad idea.
Yeah, let's get some grass now.
Yeah.
Oh, that's cozy.
Oh, it looks like outside.
Yeah.
And then the apple seeds in the dark cave grew into apple trees.
And then people started to go like, oh, you know what?
I could really use an apple.
Oh, you know where there's apple?
Grug, that caveman over there.
Yeah, that weird guy.
He's got apples in there.
Yeah.
Entrepreneur.
Entrepreneur.
Entrepreneur.
Eli, amazing story, my friend.
Let's head on to the next one.
This is called Percy the Penguin by Yatri, a 10-year-old in Canada.
Percy the Penguin lived in Antarctica.
He was cold.
So he moved to Florida.
The end.
You know, sometimes, this story is like a haiku, right?
Where it makes you think about every single word.
Can you show me some words that do that to you in that way?
Yes.
Antarctica.
Cold.
What was that?
Antarctica.
Thank you.
Get the C in there.
Antarctica.
Antarctica.
Antarctica.
You know, it took me a long time to realize that Antarctica was the opposite of the Arctic.
Arctic, Antarctica.
It's anti-Arctic.
The Arctic is the North Pole.
Antarctica is the South Pole.
Correct.
Right.
They're opposites.
Anyway, I interrupted you.
That was the first big word.
Okay.
Cold.
He was cold.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I felt that.
If you really think about cold, that word is cold.
And the final word.
Florida.
Yeah, I thought a lot about Florida with this because there are so many advantages to Florida.
This is why so many people go there, right?
You are warm year-round.
There's a lot of beaches on both sides, right?
Most places only have a beach on one side.
It's a peninsula.
That's right.
Now, I was recently made fun of for how I say the name of this state.
I just said it in the way I don't naturally say it.
You say Florida?
No, I say...
I have somebody point this out to me.
I say it only two syllables.
Florida?
Florida.
Florida?
Florida.
Florida?
Florida.
You don't really say it like that, though.
That's very strange.
If I'm like, oh, let's go to Florida.
You don't really say it like that.
I say Florida.
Florida.
I say forest, Florida, horrible.
Orange.
If you were on camera, how do you say it, though?
I'd say Florida.
You say Florida?
I don't know how to say it because I'd be actively working against the way I say it.
I think probably people in Florida say Florida.
Florida?
Florida.
It's like, what's another city like that?
Well, East Coast, they say Florida.
They say forest, horrible Florida.
Orange.
The winter was horrible.
I went to Florida.
Yeah, exactly.
Right, exactly.
And I say, it was cold.
I wanted to get some orange juice in Florida.
It's cold.
I want to get some orange juice in Florida.
I say it with no vowels at all.
Florida.
Florida.
Wow.
Florida.
Yeah, it's getting weirder as you say that.
I feel like there might be another physical condition going on here besides pronunciation.
I don't eat enough oranges.
Do you feel okay right now?
Okay, just checking.
Yachtry, incredible story.
Thank you so much for sending it in.
I want to go to Florida now.
Yeah, let's go.
You know, let's go right now.
To Florida.
We have one more story.
This one comes to us from a six-year-old from New York named Leo.
And Leo's story is called The Gardening Competition.
Nobody owned the aquarium.
So they had a competition to see who would get to own it.
They had a competition to see who could grow the biggest tree and the fastest.
It was between a farmer and a baby.
The baby's name was Goo Goo Gaga and the farmer's name was Sharky Barky, because one time he was in a boat and he saw a shark who helped him because whales were trying to eat him.
So multiple sharks attacked the whales.
Henceforth, he was named Sharky Barky.
Sharky Barky!
They both went at the same time.
They each had a shovel, a bucket of seeds, and two buckets of dirt.
There were 500 judges.
Okay, that just feels like it's going to be really hard.
It's like the Academy Awards.
Maybe it's just up-down, in which case it's fine.
500 is great.
They started when the 500th judge, a special judge, the president of the United States, told them to start.
They planted all the seeds at once.
They made a hole, dropped in the seed, covered it with dirt, watered it and moved on to the next one.
It only took 15 seconds to plant all the seeds and for them to grow.
But there were bulls on the farm who came to eat the leaves.
The baby had a Nerf gun that he used to shoot at the bulls.
They ran away from the trees, but charged at the baby.
The baby ran away and was a good digger, so he dug a hole and went in.
The bulls dug with their horns, but they couldn't catch the baby.
The baby ran away and the bulls ran home.
The farmer lost the competition and got dunked in an ice pool.
He said it was refreshing.
But when he got out, he was an ice block.
And they had to nail him out.
The baby won and got to own the aquarium.
The baby was very smart.
The end!
Fantastic story, Leo.
I love the backstory for the farmer.
I'm obsessed with his name, Sharky Barky.
And this anecdote from his past about the whales and attacking him, and multiple sharks attack the whales.
So good.
I feel like we're used to the whales being friendly.
Right.
And we got to be protected from the sharks.
Last I checked, there's no shark with killer in its name.
Yes, exactly.
But a whale, there's a killer one.
Uh-huh.
So that tells me watch out for whales.
Absolutely my favorite part of this story.
The first four words.
Yeah, so good.
Nobody owned the aquarium.
What's the story on that?
Why?
Who built it?
So good, though.
I mean, are they saying it was built by the city or the state?
Or it was abandoned?
Or it was abandoned?
I think it just sort of exists.
You know, like you show up at the aquarium and you're like, who owns this place?
You're like, nobody.
Actually, we don't know.
We don't know.
We don't know.
We lost all the records in our shed with all the files burned up.
I mean, maybe it's a fundraising vehicle, this thing.
Because, you know, be careful what you wish to own.
Yeah.
Once you own an aquarium, do you know how often you have to clean those things?
Like every day.
Every single day, frequently.
If you've ever had a fish tank, you know aquariums, they're even worse.
There's no such thing as a free aquarium. that's true i love uh so i said i love the backstory of the farmer but we don't know much about the baby i guess babies by definition don't have much yeah there's not a ton of backstory except the hospital they were born in yeah well you maybe some some babies were born in cars that's true i've heard that also um i like that the ice dunk was refreshing yeah do you think that he's just saying it was refreshing so it doesn't feel as much as like a punishment Oh, he said it was refreshing.
He said it was refreshing.
He's like, oh, this is refreshing.
Well, he said it also while he was in an ice block.
Not yet.
When he comes out, they put him in and he's like, I actually love this.
You guys thought this would be bad, but I love it.
You thought I lost to a baby.
I'm doing great.
I'm the winner here.
The baby was very smart.
Incredible.
Amazing story, Leo.
Thank you so much for sending it in.
And grown-ups, guess what?
You can find an even longer version of today's Story Love on YouTube and see our beautiful faces.
We drop a new video every week.
And here's something.
Did you know that YouTube will show it to more people and help Story Pirates grow if we get more views right away?
It's weird.
It's true. by watching these videos as soon as you can.
You're not only hearing the hilarious stories from kids, but you're helping each kid's story be celebrated by more people and you're contributing to our channel's growth, which means we can create more videos and help fund our podcast.
You've heard us talking about how severely impacted free forms of educational media, like us, have been.
And this is one free step you can take to help.
So find the link to today's video in the show notes.
And while you're there, subscribe to our channel and make sure to watch the new videos each week.
And growing up, Story Love isn't just the name of a segment on our show.
It's also the name of our incredible corporate volunteer program.
To find out more about Story Love, our digital creative writing program, Story Quest and our nonprofit arm Story Pirates Changemakers.
Check out the show notes for links.
That's it for today's episode.
Grownups.
Don't forget to check out the show notes to find out how your kids can join us for the next create a story session in April.
We'll be back next week with another new episode until then stay creative and stay kind.
The Story Pirates Podcast is a production of Story Pirates Studios.
Executive produced by Lee Overtree and Benjamin Salka.
This episode was produced by Sam Baer, Peter McNerney, Lee Overtree, and Brittany Stahl.
Recording, sound design, and mixing by Sam Baer at The Relic Room in New York City.
Additional production by Brett Toobin.
Theme song by Bobby Lord.
Musical scoring by Jack Mitchell.
Our head writer is Peter McNerney.
Staff writers are Megan O'Neill and Alexis Simpson.
The Great Californian Adventure that could have been so much better than it was was adapted by Peter McNerney.
Episode artwork by Camilla Franklin.
This episode features performances by Max Bank, Christina Grospeach, Tara Halpern, Sebastian Martinez, Peter McNerney, Megan O'Neill and Chris Simpson.
California pan flute?
