Comfort Creatures

Well if you haven't heard... ALEXIS IS ENGAGED! That means we've got two weddings on the horizon! We also happened to get an email about a DINOSAUR WEDDING so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to discuss animals and weddings! We learn about different animal based wedding traditions from around the world as well as some fun ways to incorporate animals (and dinosaurs) into a wedding!Send us YOUR pet stories at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

Continuing our Dino Diaries - than you to listener Dana for that one! - we get big into birds. Alexis talks about how we could possibly have made it from the T - Rex to the tiny wee sparrow and Ella shares about some woodpeckermischief. Plus a Pre-RPG featuring a playground game of frankly epic proportions.

In an attempt to limit her social media input, Ella has turned her attention to the important things: DINOSAURS! But before we can really get into dinosaurs, she decided to learn about our living dino-like friends, crocodiles and alligators! We learn all about the differences between them, their strength, and their link to their jurassic family. Plus, Alexis has an urban legend about an alligator and we discuss the importance of where the split must come in a human/animal hybrid!

Grizzly Bears! The bear with one of the meanest reputations around! But is that fair? This week Grizzly Bears have popped up in the news so Ella and Alexis do a deep dive into these "Horrible" bears. We also have a wonderful Ready Pet Go from Kelsey and the Camp Animals!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

Last week was Easter and while some may think of rabbits and chicks when they think of the egg filled holiday, we thought it was time to give some attention to the real holiday hero: The Donkey! Ella learns all she can about donkeys and Alexis finds a fun greek myth with some donkey themes! Plus, we have a fantastic Ready Pet Go from Eileen and the flower cats!

BREAKING NEWS! Dire wolves are BACK! Which is a shock in many ways to Ella! This week we discuss what we've learned of the dire wolf news, learn about the norse myth of Fenrir, and Alexis and Ella give updates on their stinky (Or not stinky) pets! Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

Sometimes you see a video of an animal and you realize they are not what you thought they were. This week that animal is none other than THE MOOSE. Did you know that they can be nearly seven feet tall at the shoulder?! We didn't! Naturally we had to learn as much as we could about these HUGE animals and even some fun mythology! We also have a Ready Pet Go from Lene and the Library Magpie!

First, THANK YOU to everyone who joined us during the Max Fun Drive! We reached ALL of our goals this year and we are so excited! We are joined this week by the wonderful Molly McAleer (Trending Lightly, Mother May I Sleep with Podcast) who tells us all about her stunning cat Pigeon! We also discuss the emotional states of some of our favorite cryptids and the wild possibilities in the deep sea!

It's the last week of the MaxFun Drive and who better to join us than one of the world's best person/dog combos? Renee Colvert and Tugboat the Fluffy Pit! We catchup with Renee, learn about Tug's latest walk shenanigans, discuss our childhood stuffed animals, and even talk musical theater!Thank you to everyone who has joined the Drive so far! If you're craving MORE Renee you can listen to our BONUS episode with her by going to maximumfun.org/join!  MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It's the MaxFun Drive! And one of the best parts of the Drive is the Bonus Content! Here's a little preview of our conversation with our pals from Let's Learn Everything! To hear the full episode (and our other episode with Renee Colvert!) join, boost, or upgrade your membership! Head to maximumfun.org/join  MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

HOLD ON TO YOUR PANTS! And maybe ask the kids and grandparents to skip this episode. We have the ultimate crossover episode special for the MaxFunDrive! We are joined by Brea Grant and Mallory O'Meara from Reading Smut (and Reading Glasses)! We have fused our shows into everyone's favorite subject: Creatures in Smut! Werewolves, vampires, and tentacles? Oh. My...As a reminder, if you want to support our show, please head to maximumfun.org/join and become a member! MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It's not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris, Manolo Moreno, Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper, Ella McLeod, John-Luke Roberts, Justin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Mike Cabellon, Sierra Katow, Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, John Moe, Christian Dueñas, Christian Duguay. MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

March madness continues this week with Ella's birhday just a day away! In celebration, we're talking about CATS. That's right, the classic house cat... as well as the musical! Alexis also does a little mythology moment on leprechauns and we have a Ready Pet Go from Gabi with Jack and Rufus!

This week the countdown to Ella's birthday begins... and so does the countdown to St Patricks day! As a result, Ella brings a creature from Irish mythology that is sometimes comforting and sometimes... less so! Alexis shared some research on William Wegman, who is absolutely One Of Us and we have a RPG from Katie, Cadence and the artist Formerly Known As Biggie Cheese!

Our little old man is actually older than us now, so this episode we put some respect in his name. Happy birthday Crumbo! We also catch you up on some creature news because this is a very topical news podcast, didn't you know? Also featuring a Ready Pet Go from Hallie and Lucy!

Ella's made a new friend! He's small, blue, and occasionally deadly! So, we thought we'd learn a little more about Poison Dart Frogs so Ella can make a good impression! We also have some frog mythology and a sweet little frog poem!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

Once again, the animal world has blown our mind in it's long list of animals we've never heard of! First, we figure out WHAT a Springhare is. Then we learn, that not only do they resemble tiny kangaroos, but they are bioflourescent! Plus, Ella has moved houses and Percy is adjusting, Alexis had a birthday, we read a poem about a Hare, and we have a great Ready Pet Go from Lissa and her backyard bears!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

Big news! First, Ella saw a humminbird in real life! Second, Ella went to Jamaica! And third, we have a wonderful Ready Pet Go from Jordan who is now proudly a comfy! All this, plus a lovely poem and some general life updates about this wild January!

We've finally figured out a way to combine all of our interests into one episode! Animal poetry AND animal names that rhyme with each other? What more could you want?! In anticipation of National Poetry Day we've decided to do a little poetry and rhyming themed series! This week, we learn all about pudus and kudus, adorable deer (one big and one small) and read a lovely deer poem!

It's been a minute since we've had a good old fashioned animal artist segment, so we've remedied that! Julia Wernicke was a fantastic Argentine painter and engraver most known for her painting "Los Toritos" or Little Bulls. So, naturally we also thought we'd do a little bull mythology! If you have another animal artist we should cover, please reach out!

Funky Anteaters! What else is there to say? Well that and Tamarind margharitas, scream-snoring and a Ready Pet Go from Annaleisa and Esther!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

This week Ella learned something new -- Pottos are a thing! In light of this delightful discovery, we provide you with some excellent Potto info. Alexis provides some truly delicious mythology and we have a Ready Pet Go from Jess, James and Snickers!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB 

Happy New Year! We're manifesting, we're seizing, we're... we're auto-hemorrhaging when disturbed and waiting for the Spring Equinox to make any actual resolutions. It's 2025, the year of the snake, and we're talking wood snakes, working smart not hard and what we didn't know about the Chinese Zodiac! Plus, we have a wonderful Ready Pet Go from Amanda and Kit Kat!

It's our last episode of the year and what better way to wrap up 2024 and our Corvid Compendium with this, the Queen of the Corvids, the Magpie! We discuss superstition, nursery rhymes and learn that not all Magpies are the gothic babes we westerners might think of. Thank you all so much for supporting us this year! We can't wait to yap like magpies with you some more in 2025!Happy Holidays Comfies xxx

The compendium continues this week with some very cute cold weather corvids, this week we discuss Boreal Jays. This includes Canadian Jays, Siberian Jays, and Sichuan Jays! We also discuss the difficulties of moving with pets and we have a wonderful Ready Pet Go from Meg and Francine, AKA the Lesbian Menagerie update we've all been waiting for!

Tis the season for Sugar Plum Faries, dancing swans and, of course, Nutcrackers. But did you know the Nutcracker isn't just decorative wooden man, but actually a kind of CORVID? Well it is! And this week we learn all about the Nutcracker bird as we continue our Corvid Compendium. Plus, we have a very fun Ready Pet Go from Altaay and Mochi!

We continue the Corvid Compendium this week with a chatter of Choughs... and a conversation about them too. We're also joined by Emilie -- artist, cat-mum and witness to a Miracle! Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate, we're very thankful for all of you! Find more of Emilie on instagram at @brightgardenstudioSend us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB 

This week we continue our Corvid Compendium with one of the most colorful corvid's, the blue jay! These beautiful birds are of course extremely clever, have great mythology and... may not actually be blue?! Tune in!

Alexis has been working hard to become a city witch by befriending the neighborhood ravens. This made us curious about all of our corvid friends! So, we're starting the Corvid Compendium, where we take a deep dives into various corvids! We begin with the classic: Ravens! They're mysterious, smart, and full of some very fascinating mythology, some of which is still relevant today! Will London fall if the Tower of London ravens leave? Seems highly likely to us!

One thing about us is that we LOVE a personality quiz and today we're discussing the ultimate one. We deep dive into daemons, chat about what exactly is required of an animal companion and share our own daemon results. Also a post-halloween update!Link to QUIZ.Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

HAPPY HALLOWEEN COMFIES! This episode is full of myths as well as myth busting! Basilisks may be petrifying to look upon, but is it because they have a fatal stare... or just because they're so utterly bizarre looking??? And where did the whole Don't-Look-Them-In-The-Eye thing come from anyway? Could it be cobras and their gnarly, squirting poison? We also deep dive into some seriously cool snake-related stories and may or may not throw some shade at a certain fantasy series...

It's frankly rude of us to have not devoted a full episode to these little dudes before -- especially as Alexis is obviously part raccoon. We discuss raccoon legends, the difference between racoons and racoon dogs and of course, provide you with much animal trivia. It's our love language after all!Don't forget to send us your animals in halloween costumes! Or yourself in a halloween costume! Especially if it's an animal!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

We did it! We made it to the end of Redwall! Here is the final Redwall livestream for your listening pleasure! We had so much fun reading and chatting with you all for these!  And a special thank you to all of the Maximum Fun members for making this a reality! You're the best! Let us know what book we should do next!

One of us! One of us! This week we are joined by Amy Castro, the amazing founder of Starlight Outreach and Rescue. She joins us to discuss her many fosters -- including ducks and donkeys! -- as well as her history of hilarious pet ownership. Don't forget our Redwall livestream is on October 13th at 12pm PST and 8pm BST!You can learn more about Amy at www.amycastro.com or about Starlight at www.starlightoutreachandrescue.org.

HOT NEWS! HOT NEW BABY! We can't get enough of the viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng! So, what better way to show our excitement for the cutest wet chunk we've ever seen than to talk about her on the show! Plus some fall recs and updates on Crumb's first day of work!Don't forget - our final Redwall livestream on October 13th at 12pm PST!

Alright folks, we've put in the work to finally bring you the list you've been demanding: The Coziest Creatures! Who's got the best den? Who's hybernating the longest? Who would look best in a little sweater? (They'd all look so cute tbh) Grab a mug and a blanket and tune in to find out! Also our final Redwall livestream on October 13th at 12pm PST!

Not only is Jennifer S. Holland the author of the fantastic book Dog Smart: Life-Changing Lessons in Canine Intelligence, but she's also the owner of two very cool dogs. Normally that would be PLENTY of interesting things, but Jennifer also has some incredible stories of her time working for National Geographic, including scuba diving and meeting orangutans! We discuss the power of dog noses, types of intelligence, cadaver dogs, and much more!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

Cosy season is upon us! Well it's upon Ella, who lives somewhere with actual seasons. Because Alexis can only dream of sweater weather, we're bringing the back to school vibes to her and discussing getting our ducks in a row. Packing out pets pack lunches. Sewing labels int their sports kits. Signing them up for drama club. That kid of thing. Elsewhere Alexis returns to school and is joined by some fish and we have a ready pet go from Rose!

On this episode we discover that we have Big Feelings about cats that dont exist. TV show Arthur is once more subject to scutiny and criticism, we debate pets vs familiars and share our thoughts on those that aren't really cats but are in fact something Else masquerading as cats.

We are joined this week by author Kat Dunn who supplies us with tales of many, many cats after which she is not named. We talk naming conventions, the joy of a feline being both graceful and goofy and whether meows can be accented.

This week we become a very serious news podcast again, discussing everything from art and high culture to important medical discoveries. If you think this is us overstating somewhat well, we're offended quite frankly. Tune in to see how wrong you are.

*ROAR!* You would be forgiven for thinking that that was our best lion impression. In fact it was our best Leo impression because boy do those fire signs like to make their presence known! To demonstrate our love and appreciation for these sweet summer children, today's episode dives deep into Lions - we have myths, magic and much animal trivia because it is, after all, our love language Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

We were today years old when we discovered that the Asiatic Black Bear is also known as... the Moon Bear! We think this is adorable and as its Moon Bear awareness day, we thought we'd tell you all about them. You can thank us later. Also, Alexis teaches Ella all about "splooting", thanks to a Ready Pet Go from Hansie!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

This week we've listened to the universe - and our friends on discord - and will be doing a river deep dive on the most fearsome vegetarian that ever trotted menacingly across the land... The hippo! From their potential flying abiilities to their connection with Ancient Egyptian Goddesses tune in for our chat on these our favourite low riders. Speaking of which, we also have a Ready Pet Go about a very entitled Guinea Pig!

Happy birthday to us! Happy birthday to us! Happy birthday to Comfort Creatures! Happy birthday to us! It's out 100th Episode and it could not be more perfect that today is our Red Wall Part 2 episode! Join us for cake, a large glass of wine and a deep dive. We debate anagrams, discuss foxy naming conventions and, naturally, crown Constance queen of literally everything. Tune in!

We are joined this week by our first ever returning guest! Katelyn Hempsted returns to update us on her pet ownership status and we discuss the cat distribution system, being a new paw-rent and the potiential for a castle commune. Also Simba may join a band and Cricket has been keeping a naughty little secret.Next week is not only our Redwall bookclub but also our 100TH EPISODE! Join us for our bookclub chat/birthday party on 21st July at 12pm PT/8pm BST- cake is heavily encouraged! Follow us on Discord or Instagram for the link!

Happy (belated) Pride! This week we return to one our favourite subjects; those most comforting creature who wave the rainbow flag! We discuss Bonobos who like a bit of everyone, iconic lesbian swans, and penguin babies that have two dads! We also share an emotional Ready Pet Go, so get your tissues ready friends!

It's summer time and you know what that means? FLYING KITES! And we don't mean the kind attached to strings. This week we do a deep dive on these distinct birds with some very rich, and occasionally dark, mythology! (WARNING: there is mention of some dark and potentially triggering themes in the greek mythology portion of this episode)NEWS: Part 2 of our REDWALL LIVESTREAM will be July 21st at 12pm pst! Mark your calendars!

Badgers! Are they adorable woodland creatures protecting other foresty friends? Well... maybe not! This week we learn that badgers are fascinating, tough, and surprisingly stinky! We discuss all things badgers, including our favorite and least favorite fictional badgers!Send us YOUR favorite (and least favorite) animals  to comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

Spoiler Alert! Make sure to watch The First Snow of Winter if you're planning to as we do talk in detail about the plot! It's on Youtube! Okay, did you watch it? Great! Because this week we talk about the adorable BBC short film The First Snow of Winter and to celebrate some of it's fantastic characters (Voley and Puffy) we discuss Water Voles and Puffins!Send us YOUR pet stories (Ready, Pet, Go!) at comfortcreatures@maximumfun.org and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Follow us @comfortcreaturespodcast on Instagram! Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/PFVQXgMYWB

Ella and Alexis haven't been able to meet lately, so this week we're sending audio letters to each other! We catchup on our pets, travels, and recent animal adventures!