Phone rings twice
REDGE’S VOICEMAIL: Hello friend, you have reached Mr. Redge’s hotline. What are you curious about today?
REDGE: Jonathan! Jonathan!
JONATHAN: What’s up, Redge?
REDGE: It’s time for Mr. Redge’s Hotline, where we answer questions and give some shout outs! And this first question has me giddy with glee!
JONATHAN: Tell me about it!
REDGE: Well, it came through on two 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts - ooh thank you for that! One says “To Reginald” and the other from Dorkgrl101 is to “Mr. Redge” and both ask, what is your favorite hat?”
JONATHAN: Oh boy, that’s gonna be a tough one.
REDGE: I know! I love all my hats and snazzy outfits. Let’s see, there’s the pirate hat I wore when we met the ghost of Swashbuckle Joe…my baker’s hat when we made Christmas cookies in July… the beret I wear to THE Honey B. Bearton’s art classes..
JONATHAN: What about the hat Zinnia Fig made for you out of dried flowers from the community garden?
REDGE: Oh, yes! And that one even smells like a field of fresh lavender (inhale, exhale)…but, I think my favorite, at least for the next 24 hours, is my Cavalier (cava-leer) hat. You know the one, Jonathan. It’s what I wear when you, Rodge and I are the Three Hedgeketeers!
JONATHAN: I, Jonos, raise my sword to our adventures…and that hat!
REDGE: En garde, mon ami!
BIG BAD: Redge and Jonathan, may I interrupt your hat discussion?
JONATHAN: Of course, Big Bad. What’s up?
BIG BAD: My wolf pack just heard the news that our listener friend, Ella Grace, has become a big sister to a new baby brother!
REDGE: Huzzah, Ella Grace!
JONATHAN: Congratulations to you and your family!
BIG BAD: Ella Grace, your kind heart, and caring ways will make you the best big sister ever, Aroooo!
REDGE: Thank you Big Bad for bringing us this wonderful news. Jonathan, Easton’s mom told us that he loves our podcast and listens to it during car rides, after school, at bedtime and while he’s doing so many other daily activities. He likes to listen on his own and together with his family!
JONATHAN: Wow! Easton, thanks buddy for joining Redge and I as we “hit the trails of the wonderful, wacky, wild world of Dorktales.”
REDGE: How did you know that Easton loves our theme song too? His mom got it for him - (whispers) on Bandcamp by the way - so he can listen to the entire song. I hope you sing along too, Easton! Ladadadah!
JONATHAN: That reminds me, Um Amirah (I hope I pronounced that correctly) wants to memorize the lyrics to our theme song. That’s awesome! If you look in the show notes, I added a link to the lyrics on our website. Happy memorizing!
REDGE: Jonathan, we have our good friend Alice who takes us to Wonderland, AND we have a listener friend named Alyce with a y who’s wonder-ful! She writes such lovely comments on Spotify after she listens to our episodes, telling us what she likes about the stories and giving us words of encouragement. I think she’s a record holder for most comments in one day.
JONATHAN: We have more listener friends who also deserve a shout out…I’ll do my best to say the names you use on Spotify correctly:
Dmokran
Fredo
S O
Wei
Aida
Kai
Jillpughfeero
Jenny Ballen
Faithc
Sarah, and
Motmot
REDGE: Thank you one and all for sharing your ideas for Hidden Heroes of History, your favorite characters, what you feel grateful for, and all the ‘I LOVE DORKTALES’ comments with all those delightful tiny picture-things like thumbs up, hearts in all colors, smiley faces, unicorns, and rainbows.
JONATHAN: Those are called emoji.
REDGE: Ooooh I love them! Each one is like a shooting star of happiness for all us folk from the Folktale Forest.
JONATHAN: So, friends, thanks again for all your support. It really makes our day when we hear from you. Speaking of that, grownups, could you spare a few minutes to fill out our survey? We value your input and feedback. We’ll send you a map of Dorktales Once Upon a Time lands as a gift for your time. There’s a link in the show notes.
REDGE: Also, we’re ALWAYS excited to hear from you, young listeners, so keep your questions coming! Grownups, let your child join in the fun and ask a question for an email response and a chance to be featured in a future Mr. Redge’s Hotline episode.
JONATHAN: Here’s how to make it happen: Record your child saying their first name, age and their awesome question. Send the recording to us at dorktalesstorytime@gmail.com. You can also find more ways to reach us in the show notes. Now, go be the hero of your own story, and Mr. Redge and I will see you next, once upon a time!