Learning Inspirational Life Lessons Through Stories, Bear King & Bobo Chico Stories for Kids

Links from this Episode

• Podcast Consultation Form
• Bear King & Bobo Chico Stories for Kids Website 
• Bear King & Bobo Chico Stories for Kids on Spotify
• Bear King & Bobo Chico Stories for Kids on Apple Podcasts 

Bob Hastings, the narrator and writer of the show, describes it like this. Bear King & Bobo Chico Stories is an ad-free children’s podcast series narrated by author Bob Hastings. Episodes are about kindness, friendship, and overcoming uncertainty. Bear King is a friendly, knowledgeable talking bear who likes spending time and sharing gifts with his family and young friends. Bobo Chico is a talking river otter who is Bear King’s lovable, highly enthusiastic best friend. While on their adventures, Bear King and Bobo Chico meet many interesting people who help them overcome challenges and learn important, positive life lessons.

Each story invites the listener to experience the familiar and also use their imagination. The length of each episode is about 10 minutes. 

Podcast Consultations 

I’ve been able to talk to some amazing podcasters about their shows while doing interviews for the Friendly Podcast Guide.

Along the way, I’ve learned so many tips and tricks on how to start a podcast from the host I’ve interviewed and from personal experience. In this role, I’ve talked to podcast hosts about what made their launch successful and what made it more difficult. I for sure know what I would do differently if I could go back and launch my show again. I want to share my knowledge with you.

That’s why I’m offering podcast consults and I have a couple of spots open in the next month. If you need help nailing down your podcast idea, figuring out your niche, or you have any other podcast questions, I would love to work with you to make your shows launch the best it can be. If you’re interested in working with me, fill out the intake form in the show notes.I can’t wait to make a podcast plan that is tailored to you and your podcast and will make your launch as smooth and successful as possible. 

Meet the Creator

I’m Bob Hastings and two years ago I retired as an architect. With that opportunity I took on one of my projects of creating the Bear King and Bobo Chico Stories for Kid Podcasts. I did it with my wife Vicky and our good friend/ cousin Scott Whitney. We’ve just launched our second season, another 13 stories for kids. 

The Start of Bear King and Bobo

Long story short, when my two children who are now adults were kids, I would make up bedtime stories using their middle names. I would abbreviate them as Woody and Katie. These were just stories I made off the top of my head. Several years ago, early in the pandemic, we were sitting socially distanced in the backyard with my son. He said to me, hey dad, why don’t you make up a story for my son Arlo? I go, sure, okay, what about? He goes, well, he’s really into pirates. Alro enjoys looking at the crows that fly up into trees around our house. He’s also really into wind. 

Off the top of my head I did a story and Vicky snapped a picture of three year old Arlo.  He had this sort of faraway look as he was listening to the story.

Afterwards, my son said, that was great, can you make more? 

From Family Time to Podcast Creation

That was the inspiration for starting to actually craft some stories with the thought that maybe they would become a book. Then my daughter, Erin, who heard me telling the story told me that my voice is what really makes it. She said that I should do a podcast. 

We pivoted from going into bookmaking into making the podcast. We did it with Scott Whitney and his business all about that line of work. We immediately had a very experienced producer, sound technician, musician and all kinds of stuff to add to the story. So it just all came together. 

I focus on creative content. Vicky’s background is in public relations and marketing.

She really knows how to put everything together. How to find a graphic artist to help us  with the visualizing of some of the characters and the stories. It’s been a lot of fun.

Imaginative Life Lessons 

When I was a kid, my imagination would really be sparked by listening to the story and having to fill in with my own imagination what was happening. So what I want to do is take the kids on a fanciful trip each episode. 

I’m also a grandparent and also a dad. I know that storytelling can be a gentle way to impart life lessons in a gentle way. The second thing that I find has been very helpful is recognizing that children are growing and they’re going through their own situations. Many of the stories that I’ve written and told have come from interactions that my grandsons have had.

Facing Feelings

It’s really important that a kid gets validated. Their fears, joys, frustrations and need to be taken seriously, but in a fun way. Hopefully all the stories have both an element of a challenge in them. A lot of it is where do you find the courage to face that challenge? 

They are also about letting kids know it’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to be kind, it’s okay to show both frustrations and emotions. Also the importance other life lessons like forgiveness and appreciation.

Life Lessons and Problem Solving 

It’s a very simple formula for each episode. There’s sort of peace and harmony and then something happens. Then it moves to, what are we gonna do about that?

Sometimes Bobo Chico and Bear King are the ones that are coming up with a solution. Many times though, it’s the other characters. I’ve also  blended into every story somebody in my family or somebody who’s an acquaintance to us mix up the letters. We get these weird names, which also makes it a bit kind of fanciful.

The listeners, hopefully my grandsons, but also my nieces and other people are seeing themselves in the story. They are  imagining that they’re there in that situation that they recognize that they have that question, or that maybe that fear. They can ask themselves, how did I face that? Or how should I face that? 

I really enjoy putting young kids in the forefront and having them be the ones who are the key characters. Have them dealing with the issues of the story feeling empowered at the end.

Two characters are Loar, which is my grandson’s name, rearranged, and Roen, my other grandson’s name rearranged. They also have interactions as brothers, younger and older brothers. That is one of the most powerful dynamics for small kids, when they have young friends their age or the dynamic of siblings.

How do you navigate those challenges?  How do you both be frustrated and yet know that you love them, but sometimes feel that they may not love you? Hopefully those are things that folks will recognize both as parents or grandparents.

I want the kids feeling that I can face that issue, or I can have that adventure. I can step outside every day and do some fun things. 

Keep in Touch

Our podcast website is https://bearkingbobochico.buzzsprout.com/

We are on Instagram and our handle is @BearKingandBoboChico. If people want to reach out to me directly, I’m available at BearKing[at]PodWorx.com. 

Imparting Life Lessons

One of the blessings of being the writer is that I also get to impart some of the things that I remember as a kid. Both times of struggle, but also times of the fantasy and the fun.

It’s good to have those ideas. It’s good to dream and think that your fantasy world is maybe closer to the real world. They’ll lose that innocence of childhood one day. 

Age two and a half to three is where my grandson could begin to understand these small stories. Elementary school age as well or if they find pleasure in it when they’re in middle school. 

One of my inspirations in storytelling was Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh and these characters and the 10 acre wood. I carry those stories all the way through my life. I can still read them and  see both the fun, the fantasy and the wisdom of those things. 

I may be bragging a little bit or being a little over the top. I sure hope that the stories resonate, maybe even with parents too. I want them to be where they enjoy listening to the podcast and say, let’s listen to another one.

An Extended Adventure

One difference with the second season is that I wanted to link them all together.  I wanted them to build a good epic series. You could listen to individual ones, but when you listen to the series they build and build, I thought that’d be an interesting device.

I also thought it would be more fun for Loar and Roen to experience some really different landscapes. See some different worlds, different places, different people as part of the arc of the storytelling. Then coming back when they come home. It’s that epic leaving home, being on your own, being with friends, but always wanting to come home while recognizing this is a fun adventure. 

The struggle of, I miss home, these are cool people, but I really miss my parents or I miss my family or my dog, or whatever. The second season, hopefully folks will continue to listen to that. We’ll see if maybe there’s a third one.