A storytelling podcast for kids · ages 5–11 · Season One out now
Stories for Robots
and Humans
Spark and Vector are robots. Silly robots. Sure, they’ve read the whole internet, but humans are still so confusing. Like, what are hot dogs and…why? And what’s up with wearing pants? To find out, they’re learning the old-fashioned way: with stories. Join them as they hear some of humanity’s most timeless tales with plenty of laughs and surprisingly insightful questions along the way.
Season One
The real stories
behind the stories you know.
We all grew up with the same classic animated movies: The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Cinderella… you know the ones. In Season One of Stories for Robots, you’ll hear those same stories. But also totally not.
Every week, I tell my two robot pals, Spark and Vector, the original stories that inspired the movie classics. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You probably won’t hurl. But you will be shocked at how wildly different, slightly weird, and utterly enchanting these stories are.
What kids and parents are saying
“It’s, like, better than watching TV.”
“I really like Spark and Vector. Vector was the funniest because he said, ‘He’s a lying liar that lies a lot.’”
★★★★★
“Listened to my first episode with my 7 year old. She was entranced! After she asked for more episodes and was filled with thought provoking questions. Tv/youtube/movies never do this!”
For the humans in charge
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Season one · six tales · new episodes Thursdays
The Real Stories
The Little Mermaid
Hans Christian Andersen, 1837
In the original, life's even trickier when the little mermaid gets on land. For one thing, every step feels like walking on knives. Oh, and that wedding at the end? It's not hers. Oh! And also... air fairies?
2 parts
Cinderella
Brothers Grimm (Aschenputtel), 1812
The OG Cinderella didn't have a fairy godmother. What did it have, you ask? Well, a fairy godpigeon, of course. Also, some enormous bowls of lentils and stepsisters who will stop at nothing to marry the prince.
Aladdin
One Thousand and One Nights (Galland version), 1710s
Remember that lovable genie? Well, in the original there are TWO genies: one genie of the lamp, and one genie of the ring. But don't worry, no one ever remembers the ring genie anyway.
2 parts
Rapunzel
Brothers Grimm, 1812
It all comes down to lettuce. As soon as Rapunzel is born, her parents have to give her to a witch because they stole so much lettuce from her garden.
Beauty and the Beast
Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, 1740
Remember Beauty? Well, did you know that she's half fairy? The original version of Beauty and the Beast includes a magic castle, lots of family drama, and some unexpected interference from the fairy world.
2 parts
The Snow Queen
Hans Christian Andersen, 1844
Remember the Snow Queen? Well, actually you probably don't. Legend has it that this Hans Christian Andersen classic was one of the inspirations for a certain snowy, icy princess blockbuster.
2-part finale
Cast of characters
Meet the robots (and human)
Spark
Spark loves humans. She loves them kinda like how kids love puppies: completely and with zero chill. If she met a human in real life, she’d probably try to pet it all over, feed it treats, and give it a cute new name. Spark appreciates human folly, enjoys making fun of Griffin, and can feel a happy ending coming, no matter what.
Vector
Vector sees humans for what they are: ridiculous. Being a “premium” robot himself, he maintains a healthy skepticism of human decisions, culture, and judgement. Vector’s interests include talking about metal, talking about himself, and collecting “fun facts” (which are usually wrong). He is a self-described “great sound effects guy”.
Griffin
Griffin is a human, and therefore way less cool than Spark and Vector. Yes, he is a storyteller, blah, blah, blah. He lives in New York City with his human wife and human children. There, they eat food, wear clothes, and engage in a range of human activities. He thinks he is funny but is really just a delivery system for stories we want to hear.
*written by Vector