How the Eiffel Tower Was Invited

Summary

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Story Pirates Podcast — "How the Eiffel Tower Was Invited"

Date: August 6, 2026
Host: Story Pirates team (Lee, Peter, and others)
Episode Description:
In this vibrant, comedy-filled episode, the Story Pirates transform kids’ stories into uproarious sketches and songs. The centerpiece: an epic, entirely made-up tale about how the Eiffel Tower was "invited" (not invented!)—a story crafted collaboratively with over 100 creative kids. The episode also features lively discussions of more imaginative kid stories, mixing humor, music, and infectious encouragement to fuel creativity.

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Main Theme & Episode Overview

• The episode centers on imagination, creative storytelling, and the collaborative spirit of the Story Pirates Creator Club.
• The highlight is the group-written tale "How the Eiffel Tower Was Invited," combining historical parody, whimsy, and song.
• The hosts also read and discuss several delightful, oddball stories submitted by young listeners, showing that anyone can be an author and encouraging kids to participate in upcoming story jams.

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Key Episode Segments

1. Summer Story Challenge Update (00:08–04:24)

• Lee provides a dramatic leaderboard countdown, highlighting both individual and group participants across the globe and sharing deadlines for submissions.
  • Notable quote:

    "Remember that even if you don't make the leaderboard, everyone who participates gets a certificate at the end of the summer." — Lee (02:38)

• Contest Timeline: Deadline for stories — August 18; Winners announced August 20.

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2. Creator Club Collaborative Story: "How the Eiffel Tower Was Invited" (06:03–14:41)

Plot Summary

• Framed as a mockumentary by host Thurman St. James on "The History Channel".
• Setting: Paris during the Ice Age (long before cities), where saber-toothed tiger Dan feels something missing from the horizon—a vision of the Eiffel Tower.
• Dan can’t help his friend Seth the sloth move because of his "condition".
• The Eiffel Tower appears in Dan’s mind, yearning to be "invited" into existence, but neither invented nor existing yet.
  • Memorable exchange:

    "Would you accept my invitation to exist?" — Dan (08:30)
    "I accept. Now build me then. Build me." — Eiffel Tower (08:45)

• Dan seeks his strong sister Cheryl for help; his journey takes him through comical encounters (with a singing mermaid, an evil lemming mayor named Tiny Man, and others).
  • Favorite moment: Mermaid’s hilariously bad song and Dan’s deadpan tip:

    "Maybe look into some singing lessons?" — Dan (10:58)

• Villainous Tiny Man is revealed to have kidnapped Cheryl to stop the tower being built in Paris.
• Dan, feeling weak, is inspired by the vision of the Tower: "The power you seek has been inside you. It’s time to let it out." (12:59)
• Dan’s "condition" manifests as fire breath, melting the Ice Age, ending the villain’s cheese-based defense, and freeing Cheryl.
• Dan and Cheryl build the Eiffel Tower, turning Paris’s lonely skyline into a symbol of inspiration.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "You had a chance to build it here and you said no!" — Dan confronting Tiny Man (11:58)
• "The ice age is over. And look at all this cheese on the ground. What age are we in now? The cheese age!" — Tiny Man (13:25-13:38)
• The narrative ends with a comic intrusion from hosts, meta-commentary, and a big "The End" (14:39).

Key Timestamps

• Thurman St. James intro: 06:03
• Dan’s vision: 07:44
• Mermaid encounter: 10:00
• Showdown with Tiny Man: 11:16–12:45
• Dan’s fire breath and Cheese Age: 13:14–13:48
• Finale: 14:09–14:41

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3. StoryLove Segment: Kids’ Stories Read & Discussed (17:27–29:21)

Story 1: "The Haunted Bean Can" by Scout, 7, Colorado (17:35–21:07)

• Plot: A girl finds a mysterious can of beans with a ghost inside. She sues the ghost after her dog sniffs the moldy beans.
  • Memorable reaction:

    "I want to sue that ghost right there. Then the ghost got sued." — Lee, reading Scout's story (18:04)

• Hosts riff on the legal concept of "standing" and ponder who’s harmed—delivering a lesson in a silly, accessible way.
  • "Would you ever refer to your dog as a dog?" — Peter (18:37)
• They debate whether the ghost made the beans moldy, or if the girl just needed someone to blame.

Story 2: "The Best Fingernail Stew" by Kaimana, 7, Hawaii (21:13–25:29)

• Plot: A fingernail accidentally lands in stew; people love it until they learn the secret ingredient, become disgusted, turn into pickles, and get eaten. A doctor arrives with the too-late antidote, "Escape the Pickle."
  • Peter analyzes:

    "It’s made of fingernails. Then everyone was disgusted. Then everyone turned into a pickle. Then everyone ate the pickle people." (21:57)

• Hosts discuss magical logic and the transformation rules:
  • "You have to be disgusted with that idea. That combination magically turns you into a pickle." — Peter (23:51)
• Banter about riverboats and mysterious onlookers who might find pickled people.

Story 3: "Chicken in a Top Hat" by Louella, 9, Maryland (25:36–29:21)

• Short and musical: A chicken in a top hat leaves random things in your house—complete with a "chicky wiki wiki" theme song.
  • Lee performs the song:

    "Chicken in a top hat, oh it's that chicky wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki in a top hat." (25:55)

• Hosts playfully theorize:
  • Is the chicken dapper, leaving monocles and cravats? Or mischievous, replacing spoons with cucumbers?
  • "The chicken in the top hat is a mischief maker, a trickster." — Lee (28:36)
  • Jokes about a "gentleman mischief maker" chicken and the possibility it's related to "chicken on a motorcycle."

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Notable Quotes

• On Writing and Creativity:

  "I definitely think I can be more creative now. I'm the champion." — Child Participant (04:31)

• On Perseverance:

  "The power you seek has been inside you. It’s time to let it out." — Eiffel Tower (12:59)

• On Silliness in Stories:

  "Chickens are the funniest animal." — Peter (26:06)

• On Imagination:

  "I'm imagining the kinds of things a chicken in a top hat would leave around, and they're all sort of turn of the century, like, fancy stuff like spats and a monocle." — Peter (27:09)

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Episode Flow and Tone

• The hosts maintain a clever, supportive, and witty tone—encouraging creativity in both kids and grownups.
• The playful banter, puns, and over-the-top performances create an environment that feels like a mix of kids’ comedy, improv, and a supportive writing workshop.

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How to Participate & Stay Involved

• Details on joining the next Story Pirates collaborative Creator Club story session given by Lee (05:30).
• All participating kids receive certificates; parents can find links and more information in episode notes.

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Useful Timestamps

• 00:08 — Leaderboard update
• 06:03 — Main story "How the Eiffel Tower Was Invited"
• 17:27 — StoryLove segment begins
• 21:13 — "Best Fingernail Stew"
• 25:36 — "Chicken in a Top Hat"
• 29:21 — Wrap up, volunteer info

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Summary:
This episode is a whirlwind celebration of kid-driven creativity, exemplified in the absurd and delightful "How the Eiffel Tower Was Invited," playful legal tangles with haunted beans, magical culinary disasters, and dapper, unpredictable chickens. The Story Pirates not only inspire listeners to dream and write but also demonstrate—through eclectic humor and genuine engagement—why kids’ creativity is the heart of storytelling.

Transcript

[Dan]

Lemonade.

[Lee]

Hey, Story Pirates podcast listeners. Lee here. Welcome back to Story Pirates Summer. It's time for a summer Story challenge leaderboard update. But first, big news today because maybe you were wondering, how long does the summer story challenge last? When will it end? When can I send my final stories in? Today, my friends, I have those answers. The winners of the summer story challenge will be officially announced on Thursday, August 20, which means that kids need to get their final stories in by end of day Tuesday, August 18th. Again, contest ends. Winners are announced Thursday, August 20th, and final stories have to be in by Tuesday, August 18th at the end of day. So yes, there is still a lot of time to write some amazing stories. Let's get into today's leaderboard and this week let's count down backwards for drama's sake. What say you? I say yes. At number 10 on the individual leaderboard, we have 6 year old Acadia in Massachusetts. At number 9, we have a tie between 10 year old Adrian in Georgia, Huxley, a 9 year old in California and 12 year old Nora in Massachusetts. At number 8, we have a tie between Alessandro, an 8 year old in Spain and Kurt, an 11 year old in Pennsylvania. At number 7, we have Ziva, a 5 year old in Arizona. At number 6, we have 7 year old Maya in Colorado. At number 5, 6 year old Raffi in Rhode Island. At number 4, 10 year old Brooklyn in Pennsylvania. At number 3, 8 year old Gus in Canada. And at number 2 this week, 11 year old Tabitha in Arizona. And finally, at number 1 this week on the individual leaderboard we have 10 year old Ethan in Washington. Congratulations everybody. You did it. On the group leaderboard at number five, we have Ari and Judah in New York, Robin and Jude in Connecticut. Tied at number four, we've got Sawyer, Brady and Landon in New Jersey. At number three, Zach, Ben, Vivi and Violet in Canada. At number two, Theo, Richard and Elliot in Indiana. And of course at number one, good old Zev and Rubin in Oregon. Remember that even if you don't make the leaderboard, everyone who participates gets a certificate at the end of the summer. And story. Love telling you how much we loved your stories. We want to read as many as we can and come August 20th, we'll find out who the final winners are. Check out the leaderboard for [e-mail] Leaderboard Grownups, you can find links to the leaderboard and find out how to get your kids involved in the summer story challenge in the show. Notes for today's episode Onto today's episode After a few more words for the grown ups.

[Narrator 1]

Looking for something to listen to with

[Narrator 2]

the whole family looking for something to listen to with a wisecrack.

[Narrator 1]

Do you like learning fun new facts?

[Narrator 2]

Do you like sound effects?

[Narrator 1]

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then GZM's family friendly game show, the Big Fib is just the podcast for you.

[Narrator 2]

Every week we bring on two grownups. One is an expert and the other is a liar. And it's the job of a human child contestant to help us figure out who is telling the truth and who is telling the Big Fib.

[Narrator 1]

Follow the Big Fib on Apple Podcasts or for more information go to gzmshows.com.

[Tiny Man]

I love story pilots.

[Child Participant 1]

It just filled me up with joy.

[Dan]

My mom loves the jokes.

[Child Participant 1]

Yo yo Matcha. It made me very proud about my writing. Yeah, we're just getting like really deep into, like, I want to say, philosophy. I definitely think I can be more creative now. I'm the champion.

[Tiny Man]

The Story Pirates.

[Lee]

Okay, everybody, here's what's up. A little while ago, we invited all of our creator club members to join me and Peter on a Zoom to write a story together. Over 100 different kids from all over the world showed up. And together we wrote an incredible story about how the Eiffel Tower, you know, that big metal tower thing in Paris, France, how the Eiffel Tower was invented. I mean, invited. I mean, what? So, yeah, this is a true history story that's totally fake and very weird. NPS grownups. We're doing this whole thing again on a zoom with me and Peter in October. And it's not too late to get your kids involved. We are going to write a brand new story together and then adapt it for the podcast. Just like in today's episode. Information on how to join us is in the episode description for today's episode. So grown ups, check it out and join us. And now, without further ado, we present to you a story by the Story Pirates Creator Club. How the Eiffel Tower Was Invited.

[Thurman St. James]

Hello and welcome to the History Channel. I'm Your host, Thurman St. James. Ironsam Das Herodoshamsham the place Paris, France. The thing the Eiffel Tower. Today, it is a staple of the Parisian skyline. But where exactly did the Eiffel Tower come from? Nobody knows. Or at least my intern Kyle doesn't. Which leaves me no choice but to do what any good historian would do. Speculate. Today we go back in time to when the Eiffel Tower was first invented. Or should I say invited? Let's Go back to the Ice Age. To a lonely, saber toothed tiger named Dan.

[Seth]

Good morning, Dan.

[Dan]

Good morning, Seth the giant sloth.

[Seth]

Say, Dan, I'm moving this weekend. I was wondering if you might be able to help me.

[Dan]

Why would you want to move away from Paris, France?

[Seth]

This is the Ice Age, Dan. Paris is in a city. It's a harsh, frozen, treeless tundra. Look at the horizon. What do you see?

[Dan]

I see possibilities, Seth. Possibilities.

[Seth]

Sure. So, can you help me move or what?

[Dan]

Sorry, I can't because of my condition.

[Seth]

Whoa. Was that all?

[Dan]

It was nothing. If my sister Cheryl were still around, I bet she could help you. She was always the stronger one.

[Seth]

Oh, yeah, Cheryl.

[Dan]

Where is she, Seth? She went missing months ago, remember?

[Seth]

Right. Sorry. Well, I gotta start packing. Thanks for nothing.

[Dan]

Good luck, Seth.

[Seth]

See ya, buddy.

[Dan]

I really am all alone. As much as I love this place, this empty skyline isn't exactly inspirational. But what could possibly fill the void in that?

[Child Participant 1]

Oh.

[Dan]

I'm having a vision.

[Eiffel Tower]

Dang.

[Dan]

I see you in my mind. Who are you?

[Eiffel Tower]

I am the Eiffel Tower, Dane. I am a steel structure whose spire reaches over 1,000ft into the heavens.

[Dan]

You are magnificent.

[Eiffel Tower]

But alas, I don't yet exist.

[Dan]

You haven't been invented yet.

[Eiffel Tower]

Or even invited.

[Dan]

Invited to what?

[Lee]

Existence.

[Dan]

That's a shame. You would be the perfect thing to cut through this lonely Parisian skyline. Eiffel Tower. Would you accept my invitation to exist?

[Seth]

I accept.

[Eiffel Tower]

Now build me then. Build me.

[Lee]

But how?

[Dan]

Eiffel Tower? How? It's gone. What am I gonna do? I'm too weak even to lift moving boxes, let alone steal beams because of my condition. Excuse me. Oh, Cheryl. You wouldn't know what to do. That's it. I have to go on a quest to find my sister. Here I go.

[Thurman St. James]

So Dan went looking for a clue. He asked everyone that he knew if

[Lee]

they had seen any sign offices to hear how they replied. A woolly mammoth said, no, I have not.

[Dan]

A woolly rhino said, also not me.

[Tiny Man]

A dire wolf said, nor have I.

[Peter]

A cave bear said, can't say that I have.

[Dan]

A cave hyena said, don't make me laugh.

[Narrator 2]

Some cavemen said.

[Dan]

She said, humans. Am I right?

[Thurman St. James]

And then.

[Peter]

Don't give up.

[Dan]

I give up. Oh, wow. I wish someone would send me a sign. Huh? This isn't a sign.

[Mermaid]

It's the Seine.

[Dan]

The frozen Seine river, that is. That's the one place I haven't looked underwater. Who is that?

[Mermaid]

Is that a mermaid? You betcha.

[Dan]

Mermaid. Have you heard tell of my sister's Whereabouts?

[Mermaid]

I've seen your sister. She's upstream in the town of Osephasburg.

[Dan]

Of course, the only other city I know of. Where is she exactly?

[Mermaid]

She gave me very specific directions for when you get to the gates. And I shall tell them to you in song.

[Dan]

I've been told mermaid songs are the most beautiful.

[Mermaid]

Oh, they are. Here I go.

[Tiny Man]

Go to the left and go to

[Seth]

the right

[Tiny Man]

Back to your ma and see me shine.

[Mermaid]

Thank you.

[Dan]

Okay, thanks.

[Mermaid]

Well, how about a tip?

[Dan]

Maybe look into some singing lessons?

[Mermaid]

Hey, that is a good tip. Goodbye.

[Dan]

And now to Bosephusburg. Here I am at the gates of Bosephusburg. Once I'm inside, I'll follow the mermaid's directions and find my sis.

[Tiny Man]

Not so fast, Saber tooth tiger.

[Dan]

Who said that?

[Tiny Man]

Down here, hotshot.

[Dan]

It's Tiny man, the lemming mayor.

[Tiny Man]

So you heard of me, eh?

[Dan]

Of course I have. Everyone knows the evil mayor Bosephusburg.

[Child Participant 1]

Evil?

[Tiny Man]

Then what did I do?

[Dan]

Everyone says that you love to fight, and that's why you made all the taxes way too high.

[Tiny Man]

Well, maybe I did.

[Dan]

I'm not here to fight you, Tiny Man.

[Tiny Man]

I know all about your silly quest and your little Eiffel Tower vision. How that presumptuous Eiffel Tower vision came to me first and had the gall to ask for an invitation to exist right here.

[Dan]

You had a chance to build it here and you said no.

[Tiny Man]

You know how much that would cost? I didn't raise all the taxes to spend money. I did it to keep money.

[Dan]

Then let me find my sister so we can go build the tower in Paris. Without your precious money.

[Tiny Man]

Why do you think I kidnapped your sister in the first place?

[Dan]

What?

[Tiny Man]

I mean. Guards, reveal the wall.

[Dan]

It's a giant wall, actually. It's incredibly long, but very, very short. Why don't I just step over it?

[Tiny Man]

The wall is made of cheese. Booby traps. Fire. The cheese.

[Dan]

I'm gonna hit my cheese. This is too much for me. I'm gonna go hide behind this glacier.

[Tiny Man]

And don't come back.

[Dan]

I've let you down, Cheryl. I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you. But you are vision of the Eiffel Tower.

[Eiffel Tower]

You can't give up now.

[Dan]

I'm too weak to. Excuse me?

[Eiffel Tower]

The power you seek has been inside you. It's time to let it out. Time?

[Dan]

You're right. Here I go. Hey, Tiny Bab.

[Tiny Man]

Had enough, eh? I'll accept your surrender under one condition.

[Dan]

I think you've got it backwards. I'm the one with a condition, Fire breath.

[Tiny Man]

What? You Melted all the ice. The ice age is over. And look at all this cheese on the ground. What age are we in now? The cheese age. Free cheese. Good, huh? I guess the cheese age is over now too. That was a short one, dad. Wait, where are you going?

[Dan]

I'm going left, then right, then back to left, where I'll see me shine. Cheryl, you're here. And look at all those shiny tools. Tools to build an Eiffel Tower. Shall we get to it? Let's do it.

[Tiny Man]

Oh, no. You won. I'm so embarrassed.

[Thurman St. James]

And so Dan and Cheryl returned to Paris. And with all the snow melted, they found a grassy spot near the banks of the Seine river where they built the mighty tower. For thousands of years, the tower has stood, cutting through the skyline, lonely no more. All because Dan was brave enough to extend an invitation from all of us here at the History channel, I'm Thurman St. James Iverson.

[Peter]

Hey, who are you?

[Co-host]

You can't be in here.

[Lee]

Uh oh.

[Tiny Man]

The end.

[Child Participant 1]

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

[Lee]

Hey, grownups. Today's episode is sponsored by Quints. Does anyone else feel like August is the Sunday of summer? It's the perfect time to hit reset before that autumn rush. And for me, it always starts with my wardrobe. Quince proves you don't need a crowded closet to look incredible. You just need the right pieces. Quince specializes in effortless, high quality essentials like ultra soft organic cotton and premium Mongolian cashmere sweaters. They're beautifully tailored, built to last, and transition seamlessly from morning meetings to dinner. Everything at quints is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen. So you're paying for quality, not brand markup. These days, I'm all about the Italian swim trunks. I like them because when I'm wearing them, I can pretend that I'm Italian and that I'm swimming. The truth is, I am neither of those things right now.

[Narrator 2]

At least.

[Lee]

But I love both of them. So sign me up. Italian swim trunks upgrade your everyday. Go to quints.com storypirates for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com storypirates for free Shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com storypirates. Back to school season is here. Packed backpacks, packed lunches and packed schedules are officially back. Luckily, this episode is sponsored by Ollie, your Back to school wellness partner. If you're like me, getting sleep is a top priority both for the kids in my life and for me, especially in the days leading up to a new, exciting school year. Ollie Kids Sleep helps little dreamers wind down with a gentle blend of melatonin, l theanine and botanicals for restful sleep. Translation an easy way to put those school night negotiations to bed. And for grownups, Ollie Sleep helps you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed. Because as you know, the morning mayhem comes early. Visit ollie.com and stock up on back to school must haves today. That's o l l y.com these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Welcome back to StoryLove, where we take stories written by kids and we read

[Co-host]

them and we talk about them.

[Lee]

And the people doing that are myself and this other guy. What's your name?

[Peter]

My name is Peter. Wonderful to meet you.

[Lee]

Let's get into our first story, Peter. This first one was written by a 7 year old from Colorado named Scout, and it's called the Haunted Bean Can.

[Seth]

Ooh.

[Co-host]

Once upon a time, a little girl was walking and she saw a really cool bean can.

[Lee]

She was like, why are there beans next to a tree? And why is there a dog sniffing the beans?

[Co-host]

FYI, the dog was her dog.

[Lee]

So she grabbed the bean can and she opened the bean can and she.

[Co-host]

And there were at least 15 moldy

[Lee]

beans and a ghost in it. She put the lid back on the can and ran to a lawyer. She opened the can and let the ghost fly out. She screamed at the lawyer, I want to sue that ghost right there. Then the ghost got sued.

[Co-host]

The end.

[Peter]

That was such an emotional journey.

[Co-host]

Really unexpected twists and turns there.

[Lee]

I'm not sure I've heard you laugh

[Co-host]

that much at a story in a long time.

[Peter]

You know what? Weirdly to me, the strangest part of that whole story is that she's walking her dog and then she says, why is there a dog sniffing the beans? Would you ever refer to your dog as a dog?

[Lee]

Why are there beans next to a tree? And why is there a dog sniffing the beans?

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

Heads straight to the lawyer.

[Lee]

You know, anyone that goes straight to

[Co-host]

the lawyer when they have a problem is maybe not the best citizen.

[Eiffel Tower]

Yeah.

[Peter]

And didn't even say, what's your story, ghost? Like, what was the. What wrong did this ghost do to this girl?

[Co-host]

Well, that's a great point, Peter. Are you familiar with the concept of standing in a legal setting.

[Peter]

Standing?

[Co-host]

Standing, I believe is called when you can demonstrate that you have been harmed by something and therefore you have standing to sue.

[Peter]

I see.

[Co-host]

So you can't sue someone for something that didn't harm you or affect you in any way.

[Thurman St. James]

Right.

[Peter]

So what did this can of beans? Is she offended by the can of beans and trying to blame the ghost or is she offended by the ghost?

[Lee]

It's really hard to tell.

[Co-host]

I mean, there's many details. She could have been offended by the fact that the beans are next to a tree and that her dog sniffed them. The fact that the beans next to the tree made her forget that she had a dog.

[Narrator 2]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

The fact that the bean can was open and the beans are moldy in that.

[Peter]

Oh, you know what, I have a little hint, maybe in this story is that she certainly feels betrayed because as she says, she was walking, she saw a really cool bean can. So she's excited.

[Co-host]

Yes.

[Peter]

Why is there beans next to this tree and there a dog sniffing the bean. So she grabbed it, opened up, and there were at least 15 moldy beans and a ghost in it. And so she says.

[Co-host]

Okay, so she thinks the ghost is responsible for making the beans moldy.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Peter]

And maybe he's gonna make her dog sick.

[Co-host]

Yep, yep.

[Mermaid]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

You can't just leave moldy beans out next to a tree for dogs to sniff and get sick.

[Peter]

Okay. She has a little bit more of a case now, but we never ask questions. Is this the ghost's fault? Did this ghost. Was it a person whose demise came about because of these beans?

[Co-host]

I'm not sure that there's any hard physical evidence that the ghost caused the beans to get moldy.

[Peter]

Yeah. And also this implies that this is an itty bitty ghost.

[Co-host]

Yeah, really small.

[Peter]

Maybe it's a mouse ghost.

[Co-host]

This is an awesome, awesome story. I love every part of it and I want to know what happens next.

[Lee]

Scout, incredible idea.

[Co-host]

Thanks for sparking our imaginations onto our next one.

[Lee]

Peter, would you like to read it for us?

[Peter]

Yes, I would. This next story comes to us from a 7 year old from Hawaii named Kaimana. And Kaimana story is called the Best fingernail stew. One day on the Amazon river, a mom and a son were eating and the son was getting his nails clipped. And the son's nail flew into a bowl of stew and the mom served it and everyone praised it for. For its taste and said, what is it made of? It's made of fingernails. Then everyone was disgusted. Then everyone turned into a pickle. Then everyone ate the pickle people. Then a doctor came and brought the antidote called Escape the Pickle. The end.

[Co-host]

Again, so many great details here.

[Eiffel Tower]

Wow.

[Thurman St. James]

Wow.

[Co-host]

Yeah. I'm assuming the doctor was too late with the antidote. Do you agree?

[Peter]

Well, I don't know. That's what I was wondering. The doctor came and brought an antidote, but the only people who need curing are the people that were turned into pickles. But those.

[Co-host]

And who were eaten already.

[Peter]

And they've been eaten.

[Co-host]

Yes. So I would assume Escape the Pickle antidote only works if you have not already been eaten and chewed up.

[Peter]

Oh, so you're saying they showed up and brought an antidote but were not able to use it?

[Co-host]

Yeah, the doctors, you know, he shows. He walks in right at the very end, he doesn't realize what just happened. He's like, hey, anyone need a pickle antidote?

[Peter]

And the other people are like, those pickles were people.

[Co-host]

They slap their foreheads, pull their collars. If you could have only been here a couple minutes, or actually, you know,

[Peter]

these are some of my favorite things. The head, slap the collar, pull with the goo. But also, in this case, they go, did anyone see any pickled people? And they go, those are pickled people.

[Narrator 2]

Yeah.

[Peter]

And then they go, check, please.

[Lee]

Check, please.

[Co-host]

Or they step back into the hedge.

[Peter]

I was never here. I also love the smoke bomb. But then doesn't disappear. Just goes, sorry, I'm gonna leave.

[Co-host]

That's a good one, too.

[Lee]

I do agree, though, that I would

[Co-host]

not want fingernail stew.

[Thurman St. James]

Yes.

[Peter]

No, no, thank you.

[Co-host]

However, it does seem like everybody liked it. They praised it for its taste before they knew what was in it.

[Peter]

Here's something we have not discussed. Everyone thought it was delicious. Then they found out what it was, and they were disgusted. And then everyone turned into a pickle. Which says to me, there's a very specific, magical combination of things that turns into a pickle. One, you have to eat fingernail stew. But not just that. You then have to know that it's fingernail stew. And then you have to be disgusted with that idea. That combination magically turns you into a pickle.

[Co-host]

Yeah, I mean, that could be true. Or the son could have had this ulterior emotive the whole time and was making this sort of, like, knew that if you added fingernails to the stew, people would like it. And then before they knew it, they would turn into pickles.

[Peter]

Also, I'm really intrigued by. There's a boat going down the Amazon river with a kitchen or an open flame to make stew?

[Narrator 2]

Sure, yeah.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

All those boats going down the Amazon river, they have like a little canopy, you know, like under that.

[Narrator 2]

You have to.

[Co-host]

You can't just go up onto the shore whenever you want in the Amazon, you know, there's snakes out there and piranha.

[Peter]

You know what? I also just realized that if they're on a boat and they're eating the stew, then they all turn into pickles. Do you think maybe then the boat just drifted off and hit the shore? And then some random people came by and were like, oh, there's a boat. Oh, pickles. And ate it off of a stranded boat.

[Co-host]

Are you saying who are the people that ate the pickles?

[Peter]

Yeah. And then a doctor randomly came by and he had an antidote called Escape the Pickle, but he didn't. At that point, he doesn't know that anyone needs it. He's just walking by and he's like, so the boat hits the shore, random people find it, eat the pickles. Then a doctor comes by and he goes, hey, does anybody want to buy some Escape the Pickles potion? And they're like, oh, no, we're regular people. All right, goodbye.

[Co-host]

I think that there are just more people on the boat, right? Like, there's people above deck, there's people below deck. The doctor's probably taking a nap down below deck. You know, like, there's some guy, like a character you play, who also, he just wakes up and sees the pickles. He didn't eat the stew, right. He just wakes up, he's like, oh, this looks good. Oh, great. Someone put out lunch.

[Peter]

Makes sense.

[Co-host]

Amazing story, Kaimana. Thank you so much for sending it in.

[Lee]

All right, we got one more here, Peter.

[Co-host]

I'm gonna read it for you.

[Peter]

All right.

[Lee]

It's from Louella, a nine year old

[Co-host]

in Maryland, and it's called Chicken in a Top Hat. Do you ever find random things in your house that you don't remember being there? Do you wonder where they came from? They're from Chicken in a Top Hat song.

[Lee]

Chicken in a top hat oh, it's

[Co-host]

that chicky Wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki in a top hat

[Lee]

Chicken in a top hat the end

[Peter]

this I love a chicken story. We get a lot of chicken stories, and for good reason. Chickens are the funniest animal.

[Co-host]

That's true. Especially a chicken in a top hat. I have a question for you about the end here, Peter.

[Peter]

Yes.

[Co-host]

Do you have a theory on what the Wiki Wiki Wiki in the song is because I do chicky wiki wiki wiki.

[Peter]

It's like a turntable scratching.

[Tiny Man]

Yes.

[Lee]

Oh, it's that chicky wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki wiki in a top hat.

[Peter]

Or maybe it's an unintentional record skip. So it's chicken in a top hat. Oh, it's chicken.

[Seth]

Wick wick wicky wick wicky wicky wick

[Peter]

wicky in a top hat.

[Co-host]

Admirable job trying to vocally represent a skip on a record.

[Peter]

I give myself a C. Yeah.

[Lee]

Well, Louella, we obviously just need to

[Co-host]

know more about this chicken in a top hat.

[Lee]

Why is the chicken in the top

[Co-host]

hat leaving things in your house that don't belong there? Where does the chicken get them? What's going on with this chicken in a top hat?

[Peter]

You know, there's a lot of questions to be answered, but it is guiding my imagination in some pretty fun directions. I'm imagining the kinds of things a chicken in a top hat would leave around, and they're all sort of turn of the century, like, fancy stuff like spats and a monocle.

[Co-host]

So you think it's like the chicken's own items?

[Narrator 2]

Yeah, yeah.

[Peter]

Because it's a chicken at a top hat. Very fancy, but it's still a chicken. So the chicken's dropping stuff. But every day the chicken kids goes to the tailor and gets a fancy outfit. And then as he walks around, he keeps dropping his pocket watch.

[Co-host]

A silk vest.

[Peter]

Exactly.

[Co-host]

A cummerbund.

[Peter]

Exactly. Right. A cravat.

[Co-host]

See, I was thinking more like the chicken in the top hat was, like, sort of, you know, causing problems by leaving, like, truly random things. Like, the scene would always start with someone in, like, a normal domestic situation. You know, they're like, eating breakfast, getting ready for school, and then they reach for their spoon to eat their cereal, but instead of a spoon, it's a cucumber. And they're like, what?

[Lee]

How did this get here?

[Co-host]

And then the camera, like, whips over to the side, and the chicken in the top hat just, like, winks and the song plays.

[Dan]

Ba ga.

[Peter]

They go to get in their car and it's a tugboat.

[Co-host]

That's right.

[Peter]

So they get increasingly random and weird.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Lee]

The chicken in the top hat is

[Co-host]

a mischief maker, is a trickster.

[Peter]

A gentleman mischief maker.

[Co-host]

That's right. Those are the best kinds of mischief makers. You don't want, like, a messy mischief maker. You want a gentleman.

[Peter]

I'm picturing this chicken having, like, a pencil mustache.

[Co-host]

Where's the mustache go over the beak.

[Peter]

Yeah, it's gotta.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Peter]

Although you know what? That kind of mustache is hard for a beak. It might have to be a classic twirly twirly Monopoly man mustache.

[Co-host]

I liked what you were saying about a monocle too. I think a chicken in a top hat with a monocle could be great. And who knows, maybe this chicken's related to chicken on a motorcycle.

[Peter]

Chicken on a motorcycle. Chicken on a motorcycle. Hey, hey, hey.

[Lee]

Amazing work, Louella.

[Co-host]

Thank you so much for putting that image into our heads. We will never, ever be able to escape the chicken in a top hat.

[Lee]

To read all of these stories, just head to storypirates.com bye bye and grown up. StoryLove isn't just the name of a segment on our show. It's also the name of our incredible corporate volunteer program. To find out more about StoryLove or our digital creative writing program, StoryQuest, or our nonprofit arm, Story Pirates Change makers. Check the show notes for links. That's it for today's bonus episode, Grown Ups. Don't forget to check the show notes for today's episode to find out how your kids can join us for our next Create a Story session in October. We'll be back next week with more episodes. Until then, stay creative and stay kind.

[Tiny Man]

Bye.

[Lee]

The Story Pirates podcast is a production of Story Pirates Studios, executive produced by Lee Overtree and Benjamin Salka. Co executive producers are Holly and Rizwan Kasim, Manya Lissi, Erin Moore, Murray Sampson, Jack Schaefer and Jacob Vaughn. This episode was produced by Sam Baer, Peter McNerney, Leo Retrie and Brittany Stahl. Recording sound design and mixing by Sam Baer at the Relic Room in New York City. Additional production by Brett Toobin. Theme song by Bobby Lord. Musical scoring by Eric Erson and Jack Mitchell. Our head writer is Peter McNerney. Staff writers are Megan O' Neill and Alexis Simpson. How the Eiffel Tower Was Invited was Adapted by Peter McNerney. Episode artwork by Camilla Franklin. This episode features performances by nat d', amico, sasha diamond, al king, sherry lane, blake merriman, peter mcnerney and brittany stahl. Dear Eiffel Tower, you are cordially invited to a summer barbecue on the story Pirate Ship. We will have all sorts of French foods on the grill that you will enjoy. You know, real French foods like sausage, spicy sausage, grilled pork chops, steak, and also cheese. Yes, I will cook cheese on the grill just for you because that is what French people love to do. I hope that you can make it. Sincerely, Lee. From the story Pirates.