Buttons & Figs

Street scenes. Halloween. The past. You are about to listen to several groups of kids who all live near one another, who take to the streets on their own daring journeys this Halloween Night. Their talk of candy and costumes will be familiar to you...until fear sets in and you hear a black cat start talking...a little too much. This next stop will be...in the Halloween Zone.

Thanks to Buttons & Figs kid voices Noah and Hannah.

Halloween stories written and voiced by Pamela Rogers and Mark Pena

Halloween is Coming was written by Mark Pena

Produced by Pamela Rogers and Blaise Collins

Join me and my kid co-host Debra as we sail in a sieve to the land of dragons! Debra is a super fan of Tui Sutherland's book series, "Wings of Fire" and she's here to tell you why she loves these books so much and to share some fun ways to play with dragons!

If you fall in love with this series, there are 14 books out now, but there are three more to be published!

Wings of Fire Book Series: https://kids.scholastic.com/kid/books/wings-of-fire/

Thanks to Debra for sharing one of her favorite book series and to Donna for encouraging reading in your home!

Briscoe, Mary Farfisa's space horse friend, has come to visit me because apparently I have some sounds from Mary's Outer Space Library that are overdue! In this episode you'll get to meet the creator of Mary Farfisa's Outer Space Radio Theater, Jim Cheff and you'll also get to hear all sorts of music and noise from his show...and as always, we have a couple of Buttons & Figs kids who will show you ways to wordplay!

Links to Jim Cheff's comics and show:

Mary Farfisa's Music Album - https://maryfarfisasouterspaceradiotheater.bandcamp.com/album/songs-and-sounds-and-music-and-noise

Coloring Books and more - https://www.facebook.com/maryfarfisa

Mary Farfisa Comics - https://tapas.io/jimcheff

Crater Community Radio - https://craterradio.com/about-mary-farfisa/

Kids Listen - https://app.kidslisten.org/

Thanks to Buttons & Figs kids - Chloe (11) and Sydnee (7)

After meeting Spring-Heeled Jack this summer what if you were inspired to bounce...ok, leap great distances. Where will such leaping lead? You are about to find out….in the SummerTime Zone.

You are now bouncing out of the Summertime Zone. We don’t understand why you entered this kid dimension, but we are grateful you found your way into this middle ground between stupidity and wisdom, between make-believe and absurdity. May the kid dimension of stories always find its way to you. Be well.

Summertime Zone sketch comedy written and performed by Pamela Rogers and Mark Pena.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled program of wordplay, poetry and episodes written for and by Buttons & Figs kids.

You’ve been playing outside with your friends all day, you’re about to be called in for the night, when out of the shadows a gentleman appears, one with bat wings, red eyes, and clawed hands, known from legend as Spring-Heeled Jack. You are about to hear what fear, or exasperation, sounds like in - the Summertime Zone.

written, voiced by mark pena and pamela rogers

produced by pamela rogers

sfx Zapsplat

Summertime Zone Encore: Two kids, two ideas. One song contest. On the back of a cereal box. Should Sheila and her friend enter? Can they work together? Will they win? What is a lunar launcher?

This Summertime Zone Encore episode is sponsored by Strobe Nightlight, a nightlight that will bring a party to your dreams...or might just keep you up dancing all night long!

Thanks to Hank, age 6, for sending us the winning guess for what Lulu the Ladybug was selling! Check out Hank and Phoebe's podcast The Adventures of Power Dog in Dogland.

If you have an idea for the Frosty Pop contest, send them to [email protected] - you'll receive a Buttons & Figs wordplay zine, drawn by Jim Cheff, the creator of the podcast, Mary Farfisa's Outer Space Radio Theater

Frosty Pops written, performed and produced by Mark Pena and Pamela Rogers

Audio mastering by Blaise Collins/Pamela Rogers

You are about to travel through to the kid dimension, to join the audience of your favorite game show, Guess That Noun. One kid contestant knows the answer to this game, regardless of the actual answer, or what the audience has to say. You are about to play this game...in the Summertime Zone.

written and voiced by Mark Pena and Pamela Rogers

SFX by Zapsplat

Produced by Buttons & Figs

Hey Buttons & Figs kids….I’m super excited to share this summertime zone journey with you because it was written by a Buttons & Figs kid! One of the kids from our fall semester of wordplay reached out and said that he had an idea for a Summertime Zone episode, featuring none other than Sheila!

It’s the middle of the school year, it’s picture day. That day when it was ok for your parent to lick their hand in order to smooth down that one piece of hair sticking up. But what if you missed picture day? You are about to hear an epic journey of what it takes to get the perfect picture….in the Summertime Zone….

written by Noah, age 11

voiced by Mark Pena

edited and produced by Pamela Rogers

SFX by Zapsplat

You are about to journey into the past, when kids took turn telling stories after a long day of play...but sometimes it landed on that kid. The kid who likes candy and slurpees. Next stop, the Summertime Zone.

Dodgeball PSA from the Summertime Zone Playground Association

written and voiced by Mark Pena and Pamela Rogers

sfx by Zapsplat

Go play, ready, write, play this summer!

Summer is officially here! You know what that means...summer sketch comedy fun at Buttons & Figs! We'll have some summer silliness from the past and present, along with some great summer reading and podcast recommends! To kick off this summer, we have a song, one we recorded with some extraterrestrials we encountered, who happen to love wordplay as much as me and you!

But before we kick things off, we have big news here at Buttons & Figs....we have our first sponsor!!! Which means, we have a short commercial message...sort of. If you can help us make sense of this sponsor's message, please ask a grownup if you can call us....please! 623-282-4080 (email: [email protected])Leave us a message with your first name, age, where you are calling from, and what you think Lulu the Ladybug is trying to sell!

Check out Mary Farfisa's Outer Space Radio Theater podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts! And...send us a message, you'll get a free Zine illustrated by Jim Cheff, creator of Mary Farfisa!

Be sure to check out our YouTube channel to see the space creatures we met singing, Let Wordplay Open the Door to Your Heart: https://youtu.be/RNwjL9_zM0Q

Episode written and voiced by Pamela Rogers and Mark Pena

Sign up for Summer Reading at a library near you!!!