Detective Bok and the Return of the Yellow Snatcher

Summary

Story Pirates Podcast: "Detective Bok and the Return of the Yellow Snatcher"

Release Date: April 24, 2025
Host/Author: Story Pirates
Description: The award-winning Story Pirates Podcast transforms children's stories into lively sketch comedies and original songs, featuring talented comedians, songwriters, and celebrity guests. This episode showcases a thrilling detective adventure brought to life by a young author.

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1. Introduction to the Episode

The episode kicks off with a playful introduction by Lee Overtree, setting the stage for an engaging narrative. Shortly after, the host invites listeners into the heart of today's story, transitioning smoothly from the initial banter to the main content.

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2. Main Story: "Detective Bok and the Return of the Yellow Snatcher"

Plot Overview: The episode presents a classic detective thriller featuring Detective Bok, an unconventional protagonist who is a chicken. Detective Bok teams up with his partner, a bee, to thwart the mischievous plans of the Yellow Snatcher, an anthropomorphic banana with a knack for bank robberies.

Key Scenes and Highlights:

• Detective Bok's Deduction (02:11 - 03:11): Detective Bok and his bee partner investigate a bank robbery, suspecting a banana culprit. Despite initial setbacks when the trail goes cold, Bok remains determined.

  • Willy Appleman as Detective Bach: "Put the pedal to the metal Bok in your car that happens to be an egg. Bok bok bok. Let's get 'em. We got him?" [02:53]

• Introduction of the Yellow Snatcher (03:11 - 04:10): The Yellow Snatcher reveals his plans to escape prison and continue his thieving ways, prompting the Chief of Detectives to take action.

  • Matt Zambrano as the Yellow Snatcher: "But I am no ordinary banana. I am the Yellow Snatcher. I shall escape this prison to snatch again." [03:11]

• Demotion and Replacement Guard (04:10 - 05:03): Detective Bok faces demotion due to his unorthodox methods but is quickly reinstated when the Yellow Snatcher escapes, highlighting Bok's indispensable role.

  • Ben Blackman as the Chief of Detectives: "Don't give me that sass, Buck. You're being promoted back to Detective." [04:32]

• The Heist and Betrayal (05:04 - 08:43): The Yellow Snatcher collaborates with the replacement guard, Christina Grossbeach, in a scheme to escape. Bok and his partner navigate through traps and unveil the betrayal.

  • Christina Grossbeach as the Replacement Guard: "Wait a second. I was in on your plan the whole time." [08:12]
  • Willy Appleman as Detective Bach: "Buck, no. I know you to charge in there and enact justice. But as your partner, I'm begging you, wait for backup." [07:35]

• Climactic Resolution (09:24 - 10:08): Confronted by Bok's unwavering determination, the Yellow Snatcher experiences a change of heart, leading to his surrender and the restoration of peace.

  • Matt Zambrano as the Yellow Snatcher: "You're right. I'm wrong. I'M sorry. I'll never steal from a bank again." [09:26]
  • Willy Appleman as Detective Bach: "Wow. Beautiful words as always, Bok." [09:37]

Notable Quotes:

• Dawn (Author): "Confusion is the step before curiosity." [01:25]
• Willy Appleman as Detective Bach: "Some bananas are just rotten to the core." [06:53]

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3. Author Interview: Dawn

After the captivating story, Lee Overtree engages in a heartfelt conversation with Dawn, the 10-year-old author from China.

Key Insights:

• Creative Process:

  • Dawn shares that boredom often sparks her creativity. When faced with dull moments, she seeks a "spark" to ignite her imagination.
    • Dawn: "You sort of need, like, a spark, like, something to motivate me. If I see something that's like, hey, that's a good idea, I'll go do it." [11:39]

• Cultural Influence:

  • Growing up in China, Dawn discusses the challenges of navigating a non-alphabetic language environment and how it influences her storytelling.
    • Dawn: "Every single word has a character instead of just letters in an Alphabet." [10:26]

• Cycle of Creativity:

  • Lee remarks on the cyclical nature of creativity, where Dawn's stories inspire the podcast, which in turn encourages more storytelling.
    • Lee Overtree: "It's just pretty cool how it's like a cycle of creativity there." [11:59]

Notable Quotes:

• Lee Overtree: "You know what's interesting is it sounds like you're really creative when you're bored." [10:53]
• Dawn: "A lot of the times when I'm bored, I'm like, I'm bored. But sometimes, like, whenever I get good ideas, I'm like, hey, that's a great idea." [11:14]

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4. Roll Call: Stories from Young Authors

The Roll Call segment celebrates creativity from young listeners, featuring stories from Jay, Juliet, and Booker.

• Jay from Vermont – "How Hide and Seek Was Made":

  • Jay constructs a narrative that cleverly leads to the origin of the phrase "Olly olly oxen free," illustrating his ability to weave traditional game elements into storytelling.
    • Lee Overtree: "Jay does this really clever thing where he builds up a story about two brothers, Holly and Ollie..." [14:49]

• Juliet from Texas – "The Snazzy, Snazzy Weird Person":

  • Juliet explores the internal conflict between one's inner desires and external responsibilities, portraying a relatable battle between craving coffee and catching a flight.
    • Lee Overtree: "It's a very, very well done battle between these voices." [14:54]

• Booker from Indiana – "The Company Company":

  • Booker invents a whimsical company, "Hamster Gum," that produces cheese via hamster farts, showcasing his flair for imaginative and humorous concepts.
    • Lee Overtree: "It's a company that makes machines that produce an infinite amount of cheese that a hamster farted on." [14:54]

Highlights:

• Encouragement for young listeners to continue submitting their creative stories.
• Recognition of the unique and diverse ideas each child brings to the table.

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5. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with heartfelt thanks to Dawn for her compelling story and previews future content. Listeners are encouraged to submit their own stories, fostering a continuous cycle of creativity and inspiration within the Story Pirates community.

Final Thoughts: The episode masterfully blends an engaging detective story with insightful discussions on creativity, all while celebrating the imaginative minds of young storytellers. Through dynamic performances and meaningful interactions, "Detective Bok and the Return of the Yellow Snatcher" exemplifies the magic of transforming children's narratives into entertaining and thought-provoking podcasts.

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Notable Quotes Summary:

• Dawn: "Confusion is the step before curiosity." [01:25]
• Willy Appleman as Detective Bach: "Some bananas are just rotten to the core." [06:53]
• Matt Zambrano as the Yellow Snatcher: "You're right. I'm wrong. I'M sorry. I'll never steal from a bank again." [09:26]
• Willy Appleman as Detective Bach: "Wow. Beautiful words as always, Bok." [09:37]
• Dawn: "You sort of need, like, a spark, like, something to motivate me." [11:39]

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Credits: The episode features performances by Willy Appleman, Ben Blackman, Christina Grossbeach, Mihaela Lawrence, Peter McNerney, and Matt Zambrano. Production was handled by Sam Baer, McKenna Cox, Peter McNerney, Andrew Miller, and Lee Overtree, with sound design by Sam Baer at the Relic Room in New York City.

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Stay tuned for more delightful stories and creative adventures in the next episode of Story Pirates!

Transcript

[Lee Overtree]

Hey Story Pirates podcast listeners. Lee here. Bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok ba. And that is all you need to understand today's Story Pirates podcast episode. Coming up right after a few words for the grown ups. Hey grown ups. Today's episode is brought to you by DreamWorks Gabby Stahlhouse on Netflix. With a little magic in a daily dollhouse delivery, Gabby's Dollhouse leads kids room to room through a fantastical dollhouse. With mini worlds, irresistible kiddie characters and delightfully quirky adventures. It's the ultimate in dollhouse wish fulfillment. Shrinking down and playing inside your own magical dollhouse world. So grown ups, check out the new season of DreamWorks Gabby's Dollhouse right now on Netflix. And don't miss the new Gabby's Dollhouse playset from Spin Master called the Kitty Care ear Perfect Playroom. My daughter loves it. And thanks to DreamWorks for supporting the show.

[Willy Appleman]

I love storytelling.

[Dawn]

I'm very different from everybody. Confusion is the step before curiosity. Okay, that's a really funn idea. We have to send that in. Sort of need, like a spark, like something to motivate you.

[Willy Appleman]

I believe all the things in my.

[Dawn]

Story, human beings are just able to.

[Willy Appleman]

Create the Story Pirates.

[Lee Overtree]

Welcome back to the Story Pirates podcast. Today's brand new story is a classic detective thriller with an unlikely protagonist. Why is our lead character so unlikely, you ask? Well, because. Bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok. And here's the author to introduce it.

[Dawn]

Hi, my Name's Dawn, I'm 10 and I live in China. This is my story. Detective Bok and Return of the Yellow Snatchers.

[Peter McNerney]

Previously on the Continuing Adventures of Detective Bach. Chicken Detective.

[Willy Appleman]

Detective Bach. I know you hunch says that this dark alley is the hideout of that bank robber who happens to be a banana. But as your partner, who happens to be a bee, I gotta buzz truthfully and say this trail's gone cold. We don't have five more minutes. The chief of detectives told us to come back hours ago. You've never been wrong before. But maybe there's a first for everything.

[Peter McNerney]

You're right.

[Willy Appleman]

A banana did just drive by and their car was full of all the bank's money. Put the pedal to the metal Bock in your car that happens to be an egg. Bock bok bok bok. Let's get em we got Him? This criminal Banana won't be robbing any more banks now that they're behind bars.

[Matt Zambrano]

But I am no ordinary banana. I am the Yellow Snatcher. I shall escape this prison to snatch again. Oh, is that a promise, Detective Bok? We'll see about that.

[Ben Blackman]

Detective Bok. Bok, it's me, the Chief of Detectives. Your antics out there today were unorthodox. We got rules for a reason, Buck. I got no choice but to demote you to Jail Guard Bok.

[Willy Appleman]

A jail guard? No.

[Peter McNerney]

That catches us up to now, the continuing adventures of Detective Bok Chicken Detective. This week, the return of the Yellow Snatcher. Here, Detective Bok guards the Yellow Snatcher's jail cell.

[Matt Zambrano]

Hey, you chicken. Come on, Help a banana like me slip out of here, why don't you? I'll make it worth your while. Too good for a bribe, huh, Detective Bark?

[Ben Blackman]

Don't give me that sass, Buck. You're being repromoted back to Detective. We realized we needed you on the force. We realized it very fast. I'm sorry. That's very big of you to say. Don't you worry about the Yellow Snatcher here. We've got a replacement jail guard ready to replace you. Replacement guard? Come on in.

[Christina Grossbeach]

Hello. Sorry. I am the new guard. And I am so ready to be vigilant. Uh huh. No one is escaping under my watch.

[Lee Overtree]

Nuh bah.

[Christina Grossbeach]

Are you questioning my work ethic, Detective? How are you? I am. What? I'm awake.

[Ben Blackman]

Come on, Bok. Let's get you back to Detective HQ for your new case.

[Matt Zambrano]

Hey, new guard. You want to help a banana slip out of here?

[Ben Blackman]

Hey, no.

[Christina Grossbeach]

Nope. You won't be escaping under my watch. But you know, I'm just going to sit down over here in this really big comfy chair. Wow, it's warm.

[Lee Overtree]

Oh.

[Christina Grossbeach]

Now I'm going to bundle myself up in this warm blanket. Don't assume that means I'll be falling asleep. Oh, what is this? A mug of hot cocoa? Yum. I look like I'm closing my eyes down, but for like a second. But no, no, no. I'm not sleeping. Oh look, a music box. Oh, that's nice. I'm just resting my eyes, so don't try anything.

[Matt Zambrano]

An opportune time to at last escape. Let's just pick the lock and I'm free. Nearest bank, here I come. Skidoo.

[Peter McNerney]

Meanwhile, at the Detective hq.

[Ben Blackman]

Detective Bark. Wow, you found my case so quickly. Case closed. And now we've got another case for you. Remember the yellow snat who was in that Jail cell? Yes, like 30 seconds ago. Well, they've escaped. Language bark. Buck, I want you to find out how he did it. Take that B partner of yours too.

[Willy Appleman]

I'm already here. What's the buzz, Chief?

[Ben Blackman]

You two hotshots tell me. Go.

[Willy Appleman]

Come on, Bach. Yeah, yeah. You can drive us in your egg car to the crime scene. Here we are at the crime scene. This jail cell sure does look empty. Almost as if someone escaped.

[Lee Overtree]

Wah hah.

[Willy Appleman]

Good question, Buck. Where is the replacement guard? That does sound like your egg car. Look out the window.

[Matt Zambrano]

Hope you don't mind. I'll be snatching your egg car.

[Willy Appleman]

Don't worry, Detective. We can take my bee van and Buzz Buzz our way to catch up to the Snatcher.

[Lee Overtree]

Ba ha.

[Willy Appleman]

Fine. You can drive quick after that banana. Pull over that snatched egg car.

[Matt Zambrano]

You'll up to me. Bach.

[Willy Appleman]

There's no use trying to reason with him. Some bananas are just rotten to the core. Bach, turn left. Turn right. He's getting away. You're getting closer. Okay, do you turn. Turn left. Oh, stop the light. Okay, turn left.

[Lee Overtree]

Look.

[Willy Appleman]

The Yellow Snatcher has parked the egg car in front of this warehouse in the middle of nowhere. I'm gonna call for backup. What?

[Dawn]

No.

[Willy Appleman]

We can't go in there alone. We don't know what's waiting for us. Buck, don't be such a lone chicken. Fine. Wait for me.

[Peter McNerney]

And so Bok and his bee partner climbed up a flight of stairs in the old warehouse, ultimately approaching a closed door.

[Willy Appleman]

Bawk bawka. You're right. The door is closed. Let's lean in close and listen.

[Matt Zambrano]

What did I tell you? The plan worked perfectly. I'm a free banana. And we both shall profit. What with all of this stolen bank money.

[Christina Grossbeach]

Wait a second. I was in on your plan the whole time. Wow, that's a twist. I must have dozed off when the plan was made. It's a lot to take in. I'm gonna think about that and all the stolen money for the bank while I cozy up on this oversized beanbag chair.

[Willy Appleman]

Buck, no. I know you to charge in there and enact justice. But as your partner, I'm begging you, wait for backup. Yeah, I know that's not the kind of detective you are. Fine. I'm right behind you, buddy.

[Matt Zambrano]

Detective Buck. No matter. We both know you can never defeat me, the Yellow Snatcher. What, are you going to try and give me some kind of sentimental speech? Make me change all my evil thieving ways? Good luck with that.

[Ben Blackman]

Wow.

[Matt Zambrano]

You're right. I'm wrong. I'M sorry. I'll never steal from a bank again.

[Ben Blackman]

This.

[Matt Zambrano]

It is the end of the Yellow Snatcher.

[Willy Appleman]

Wow. Beautiful words as always, Bok.

[Christina Grossbeach]

Sorry, I was just resting my eyes. Oh, I wasn't asleep. I wasn't. Oh, the chicken found us.

[Lee Overtree]

Did we lose?

[Peter McNerney]

And so Detective Bok and his bee partner brought the Yellow Snatcher and the guard accomplice back to jail.

[Ben Blackman]

Well done, Bok. Well done. While your ways may be unorthodox, you always get results. What is your secret? Ah, I see that all makes sense.

[Willy Appleman]

The end.

[Lee Overtree]

And now, Lee speaks with the author. Hey, John, it's Lee from Story Pirates.

[Dawn]

Hi.

[Lee Overtree]

How are you?

[Dawn]

I'm good.

[Lee Overtree]

How long have you lived in China?

[Dawn]

I was born here.

[Lee Overtree]

What's it like in China for someone who's never been there?

[Dawn]

That's sort of a hard question. Every single sign you see is basically Chinese, so it's hard to read if you just come here from another country, Every single word has a character instead of just letters in an Alphabet.

[Lee Overtree]

Right. And so it's not something you can just pick up on the fly.

[Dawn]

Yeah.

[Lee Overtree]

So, John, you made the comic Detective Bach and the Return of the Yellow Snatcher.

[Dawn]

Yeah.

[Lee Overtree]

Can you tell me how you came up with the idea for your story?

[Dawn]

I was bored. My mom told me, hey, write a story to the story part. And I'm like, okay.

[Lee Overtree]

You know what's interesting is it sounds like you're really creative when you're bored. Yeah, I just think that's cool because a lot of people think being bored is something to avoid, but whenever you're bored, it sounds like something neat and creative comes out of it.

[Dawn]

Actually, I'm sort of both ways. A lot of the times when I'm bored, I'm like, I'm bored. But sometimes, like, whenever I get good ideas, I'm like, hey, that's a great idea. I'll go do it.

[Lee Overtree]

So how do you sort of, like, take the one kind of being board where you're just like a zombie, and turn it into the kind of board where you're able to think of great ideas?

[Dawn]

You sort of need, like, a spark, like, something to motivate me. If I see something that's like, hey, that's a good idea, and then I'm like, oh, go do it. And then it turns into an awesome idea.

[Lee Overtree]

Well, your comics sparked us to make your story into a podcast.

[Dawn]

You're welcome.

[Lee Overtree]

It's just pretty cool how it's like a cycle of creativity there.

[Dawn]

Yeah.

[Lee Overtree]

Okay, so my final question is if Detective Bach gave say a speech after the end of the story when he catches the Yellow Snatcher, what do you think he would say? That was a trick question. You got it right. Excellent work my friend. Thank you so much for chatting with me today. I'm so excited to do your story. Thanks for letting us perform it.

[Dawn]

Thank you for performing it.

[Lee Overtree]

You're so welcome. Have a great day.

[Dawn]

Thank you.

[Lee Overtree]

Bye bye bye.

[Willy Appleman]

We'll be right back after a few words for the grown ups.

[Sam Baer]

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[Lee Overtree]

And now it's time for Story Pirates Roll Call. Send us your story. We read them all. We read them all.

[Willy Appleman]

You know we love them.

[Lee Overtree]

This first story is from an 8 year old in Vermont named Jay. And Jay's story is called How Hide and Seek Was Made. And I love this story because it sort of works up to a big reveal about the phrase Olly olly oxen free. Have you ever heard that Sometimes when you play hide and seek, when the game's over and it's time for everybody to come out, you say, olly olly oxen free. And Jay does this really clever thing where he builds up a story about two brothers, Holly and Ollie, who are searching for animals that got out of their farm and they can find every animal except for the ox. So when their mom finds out, she goes, holly, Ollie, the ox is free, which is just so clever. Jay, excellent work, my friend. Thanks for sending your story in. Next up, From Juliet, a 7 year old in Texas, we have a story called the Snazzy, Snazzy Weird Person. Have you ever had a voice inside of your head that is telling you something different than what your outside or your real voice is saying? Me too. And this story is really all about the battle between those two voices. Specifically, the snazzy, snazzy weird person really wants to get some coffee on the inside, but on the outside they know that they should catch their flight to New Zealand because they might lose their job if they don't. But the inside voice wins and they go to get their coffee. It's a very, very well done battle between these voices. Juliet, I love it. Thank you so much for sending it in. And finally, From Booker, an 11 year old in Indiana, we have a story called the Company Company. And the Company company is the company that sells you companies. And my favorite company that gets sold in this story is this one. It's called Hamster Gum. You may be wondering, is it gum for hamsters? Is it gum made out of hamsters? It's actually a company that makes machines that produce an infinite amount of cheese that a hamster farted on. Now that is a company that I would buy Booker. Excellent work. Thanks for sending us your story. To read all of today's Roll Call stories, just head to storypirates.com podcast. Now it's time for you to write us a story. Grown ups can submit [e-mail] and remember, we respond to every single story we receive. That was Roll Call. That's it for today's episode. Thanks for listening. And a big thanks to today's author, John. We'll be back next week with another new episode. Until then, stay creative and stay kind.

[Willy Appleman]

Bye.

[Lee Overtree]

The Story Pirates podcast is a production of Story Pirate Studios, executive produced by Lee Overtree and Benjamin Salka. This episode was produced by Sam Baer, McKenna Cox, Peter McNerney, Andrew Miller and Lee Overtree. Recording sound design and mixing by Sam Baer at the Relic room in New York City. Theme song by Bobby Lord. Roll Call theme by Andrew Barbado. Musical scoring by Eric Gerson and Jack Mitchell. Our head writers are Rachel Winitsky and David Sidorov. Detective Bach and the Return of the Yellow Snatcher was adapted by Matt Cox. Production coordination by Denisa Word. Episode artwork by Camilla Frank. This episode features performances by Willy Appleman, Ben Blackman, Christina Grossbeach, Mihaela Lawrence, Peter McNerney and Matt Zambrano. Um, excuse me. Hi. I. I just wanted to say that I really admire your work. You're welcome. Your performance in the story today was really just. Well, it was phenomenal. No, no, no, no. I didn't think that at all. I thought you were really in character as a detective. Of course not. Your performance had a lot of dynamic range. Anyone who calls it a one note performance is really off the mark. Uh huh. Your backstory really came through as well. Absolutely. I could totally tell Detective Bach was still emotionally processing a tragic encounter from his past, but that ca. The Yellow Snatcher helped him resolve his trauma.

[Willy Appleman]

Buckar.

[Lee Overtree]

Oh, okay. I mean, I could come with you if you want. You want to be alone? It's fine. It's fine. Don't worry about it. Would you like my phone number? In case you ever, you know, want to hang out again sometime? Yeah, no problem. I understand. Bye. What a legend.