Stories are built on “what ifs.” What if dogs could turn into airplanes or trees loved chocolate or a wizard summoned an island-sized turtle? These questions excite the imagination with the possibilities of an answer that could go in so many directions. If these questions have this grand effect on storytelling, what could questions from the minds of children create? That is precisely what the podcast “What If World” by Eric (fondly known as Mr. Eric) and Karen O’Keeffe aim to answer. Each episode, they ask children for creative “what if” questions, and “Mr. Eric” turns those questions into a story. They have hundreds of episodes following ridiculous and awe-inspiring prompts that encourage creativity and humor for its young listeners.
Hey there, folks, and welcome back to “What If World”: the show where your questions and ideas inspire off-the-cuff stories.
MR. ERIC O’KEEFEE
Is that a compelling concept or what? Of course I wanted to learn more about it. As an aspiring children’s writer myself, I want to figure out what is making this podcast work (outside of the incredible concept) and what I would propose to change as if I were asked to provide coverage. For now, let’s start by researching it a bit more.
According to their “about” page, Mr. Eric has ten years of experience with early childhood development, including teaching “motor skills, gymnastics, karate, singing, acting, and story-telling.” The podcast was inspired by Mr. Eric’s weekly Skype calls with his nephew, who lived on the other side of the country. Now, he and his wife Karen run the show as co-creators while raising a son.
The show has a full merchandise line, including shirts, masks, pillow cases, backpacks, and more. From this line, it is clear that the O’Keefes value diversity and acceptance, as many characters are people of color and they even sell a weekender bag promoting “love is love” and a lesbian flag. This bag seems to imply the presence of an older audience as well, as not many children sport weekender bags in their day-to-day lives. I find this to be very admirable about them, as there is a significant lack of LGBT+ representation in children’s media especially. They even include a full page of transcripts for each episode to include children with hearing impairments. The consideration for all demographics is beautiful to see.
If not already clear from this line, the show is popular, and several well-known magazines and articles attest to that by including it in recommendation articles.
I am particularly intrigued by the fact that these stories are completely off the cuff. I wrote this after reviewing three of their episodes, and it is remarkably structured, witty, and professionally done for solo improv. Oh, what fun it must be to watch one of these be filmed…
Overall, I want to listen to it because it is about writing for children, which is exactly what I want to do. Even better, these stories are somewhat written by children, too, so I can see what stories they want to hear. Listening to creative children’s content with a critical ear would help me in my own writing and analysis. I decided to listen to and review Episode 237, Episode 234, and Episode 224.
Art and Photo Credit: What If World official website
Takeaways
After reviewing these episodes, I have learned that Mr. Eric O’Keefee is a fantastic storyteller. Even with the critiques I found, his ability to create nearly masterful stories on his own on the spot is truly admirable, especially since he acted in most episodes entirely on his own. Without another person in the room to bounce ideas off of, the pressure is really on, and he did a great job of not succumbing to it. His love of sharing stories with children is present in every word, and he makes his show appealing to listeners of all ages as a result.
Outside of the wonderful life lessons in the episodes, I also learned the importance of treating every episode like the first one. This applies to podcasts as well as television shows, as new listeners or viewers may find themselves confused if they do not start at the beginning. With non-serialized shows, it is important to introduce characters in each episode just as powerfully and clearly as when you first introduce them in the series, even though it is easy to forget that they are not as familiar with the characters as the writer is.
Additionally, I thought the episodes did a magnificent job of establishing a relationship between listeners and Mr. Eric. Before I listened, I was surprised to see that a child requested Mr. Eric to be a leading character of “What if my cat, Dr. Jack Murphy PhD, had to tell the story?” For me, that was a beautiful sign of success, as the child has bonded with Mr. Eric and therefore the show in a personal way. This seems to emphasize the importance of personability. Mr. Eric’s vulnerability and consistent presence in kids’ lives is rewarded with a consistent and loyal following, and this is a practice to hold to heart in any episode we writers tell.
