Title artwork for Mike Bennett and Chanel Hason's "The Zooquarium Podcast," featuring wildlife animations in Bennett's signature style.
Courtsey of Jon Richardson, producer of "The Zooquarium Podcast"
Last summer, on Southwest Broadway Street in Portland, artist Mike Bennett and marine biologist Chanel Hason opened an aquarium — without any live sea creatures.
The cartoon aquarium, an immersive space, was a combination of Bennett’s cherished cartoon style and Hason’s scientific background. But it wasn’t the duo’s last collaboration.
“We both just really hit it off working together,” Hason said. “[But] our love for the animal kingdom and nature and also art collided with this idea of, ‘What if we made a podcast together?’”
Well, now they have.
Bennett and Hason teamed up to create “The Zooquarium Podcast,” which premiered on Tuesday, Jan. 20 and features animations and graphics drawn in Bennett’s whimsical, iconic style.
Portland artist Mike Bennett and marine biologist Chanel Hason stand in front of Bennett's artwork at their first collaborative project, the Portland "cartoon" aquarium. Bennett and Hason are now co-hosting "The Zooquarium Podcast," a show that helps answer kids' questions about animals.
Courtesy of Jon Richardson, producer of "The Zooquarium Podcast."
Although the target audience is children, the educational series offers facts and information about the animal kingdom adults may be interested to learn as well.
“We both have backgrounds in education, so we love teaching people about art and science,” Hason said. “It just seemed like the perfect idea for the both of us.”
Every episode of “The Zooquarium Podcast” begins with a listener-submitted question about animals or their habitats. The first ever was provided by a seven year old named Fitz, who asked: “Why do sloths go all the way to the ground to just go poo[p]?”
Bennett said that question not only hooks the viewer but also explains the tone the podcast is striving for to both educate and entertain.
“We tune in immediately,” Bennett said. “It’s silly, it’s fun and it’s not dry. And that is kind of a big part of our show: Let’s laugh about it while we learn.”
It was also Fitz’s raw curiosity that reaffirmed why Bennett and Hason chose to begin their episodes with kids’ questions.
“I think curiosity is something that drives us all, and it’s something that we can slowly lose over time,” Bennett said. “Hearing the voice of a child ask a question, I think, is the perfect kickoff.”
For those still waiting for an answer to Fitz’s question, Hason said the jury’s out. But she offered one possible explanation.
“Their [sloths] digestive system is super slow,” she said. “It takes them about a week to digest one leaf — they are just the masters of conserving energy — and so it takes them quite a long time to get down to the bottom of the tree, and then that’s where they poop.”
In the intro animation to "The Zooquarium Podcast," a rabbit, rat, deer and gorilla are drawn in Mike Bennett's cartoon style. The educational podcast airs every other Tuesday and features additional episodes with scientists.
Courtesy of Jon Richardson, producer of "The Zooquarium Podcast."
For Hason, answering silly but honest questions does more than grab attention. The podcast gives kids a chance to hear from scientists about ways they can steward the environment.
“This is an easy way to plant the seed, so to speak, about everyday changes in your life that can have a really big impact on the ecosystem around you,” Hason said.
The podcast, which comes out with new episodes every other Tuesday, will feature additional episodes with such scientists for deeper dives into some of the topics, like an upcoming conversation with a sloth conservationist.
Upcoming episodes of “The Zooquarium Podcast” will explore toucans, centipedes and eels, and the second episode will focus on sea otters. It will be released on Jan. 27 and available on the show’s website, YouTube, Spotify and other streaming services.
Mike Bennett and Chanel Hason spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Click play to listen to the full conversation:
