This week, we go back to Spooky Cave for a religious look at a Cub Club book I’d forgotten existed! It’s “The Berenstain Bears Faith Gets Us Through” but I mostly talk about musicals and The Descent.
Tag: Bear Scouts
Episode 265 – The Berenstain Bear Scouts Scream Their Heads Off!
Let’s welcome back to the show the hosts of Kill By Kill, Gena and Patrick as we go exploring a spooky old house atop Spook Hill and maybe, just maybe, learn a little something new about Beartown.
Episode 264 – The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Really Big Disaster!
Oh boy! Kacie Galyon is back, everyone and we’re discussing “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Really Big Disaster!” And, what is the disaster? Bigpaw? No. An earthquake? No. The town’s really patronizing intolerance of a vulnerable member of their community? Mmmmmmmmmmaybe?
Episode 263 – The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Ripoff Queen!
This week, we are back with the Bear Scouts; we are back with Raffish Ralph Ripoff; and we are back with a story that doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense. It’s “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Ripoff Queen!” There’s no queens. There’s actually no ripoffs. There is a lot of crime, but it’s mostly committed by our heroes? This is a weird one. And to help me through it, we have a returning guest! Jamie Tyler, cutural critic for Cinapse! Welcome back Jamie!
Episode 220 – The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the White Water Mystery!
“Bear Country exists in a state of temporal flux” is something I say in this episode about a children’s book about cheating. So, that’s something. It’s the final Merit Badge Mystery, the final Dr. Wise Old Owl, the final not-really-a-mystery mystery; it’s “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the White Water Mystery!”
Episode 215 – The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Stinky Milk Mystery
Join me for another INCREDIBLE MYSTERY that doesn’t introduce itself until the book is nearly finished and that is then solved by a non-character in one page. That’s right! It’s a Berenstain Bear Scouts Merit Badge Mystery! But, like past Merit Badge Mysteries, it’s not much of a mystery. But, it’s still weird and fun. Join me for “The Stinky Milk Mystery” and discover my the milk may, in fact, be stinky.
Episode 207 – The Berenstain Bears Lost In A Cave
Hey everyone. Wanna get lost? Well, let’s go to a cave and get lost there. Which cave? *A* cave. Just . . . just a cave.
Episode 154 – The Missing Merit Badges & The Search for Naughty Ned
Ollie is back, my partner in crime from It’s Del Toro Time! and we’re talking about . . . something. What even are these? It’s the first two Merit Badge Mysteries “The Missing Merit Badges” and “The Search for Naughty Ned” and, well, animals talk? Dr. Mr. Wide Old Owl? Naughty Ned? It’s clear we’re in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CONTINUITY AGAIN. Oh well.
Episode 153 – The Evil Eye!
When is a book NOT a book? When it’s a sequel to a book YOU’VE NEVER READ! Yes, this week I discover the peril of not knowing which book comes after which as I delve into the second part of an apparent two-parter that isn’t actually that difficult to understand; it’s a book for children. It’s “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Evil Eye!”
Joining me to talk about this confounding book is the completely confounded founder of the celebrated Twitter account Best of NextDoor, Jenn Takahashi! Jenn is confused by everything going on, but that’s fine because she has been mentioned in an article in The Atlantic and have the Berenstains? Well, yes actually. They have on a number of occasions. Still, Jenn has been mentioned MOST RECENTLY!
Episode 145 – The Sinister Smoke Ring!
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This week, I am joined by Justin Harrison of Birth. Movies. Death. to talk about the incredibly long and detailed “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Sinister Smoke Ring!” This is a huge one, folks, and we talk about the influences of the story, how it came to be written, the interwoven plot threads, the mean attitudes of the denizens of Bear Country and many many other things in between. It’s DENSE and LONG and amazing.
Episode 144 – The Run-Amuck Robot!
Oh boy oh boy oh jeez. This book, I swear . . .
I’m joined this week by Alexandra Bowser of Arthur, Mommy, Movie Time! to talk about the bizarre, sad, terrible, horrifying, rushed and ultimately satisfying “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Run-Amuck Robot!” What is Robow? Is he alive? Are any of us? Why was Ralph stripped naked and arrested? Why the lightning? Why is Gus? What is book?
Episode 143 – The Magic Crystal Caper
This week, we get mired in ATOMIC MAGIC. Seriously. There is ACTUAL MAGIC in this episode. Or, is it science? Doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I have Megan Sunday from In The Attic here to help me through it. And, man, once Grizzly Gramps starts yelling, things get a bit unhinged.
Episode 142 – The Ice Monster!
It’s ME! I’m all alone for this episode, so you know what that means: CONSPIRACY THEORIES! OLD RELIGION! FRACTURED REALITIES! ALTERNATE TIMELINES! OLD GODS! ANCIENT FAITHS! DOOMSDAY! THE END OF THE WORLD! RANTING! RAVING!
WELCOME.
Episode 141 – The Berenstain Bear Scouts Giant Bat Cave!
Elana and Mitzi are back! Or, are here because they’ve never been on together!And we’re talking “Giant Bat Cave!” It’s a Berenstain Bear Scouts book and may, in fact be the *first Berenstain Bear Scouts book but, then again, maybe it’s not? Also, Elana gets really excited to talk about local politics and then has to settle for talking about bats.
Episode 136 – The Terrible Talking Termite!
Let’s close out this chunk of Bear Scouts books with “The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Terrible Talking Termite.” This one was based on an episode of the cartoon and it shows and shows and shows. It makes little sense and to help me figure it out, I have Christy Admiraal, from Nerdist and VICE and the California Diarists podcast here to pick over this . . . plot? Ralph is in it, so that’s cool. Also, the termite? Not so terrible. Plus, do the authors understand what “insurance fraud” really is?
Episode 135 – The Sci-Fi Pizza!
Wendy Mays from “Pet Cinematary” joins me to talk about the illogical happenings that occur when someone puts a remote control into helium-inflated pizza dough? Or, something? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but Wendy is here to help me try to puzzle at least SOME of it out.
Episode 134 – Save That Backscratcher!
Oh boy! Erin Gambrill from Ladies Who Library is here to talk about a book that COMPLETELY CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD! Like, seriously. There is so much going on in this one I needed to bring in a friend just to help me get through it.
Episode 133 – The Berenstain Bear SCOUTS Ghost VS Ghost!
This week, I’m joined by Patrick Hamilton, one half of Kill By Kill, to talk about “The Berenstain Bear Scouts Ghost Vs. Ghost!” What happens in this book? Would you believe crime and deforestation? Probably. Would you believe GHOSTS! Well, calm down. Patrick and I puzzle over the book’s incredibly detailed look at survival skills, card catalogs and hucksterism, and it’s surprisingly short focus on ghosts. Also, a BIG SWITCHEROO! This book has everything! And by that I mean it doesn’t have much.
Episode 129 – The Berenstain Bear SCOUTS and the Coughing Catfish!
Here I go again. It’s yet another retelling of the age old classing “The Coughing Catfish.” Does he cough? Yep. Is he a catfish? Yep. Is there a pirate ship? Oh yes. It’s a short one, folks!
Episode 125 – Blaze a Trail!
Brad Mariska sneaks on over to talk about “The Berenstain Bears Blaze a Trail” from 1987 – a book I ACCIDENTALLY SKIPPED!
Oh, and, it looks like there IS an animated adaptation! Waddaya know?
Episode 123 – The Berenstain Bear SCOUTS Meet Bigpaw!
Those Bear Scouts are at it again! What is “it” exactly? Adapting cartoons into chapter books is what it is! That’s right, it’s the 1980 classic special “The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw” rejiggered into a Bear SCOUTS book. Does it work? Eh.
Episode 122 – The Berenstain Bear Scots and the Humongous Pumpkin!
Just when you thought they couldn’t create YET ANOTHER series for us to follow, we begin the next adventure in chaptered bookery “The Berenstain Bear Scouts!” And, man, are they plumbing the depths of the Saturday Morning TV series for this one. And, you know, that ain’t all bad.
I’m kicking things off with “The Berenstain Bear SCOUTS and the Humongous Pumpkin.” It’s got thrills, chills and PLOTS GALORE! Keep up, friends; things don’t get any easier to follow after this one.
Episode 108 – The Red-Handed Thief!
What a weird book. Kerry Nelson from Random Sampling joins me to talk about the gross violation of trust that occurs at Bear Country School! Also, democracy in action? Maybe?
Episode 73 – The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Forest!
Things are getting spooky around here as Erin Sheppard joins me to talk about “The Ghost of the Forest!” Why do we like being scared? What’s the point of safeguarding yourself against danger only to then create your own terrors for fun? Also, things can go one of three ways – which way will they go . . . for you!
Check out Erin’s show “Book of Shadows” at the Twin Cities Horror Festival!
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Episode 5 – The Bear Scouts
What happens when Stan and Jan throw three new cubs into the Papa Bear/Small Bear mix? Turns out . . . they don’t end up playing a huge role in the story. Or, making much of a difference. Still, three new cubs! Do they get names? Do they speak lines? Do they evolve into Cousin Freddy? No. No. And, I don’t know. Haven’t gotten there yet. Still. Three new cubs!
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