Season 5 on Children’s Media Coming March 11!

Haeny Yoon: When school is out, I come straight home, make a bowl of ramen and turn on the TV to watch the, wait for it, Bad News Bears on Nickelodeon. My jam was a kids show about a team of little leaguers coached by a cranky old white dude. Nathan Holbert: That tracks. For me after school, it was all about Duck Tails. Something about Scrooge McDuck doing the backstroke through a money vault full of coins really spoke to me. Haeny Yoon: Money, money, money. Nathan Holbert: Oh, I'd also watch Tailspin. Haeny Yoon: Punky Brewster. Nathan Holbert: Sesame Street. Haeny Yoon: Electric Company. Nathan Holbert: He-Man, and the Masters of the universe. Haeny Yoon: He-Man? The buff guy with the blonde bob? Nathan Holbert: Yeah, and the Loincloth. Haeny Yoon: This season we're talking about children's media if you hadn't noticed. And look, television raised me. I say it facetiously, but it's true. I was home alone a lot. My parents aren't native English speakers, so television gave me a sense of the cultural landscape. Nathan Holbert: For me, it was a way to play with other forms of things I already loved, right? TV shows about games, cartoon characters, et cetera. It also introduced me to new ideas, genres, and experiences that I'm still into today. Haeny Yoon: It gave me possibilities and a sense of how people were thinking out there. When my parents didn't have the cultural insider knowledge to tell me how to navigate American life, I had TV, not as an accurate portrayal, but a way to look in. Nathan Holbert: This season, we're talking children's media. TV, movies, games, puppets. Join us for the conversations with media scholars, game designers, performers, artists, and of course- Haeny Yoon: Kids. Nathan Holbert: It's Pop and Play. You know we're going to talk to kids. Haeny Yoon: We're going to dig into what it takes to create children's media and the special relationships kids build with these characters. Nathan Holbert: And the reasons why we keep coming back long after we're supposed to grow out of it. Haeny Yoon: Hey, some of us are still kids. Nathan Holbert: Oh, Haeny, this is so Gen Z. Haeny Yoon: Thank you. Season five of Pop and Play starts March 11th, and a new episode releases each week. So be sure to subscribe with your favorite podcast app so you don't miss an episode. Nathan Holbert: And tell your friends, especially if your friends love counting. Haeny Yoon: Season four. Ah, ah, ah. Nathan Holbert: Season five. Ah, ah, ah. Haeny Yoon: Ah, ah. That's five.