The Imagine Neighborhood

Hey there, friends! It’s me, Count Vacula, with a fresh No Filter just for you!I’m really happy because this week you get to meet Lauren Ashley Smith. She’s a television writer and producer, and in fact, Lauren was the first-ever female African American head writer of a sketch comedy TV show! She’s smart and funny, and best of all, she’s very kind.When you’re trying to make a new friend, it’s helpful to ask them questions about themselves and then really listen to what they tell you. I asked Lauren a lot of questions, and she answered them all! She told me about her dogs, Jelly and Rowdy, and about her sisters, and about her new robot vampire vacuum cleaner (hi, Florida!), and about how writers can make the actors on their shows say all kinds of silly stuff! One thing we have in common is that we both host audio shows—even though mine is a podcast and hers is on the radio. We also both love to tell funny stories and joke around. Lauren told me a hilarious knock-knock joke, and a really great made-up story about how our shoes decide how tall we are, and then we made ourselves LOL all over the place pretending that we didn’t know each other. It was really fun!You know, I used to be really nervous about meeting new people, but now every time I practice making friends I end up having a great time! I think you’ll have a great time getting to know Lauren, too!Have you made any new friends lately? Or is there someone you want to make friends with, but you’ve been feeling shy? Tell me about it and maybe we can come up with some things you can do to get to know them better. In the meantime, I’m really glad that you’re my friend, and I’m really glad that we got to spend some time together today!Talk to you again soon!Your pal, VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

If you’ve had envy, you know it doesn’t feel very nice. And in today’s episode, Alakazambra really wants to stop feeling envious of her friend, Barbara Cadabara. It all begins when Barbara gets chosen as Wizard of the Year by Merlin Monthly magazine, and instead of feeling happy for her friend’s success, Alakazambra gets upset! She tries using magic to make her envy go away, but when the spell accidentally creates a terrible evil twin—EnvyKazambra—Alakazambra realizes it’s going to take something even stronger than sorcery to handle an emotion like envy!Will Barbara Cadabara spend the rest of her life smelling like minestrone?Will Irving the bodega werewolf receive enough skritches?Will Alakazambra learn that to deal with a difficult emotion, you have to claim it to tame it?For the answers to these and more, there’s only one spell to cast . . . Ready? . . . Set?Podcasticus Playicus!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Hello, listeners! This week we’re delighted to bring you—YOU! You’ve been writing in all year with really thoughtful questions for your friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and today we’re going to try to track everybody down and get the answers you’re looking for!Wondering about wizard powers, or musing over why Macho needs to know if things are macho?Curious why we confronted Rick Fryer in “Doc Apoc Has a Beef”, or hoping for help on how to handle feeling bad when you make a mistake?Want to know if I can eat an extra-large mushroom bacon green pepper pizza all by myself and not get a terrible tummyache . . . ?If so—we’ve got your show! I’m really excited for you to tune in today and join Vac, Alakazambra, Macho, and me as we read and reply to letters from listeners just like you. And hey, did you know that getting your messages and questions is our very favorite thing? Well, it is! So, if there are things you’d like to ask us—about the Neighborhood, or about big feelings, or about anything at all—you can email us, or you can have your grown-up post your questions in the reviews section of your podcast provider. We can’t wait to read what you have to say, and don’t forget to tell us—how were you kind today?Talk to you again soon!ScottyGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

It’s me, Count Vacula, sharing my newest No Filter—and my newest friend—with you!This week I got to meet Molly Birnbaum! If her name sounds familiar, it might be because she was in The Imagine Neighborhood™ just a few weeks ago, helping Macho and Mitsy understand each other better in “The Gourmetborhood.” But today, she and I got to just hang out and make friends!Something Molly and I have in common is that we both have podcasts! Molly hosts Mystery Recipe, where you can learn how to make tasty treats at home. But even though we both really like to try new foods, something we don’t have in common is that she has never eaten lint from underneath the couch! Not even the tiniest piece. Can you believe it?!Molly really loves to cook delicious food, and her favorite thing is helping kids learn how to be creative and safe in the kitchen, so that they can cook delicious food too. She also likes cardboard creations, and drawing treasure maps, and reading. Plus, she’s super kind, and she told me a very sweet true story about hugging her son when he was feeling frustrated, and a very sweet made-up story about whales and all their big feelings!I really liked getting to know Molly and learning about the things that interest her—and after you listen to this episode, I think you might feel the same way!With all this practice, I’m starting to get pretty good at meeting new people. Have you had the chance to try making friends with someone new and different yet? Email me to let me know how it’s going. Maybe your new friend can be my new friend, too!See you soon!VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Doing interesting things uses up a lot of our attention, and that’s okay—but it’s important to keep checking in on ourselves, because what our body is feeling can change how we feel! And if we let ourselves get too tired, or too hungry, or we wait too long to go to the bathroom, we can start to feel bad, or sad, and we can spoil our own fun.In today’s episode, Macho is doing a very interesting thing! He’s been working hard for weeks and weeks to put the final touches on his brand-new spaceship, the Mach Mini, and now he’s invited Vac and Scotty over to see its first launch! It’s an exciting day, but Macho doesn’t seem excited. In fact, it seems like something is very wrong. He’s getting upset easily and behaving rudely and unkindly. The Mach Mini is amazing, it’s a great day for a spaceship launch, and two of his best pals are there to celebrate with him . . . so, what’s making Macho so unhappy? Is Macho annoyed that Vac needs to take a break to recharge his batteries?Is Macho embarrassed because he doesn't seem strong enough to yeet Scotty today?Is Macho’s Boo-Boo Module connected to the Flex Axis, and is the Flex Axis connected to the Potty Region? It’ll take a pint-sized probe and a Macho Body Check-In to get the important answers on today’s stellar installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™! Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

It’s me, your good pal Count Vacula—bringing you another awesome new friend on another awesome No Filter!This week I get to introduce you to the amazing Robin Slonina! She’s a multi-disciplinary artist, which means she makes lots of different kinds of art. Robin makes sculptures, and she paints giant murals on the sides of buildings, and she even paints on people! She’s painted people to look like zebras, and puzzles, and trees, and she’s even painted people to look like paintings!Robin’s favorite thing is art. And one of the things I learned from talking to her is that art is everywhere! Museums are terrific for finding art, but Robin taught me that you don’t have to go to a museum. Wherever you are, if you just look around you, you can discover art. Plus, anytime you want to, you can make your own art! And best of all, whenever you have big feelings, you can just grab some paper and draw about them. When you’re done, you’ll have a beautiful piece of your very own art—and you might even understand your feelings a little better!Robin told me a really great true story about kindness, and a really great made-up story about how seed kisses make flowers, and she talked about how she makes whole rooms filled with art that you can touch and explore! Robin and I both love puppies, and we both agree that making new friends is always a good idea. I especially think that making friends with Robin is always a good idea, and I’m excited for you to make friends with her!Have you made any other new friends lately? I’d love for you to write in and tell me about them, or share some of your art with me, or just let me know—how were you kind today? I can’t wait to hear from you!Your friend,VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

A MACHO SUPREME™ episode. This week, Molly and Mitsy from America's Test Kitchen's Mystery Recipe podcast are joining up with us to make a Neighborhood cooking show, and everyone’s getting involved! But when Macho Supreme and Mittsy get together to create some tasty treats, there's a spatula showdown about how to make a cake, and things in the kitchen get a little kooky!Is Macho Supreme macho enough to try something new? To find out, take a great big bite out of this week’s scrumptious MACHO SUPREME™ story!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Hello again, friends! It's me—Count Vacula, back with a brand-new episode of No Filter with Count Vacula!This week, my guest is the very friendly, talented, and fun Tom Toro, who has one of the coolest jobs I’ve ever heard of. Tom is a cartoonist, which means his job is to draw! How great is that? Your grown-ups may recognize Tom’s name because he draws a lot of cartoons for a magazine called The New Yorker, but he’s also put out two terrific books for kids. One is called How to Potty Train Your Porcupine, which Tom wrote and illustrated all by himself. The other one is called I’m Terrified of Bath Time, which was written by Tom’s friend Simon Rich—but Tom drew all of the pictures! Tom and I have a lot of things in common. We both like cats—even though he mostly likes to play with them, and I mostly like to eat their hair off the floor (black cat hairs are the tastiest!)—and we both like to read cartoons. Something else we share is that we both live far away from our families. A lot of my family lives on the continent of Asia, and a lot of Tom’s family lives on the continent of Europe!Tom talked to me about drawing, flying, hiding from imaginary monsters, and the “little library” he has at his house—and he also made up a great story about how cats use their whiskers to communicate with other planets! I had a great time learning about my new friend Tom, and I think you’ll have a great time, too.We’ll be seeing each other around The Imagine Neighborhood™, but I also have more No Filter episodes coming up, with more new friends for you to meet. In the meantime, I hope you’re making some fun new friends of your own! You can write in and tell me all about it—or just let me know, how were you kind today?See you soon!Your pal,VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

It's awesome when we can share the things we enjoy with other people! But it’s not so awesome when the person doing the teaching isn’t being patient or laughs when we make mistakes. It can feel hurtful and frustrating, and it definitely takes the fun out of playing together.This week, Scotty and Vac are over at Preston Changeo’s house, learning Bozelba—the most popular board game in the wizard world! Preston is a Bozelba champion, and he’s very excited to get his friends involved . . . but he’s not doing a very good job of explaining how to play. He’s going very fast, he’s behaving rudely, and worst of all, he’s making fun of Vac for not getting things right the first time!Will Preston do a Switcheroo, to help him remember what it felt like when he was first learning to play the game? Will Vac be able to catapult the 100-Foot Chicken at the Power Pedestal to release the Bozelba? Will Scotty eat up all the pizza muffins? There’s only one way to find out!For fun episode activity ideas, have your grown-up sign up for our weekly Wednesday newsletter—but right now, get ready to roll the (16-sided) dice on today’s exciting episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Do you remember the episode called “Food Fight”? Well, recently we had a chance to get on stage and share that story in-person with a new group of friends at an event called SXSW EDU (pronounced “South by Southwest ee-dee-you”). It’s a big gathering in Texas where people from all over meet up to share the things they like—and we really like sharing stories about the Neighborhood!What was extra fun about telling the story of “Food Fight” to our new friends is that our team got to pretend to be different people in the story! Vac got to be himself, but Michal pretended to be me, Melly pretended to be all the pirates, and Bilal pretended to be Captain Deen. We had a blast using our imaginations and making the story fun and exciting for the audience. We hope it’s fun and exciting for you to hear it in this new way, too!Thanks for checking out this special episode, and remember, you can use your imagination and play out stories from The Imagine Neighborhood, too—and if you do, we’d love to hear about it! Food Fight is part of our 'Imagine Equity' project. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation; working to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.Have a great week, everyone!ScottyGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Oh hey, everybody, Count Vacula here! It’s great to see you again! This week I got to use my friend-making skills with a very interesting and talented person named Chris Ballew!Chris does really cool drawings, but he’s mainly a musician. Your grown-up might know him from his band Presidents of the United States of America, or you and your family might have listened to one of the nineteen Caspar Babypants albums he’s recorded! He even wrote a terrific “Five Questions” theme song for my show, which you’ll hear in this episode!Chris told me all about his imaginary childhood friend Mr. Shadow (he also made up a great story about how shadows get fat!), and the cool things he’d make out of cardboard, and how being creative makes him feel really happy. Chris and I both love making jokes, and being kind, and we had a really fun time getting to know each other. I think you’ll like meeting him, too!I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a new No Filter, but in the meantime, I’d love to get to know YOU a little better! You can write me anytime at [email protected], and just tell me about yourself, or share a drawing, or let me know—how were you kind today?See you soon! Your pal, VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

A DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ episode.Doctor Apocalypso is about to compete in the Tour de Rancid, the greatest unicycle race in the world! But even though the racetrack is difficult, Doc hasn’t practiced at all. She’s confident her natural ability will be enough to win, but co-pilot Scotty isn’t so sure. He’s feeling worried—about the piranha pits, about the field of booger craters, and about how Doctor Apocalypso might react if things don’t go her way. . . So buckle up for today’s muddy, and mutant-frog-filled DOCTOR APOCALYPSO™ milestone! Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Hi, everybody! It's me—your pal, Count Vacula! It’s been a long time since I got to share a new No Filter with Count Vacula with you, and I’m super excited for us to get back to practicing meeting new people and learning how to make friends.My guest this week is the congresswoman for Washington’s 10th District—Marilyn Strickland! Congresspeople are a very important part of our government. They’re chosen by the residents of their state to work together to make lots of big decisions. It’s a tough job, but you get to help all sorts of people in all sorts of ways!Even though Marilyn is a human and a congressperson and I’m a robot vampire vacuum cleaner, we have a lot of things in common! Both of our families come from the Asian country of Korea; we both like to travel (even though she mostly travels in airplanes and I’ve mostly traveled on Cap’n Marion’s ship or the Mach Billion); and we both think it’s really important to be kind and to help people as often as you can.Marilyn had some really interesting things to say about meeting ghosts, and making cardboard sleds, and she told a fun make-believe story about how tigers got their stripes—and why they might sometimes smell like candy!I really enjoyed getting to know Marilyn better and finding out about her, and I hope you will, too. If there’s someone you think I should get to know better—let me know. Maybe they can be a guest on my show!Love, VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Welcome to Part Two of our putrid parable about problem-solving, as we rejoin Scotty, Princess Donnasaurus, and Pete Twanger in the middle of dealing with myriad magical messes all over town—plus a fart tornado that’s still headed right for the Neighborhood!With so many things going wrong, it’s going to take every problem-solving approach that PD and Scotty know to get the Neighborhood sorted out and make sure everyone’s safe inside before the fart tornado hits! So head on over to The Imagine Neighborhood™ for cardio conundrums, mole sauce (made by actual moles), and finally finding a problem that Pete’s ptwanger can solve in today’s second stormy story installment!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

This week, Scotty and Princess Donnasaurus will need a LOT of new ideas, because they have a LOT of problems to solve. First, there’s a dangerous (and very stinky) fart tornado headed right towards the Neighborhood! And second, there’s a new grown-up in town who isn’t very good at problem-solving. Pete Twanger thinks he can fix the fart tornado by throwing things at it with his “ptwanger” machine. From sofas to people to Princess Donnasaurus’s beloved magical treasures, he ptwangs and ptwangs, but of course the fart tornado keeps on coming—plus, he’s making a big magical mess all over the place!Can Scotty and PD teach Pete Twanger how to Switcheroo before it’s too late? Will “getting large to take charge” help Pete stop creating magical kittens by mistake? Will “getting small to deal with it all” bring back PD’s enchanted record player? In any case, somebody better shake things up quick, because the Neighborhood is getting stinkier by the minute! So, join us as we kick off Part One of this pungent parable, and don’t miss the thrilling story conclusion one week from today! In the meantime, have your grown-up get on our mailing list for our weekly Wednesday newsletter with episode discussion prompts and activity ideas. And hey—we’re so excited to welcome you back to another year in The Imagine Neighborhood™!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Hey, friends—it’s the last Monday of the year, so you know what THAT means, don’t you? . . . Yup! It’s Cardboard Boxing Day! Happy Cardboard Boxing Day, everybody! We hope your family is making the most of any boxes left over from the holidays, and we can’t wait to see photos of all your amazing cardboard creations!Today is also the day of our last episode for 2021, so we wanted to do something a little special—Recently our pal Kobe sent in a bunch of terrific questions for different folks in the Neighborhood, so we decided we’d just dedicate this whole episode to answering them!If you’ve ever wondered about Vac’s attachments, or Alakazambra’s powers, or life in the Wasteland, or what the Space Machos are up to, or where Princess Donnasaurus comes from, then this special Kobe Edition of The Imagine Neighborhood™ is for you!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

‘Tis Cardboard Boxing Day Eve, and all through our ‘Hood, Friends are being generous, kind, cheerful, and good. With boxes all set to become cardboard creationsTo delight and amaze neighbors, pals, and relations.From Lava Avenue to Alakazambra’s place,Everyone’s got a bright holiday smile on their face.There's Doc! And the Cap'n! PD and Princess Dotty!Plus Music Man, Macho, and pals Vac and Scotty!We’ll hang with an ogre, and our fave dromedary,And clap as Mannrick performs the Sugar Plum Dairy.Enjoy a stellar spaceout with the TIN PhD’s,And spin a dreidel with Fieryous on the high seas!And though sometimes holidays can make folks feel stressedFrom working so very hard to deliver their best—What makes a day great isn’t because it’s grandiose,It’s spending time with the people who matter the most!So come join us this magical Boxing Day Eve With its cardboard creations you just won’t believe!And by the end, you too will opine—“Right in this moment, everything’s fine!” Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Hi, everyone! Guess what? . . . Vac’s back! I couldn’t wait for you to meet my newest friend, Aaron Horowitz!Aaron is kind, and smart, and fun, and he has the coolest job I ever heard of! Aaron makes robots! And not only robots—he makes robots who have empathy! And not only robots who have empathy—he makes robots who have empathy in order to help kids!His company is called Sproutel, and they make special robots that are designed to help kids with illnesses like cancer or diabetes. They also make robots like Purrble who helps kids get better at calming down when they’re upset. I thought that being a robot who keeps the house clean was pretty cool, but Aaron’s robots make kids' lives better and healthier! How cool is that?Aaron’s not a robot, but some of his best pals are robots, which is something we have in common! Other things we have in common are that we both love making cardboard creations, and learning about—and from!—other people. We talked about empathy, and about how we can pick up garbage in the park to help keep our neighborhoods clean, and he also taught me that every single one of us can make a positive difference in the world, all by ourselves—whether we’re a kid or a grown-up, or even a robot!I really liked meeting Aaron, and I think you’ll like meeting him, too!Your pal,Count VaculaGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Hey, everybody! It's me, your good pal, Count Vacula! This week my guest is Melly Victor—who is super cool, and is someone I already know and like a lot!One of the reasons Melly is so cool is that she’s part of the awesome creative team at The Imagine Neighborhood™, and another reason is that she has a great podcast of her own called Stoopkid Stories, and another reason is that she’s a really terrific person to talk to about adoption—which is what she and I talked about on this episode!If you listened to “Shkarf Attack” on The Imagine Neighborhood a couple weeks ago, you learned that Cap’n Marion is adopted, and that sometimes people have a lot of questions about adoption. Well, just like Cap’n Marion, Melly is adopted, too! She’s also very smart and kind, and she agreed to come talk with me and help me understand more about what it means and how it feels to be adopted. I don’t want to spoil the episode for you, so I’ll let you listen for yourself—but some important things I learned are that adopted kids are just like anybody else, that not all adopted kids want to talk about adoption and that that’s okay, and most importantly of all, that all families are real families!I hope you enjoy getting to know Melly a little better, and if you have any questions for her, or for me, please send us a message! I’m always so excited to get your letters and drawings—it’s great to get to know you a little better, too! Well, thanks a bunch for listening to No Filter! I'll be back again soon with another terrific guest, and in the meantime, I hope all of you and your families are staying safe, happy, and kind! Love, VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

It’s almost Friendsgiving in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Scotty and Vac have been working on their thank-you jar all year: every time they feel thankful, they put a penny into the jar. And every year on Friendsgiving, a mythical yeti collects everyone’s jars and donates the money to help the Neighborhood—unless Tantrumus Maximus gets his way . . .Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Have you ever felt two things at the same time? Like, maybe you were excited for the first day of school, but also felt nervous about being in a new classroom. Or have you ever felt angry at a friend who you also really, really liked? When we have a bunch of feelings that seem to be the opposite of each other, it can be confusing—or even upsetting.Cap’n Marion sure knows how that feels. In this week’s episode, she and Scotty are sailing the Burn Voyage to her annual family reunion when she discovers her original birth certificate . . . and her original name. Cap’n Marion is very proud of being adopted, but she’s never thought about her birth family before, and now she’s feeling. . . well, a whole lot of things! Should she keep her birth certificate, or shoot it out of the Recyclocannon?Is it okay to love her Fire Pirate family but still want to know more about her birth parents? Is Scotty about to barf up his lunch all over the poop deck if she doesn’t stop turning the ship around in circles?For the answers to these very important questions, plus pirate love letters, being confappy, and learning how we are all a little bit like a shkarf sometimes, hoist the mizzenmast and climb aboard for this week’s installment of The Imagine Neighborhood™!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Is Tantrumus Maximus the most evil billionaire hamster in the whole wide world? Yes. Yes he is. Does Tantrumus Maximus concoct the most evil billionaire hamster capers conceivable? Yes. Yes he does. And does this week’s episode have THE most evil billionaire hamster heinousness we’ve ever heard of (or, rather . . . NOT heard of)?! Yes. Yes it has! This week, evil billionaire hamster Tantrumus Maximus pulls off an auditory atrocity, a musical malefaction, a phonic felony SO diabolical you’ll have to hear it to believe it (or, rather . . . NOT hear it to believe it)! See, since we’re a podcast, we need sounds to tell our stories. And all of the sounds in the Neighborhood are created by our beloved Mister Music Man Lindsay Jones on his magical Sound Machine. But Tantrumus thinks that if he can take over the Sound Machine, he can take over the Neighborhood—and he just might be right! One thing’s for sure: When cats moo and ducks bark and Tantrumus starts talking about his feelings (gasp!), you know things are getting pretty bananapants around here. You can get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Tantrumus Maximus and the Sound Machine” by joining our mailing list. In the meantime, enjoy accidental bagpipes, runaway rhinos, disco duets, and learning ways to use sound to express ourselves on this week’s episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™!

imagineNeighborhood.org/RadioFree If you think this week’s title looks familiar . . . you’re right! “Macho’s Shot” first came out in August, but we’ve been hearing that some of our listeners are feeling worried about getting their vaccine, so we thought it would be a good idea to bring this episode back for another look. If you’re also feeling uncertain about going to the doctor, we hope you’ll give “Macho’s Shot” a listen. It’s got spaceships, songs, and lots of surprises—but most of all, it will teach you some cool tricks to make going to the doctor a lot less stressful! In this episode, Scotty is headed to the doctor to get his Merman Measles shot, to keep him from getting sick. But it looks like he might miss his appointment, because before Scotty can even get to the doctor’s office, Macho Supreme yoinks him away in his spaceship, the Mach Billion! Macho’s heard some scary stories from his friends about Scotty’s new doctor, and he’s determined to keep Scotty safe. But Scotty is . . . NOT throwin’ away his shot! You can get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Macho’s Shot” by joining our mailing list—and in the meantime, enjoy pursuits, predicaments, problem-solving, and a pinch of parody this week on The Imagine Neighborhood™!

Hey, everybody! Count Vacula here, welcoming you to my newest No Filter! This week, my guest is comedian, movie star, writer, podcaster, and cat-lover Tig Notaro! She’s best known for doing stand-up, which is a kind of comedy show where a person gets up on stage and tells stories about themselves and shares what they think about things. It’s kind of like making friends with a whole room full of people all at the same time! Trying to get better at making friends is something that Tig and I have in common—and we also both like animals, and making things out of cardboard boxes! Tig told me some great stories, shared a tasty ‘Tater Time’ recipe with me, and taught me that even when people aren’t being kind to you, you can still be kind to them—and that’s one of the kindest things you can do! I really enjoyed meeting Tig, and I hope you’ll enjoy meeting her too. Before I go, I wanted to say that I’m really happy about all the letters and drawings from listeners that we’ve been getting lately—and if you have a question, idea, or drawing you’d like to share, just have your grown-up email it to me at [email protected]! Have a good week, everybody, and I’ll see you soon in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Your friend, Count Vacula

This summer, thanks to a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation, the team at The Imagine Neighborhood launched Teen Force!, a virtual summer fellowship that brought together high school students from across the country. Together with expert consultants and a team of our mentors, 15 teens with interests in storytelling, podcasting, and social-emotional learning crafted these five Teen Force! segments for listeners of The Imagine Neighborhood. These stories show that no matter how old you are, whether you're an alien in a spaceship, a curious panda, or a princess-in-training, you can practice seeing the world from others’ perspectives and make your neighborhood a kinder place. https://www.imagineneighborhood.org/teenforce

Having a best friend is, well . . . the best! But when our bestie suddenly can’t be around, it can feel terrible. Whether someone we care about is moving away forever, or even if they just have to miss an important day like our birthday, it can be hard not to feel hurt, or even a little angry. In this episode, we’ll talk about using kindness to help us understand the other person’s point of view, and we’ll learn ways to continue to show friendship to people even when they’re far away! This week, Scotty is heading to the Spooky-Ooky Fall Festival, the spooktacular and spine-chilling party that Princess Donnasaurus and Doctor Apocalypso throw every year. But when Doc’s music tour gets extended and she has to miss out, Princess Donnasaurus isn’t happy at all. In fact, she’s really upset! Who’s going to make the Spooky Juice? Or light the lanterns? Or carve the pumpkins? And what’s with the huge hole that just opened up in the floor?! Join us for glowing goblin pops, flamethrowers, and the coolest (and creepiest!) new dance this side of the cemetery on today’s episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™. Plus, get discussion prompts and activity suggestions for “Missing Doc” by joining our mailing list – where every Wednesday we send out downloadable content for your family or classroom to help keep the Imagination Conversation going! See you out there on the dance floor, everybody! Shake those bones!

Hi everybody! It’s me, Count Vacula, bringing you a brand-new No Filter! I’m so excited to introduce you to this week’s guest, Dr. Jennie Warmouth! She’s a second-grade teacher, a college professor, and the co-author of a terrific book called Teacher Trade! AND she’s also a research scientist who works with animals and kids to study empathy—which is when we use our kindness, our experiences, and our imaginations to understand how others are feeling. She’s been to almost every continent on earth, and she’s met all kinds of animals—from dogs and cats to walruses and even elephants! Dr. Jennie and I talked about very intellectual, highly scientific topics such as why our dogs’ toes smell like corn chips, and whether walruses smell worse than black bears, and . . . okay, okay, maybe we talked about smells a lot, but we covered bunches of other fun things, too! Dr. Jennie taught me a lot about kindness, and doing research, and how animal feelings aren’t so different from human (or even vampire robot vacuum cleaner) feelings. Most of all, I learned that whether it’s a new friend or a new animal, when we take the time to get to know each other we’ll always discover that we have lots of things in common! I’m really glad I got to meet Dr. Jennie, and I think you’ll like meeting her too. Thank you to everyone who sent me a letter or a drawing last week, and for everybody else—I can’t wait to hear from you, too! Just tell your grown-up what you want to ask me, or have them scan or photograph your drawings, and they can send everything to me at [email protected]. I’ll have another No Filter ready for you all soon, and until then, have a great week, and I’ll be seeing you around The Imagine Neighborhood™! Your friend, Count Vacula

Disappointment is a very big feeling, and it can affect us in a lot of different ways. Someone who is disappointed might seem sad, or they might even act angry or mean. In this episode, we’ll talk about ways to help ourselves feel better when we’re disappointed—and we’ll also learn how to use kindness to understand when other people are disappointed and help them feel better, too! This week, Macho Supreme and Count Vacula are headed to Photon Fair—the annual Nebula Trek convention. The fair was cancelled last year because of the Pixie Pandemic, and although Macho and Vac are very glad it’s back, they’re a little disappointed when they find out that things will be more low-key this time. There won’t be a costume contest, and the rides are closed, but the good news is that Mannrick Allen (their second-favorite actor on Nebula Trek) will be there! Vac and Macho can’t wait to meet him and get his autograph . . . if only he would stop being so rude to everybody. Join us for Nirshese pepper-crabs, amazing burritos, and an udderly ridiculous amount of cow-themed puns in this episode of The Imagine Neighborhood™! As always, we’d love to see your drawings inspired by our story, and you can get artwork ideas and discussion suggestions in our Wednesday newsletter. Rockets away, everyone! See you around the Neighborhood!

Guess who? . . . That’s right! It’s me again—your pal, C.V.—bringing you a new No Filter! This week’s guest is the very kind and friendly J.V. (known to her acquaintances as “Janet Varney”)! J.V. is a comedian and actor, which is something we don’t have in common . . . but something we do have in common is that we both have podcasts! You might have heard J.V. on her Nickelodeon podcast Avatar: Braving the Elements, and your grown-ups might have heard her on her other podcast The JV Club. J.V. and I talked about nicknames (betcha can’t guess what my new nickname is!), armadillos, dreams, cactus plants, time travel, otters, fanny packs, thunderstorms, and how sometimes you think you won’t like somebody because they’re different from you—but once you get to know them, you find out that they can be a really good influence on your life! I’m really glad I got to know J.V., and I think you’ll be excited to know her, too! I’ll have another No Filter ready for you in a few weeks, and in the meantime, I hope you’ll keep sending me your questions and suggestions—and of course I love getting all your awesome drawings for the #InfiniteRefrigerator. Have a great week, keep an eye out for hummingbird messages, and I’ll see you soon in The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, C.V. (aka Vaxxie, aka your friend Count Vacula)

Hi, everybody! It’s your good friend, Count Vacula, bringing you my newest No Filter! My guest this week is Peter Sagal, the very fun and funny host of the NPR show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Peter’s been hosting this show for more than 20 years, which is a really long time . . . even to me, and I’m 1,000 years old! His show is on the radio, and mine is a podcast, but we both use our shows to meet new people and learn about them, as well as to do some hard-hitting journalism. For this No Filter, Peter and I did some hard-hitting journalism on the important topics of farts, fart jokes, and finding out who farted, as well as exploring the deeper issues of cookie-reaching, Frankenstein-fearing, and doghair-eating. We had a great time and learned a lot from each other. I bet you’ll have a great time and learn something too! I’ll be back soon with more No Filter, and if you have any suggestions, questions, or ideas for upcoming guests, it’d be great if you emailed me at [email protected]. Until then, I’ll see you around The Imagine Neighborhood™! Love, Vac

A COUNT VACULA™ episode. In this week’s episode, Scotty and Count Vacula are having a great time playing in their pillow fort . . . that is, until the famous blanket-castle architect Jill Koy (Carly Ciarrocchi) shows up. She's convinced that a pillow fort “hastabee” built a certain way—but when she changes everything around, things start to get a little shaky! So, meet us under the couch cushions for another cozy COUNT VACULA™ chronicle!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

When Macho Supreme and Count Vacula find a big cardboard box and decide to play Nebula Trek in it, Vac is excited to pretend to be one of his favorite characters from his favorite movie! But every time Vac jumps in, Macho won’t let him play. Because the actors in the Nebula Trek movie are white, Macho thinks that only white people can play them, and Vac is Asian.When we tell someone they can’t be part of something because of their identity, that’s called exclusion. And excluding people is not only wrong, it makes our world a little smaller!When we exclude, we put limits on the kinds of fun we can have, the kinds of stories we can tell, and even the friends we can play with. But when we use our imaginations to make room for everyone to play, we can go anywhere, and we can do anything!This episode is part of our 'Imagine Equity' project. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation; working to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

My guest this week is the very kind and very smart Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. He’s a podcaster like me—but he’s also a professor, and a National Book Award winner, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author of really terrific books like Antiracist Baby and Stamped (For Kids)!We talked about playing basketball, and cardboard creations, and how when the people you care about are happy, it can make you feel happy too!But we also talked about serious things, like how there are some rules that aren’t fair to everyone, and that it’s up to us to change those rules! It reminded me of when Big Bot Burger made a rule that said Wastelanders couldn’t eat in their restaurants. That wasn’t fair, so we all joined together to protest, and we got rid of discrimination in our neighborhood! Dr. Kendi says that standing up to discrimination is one of the kindest things we can do, and I think he’s right.A great thing about meeting different people is that you can learn all sorts of new ways to be kind. Did you do something kind this week? Tell me about it, and then maybe I can do it too! Yay! Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

In this week's bonus episode Dr Leslie Walker-Harding joins us to discuss ways to help kids who are afraid of getting shots. Dr Walker-Harding is the chair of pediatrics at Seattle Children's hospital and she's had to give, and get, a lot of shots. We'll talk about how she helps kids and grown-ups who are nervous to get a shot, and has some great tips for dealing with those big emotions.Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Going to the doctor can be scary, even if you’re as macho as—Macho Supreme! This week, Scotty needs to get his Merman Measles shot, but Macho is so afraid something bad might happen to Scotty at the doctor’s office that he yoinks Scotty away in the Mach Billion!Will Scotty get back in time for his appointment with Dr. Alexander Camelguy, or will he . . . (apologies) . . . throw away his shot?In today’s episode, we’ll learn some things that you can do to help make getting a shot less stressful. Along the way, we’ll hijack a spaceship, meet a very unusual medical professional, and make more Lin-Manuel Miranda musical references than, well, a Lin-Manuel Miranda musical. Stay safe, everyone. See you around the Neighborhood!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Preston Changeo (special guest star Tom Lenk) doesn’t think that wizards and monsters should be friends, and when he learns that Alakazambra and Vac are buddies he gets so upset he accidentally summons a rainbow-sherbet monster! Everyone has to work together to solve the problem, and Preston learns that being pals with all kinds of different identities is not only fun, it helps you learn new skills and be a better friend. This episode is part of our 'Imagine Equity' project. Imagine Equity is supported by a generous grant from The Allstate Foundation; working to empower youth to reach their full potential and build the just, equitable, and healthy world we all deserve. To learn more, visit AllstateFoundation.org.Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

This week, you’ll meet my new friend Jad Abumrad! We have a lot in common—like, we both make podcasts, although . . . my podcast doesn’t have a Peabody Award, and Jad’s podcasts Radiolab and Dolly Parton’s America do . . . But we both like synthesizers! And we like imitating the sounds of synthesizers! And we like comparing different kinds of synthesizers! We like other things too, though, not just synthesizers.But synthesizers are really cool!Jad and I also talked about daydreaming, and making cardboard creations, and how to stop an argument from happening by being kind instead of angry. Jad was so awesome!Love,VacPS: Does anybody know where I put my synthesizer?Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

This week Scotty takes a pirate internSHIP (ahem) aboard the Burn Voyage, and finds out there’s a lot that a Second Mate needs to learn to do—especially the all-important ARRRt of treasure-buryin’. But Cap’n Marion keeps getting distracted, and the gold is just lying on the deck where anyone can steal it!Will Scotty be able to help Cap’n Marion focus on what’s important before it’s too late, or will she lose her doubloons, her jewels, and even her mint-condition Splash Gordon action figure? Tune in to find out, and stay for a pirate chase, questionable parrots, and a pirate-approved technique that you can use to stay focused whenever your mind starts to wander.Until next time, see you ARRRound the Neighborhood!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

It's no secret that we love hearing from our listeners, or that we get really excited when you send in questions about things going on in The Imagine Neighborhood™, because then we get to do a Q&A episode!So, if you’ve ever wondered how Dr. Apocalypso got her name, what species of dinosaur Princess Donnasaurus is, or how many relatives Count Vacula has (lemme tell ya, that family cookout requires a LOT of crumbs!), this week’s episode has all the answers you’re looking for!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

My guest this week is the amazing Carly Ciarrocchi. You might know her from her Emmy-nominated work hosting The Big Fun Crafty Show and Snug's House for Universal Kids, or as host of Sprout's The Sunny Side Up Show, or from Weird But True! on Disney+, or from her terrific podcast HEY STORY GO!Even though Carly likes to get up early and I'm nocturnal (I just learned that word!), it turns out we both like construction cranes, and bumblebees, and cardboard creations. In fact, Carly has a whole show JUST about making things out of cardboard.You know, every time I meet someone new, I find out that even though we have differences, we also have a lot of things in common. That’s a really fun thing about making new friends!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

This week I got to meet a very smart and kind person named Brittany Murlas. She's a mom who started a really cool book club called Little Feminist. They find terrific stories with all different sorts of heroes in them, and send the books out to families all over the world!Brittany and I talked about a lot of very important things, like bedtime monsters, and feminism, and macaroni and cheese! She also taught me a cool new way to listen to music, and even gave me some great ideas for my next Cardboard Creation.I had a great time getting to know Brittany, and I think you'll like her too. Come back next week for a special BONUS episode of No Filter, and until then, remember to be kind. And if YOU have a robot vacuum friend, be sure to drop some crumbs on the floor for them.Or some macaroni and cheese. Either way.Love,VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

An ALAKAZAMBRA™ episodeMagical maven Alakazambra Tyesha Morganis is getting ready to hold the world’s biggest wizarding festival! But planning something as amazing as the Conjure-Con isn’t easy... The bat wings are missing, the cauldrons are filthy, no one has any idea when the Port-O-Whiz delivery will happen, and the Wizards are getting restless.What’s the greatest wizard in the multiverse to do?... By The Eye of Greldar, Alakazambra will cast the Calmulor spell on everyone to calm them down, and that will fix everything! Or - will it just create more problems?...So whip out your wand, and enter this enchanting ALAKAZAMBRA™ episode!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

This month we got some very important questions for our friends in The Imagine Neighborhood™, and it’s time to answer them with a Q&A episode! Stay tuned next week for a new episode of The Imagine Neighborhood. And keep listening the week after that for more No Filter with Count Vacula!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

This week in the The Imagine Neighborhood™, Scotty and Vac can’t wait for the All-Town Hand-Me-Down! Everybody in the Neighborhood collects clothes and toys they’re not using anymore, and they send them all down a chute so that someone new can use them. It’s a really fun way to be kind—plus, everyone gets a new hand-me-down in return!But this year, something’s not right. The chute is malfunctioning, and all the toys are piling up outside Princess Donnasaurus’s castle. Princess Donnasaurus has been bitten by a gimme bug, and it’s making her want everything for herself! It’s up to Scotty and Vac to help Princess Donnasaurus find the generosity inside her and defeat the gimme bug—and get the All-Town Hand-Me-Down rocking again.If you want even more of The Imagine Neighborhood, sign up for our newsletter. Each week, you’ll get additional discussion questions and activity ideas for kids and grown-ups. Keep sharing your ideas, drawings, and creations with us—we love seeing what you come up with, and you might see it featured on our Infinite Refrigerator!

Hi, listeners! It’s me again . . . your pal, Count Vacula, with my very own show, No Filter with Count Vacula!On No Filter, I’ll practice making new friends and getting to know all kinds of people. This week, I’m chatting with Biz Ellis from the podcast One Bad Mother. Biz and I talk about how being “bad” can sometimes be a good thing, how to find buried treasure in your own backyard, and how to be kind to teachers—with donuts! I'll see you again soon in The Imagine Neighborhood!Love, VacGet more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

A COUNT VACULA™ episode. Count Vacula is celebrating his 1,000th birthday, and his Great-Uncle Vacstradamus has come to visit! With big birthdays come big new responsibilities, and Gruncle Vaxie gives Count Vacula one week to learn to make breakfast and do the laundry. It’s time for Count Vacula to level up, because helping around the house isn’t a chore—it’s a great way to be kind! So snap on your attachments and gear up for another terrific COUNT VACULA™ tale!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

It’s time for a new Q&A episode! We’ll answer questions about Vac’s digestive system and what inspires Doctor Apocalypso. Plus, we’ve got special guest Dr. Jasmine with us! She’ll talk with us about the food on her spaceship and about the best ways to stay kind to everyone, even when someone like Rick Fryer is being unkind or unjust.Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

Oh, hey listeners, it’s me! It’s your friend, Count Vacula, and today I’m talking to my good friend, Macho Supreme. We’ll talk about making friends with monsters, space squids, and how to prepare for disco emergencies! Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

This week in the Neighborhood, Macho Supreme is off to the Space Marines’ Space-Cademy summer camp. To keep the Pixie Pandemic at bay, the camp has made a whole lot of changes—but Macho liked things better the old way! Luckily, Scotty is around to help him learn to “get bendy" and think of ways those changes might be okay . . . or even fun!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM

It’s me, Doctor Apocalypso, live from the Wasteland! Some of you out there sent in questions for me. So today, Cyclopia and I are rollin’ up to answer them in a Q&A episode! I’ll talk about how it feels to still miss Giganticus, and how to get out of bed like a rock star. And Scotty will answer questions about his house, new Imagine Neighborhood episodes, and even about sushi! Take a listen, and get ready to have your FACE rocked off!Get more at: IMAGINENEIGHBORHOOD.orgFriend and follow us!TWITTER, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM