One storyteller. A whole world of Goops.
Maria Calanchini
Writer and voice of every Goop Tale · Mill Valley, California
Where the Goops came from
When Maria was little, her mom read her The Goops, a 1904 book of funny, round-headed characters who each had one bad habit. The book was meant to teach children manners.
Maria loved the characters, but the old book read as old-fashioned. So she brought the Goops into today and sent them around the world. Each Goop still has one naughty habit, and each story visits a real place.
She writes and records every story herself. It's a story first. It just happens to take place in a real country.
Made with our listeners
Kids send Maria their own Goop ideas, and more than half of the Goops started that way. Many episodes begin with a voicemail from the kid who dreamed it up.
Listen: Nina thanks Maria for using her idea
Goop Tales by the numbers
1.6M+downloads, all word of mouth
Top 0.5%of podcasts worldwide
141original stories
6continents of listeners
Parents ask
What ages is it for?Kids 4 to 10, and the grown-ups who end up listening too.
Are there ads in the stories?No. The stories have no ads inside them.
Where can we listen?Free, right here on the site, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and most podcast apps.
How are the episodes told?Each story is a poem and four short chapters, read by Maria.