Stories Podcast: "Throwback: The Boy Who Loved Cheese Too Much"

Host: Amanda Weldon
Aired: November 4, 2025
Podcast: Stories Podcast (Starglow Media / Wondery)

Episode Overview

This rerun episode features the delightful Dutch folktale "The Boy Who Loved Cheese Too Much," retold for modern families. Through humor and whimsy, the story explores themes of temptation, moderation, and magical mischief, as cheese-loving Klaas learns a very full lesson with the help of some tricksy fairies. The tale is brought to life through engaging narration and a charming original song, making it a captivating listen for all ages.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

Introduction to Klaas and His Cheese Obsession

• Klaas van Bommel lives on a Dutch dairy farm with his family and is notorious for his voracious appetite, especially for cheese.
• [02:00] Amanda Weldon describes:
  “He was like a well that swallowed anything and everything and then just echoed for more... But his favorite. His favorite was cheese.”
• His parents attempt multiple strategies—hiding, locking up, and rationing cheese—to no avail. Klaas’s love for cheese is insatiable, leading to comic mishaps, like breaking into locked cupboards using a sausage and being found sleeping on the kitchen floor amid empty cheese wrappers.

The Magical Night—A Song and a Summons

• [06:19] Klaas, gazing at the moon and dreaming of cheese, sings an enchanting song about flying up and eating the cheesy moon:
  “If I could soar like a sprite, I would tear through the air to that mouth-watering sight... and I'd eat the moon.” (Daniel Hines, [06:47])
• His singing draws the attention of three whimsical Dutch fairies, who invite him to leave with them to a magical cheese paradise.
• [08:28] Amanda Weldon narrates:
  “There, bobbing in the moonbeams, were three lovely little ladies, each no bigger than a cheese knife... It was their laughter Klaas had heard echoing bright and silvery. Fairies. Dutch fairies.”

Journey to the Fairy World

• With the fairies magically sedating his father, Klaas sneaks out and follows the fairies into a fantastical forest, which feels much stranger and more enchanting at night.
• They enter a lively fairy ring glowing with hundreds of dancing fairies, filling the air with silvery laughter.

The Cheese Palace and Klaas’s Greed

• At the fairy picnic, Klaas finds a mountain of his beloved cheeses—Munster, Brie, Swiss, Gouda, Limburger, and more:
  • “He ate cheese by the slice, wedge and wheel. He ate cheese until his face was smeared with it and his hands were caked with it.” (Amanda Weldon, [14:22])
• The fairies keep providing more and more cheese, and soon Klaas is encircled by cheese “walls” and can’t stop eating despite feeling sick.
• When he tries to stop, the fairies insist he continue (“You’re done when we say you’re done,” the pink fairy pipes up).
• Cheese piles topple over, burying Klaas in cheese as he loses consciousness amid the relentless fairy laughter.

The Morning After—A Hard-Learned Lesson

• Klaas awakens on his front lawn, mouth full of grass, still feeling heavy with cheese, “with smears of yellow around his shirt.”
• He realizes it wasn’t just a dream:
  “One thing was definitely true. He had finally, at long, long last, had his fill of cheese.” (Amanda Weldon, [18:55])
• During breakfast, his parents are astonished when he chooses only toast.
• Over time, Klaas honors the lesson—embracing moderation, no longer desperate or greedy for cheese, enjoying it in proper portions.
  • “He ate what was given to him and never ever stole extra cheese ever, ever again. Well, maybe just a nibble. The end.” (Amanda Weldon, [19:35])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Klaas’s Song (Daniel Hines, [06:19–08:01]):
  “If I could bob like a butterfly, if I could shoot like a star, I would fly to the sky and I’d travel so far just to eat the moon… If I could eat the moon.”

• Fairy Mischief (Amanda Weldon, [08:20]):
  “Their twinkling magic had put Klaas’s father out cold... Quiet as he could, Klaas followed the fairies down the stairs and out the front door.”

• The Overwhelming Cheese Banquet (Amanda Weldon, [15:45]):
  “The fairies kept going, bringing cheese even faster than he could eat it... It was a heaven. The greedy Klaas ate and ate and ate.”

• The Turning Point (Amanda Weldon, [16:55]):
  “‘You’re done when we say you’re done.’ Klaas opened his mouth to reply, but the Green fairy filled it with a log of goat cheese…”

• The Resolution (Amanda Weldon, [19:10]):
  “He had finally, at long, long last, had his fill of cheese… Over time, Klaas realized the fairies had done him a favor.”

Key Timestamps

• 01:35–03:30 – Description of Klaas’s appetite and family’s attempts to control it.
• 06:19–08:01 – Klaas’s whimsical moon-cheese song.
• 08:01–10:00 – Meeting the fairies and magical escape from home.
• 13:14–15:45 – Arrival at the fairy ring; Klaas’s cheese feast.
• 15:45–17:50 – The feast turns overwhelming; cheese avalanche and magical consequence.
• 18:35–19:35 – Klaas’s morning after, lesson learned, and change in habits.

Conclusion

This charming episode of Stories Podcast brings a humorous Dutch folktale to life, using magical realism and playful language to impart the importance of moderation and gratitude. Klaas’s journey from excessive greed to contentment is both entertaining and instructive, highlighted by engaging performance and a catchy original song. Children and families alike are left with a satisfying moral: sometimes, the thing you want most is best enjoyed in thoughtful moderation.