This week, we’re heading off to… Bear Country? Yeah, Cousin Tex is here so we’re giving him a… sorry, Mayor Honeypot(?) is giving his a tour of Bear Country! And, he hates it! It’s “The Berenstain Bears Welcome To Bear Country!” Whew!
Tag: Police Chief Bruno
Episode 337 – The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Parade
I wasn’t planning on talking about Easter Parades, but here we are! It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Parade!”
Episode 318 – The Berenstain Bears and the Little Lost Cub!
I have a guest! Willow has rolled out of her bed and joined me for “The Berenstain Bears and the Little Lost Cub!” That awful little sailor suited boy is back, but he’s no longer naughty and he’s no longer Ned. He’s just some kid and he’s lost. So, the Good Deed Scouts are here to… do nothing. As usual. The wore things change, I guess?
If you want to hear more of me and Willow chatting about stuff, check out It’s Del Toro Time, our podcast that we do together!
Episode 287 – The Berenstain Bears and the Great Ant Attack!
Here it is. The Berenstain Bears and the Great Ant Attack!
Episode 286 – The Berenstain Bears Lost In Cyberspace!
Brandi Brown is back on the show to take us through the frightening world of late ’90s internettery! That’s right, the cubs are on the Information Superhighway and are about to get “Lost In Cyberspace!”
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 251 – The Berenstain Bears The Runamuck Dog Show!
Hot Diggity Dog! Look who’s back! It’s the hosts of Hot Diggity Dog, Brian and Josh, and they’re here talk about “The Runamuck Dog Show!” It’s a book about dogs and cats and poop and… poop, actually. There’s a lot of poop. Don’t know what else to tell you.
Episode 250 – The Berenstain Bears The Wrong Crowd!
Megan Sunday, co-host of the Dune-tastic “Let’s Get Wierding” podcast, joins me this week to talk about SMOKING IN THE WOODS and PLAYING BASKETBALL IN THE WOODS and DO THE BULLIES LIVE IN THE WOODS? It’s “The Berenstain Bears: The Wrong Crowd!”
Episode 225 – The Berenstain Bears In the Wax Museum!
When is a mystery *not* a mystery? When nothing mysterious happens! “The Berenstain Bears IN the Wax Museum” acts like a mystery, but it’s really a community drama about zoning ordinances. It makes a lot of promises it can’t keep and sets up plot points that melt like the wax in Madame Bearsaud’s statues, but I don’t care because KACIE GALYON is back to help me get through it! Welcome back to the show, Kacie!
Episode 223 – The Berenstain Bears Go Hollywood!
I’ve been alone so long! This week, I bring back two things that this show desperately needed: the Big Chapter Books and A GUEST! Yes, I am joined by author and screenwriter Mark Wheaton, the author of “Emily Eternal” and the Luis Chavez Mysteries. He’s here to help me pick apart a book about… filmmaking? The Hollywood machine? Cecil B. DeMille? It’s a mess; but a FUN mess!
Episode 212 – The Berenstain Bears and the Escape of the Bogg Brothers (2000)/The Missing Watermelon Money (2001)
This week, we’re gearing up for HALLOWEEN SEASON with our first MYSTERIES! That’s right! The Bear Detectives are here to liven up your week with the “Escape of the Bogg Brothers” and the “Missing Watermelon Money!”
Episode 158 – PATREON QUESTION: POLICE BLOTTER!
This week, I answer a question from Patreon Subscriber Michael, who asks, “What do you think the Bear Country police blotter looks like on a typical day (let’s say big chapter books continuity since that’s where we are)?”
Episode 155 – The G-Rex Bones!
This week, I’m joined by Erin Ayers – one half of the Over the Table Top podcast – to discuss a tale of fraud and dinosaurs. It’s “The Berenstain Bears and the G-Rex Bones!” How far will Ralph go to secure a million dollars? Pretty far! Will he sell out his own personal values and ruin the reputation of a fine upstanding bear like Actual Factual? Sure! Will any of this plot make a lick of sense? Nope!
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 152 – The Perfect Crime (Almost)!
This week, Jamie Tyler, author of the “Cowabloga” Ninja Turtles blog, is BACK to talk about the most convoluted, frustrating, fascinating and satisfyingly unsatisfying Big Chapter Book I’ve read in a while: “The Berenstain Bears and the Perfect Crime (Almost)!” Yes, get that parenthetical in there; it’s important. Jamie and I work ourselves up to a fever pitch as nothing makes sense, adds up or resolves in any way resembling logical or even dramatically resonant. It’s amazing. And I love it.
Episode 147 – Go Platinum!
This week, I’m joined by the delightful Drew Stewart to rock out to “The Berenstain Bears Go Platinum!” It’s the gripping tale of Stan and Jan Berenstain really wanting to stick it to the music of today!
Episode 146 – The Big Date
This week, I’m joined by Emily Bennett of Best Acquaintances to talk about the insidious nature of young jealousy! Like, seriously, it’s a pretty solid book that deals with a pretty serious topic for adolescent kids. I know!
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 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 140 – The Berenstain Bears and Queenie’s Crazy Crush!
Helen LaStar, one of the hosts of Falling In Love Montage, joins me this week to peel back the layers of “The Berenstain Bears and Queenie’s Crazy Crush!” What happens when a young girl cub falls in love with a grown man and plots to trick him into coming over to her house when her parents are – you know what? I’m going to just leave that right where I found it. Just . . . just walk away from that one.
Episode 139 – The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride!
Gena Radcliffe – one half of the Kill By Kill Podcast duo – joins me to talk about the decidedly NON-SCARY “The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride!” There’s no haunting but there IS a hayride although it is very short and they don’t go into a lot of details about it. Still . . . there it is.
Also, you can find Gena’s writing on a ton of different subjects here and I strongly suggest that you do!
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Episode 138 – The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard!
This week, Meghan Griffin is BACK and this time we’re not talking dress codes or drama, we’re talking . . . classic cars. I mean, I guess Bear Country has cars. And, some of them are really old. So . . . classic cars.
You can find Meghan at any of her three podcasts: Judging Book Covers, Fabelulous Retellings and A Handbook for Handbook for Mortals.
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 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 132 – The Berenstain Bears Don’t Pollute (Anymore)!
I’m joined this week by Master of Pollution, Mark Sweeney! He gets it! He KNOWS. Mark Sweeney understands the complicated nature of pollution in bear country and the gentle grace with which the topic is handled in “The Berenstain Bears Don’t Pollute (Anymore)” parenthetical and all. Get to know us through the fine art of POLLUTION.
Episode 128 – At the Teen Rock Cafe!
It’s ME again! I’m back at my desk and I’m chatting about things like MALLS and STONE-WASHED JEANS and BEARY MANILOW and NOT MURDER THIS TIME.
Episode 126 – Maniac Mansion!
This week, I’m joined by Sammi Campbell from Excessively Diverted to talk about this . . . weird . . . book. I mean, it’s great, but it’s weird. There’s ghosts but no ghosts! Bags under eyes and then no bags under eyes! Pajamas and no pajamas! What more do you want?!
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 119 – Media Madness!
Jon Biegen and Nick Wood slide on over from Stranger Still to talk about children successfully managing a television station. That’s . . . that’s really all that happens in this book, so – so, lesson learned, I guess.
Episode 117 – The Freaky Funhouse!
Brian and Josh – from Predict-O-Cast and . . . another show – actually come INSIDE MY HOUSE and INVADE MY SPACE to talk about “The Berenstain Bears and the Freaky Funhouse!”
Join us as we talk about MURDER! ATTEMPTED MURDER! And . . . Frankenbear’s Monster? Also, the funhouse doesn’t figure into the plot as much as we’d have liked. What’s that chainsaw noise? Just us.
Episode 116 – The Galloping Ghost!
I’m alone! I’m scared! I’m surrounded by ghosts! It’s a spooktacular book about TRAUMA. That’s right! The Berenstains wrote a secret book about dealing with trauma and I didn’t figure it out until near the end of the episode. Keep on surprising me, Big Chapter Books!
Episode 115 – The Berenstain Bears and the School Scandal Sheet!
Ollie, my teen and co-host of It’s Del Toro Time! – A Guillermo del Toro Podcast, joins me this week to talk “The Berenstain Bears and the School Scandal Sheet!” In which we discuss the terrible things the cubs accuse a teacher of and also divide the cubs into their Hogwarts Houses. IT’s kind of a discussion that goes all over the place. Also, we talk about the importance of owning up to your terrible terrible mistakes how if you’re a cub, you face no consequences for those terrible terrible mistakes.
Episode 113 – The Berenstain Bears and the Giddy Grandma!
Welcome to the world of degraded audio! Please bear with this terrible sounding episode, as I flop around trying to talk about “The Giddy Grandma.” Things didn’t work out according to plan, but I think I get my point across.
Also, I have a Patreon page!
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 107 – The Berenstain Bears and the Drug Free Zone!
Joel Torres of the Please Don’t Send Me Into Outer Space podcast joins me to talk about DRUGS! And DRUG ZONES! And BACKWOODS DRUG DISTRIBUTION? It’s a wild weird but pretty nicely done book.