Dorktales Storytime
Be the hero of your own story with Dorktales Storytime, the award-winning podcast for kids and their pop culture loving grownups. Enter their Once Upon a Time world where hosts, Jonathan Cormur and Mr. Reginald T. Hedgehog, take you on a storytelling journey of curiosity and acceptance. You’ll explore reimagined fairytales and fables with social emotional themes, discover inspiring stories of history’s hidden heroes, and experience imaginary tales of boundless possibilities.
Recognized by Common Sense Media as outstanding entertainment with an official seal for quality and impact. Common Sense Selections include age-appropriate media with the potential to spark family conversations, entertain families of all kinds, and have a positive, lasting effect on society.
Reach out to us at dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com
Dorktales Storytime
A Howl Noir Mystery - Spooky Stories for Kids
Something spooky is afoot in the Folktale Forest! This autumn, chaos is striking every seasonal celebration. Decorations are being destroyed. Party snacks keep disappearing. And terrified witnesses claim they’ve seen a howling creature on the loose. Everyone’s pointing paws at Big Bad Wolf, but he says he’s innocent. That’s when his junior detective friends, Redge, Jonathan and Wabbitson step in to crack the case. As the clues lead them toward something far scarier than they ever imagined, can these sleuths solve the mystery before the full moon rises?
Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/a-howl-noir-mystery/
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https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/ep119freePDF
PARENTS, TEACHERS AND HOMESCHOOLERS: In this nod to a film noir mystery, kids learn the value of looking past assumptions, supporting friends, and working together to solve problems. The story shows how trust and teamwork can uncover the truth and reminds kids that even scary situations can be better understood when faced with curiosity and courage.
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS STORY you’ll find even more Halloween spooky-ish tales on our Dorktales Storytime Halloween playlist: https://jonincharacter.com/halloween-stories-for-kids-playlist-thats-more-fun-than-fright/
CREDITS: This episode is a Jonincharacter production. It was written and produced by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Pacific Grove Soundwork
We love the new book Hope in the Nick of Time by Deedee Cummings! Out September 30th and available for pre-order now!
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Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!
JONATHAN CORMUR: Hello Dork Squad. I'm Jonathan Cormur and you're listening to Dorktales Storytime, the podcast for kids and their pop culture-loving grown-ups.
THEME SONG: It's a beautiful day for a story, adventure and glory, new friends and old ones too. It's an excellent day to get swept away in a tail, so let us regale you.
REDGE: (In a noir detective voice, mysterious music plays) It all began when the Big Bad Wolf knocked on the door to my hovel. I was fixing myself a spot of tea in my office when he walked in. He looked at me with his big puppy dog eyes. Told me something mysterious happened a few nights ago. Witnesses across the Folktale Forest said they saw a wolf tearing through the Haunted House Hooplah like a tornado. And they saw the wolf again at the Monster Mash, Graveyard Smash.
I told the Wolf I was retired, I’d hung up my detective’s hat, I couldn’t help him. But he only asked again, telling me he was under the microscope for a crime he didn’t commit. How could I resist such an intriguing case…
BIG BAD: Uh… Redge?
JONATHAN: You with us, buddy?
REDGE: Oh! Apologies! I was a bit lost in my thoughts. (giggles) You know how much I love a good mystery!
JONATHAN: It’s true! He does love a good mystery! Big Bad, can you go over what happened one more time?
BIG BAD: I don’t even know what happened! A bunch of people started telling me I huffed and puffed and blew away all of their fake spiderwebs! That I’d stolen the bones from their skeleton decorations and ripped up the crepe paper streamers! They even said I’d eaten all of their Halloween-themed snacks!
REDGE: Hmmm, like candy corn?
BIG BAD: Uh…probably?
REDGE: Grape monster eyeballs and witch hat cookies and cheese, and pretzel stick spiders? Banana ghosts?
BIG BAD: I don’t see how that’s rel-
REDGE: Carmel apples? Ooo! Apple cider donuts!!
JONATHAN: I think we’ve lost him again. He’s just listing his favorite Halloween snacks now…
REDGE: Worms in the dirt! With the gummy worms and the pudding…oh, that’s a good one! Is anyone hungry? I’m suddenly hungry.
JONATHAN: Redge! Focus up! We have to help Big Bad figure out what’s going on!
REDGE: Right! Right, apologies, apologies. So for some reason, you’ve started rampaging through all of the Folktale Forest’s favorite Halloween events? I only arrived after the parties were kaput.
BIG BAD: It isn’t me! I swear!
REDGE: Hmmm, another wolf is ruining the parties…
BIG BAD: Has to be! I would never ruin good Halloween fun! I was going to bring some music from my shop, Howl at the Moon Records. I just got some new Haunted House Soundscapes on vinyl and Halloween hits from The Branch Sisters!
REDGE: Oh! Were you bringing their record When You’ve Got It, Haunt It? Or Eerie-sistible Songs for Spectors, Ghosts, and Ghouls?
BIG BAD: Both!
REDGE: Wow! I love that birdy band so much! Anyways, it seems to me that you were providing a service by bringing the tunes, not stomping all over the fun.
JONATHAN: Absolutely!
BIG BAD: Wolves really love shenanigans on Halloween. But we’re nice and considerate about it, of course! I want all of the festivities to go off without a hitch!
JONATHAN: We believe you.
BIG BAD: You do?
REDGE: Of course we do! And we’re going to help you crack the case!
BIG BAD: You are? Awoooooooo-nderful news! Because the Pumpkin-A-Palooza is tonight and I’m worried the beast may strike again!
JONATHAN: Not the Pumpkin-A-Palooza! I’ve already missed the other parties this season…I must’ve fallen asleep early. I don’t want to miss Pumpkin-A-Palooza!
BIG BAD: We'd better hurry, the party starts soon.
REDGE: Alright…think Reginald…If the forest’s greatest detective, Sherlock Nettlesbee, has taught me anything, it’s that we should start by investigating the scene of the crime.
JONATHAN: Maybe we should find one of the forest folk who hosted the Monster Mash, Graveyard Smash.
REDGE: And we can see if any clues were left behind! Come on, detectives!
BIG BAD: I’m right behind ya!
Mysterious music plays for a few seconds
JONATHAN: Oh…oh my…
REDGE: This place is…
BIG BAD: A disaster!
FRANK RUBBISH: You’re darn tootin’ it is!
REDGE: Frank Rubbish! Wonderful to see you! I wish it were under less…mysterious circumstances.
FRANK: Hiya Redge, Jonathan, and…hmmph.
BIG BAD: Aw, Frank! It wasn’t me!
FRANK: Are you sure?
BIG BAD: Positive!
REDGE: What happened here, Frank?
FRANK: It was all pretty frightening. (suspenseful music starts and builds as Frank describes the wolf) I was mindin’ my business setting up and whatnot. See, my band, PossumPact, was supposed to close out the night with a live set. All of a sudden, our bass player heard something growl in the bushes. We thought someone was playin’ a trick on us, tis’ the season you know. But then suddenly! A blur of terrifying fur and gnashing fangs leaped from the bushes behind us and tore through the party in a feverish whirlwind, leaving a trail of upturned tables and candy wrappers in their wake. And just as the creature got to the edge of the woods, they turned around and howled so loud my teeth started rattlin’! (The music has reached a fever pitch)
Hey, Polly Possum! (Music abruptly stops) Hector the Rat! Sue Wee! Go easy on the music rehearsal for a second, will you? I’m trying to tell these fellers about what happened last night!
SUE WEE: Sorry, Frankie!
FRANK: All good, all good. Anyways, that’s about the long and the short of it. The beast ran off in this direction, just past the fortune teller's stand.
JONATHAN: Oh man… that story made my stomach hurt.
REDGE: It was pretty scary!
JONATHAN: It sounds exactly like the kind of thing that would happen in this book I was reading a few days ago: Creatures of the Creeping Forest. Scared me to bits!
REDGE: Oh my! No wonder your stomach hurts!
JONATHAN: Right? There’s this one part that really got me fright-
BIG BAD: Now wait a second…I can’t howl that loud! My howl is mighty…
REDGE: Of course it is!
BIG BAD: But so loud I’d drown out PossumPact? There’s no way!
REDGE: It seems we have our first clue!
FRANK: You know…yer right about that…maybe it wasn’t you after all…sorry for not believing you at first, Big Bad.
BIG BAD: Hey, no worries, Frank! I understand. And thanks for your help!
FRANK: Not a problem at all. I do hope you’re able to find this party crasher soon. It would be a shame if they showed up at Pumpkin-A-Palooza. The bandmates and I are making a Jack-O-Lantern that looks like our album cover for the carvin’ competition tonight.
REDGE: That sounds amazing!
FRANK: Plus the full moon and all that…
JONATHAN: Did you just say…full moon?
BIG BAD: Oh, right! Pumpkin-A-Palooza always takes place on the night of the full moon.
REDGE: Wait…in a magical world like this, full moons always mean powerful things gain more power!
BIG BAD: Even the two days leading up to the full moon are charged with power. No wonder the beast’s howl is so hearty!
JONATHAN: Uh, guys…Look! Right here by the fortune teller’s stand! Is that…are those?
BIG BAD: HUGE paw prints! These are way bigger than mine, you see? It’s twice the size of my foot!
REDGE: So we have a massive beast with fur and fangs…a howl that rattled Frank’s teeth…HUGE claw prints in the ground…the full moon quickly approaching…oh…oh I think I’ve got it!
BIG BAD: What is it, Redge?
REDGE: I think we may be dealing with…A WEREWOLF!
JONATHAN: A werewolf?! Ohhh my stomach can’t handle this…
BIG BAD: (distressed) AWOOOOOO-Oh, I don’t know about this…how will we stop a rampaging werewolf?
REDGE: Frank. We have to go. I know just who we can talk to to help us crack this case. Come on, Jonathan! Big Bad! We have no time to waste!
FRANK: See ya later! Good luck!
(Mysterious music transition)
REDGE: Wabbitson! We need your help!
BIG BAD: Sorry to bother you while you’re out in the garden.
WABBITSON: Why hello there, lads! What seems to be the problem?
REDGE: Do you remember that case you told me about? The one where Sherlock was away and you were left to solve the mystery on your own?
WABBITSON: Oh, you’re talking about…which one was it again…ah yes! The Wolf of Whiskerville.
REDGE: That’s the one!
WABBITSON: Yes, I remember. A wild adventure that was. At first, I thought there was a werewolf on the loose-wait a moment. So you’re saying that a supposed werewolf-
REDGE: Yep.
WABBITSON: Here in the Folktale Forest?
REDGE: Uh-huh.
WABBITSON: Oh dear…and you, Sir Big Bad Wolf, are getting the blame, aren’t you?
BIG BAD: How did you know?
WABBITSON: I’ve learned a thing or two about sniffing out clues from old Sherlock meself!
REDGE: Have you ever!
WABBITSON: Well, this shouldn’t be much of a problem. Now that you know what to expect, you can just confront the suspected beast at the party and see if it’s a werewolf after all. And if it is, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I mean, unless there’s a full moon tonight, then you’d need to worry. But that would be too much of a coincidence!
BIG BAD: GULP.
REDGE: So the thing is…
WABBITSON: What?
BIG BAD: It’s uh…just that…tonight is the full moon.
WABBITSON: WHAT?! Oh dear! That’s what I get for forgetting to look at me calendar.
REDGE: Whatever do we do?
WABBITSON: So if you are dealing with a werewolf, you wouldn’t want to confront them directly on the night of a full moon. Their claws will grow ten times as long…
BIG BAD: Oh no…
WABBITSON: And their fangs ten times as sharp…
REDGE: That sounds…s-s-s-scary!
WABBITSON: And their howl ten times as teeth-rattlin!
JONATHAN: Ack! I didn’t think this stomachache could get even worse!
WABBITSON: Sorry, mate, just want you to know what you’re dealing with!
BIG BAD: So what do we do?
WABBITSON: Hmmm…
REDGE: Hmmm…
WABBITSON/REDGE: I’ve got it!
JONATHAN: What is it?
WABBITSON: Are you thinking about that one part in the Wolf of Whiskerville case?
REDGE: That’s EXACTLY what I’m thinking of!
WABBITSON: I think it just might work!
BIG BAD: AWOOOOOOO-kay let’s do it!
REDGE: But you don’t know what it is yet.
BIG BAD: I’ll try anything to clear my name!
WABBITSON: Right then, let’s get to Pumpkin-A-Palooza at once! And bring my gardening shovels!
(Mysterious music plays for a few seconds as a transition.)
REDGE: I think we’ve done it! The trap is set just in front of the Pin the Tail on The Night Mare game-
WABBITSON: Now that is a fearsome horse!
REDGE: And we’ve made him look even more fearsome…er!
BIG BAD: Those lights we borrowed from the folks that hosted the Haunted House Hooplah are really doing the trick!
WABBITSON: Hopefully, we scare one beast with the illusion of another!
REDGE: And the werewolf falls into the pit we dug with your gardening shovel!
BIG BAD: And then we can help the werewolf with whatever it is that’s making them so angry. And I will clear my name.
JONATHAN: I don’t know about all of this…I feel so uneasy…
REDGE: It’s probably the stomachache you’ve had all day, Jonathan! But don’t worry too much, if you can help it! I really think this will work.
JONATHAN: Ok…I trust you Redge…
WABBITSON: Shhh! It looks like the clouds are parting overhead! The full moon is making its grand appearance!
REDGE: Do any of you see a werewolf?
BIG BAD: I’m still the only wolf around…
WABBITSON: Can’t see any beast approaching the party…
(The sound of growling)
REDGE: Boy, Jonathan, your tummy must really be aching.
(The sound of growling grows louder)
BIG BAD: What did you say, Redge?
REDGE: I think Jonathan’s tummy is aching!
(The sound of growling grows louder)
WABBITSON: Sorry, mate, I can’t hear you over that growling sound. It’s so loud!
REDGE: Right, well that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Jonathan, you might want to go lie down, I’m worried for you!
…Jonathan? Jonathan?
JONATHANWOLF: (Howls loudly)
REDGE/WABBITSON/BIG BAD: AHHH!
BIG BAD: Did-
REDGE: Did Jonathan-
WABBITSON: Turn into-
REDGE/WABBITSON/BIG BAD: A werewolf?!
JONATHANWOLF: (Howls loudly again)
REDGE: Everybody scatter!
(Growling and snarling from the werewolf)
WABBITSON: Try to lead him to the pit!
BIG BAD: Ope! Excuse me there, pal, I’m just gonna go ahead and squeeze on by -
WABBITSON: Hop! Hop! Hop! Hop!
REDGE: Bob and weave and dodge and spin and leap and slide and-
WABBITSON: Redge, look out!
REDGE: JUMP UP! Ha ha! You missed me!
WABBITSON: He is moving too fast! I can’t get him to go in one direction!
BIG BAD: Wait, I have an idea! Wabbitson, grab a bone from that skeleton decoration!
WABBITSON: Genius! Here you go!
BIG BAD: Here, wolfy wolfy…come get the bone, wolfy!
REDGE: It’s working, Big Bad! It’s working! Run! Run!
WABBITSON: Toss the bone in the pit!
(Big Bad and Jonathan-Wolf both howl!)
JONATHANWOLF: Oof!
REDGE: He’s in the pit!
WABBITSON: How did this happen?! How did Jonathan turn into a werewolf??
BIG BAD: More importantly, how do we bring him back?
WABBITSON: Wait! I know! There is always a Witch’s Brew stand at Pumpkin-A-Palooza!
REDGE: Brilliant, Wabbitson! They’re sure to have a potion to fix him right up!
BIG BAD: Let’s not waste any more time!
Mysterious music plays for a few seconds as a transition.
JONATHAN: (As if just waking up from a long nap) Huh…wh-what’s going on? Why am I inside a pit?
REDGE: OH, JONATHAN! OH MY FRIEND! YOU’RE BACK! I WAS SO TERRIBLY WORRIED! Here, take this rope, we’ll help you out.
(The group counts 1…2…3! )
JONATHAN: What happened?
REDGE: We know why your tummy hurt all day.
WABBITSON: Jonathan! You were the werewolf!
REDGE: Luckily, the Witches that run The Witch’s Brew had some crushed up wolf’s bane at the ready. They whipped up a potion that brought you back.
JONATHAN: Wait, slow down…I…what??
REDGE: That’s right! You were the werewolf!
JONATHAN: But…how is that possible?
BIG BAD: We were just asking the same thing!
REDGE: Alright, Reginald. Now is your moment…think like Sherlock! Jonathan said he slept through the Haunted House Hooplah and the Monster Mash, Graveyard Smash. That is very unlike Jonathan.
JONATHAN: I never miss any Folktale Forest Halloween parties!
REDGE: Exactly! And you didn’t this year either. You never fell asleep! You just transformed into a massive beast! But how…why…All day you’ve had a stomachache, one that left you feeling uneasy and scared. But you hadn’t seen the wolf because you became the wolf…so something else had scared you…the book!
JONATHAN: Creeping Creatures of the Forest!
WABBITSON: Oh, that book is very scary! All sorts of beasts are mentioned in there, all studied by a powerful warlock! It’s rumored that she imbued a bit of magic into her ink.
JONATHAN: I did read something about that! It’s what made me curious about the book in the first place.
REDGE: That’s it! You read the book in the days leading up to the full moon! Everyone knows the full moon makes powerful things more powerful! As the moon got fuller and fuller, the book grew more and more powerful. It was slowly transforming you into…
JONATHAN: AWOOOOOO!
WABBITSON/REDGE/BIG BAD: AHH!
JONATHAN: Hehe…just kidding!
REDGE: Phew!
JONATHAN: Wow! Way to crack the case! Thank you all for your help! And uh….sorry about all the damage…especially to your reputation, Big Bad.
BIG BAD: Ah, don’t sweat it! I’m just glad order has been restored!
REDGE: And just in time for the pumpkin carving competition!
JONATHAN: Alright!
WABBITSON: Let’s go pick out our pumpkins, shall we? To celebrate another case closed?
REDGE: Everybody ready to design the best Pumpkin-A-Palooza jack-o-lantern the Folktale Forest has ever seen?
BIG BAD: I’ve got schematics all drawn up for mine.
WABBITSON: Me too!
JONATHAN: I think I might switch up my design this year.
REDGE: Oh yeah?
JONATHAN: I think our recent adventure gave me a little…creative inspiration!
BIG BAD: Well, let’s hear it! What’s the new idea?
JONATHAN: Imagine a full moon in the background, with a massive silhouette of a great beast…
JONATHAN CORMUR: This has been a Jonincharacter production. This story was written and produced by Molly Murphy, and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Pacific Grove Soundworks. We love hearing from you! Contact us at dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com or try our one-way text feature as a safe way to reach out. You can find even more ways to reach us in the show notes.
Now, go be the hero of your own story and we’ll see you next once-upon-a-time!
THEME SONG: So gather your squad for all to see. It's a universe that we've imagined. There's twists and turns and lessons learned. This is where the unexpected happens. Join our humble hosts and hit the trails of the wonderful, wacky, wild world of Dorktales.
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