GrowlerZone Email + + + + GrowlerZone Email
+ + A Cultural Posting From Growlerville + +
_________________________________________________________________
November 2000 * * * * * issue #5 * * * * * November 2000
The Growler Tapes Audio Adventures
_________________________________________________________________
"Be sure to let me know if you don't get this message." (Oldold)
_________________________________________________________________
In this issue:
- - DEAR GROWLERZONE: Feedback forum
- - GROWLER RADIO 25 CAMOUFLAGE: You thought invisibility was a problem
- - GRIST: More fuel for the anti-magic forces
- - AMAZING HUHU FACTS: Sometimes Success IS Failure
- - THE GROWLERVILLE TOURIST: Growlerville Museum/Growler Louise/Fast Fingers
- - UNCLE HUHU'S KNOCK-KNOCK CITY: More silliness from a pro.
- - NEW TAPES/CDS RELEASED WITHIN THE PAST 6 MONTHS:
GR23 Glitch GR24 EverCool
GR25 Camouflage
_________________________________________________________________
Did you know that our website has 24 age appropriate crossword puzzles? (and
more coming!) Go here: The Growler Tapes Crossword Puzzles
_________________________________________________________________
DEAR GROWLERZONE
Dear GrowlerZone,
We've heard rumors that there will soon be a read-along book series for
all Growler audio stories. Is this true? When can we get them? Astle Lutely
Dear Astle,
Where do these rumors come from? Mother Huhu's project
involves books only for The Classic Series. No word on
availability. GZ
Dear GrowlerZone,
What is happening with Growler Louise? We have only 3 stories with her
voice. We keep hearing references to her, but where is she? Will she be in any
future programs? Shelly Dance
Dear Shelly,
You're not the only one asking those questions. We've been
trying to get Growler Louise into the studio for over 3
years! She never returns our calls, and we haven't seen her
in person since the last recording session in 1994. GZ
Dear GrowlerZone,
In Growler Radio 16 "Seeds Of Doubt" there's an encrusted crystal called
Upsy that is able to suspend things off the ground. Can one Upsy on the ground
suspend another Upsy off the ground? Wonce Moore
Dear Wonce,
We just tried it and yes, it can. GZ
Got questions or comments? Let's hear from you
gz @ growler.com
_________________________________________________________________
GROWLER RADIO 25, Camouflage, is now available:
Mother Huhu had a slight accident during the taping of her show. But not
to worry. Everything that escaped has by now been recaptured and is being held
in small glass containment traps spread out on the lawn, waiting to be put back
into the vault by the baby Huhu. What else could possibly go wrong?
When you suddenly can't see your own body, there are questions that need
answering. Is there any difference between being invisible and being perfectly
camouflaged? Have magic practitioners become lax when it comes to safety issues?
And what exactly is 100% Visibility?
Concepts: Invisibility, visibility, perception.
Revisits: Magic safety issues.
The Growlerville Tourist column in the last issue of GrowlerZone has an
extensive descriptive on Camouflage
GrowlerZone June 2000
_________________________________________________________________
GRIST Anti-magic opposition forces continue to gain ground
If Mother Huhu thought she was gaining a public mandate for her party's
pro-magic platform, the results of the latest poll will change her mind. They
show that her favorable rating took a 23% drop as a result of the Camouflage
disaster. She has acknowledged complete and unequivocal responsibility for the
incident. At this point in time, the substance has already contaminated a
majority of Growlerville, and seems to be spreading out of control as
containment efforts continue to fail.
A spokesperson for opposition candidate says, "Once again, Growler Fred
is sacrificing his own well being, forced by the bad judgements of the
incumbents, to become a victim of magic. You have to understand the level of
commitment this guy has," he exclaims. "Fred has been working as a civil
servant to help contain this dangerous substance unleashed by his opponent. As a result of his noble service to the community, Fred has been contaminated with Camouflage, yet he continues to serve. Is there any greater act of commitment? This will be our new elected official, most definitely now! Mother Huhu just blew her political career!"
The Growler Times has been staunchly pro-magic, but today, on the
editorial page, there's a piece called "Enough Beating Up On Fred." The piece
by pundit Prof. QB Snifs predicts that the sympathy vote alone is going to be a
major factor in this election, and may in fact determine the outcome. "Everyone
has enjoyed seeing Fred be the butt of the joke for a long time. Now they're
saying, 'I'm maybe starting to feel a little sorry for that guy. Look what
they're doing to him. And over and over. Enough already!'"
It's scary alright. Everyone is starting to like Growler Fred.
Are you pro-magic or anti-magic? Think Fred can win? Email us:
gz @ growler.com
_________________________________________________________________
AMAZING HUHU FACTS (from GR 24, EverCool)
Fact: Sometimes success IS failure
It was the ancient Huhu shaman culture that first embraced encrusted
experimentation, and made the first known attempts to harness the diverse
natural powers so abundantly available to them in the Forbidden Zone. Although the passing on of their knowledge was an exclusively oral tradition, much is learned from the artifacts of their trade. Ancient Huhu were incredible artisans, and their work reveals a world of both extreme successes and devastating failures.
Take for example the encrusted preparation called Camouflage. It was
created and distributed by the shaman leadership, who were desperate to help
their hunters provide food for starving families. The hunters complained that
they were seldom able to get close enough to their prey to use their crude
spears and knives. The shaman had already experimented with invisibility and
stealth, so they struggled to perfect an encrusted formula combining these
elements. The physical form was a dark purple liquid which the shaman contained in a tiny, transparent bottle.
One drop of Camouflage was applied to the clothing of each hunter in a
morning ritual on the day of the first experimental hunt. Before lunch, the
hunters appeared back in camp with enough game to feed the village for a dozen moons. It was an amazing success. Everyone celebrated, with a huge feast that lasted well into the night. But then, a strange thing happened. The next
morning, all the hunters were unable to find their clothing. They laughed at
how effective Camouflage really was. They felt it was really no problem and
liberally applied Camouflage to their new hunting garb. More strange things
happened. Not only did they always lose the clothing they had treated with the
encrusted preparation, but they also started losing their other belongings.
Camouflage worked because it was predisposed to consuming the visibility of any object it touched. The problem was that after it had consumed an object's visibility, it then moved on to other, adjacent visible things, consuming the visibility of everything in it's path. To make things worse, every hunter had used it many times before the shaman leadership realized that they had unleashed a disaster of frightening proportions. Before Camouflage was completely contained, many had lost everything. Records show that even family members were lost. Many, many suffered. Camouflage was so successful that it was, in the end, a total disaster.
And that's an amazing Huhu Fact!
_________________________________________________________________
All 29 Growler Programs are available on both CDs ($13) & tapes ($7)
1-800-GROWLER Discounts on sets.
_________________________________________________________________
THE GROWLERVILLE TOURIST by Mr. E.
I'm still here in the Growlerville Museum, waiting to have my scheduled
session with the entertaining and knowledgeable curator, Doan Givva Hu. He
unexpectedly has to deal with some emergency funding issue and suggests I wait
for him in The Hall of Disasters. The exhibits are truly stupendous. The
Imposimazoo pavillion has an amazing demonstration of this little imposter's
capabilities. Contained with nothing to copy, it's an egg. Unleashed, it can
take on almost any form at will, and it especially tries to become things you
will want to touch, as that begins its rapid reproductive cycle. In the middle
of the presentation, from the corner of my eye, I see Growler Louise walking out
so I quietly follow. She leaves the Hall of Disasters and ducks into the
Temporal Anomaly room. I follow but don't see her anywhere. There's an
impressive exhibit on a strange creature called the Timefish. It does not live
in water - it swims through the air. The display shows a huge school exiting a
cave-like disturbance called the Temporal Vortex. Apparently, these encrusted
creatures create this vortex through which they can "swim" into other timezones,
in search of more favorable survival conditions. The creature and the Temporal
Vortex it creates are of deep interest to me, but I am distracted as I again
spot Louise, this time heading outside. I try to follow, but she sees me and
disappears onto the streets of Growlerville.
Growler Louise has become somewhat of a celebrity of late. Pop culture
here in Growlerville is driven by forces that are beyond understanding.
Louise's popularity stands at an all time high in spite of her derisive and
dismissive attitude toward her fans. Articles in the gossip press about all
aspects of her life are ubiquitous. This is especially puzzling when you
realize how reclusive she is. When was the last time you actually saw her? Or
heard her? See what I mean? But the real proof of her imminent leap to
superstardom is this email assignment from my boss, "Get an interview with GL
for the next issue of GrowlerZone."
Louise and I were buddies from way back before Growlerville became so
hip. She wanted the press, and I was happy to spin for her. I'm quite
enthralled by her actually, and I think she feels the same way towards me. I
email my boss a "no problem" and pick up the phone. I get an employee, a staff
screener on her private line! I guess it's not the private line anymore. I ask
for Louise and have to leave a message.
That was 9 weeks ago. I am going to miss the GrowlerZone deadline, and I
am no closer to that interview. The lesson here is that anyone who tells his
boss it's easy to connect with Growler Louise is nuts. I have been working on
it, going nowhere for months. Celebrity status has really gone to her head -
she doesn't return my calls anymore and for any actual appointments I get from
her staff, she's always a no show. And she used to be my buddy! So much for
friendship once you make the A list. I lick my wounds and email my editor the
bad news.
Fortunately getting an interesting replacement story is no problem in
this town. My press status gets me into a lot of cool stuff - like this
invitation to a taping of Mother Huhu's Magic Helpline.
I hop a cab crosstown to the Growler Broadcasting Center. There's a huge
crowd outside trying to get a peek at the celebrities. Someone starts yelling
that Growler Louise has arrived, and the crowd goes nuts. I don't see her, but
use the opportunity to push through the throng toward the entrance. Security is
very high.
The guard stops me & I flash my press card. He studies it carefully, and
asks me my name before allowing me to enter the facility. I am directed to
Soundstage B where the Magic Helpline is taped. The stage is circular,
surrounded by audience on all sides. Mother Huhu's on stage with a piano, a
drum kit, a didjeri doo, and a bass, but my eye is drawn to what appears to be a
strange pair of gloves, designed for a seven fingered person, on a table next to
her. I quietly take a seat. There's a problem. Domenick, the technician, is
fooling with the right glove using some cool diagnostic device. Mother Huhu
looks exasperated.
"It's the functionality sensor on the secondary index," he says.
"Do we have to reschedule?"
"This is a major repair. Did someone try to use these underwater?"
The taping is rescheduled for tomorrow. I grab Dom, as he walks by me
carrying the gloves. "I bet Sammy took these fishing again," he mutters. He
motions for me to follow him into the maintainence area. It's an amazing place
and these are awesome devices. Dom tells me the gloves are called Fast Fingers,
an encrusted product born of body extension technology. Worn by a normal five
fingered person, they greatly magnify one's dexterity with the application of
encrusted technology and 2 extra fingers! He let me try them after he completed
the repair.
At first it is a bit weird to have seven fingers, but soon I am able to do amazing things - like tie the laces on my sneakers with one hand, or tie both laces at the same time. Dom has been practicing and shows me how he can type on 8 computer keyboards simultaneously, while juggling 31 objects! His hands are flying! I try the juggling part and am awestruck when I can
comfortably juggle 8 objects within a few minutes. Dom says I may take Fast Fingers home with me to familiarize myself with their potential. I am ecstatic. The only precaution he says is not to get them wet. He gives me a pair of seven fingered rubber gloves to go over the Fast Fingers in case I want to do something like wash dishes. I thank Dom profusely and head back home, wearing the system on my hands. I am bionic! They are such fun, and so incredibly useful! Imagine being able to brush your teeth, floss, wash your face, shave, squeeze pimples, put on lotion, and brush your hair - all at the same time! This is much more fun than Growler Louise!
Next time:
Mr. E takes Fast Fingers home, gets a surprise visit from Grandpa Huhu,
and accidentally discovers a huge shipment of rubber bugs.
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLE HUHU'S KNOCK KNOCK CITY
Knock knock.
Who's there? Werewolf.
Werewolf who? We're wolfing down Christmas dinner.
Knock knock.
Who's there? Noah.
Noah who? Know a way to fix these broken ornaments?
Knock knock.
Who's there? Annie. Annie who?
Annie more Nothing left in that tube?
Knock knock.
Who's there? Thumb. Thumb who?
Thumb times I just don't know about you!
_________________________________________________________________
REMINDER: These 3 stories were released within the past 12 months:
GROWLER RADIO 22, The Noise Thief (GR22):
When technicians at the Oldold Institute opened the vessel containing the
mineral sample from the Forbidden Zone, they were unable to talk or call for
help. Just prior to the incident, the Deck Of Antiquity was seen nearby. Could
it have been working with the Noise Thief toward some mutual objective?
The kids get tricked by a master of deception and experience the amazing
creature that grazes on sound energy. Along the way they encounter Grandpa
Huhu, who's trying to get a handle on a potentially bad problem. And then
there's Dr. Growler, who never makes life easy.
Concepts: Sound as a form of life sustaining energy.
Revisits: The Forbidden Zone, GR19, GR20.
_________________________________________________________________
GROWLER RADIO 23, Glitch, is now available:
Scientists are saying that unless all Glitch is removed from our midst,
something very destructive is about to happen in Growlerville. So, for the
safety of all, the Huhu Authority is asking citizens to voluntarily turn in any
Glitch jewelry they may own. What are the chances that everyone will cooperate?
Who made those tiny footprints in the bathroom, and why did someone sprinkle
Gravity Boost on the stairs? Deja vu plays a role as the kids inadvertantly
become involved in an organized effort to save Growlerville from an overdose of
chaos. But it may already be too late.
Concepts: Deja vu. Periodicity. Distorted, looping time warp.
Revisits: The Forbidden Zone, GR19, GR20.
for a recent review of Glitch: Reviews.
_________________________________________________________________
GROWLER RADIO 24, EverCool
Dr. Growler's company, EverCool, is a hugely successful enterprise,
manufacturing everything from appliances to soft drinks. It's a household name
that everyone loves for its amazing products. But there's a dark spot out in
the meadow that seems to be growing, and the trees and plants are all dying.
Being up in a treehouse gives you a great view from above. It's a cool
place to observe woodpeckers, or deer, or even someone harvesting shadows. The
kids rescue the Eensies, get severely exposed to a dangerous substance, and
discover that the remedy is not a sure thing.
Concepts: Anti-light
Revisits: The Eensies GR17.
for a recent review of EverCool:Reviews.
_________________________________________________________________
Coming Soon:
GROWLER RADIO 26 Timefish (1 June 2001)
Swimming through time in search of food.
GROWLER RADIO 27 By Guess & By Gory (1 January 2002)
Can't make up your mind? No problem.
_________________________________________________________________
All Growler stories are now available on both audiocassettes & CDs.
To order tapes, CDs or a catalog: 1-800-GROWLER or
Order Form
Purchase orders accepted from libraries and schools
Libraries & Schools
_________________________________________________________________
To read more about available Growler tapes/CDs:
The Growler Tapes (Classic Series I-IV
Growler Radio 1-25
If you do not wish to receive any more email from us, reply with UNSUBSCRIBE on
the subject line, or email gz @ growler.com
***************************************************
Please forward this GrowlerZone to someone special.
***************************************************
THE
GROWLER TAPES I-IV CATALOG
(The Classic Series)
for kids 4-10
Listen to samples
GROWLER RADIO 1-27 CATALOG
for kids 6-12
Listen to samples
Libraries & Schools
(ISBNs, reviews,
ordering info)
Get A Free Subscription
To GrowlerZone
(The e-mail cultural posting)
Growler Fun
(under construction)
The Growler
Educator's Manual
(under construction)
Amazing Huhu Facts - Otherwise you
wouldn't believe it.
Uncle Huhu's
Knock Knock City
Some of the best
knock-knock jokes from
his show Miscellaneous
The Huhu's Who's Who Everyone who is anyone.
Oldold, Ancestor &
Master Of Natural Forces
Learn more about this significant ancient
What Are Growlers?
audiocassettes / cds THE GROWLER TAPES I-IV audiocassettes / cds
(The Classic Series) for kids 4+
audiocassettes / cds GROWLER RADIO 1-27 for kids 6+ audiocassettes / cds
Educators & Growlers // What Parents Say // Order Form
Growler Fun (under construction)
The Growler Educator's Manual
(under construction)
THIS SITE IS AUDIO ENABLED FOR REALPLAYER. Get it free here: