The Town of Odyssey

Several years back I tried to get my oldest nephew (4 years at the time) to listen to AIO. He didn't like it and didn't want to hear anymore. It's a shame, because he's actually named after John Avery Whittaker (Jonah Avery...). But, in the last few weeks, my sister has been playing AIO for him and his little brother and they're addicted. They've been listening to the daily episodes and the first time they were going to listen to it, they all crowded around the iPad expecting to "see" something and there was nothing. They thought it was dumb, but after the episode aired, they couldn't wait for the next one. Then, on Sunday, when there was no new episode, they were bummed. Haha.

Have any of you introduced AIO to your kids/nephews/nieces? How did they first react?

My little cousins are hooked on it, and they're always awed by how Victoria and I have the entire show and have our podcast and everything. They're 8 and 6, and they're been listening for a couple years. Their dad grew up on the show as well.

My 3 year old sister loves it. But not on the same level as me.

A couple years back, I played some episodes for my cousins, who were about 7 and 9, during a long car trip. At the time, they did enjoy it, but I haven't tried it recently.

My best friend's son started listening soon before he turned 5 and he loves it! He actually named his teddy bear Lucky Punch after listening to "Mike Makes Right," which was probably not the message that his parents wanted him to get (not to mention the AIO writing staff) but whatever. It made me so happy that he likes AIO already! I thought that I would have to wait longer than this for him to be an Odyssey fan. Other than that, I know that my younger cousins started listening when they wre around 6 and 8, but I can't remember exactly. I know that one of them was easily upset by episodes with conflict, but she has a pretty sensitive personality, and she was feeling the characters' pain a little too much.

I take credit for some future AIO fans, because I have a friend who told me that she bought AIO with the intention of listening to it with her kids when they're a little older (they're only 1 and 3 now) and she credited me as part of the reason that she did that, so yay! Start them young. If they don't like, try it again later.

Shadowpaw, I'm glad that your nephew decided that he likes AIO now! With his name, it seemed inevitable!

Leonard Meltsner wrote:My little cousins are hooked on it, and they're always awed by how Victoria and I have the entire show and have our podcast and everything. They're 8 and 6, and they're been listening for a couple years. Their dad grew up on the show as well.

that is great! I worked hard to complete my Collection at the time I moved to Sweden in case we had kids. We were not that lucky and I am now 49 but I am trying to get my friend's kids into it. I sent two sampler CD's to her but have not Heard back. I have Another online friend in Malaysia who has tried to introduce his 4 and 6 year old, they are just now getting an attention span to listen to an entire episode at once but they say there are some cultural gaps (like baseball) that make some eps uninteresting.

-- 16 Aug 2014 10:21 am --

If we had had kids, my plan was to play it when they were Little even if they could not completely follow the eps (obviously the lighter ones) and save the more involved ones for when they got older. They would have been indoctrinated from birth by osmosis. And like Leonard, I have up until this Point worked hard to keep my Collection intact (at least through Albm 57) the jury is still out on if I will purchase any future albums.

Yeah my kids listen all the time. When my daughter was little I didn't care if I listened to the scarier episodes when she was around but now I don't because she can get scared (5 yrs now). My boys are 14 mos and they are listening to Another Man's Shoes right now (ha! with me!) My one boy picked it out, at least that's the CD he grabbed so I figured that's what we'd listen to. I don't think there's anything wrong with having them listen at any young age. My daughter likes Tales Of Moderation more than anything ("I want to listen to the talking toaster!") and the ep in which Tamika breaks Whit's blender (name/album anyone to jog my memory before I find the time to look it up?)

actually the split era eps are good for really young kids, even though some fans hate them. Sunset Bowlawater is one of my favorites!

EUCC wrote:Yeah my kids listen all the time. When my daughter was little I didn't care if I listened to the scarier episodes when she was around but now I don't because she can get scared (5 yrs now). My boys are 14 mos and they are listening to Another Man's Shoes right now (ha! with me!) My one boy picked it out, at least that's the CD he grabbed so I figured that's what we'd listen to. I don't think there's anything wrong with having them listen at any young age. My daughter likes Tales Of Moderation more than anything ("I want to listen to the talking toaster!") and the ep in which Tamika breaks Whit's blender (name/album anyone to jog my memory before I find the time to look it up?)

Broken-Armed And Dangerous is what you're looking for. Album 47, I believe.

It's Album 46, "A Date With Dad (and Other Calamities)".

Thanks! Listening to it for the 5th time today now.

It warms my heart to see the next generation of Odyssians in training.