Pop and Play | Media | Digital Futures Institute (DFI) | Teachers College, Columbia University

Season 5

This March 11th, another season of Pop and Play is about to roll into your podcast feeds! This season, Haeny and Nathan are exploring children’s media. By talking with game designers, performers, artists, and kids, we’ll examine what it takes to make children’s media and how kids relate to it. And of course they play games and find out “what’s poppin.” Follow now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search “Pop and Play” wherever you listen to Podcasts and subscribe!

New Episode!

Episode 9: What’s Poppin’ at the End of the World: A Story Episode

Haeny and Nathan aren’t just here to talk about children’s media - in this season finale, they’re here to MAKE children’s media! Welcome to a fictional tale of what happens after the end of the world, drawing on prompts and suggestions from this season’s guests and narrated by guest star Hannah Holbert. It’s an episode unlike any previous Pop and Play: we hope you enjoy it! And if you share it with any kids, let us know what they think! Send us a message at @popandplaypod on Instagram!

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Season 4

	Episode 1: StarCruiser This season is all about “playing roles,” and Haeny and Nathan start it off by exploring a long ago and far away galaxy at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser immersive experience. They are joined by fellow Teachers College professors Tran Templeton and Alex Bowers for their journey, and then interviewed by earthbound guest host Professor Lalitha Vasudevan to unpack their fantastical adventures. They ask, what is an immersive experience? What did they learn that could be relevant to designing learning experiences and environments? Why was Haeny’s experience so much different than Nathan’s? Find out all this and more on our first episode of Season 4!
	Episode 2: Immersive Experiences Haeny and Nathan are joined by immersive experience designer Caro Murphy to discuss the power of immersive experiences, what kinds of choices go into designing them, and what parallels they have to learning environments and teaching. Caro is one of the designers behind the Star Wars: Galactic Experience the team visited in last week’s episode! Listen to that too, it pairs great with this episode in either order! Caro shares some tips and reflections from their immersive experience design work, Nathan makes them navigate a haunted mansion, and more, all on this week’s episode!
	Episode 3: Drag Nathan and Haeny are joined by Lil Miss Hot Mess (LMHM) to talk about playing with roles through drag, Drag Queen Story Hour, and what it’s like doing drag events for kids. LMHM talks with Haeny and Nathan about her journey in drag, and how drag can be part of modeling possibilities for adulthood with kids. They tackle questions like, how can we defend drag from its critics and uplift its possibilities without sanitizing discussions of drag as an art form? And LMHM demonstrate her skills in coining drag names on the fly.
	Episode 4: Community Theater This episode takes the theme of “playing roles” this season literally! Marah and Chris join Haeny and Nathan on the Pop and Play stage to talk about acting! They are a married couple that acts in community theater productions in San Francisco. They talk about how they got into acting, what has kept them coming back to it, and how it feels to be on stage as a lead character and a person of color in front of younger generations. Also Nathan and Haeny put them on the spot for an unrehearsed acting challenge (without even giving them to the count of ten), and the results are impressive and maybe a little terrifying.
	Episode 5: Role Playing Games This week Haeny and Nathan are back at the table - the tabletop gaming table that is, with Kent Davis, author of the A Riddle in Ruby fantasy series and co-author of Epic RPG, a tabletop role playing game. He talks with Haeny and Nathan about how risk comes into gaming. What makes playing roles feel risky, and how can players be encouraged to take risks in a gaming environment, without pushing too hard? And of course, Haeny pitches Kent on her Kardashian themed role playing game.
	Episode 6: Cosplay Have you ever been curious about dressing in character? This week, Haeny and Nathan talk with Alexis and Josh about cosplay! They talk about why they dress up as characters they enjoy in community with others and how to put together costumes (having Josh sew them for you helps). They also talk about why dressing in character can feel risky, including dealing with the risk of harassment. And Nathan and Haeny talk about their own experiences with costumes and debate how to say “cosplay.”
	Episode 7: Young Adult Fiction This week Haeny and Nathan talk with Amy Parks, and Maika and Maritza Moulite. They are all navigating the world of academia and busy being young adult fiction authors. They talk about why they’re drawn to writing for middle school aged readers, what it’s like to be a YA author in academia, and where they get inspiration. Also, Haeny makes everyone share their most embarrassing memories. Just kidding. Sort of. Haeny Yoon! (You’ll get it when you listen.)
	Episode 8: Live Action Role Playing There’s no denying it (looking at you, Haeny), on this week’s episode we’re diving into “role playing.” It’s right in the acronym “Live Action Role Playing” or LARPing, the topic of this week’s episode. Haeny and Nathan are joined by Judson Packard, Program Director of the Wayfinder Experience camp in the Hudson Valley that runs LARPing programs for kids. They talk about their experiences as a camper at Wayfinder and now as a staff member, and what LARPing offers people that can make it a special and transformative experience. And they discuss the central importance of foam swords. Also: beware of spoilers for the movie Role Models! (It came out in 2008, so… you had time.)
	Episode 9: Children's Immersive Play This week Haeny and Nathan get schooled. Specifically they visit the first grade classroom of first-grade teacher and education scholar Carmen Llerena and talk to some kids! They learn how to play pirates, all about Rainbow Friends, and how to navigate conflict through pretend play. They talk about how kids use available materials to play in unexpected ways, the role of adults when it comes to shaping spaces where kids play, and learn about how easily imaginary worlds emerge from a pile of blocks.

Season 3

	Episode 1: Comics across Generations with John Jennings Our first episode of Pop and Play Season 3 is here! Professor John Jennings joins Haeny and Nathan to talk about comics across generations. A Hugo and Eisner Award winner, Professor Jennings is the writer and co-creator of the new Marvel series Silver Surfer: Ghost Light, which just released this February! (See the episode page to learn more about some of his impressive list of projects in the wider world of comics.) He talks with Haeny and Nathan about his creative process, who played Batman best, and re-mixing public domain superheroes for fun. Before all that, Haeny and Nathan introduce our theme for Season 3: intergenerational play.
	Episode 2: Fashion Forward with Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz and Olivia Ruiz Got a strong opinion about fashion? Don’t worry, Nathan will carry that for you in his cargo shorts! Haeny and Nathan put on their best outfits and walk onto a new pop cultural catwalk with an episode on fashion! Luckily they’re joined by some experts: mother and daughter fashion trend-setters Professor Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz and Olivia Ruiz. They debate fashion trends and talk fashion icons, plead with Nathan to buy a bag for all that stuff he’s carrying in his cargo pockets, and talk about how fashion is about both individual expression and community.
	Episode 3: Babysitters Club Meeting with Hannah and Maisie Holbert Haeny and Nathan talk all about the BSC. Oh you didn’t know that stands for Baby-Sitters Club? Well now you do. And guess what? You’re going to hear a lot more about preferring Kristy or Stacey, how the show has translated both through time and across mediums, and why it makes Nathan misty-eyed. Then Nathan’s partner and his daughter join to tease him, I mean teach him about BSC, and they and Haeny talk about their connections with the show and books.
	Episode 4: Skateboarding with Chris Vidal of UPPERWESTSKATES Note: This episode contains some adult language and content. This week Haeny and Nathan visit UPPERWESTSKATES skate shop and talk with owner Chris Vidal about skateboarding! Did you know that Nathan once owned an extremely cool skateboard. And can you guess what sport Haeny is “pretty skilled” at? It turns out, visiting a skate shop is a great way to see how play and place can be at the heart of learning and community. Visit the episode page for a transcript and links to more.
	Episode 5: Star Wars: The Next Generation Strikes Back with the Massenas and Gabe Haeny and Nathan may think they know something about Star Wars, but Gabe and siblings Sam and Zia are here to teach these padawans a thing or two about which force powers are best, and themes of family in the Star Wars universe. They also share their stories of connecting across generations and with each other as their fathers tried to indoctrinate them into the ways of the Force.
	Episode 6: Collecting M.U.S.C.L.E. Men toys (and more) with Morgan Boyd Haeny and Nathan love to embrace the chaos of play, but can they also get into putting away their toys neatly? This week on Pop and Play it’s all about finding fun in order and curation: we’re talking about collecting with author, high school English teacher and collector Morgan Boyd. We talk about how Morgan’s daughter got him re-started on collecting, what M.U.S.C.L.E. stands for, what makes something a collection, and why we collect. Also - Nathan tells the world how well a big investment paid off, and Haeny reveals a dark collecting secret. Pop and Play episodes are meant to be played, don’t leave this one in the original packaging!
	Episode 7: Detectives and Columbo with Sonali Rajan and Mark and Arlo Maynard Oh don’t mind Haeny and Nathan, they just want to hang around in your podcast feed and ask a couple of questions, if it’s no trouble. Just one more thing… did you listen to this week’s episode of Pop and Play yet? Because we’re talking detectives and Columbo! Haeny and Nathan bring on guests Mark and Arlo Maynard who have a parent and child connection through this unassuming TV detective - and they’re not the only ones because returning guest Professor Sonali Rajan joins to talk about how Columbo has figured into parenting in her family as well! They talk about what brings them together across generations around detective stories and Columbo in particular. And they settle the most important question: Is Batman a detective?
	Episode 8: Connecting Generations through Research with Tran Templeton and Sahana In the final episode of season 3, Early Childhood Researcher and Professor Tran Templeton and ten-year-old Sahana join Haeny and Nathan and everyone is “going bonkers” about intergenerational research. It’ll make sense when you listen. Sahana lets Professor Templeton know what it was like to be part of her study from the perspective of a young person involved in research. And they reflect on why adults should listen to young people.

Season 2

	Episode 1: Role Playing Games with Matthew Berland and Antero Garcia Haeny and Nathan are back for another season of Pop and Play! They start it out by playing the role playing game "Lady Blackbird" with Matthew Berland from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Antero Garcia from Stanford University. They discuss how role playing games allow for play with identity, what possibilities different kinds of rules and constraints allow - and more!
	Episode 2: Reality TV with Ioana Literat Haeny and Nathan talk with fellow Teachers College Professor Ioana Literat about reality TV! Haeny assigns Nathan homework: watching Keeping up with the Kardashians, and Ioana Literat guides us deep into the 90 Day Fiancé subreddit community. They discuss reality TV as a pedagogical resource, a center of community formation, and Haeny makes Nathan play "Kardashian quotes."
	Episode 3: What If . . .? with Mike Dando Haeny and Nathan talk with St. Cloud State University Professor Michael B. Dando about the Marvel series What If...?! They talk about speculative fiction, what playing with remixing the pop culture we love can offer us as people and educators, comics, and how we can learn from Spiderman without translating it into the vocabulary of schooling.
	Episode 4: He-Man and Pop Culture Representation with Anne Haas Dyson Haeny and Nathan discuss Masters of the Universe: Revelation, a recent follow-up to the '80s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. They're joined by University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign Professor Anne Haas Dyson to talk children's play, pop culture and representation! How does Pop culture inform children's play, and what is the importance of representation to children? And why do shows keep trying to teach Haeny lessons?
	Episode 5: Choose Your Own Adventure Nathan and Haeny read Choose Your Own Adventure books and discuss them with special guests: kids! (Books: Space and Beyond (Choose Your Own Adventure Series #3) and Choose Your Own Adventure Eighth Grade Witch.) They discuss what the kids thought about the CYOA book, the best reading strategies, and what's poppin' for their four guests.
	Episode 6: Dangerous Play and the Block 19 Pistol (Crossover with (Re)Search for Solutions) Haeny and Nathan are joined by friend of the show and colleague Lalitha Vasudevan, as well as (Re)Search for Solutions host Sonali Rajan for a special crossover episode. This episode covers a more serious topic as it discusses the troubling implications of the "Block 19" - a gun made to be adorned with LEGOs, along with the complex intersection between play and violence.

Season 1

	Episode 1: 20 Questions with Lalitha Vasudevan Professor Lalitha Vasudevan guest hosts and we learn about Haeny and Nathan’s research on play, why they think considering play is important and what they do to play. Then they all play “20-questions” and share… “vintage” …pop culture recommendations.
	Episode 2: Which GIF with John Jackson Haeny and Nathan talk with John L. Jackson, Jr., an anthropologist, filmmaker, and the Dean of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode John talks us through his days as the host of the radio show “Jackson Attraction” and multimodal scholarship. In their conversation, they learn that scholarship is itself an act of play; that at the intersection of play and art and making is a space for disruption and interruption. Plus they play "Which GIF?" and share "What's Poppin'".
	Episode 3: Colleagues Quiz with John Potter and Kate Cowan Haeny and Nathan talk with John Potter and Kate Cowan about their work in the UK on children's play from historical archives through the present day, how the pandemic has affected children's play, and some of their own memories of childhood play. Plus they play "Colleagues Quiz" and share "What's Poppin'."
	Episode 4: Sewing is NOT a "girl sport" with Yasmin Kafai Haeny and Nathan talk with Yasmin Kafai about everything from programming to biomarker spaces. Yasmin Discusses what it means to play virtually in Whyville, program on Scratch, stitch E-textiles, and explore biomaterials. Plus they play "Is this toy real or fake?" and share "What's Poppin'."
	Episode 5: Future Dreaming with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas and Oluwaseun Animashaun Haeny and Lalitha talk with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas and Oluwaseun (Olu) Animashaun about speculative fiction, Afrofuturism, African Futurism, and much more. They discuss the political dimensions of play in these and other genres, from children's literature to the big screen, and how these artifacts will stand in the 22nd century. Plus they play "Would you Rather: Speculative Fiction Edition" and share "What's Poppin'."
	Episode 6: The Return of Nathan (LIVE with Cassie Brownell and Chris Moffett) This Star Wars themed live episode (May the 4th be with you) was recorded with a LIVE Zoom audience. Haeny, Nathan, and Lalitha talk with Cassie Brownwell and Chris Moffett about the play during the pandemic, patterns in play, play with pop culture, and what this all might have to do with Star Wars. Plus they play "Would you Bloop or Bleep?," quiz Cassie, and share "what's poppin."