WNYC Studios Launches Its First-Ever Podcasts for Kids

WNYC Studios debuted its first children’s podcasts, This Podcast Has Fleas and Pickle, on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11, respectively.  

WNYC Studios, a leading creator of original audio programming and podcasts, for the first time ever, is releasing two podcasts aimed at children listeners. On Monday, Dec. 4, the first two episodes of This Podcast Has Fleas debuted. On Monday, Dec. 11, all five episodes of the series Pickle will be released.

This Podcast Has Fleas is a collaboration between WNYC and kid’s television veterans Adam Peltzman (The Backyardigans, Odd Squad, The Electric Company) and Koyalee Chanda (Blue’s Clues). The scripted comedy series follows a well-intentioned dog named Waffles (Emily Lynne) who can’t seem to make things go her way and a cool cat named Jones (Jay Pharoah) with a fondness for auto-tune. Not only do Waffles and Jones have to live together, but these pets also have competing podcasts. According to a press release, Waffles and Jones’ story promises unpredictability, original music, and hilarious recurring characters-including a goldfish (Alec Baldwin) and a gerbil (Eugene Mirman).

“It has been a really exciting creative challenge to go from television, where the visuals are everything, to telling a story with just sound,” said Chanda and Peltzman in a press release. “These podcasts are essentially cartoons with no pictures, and we hope kids will be completely absorbed in this immersive audio experience. As longtime listeners of WNYC, we cannot imagine better partners to bring this experiment to life.”