Catstronauts in Candyland 🐱🍭 Rewind Bedtime Story for Kids

[00:00:01] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. Jump into bed and get comfy under your covers as we travel deep into the sweet unknown. It's time to begin Catstronauts in Candyland by Alicia Ainslie.

[00:00:26] It had been several months since Captain Puss Puss and her crew of Catstronauts had found the Milky Way, and not a day had gone by that they hadn't been grateful for their discovery. The space exploring crew may be more ambitious than most house cats, but they still loved the same things as the cats back on Earth, namely milk.

[00:00:57] So, before we begin, a quick message for the grown-ups. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, unlock four bonus stories per month, and much, much more, you can join Coco Club. Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now, here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey, sleepyheads! I'm Kelly, the host of Koala Shine, the perfect daytime adventure show for long car journeys,

[00:01:26] school runs, and lazy Sunday mornings. I'm popping up here on Koala Moon because I've heard you want more Koala Kid stories, and I'm here to deliver. Beep beep, special delivery! Koala Shine is a tiny bit different from Koala Moon, as it's designed for daytime listening. So, after a great night's sleep with a story from Abby, you can have a big old stretch and tune in to Koala Shine, joining your favorite characters on crazy adventures around the world. With new episodes every Friday, we'll follow Hector and Sunny on a daytime safari,

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[00:02:28] Ending every day floating around space on the tasty streams of the Milky Way was the perfect existence for the crew. However, Captain Puss Puss was starting to get at she-feet. She was starting to pine for a new adventure. Space was full of never-ending discoveries to be made, and she didn't want to stop at the Milky Way.

[00:02:55] So, one day, while her crew lazily floated around on the Milky Way stream, she floated over to their rocket ship to do a bit of work. She took off her bulbous helmet and breathed in the fresh air inside the rocket. She sat down at the large computer monitor and engaged the rocket's telescope.

[00:03:20] She often liked to stargaze, but today she decided to look for something even bigger. Captain Puss Puss Puss was on a mission to find a new, yet-to-be-discovered planet to visit. She pressed the buttons and watched as the telescope kicked into action, bringing up impressive views of

[00:03:45] outer space on the screen. She zoomed in and in, rotated the telescope and analyzed everything she saw. It all looked very familiar. So she decided to push the telescope even further than she had done before. She zoomed and zoomed until it seemed like the telescope couldn't look any further. But then,

[00:04:10] Captain Puss Puss paused the screen. Amongst the twinkling stars, beyond the edge of their galaxy, she could see a new one. And in it, she spotted a small, bright pink planet. Captain Puss Puss called for her crew to come immediately. Look at this! she cried, pointing at the pink planet on the screen as her curious crew gathered around.

[00:04:40] A crew member called Smudge squinted his eyes and asked, What is that, Captain? Captain Puss Puss smiled and said firmly, I believe that is a planet. We're going to go there and see what it's like. The crew groaned and moaned a little. They liked it on the Milky Way. They didn't want to leave.

[00:05:08] But Captain Puss Puss wouldn't listen. It was high time that they moved on somewhere new. What kind of catstronauts were they if they just stayed in one place forever? She gave out instructions to her crew and everyone took up their positions dutifully. When everyone was in place, the captain commanded, Head towards that pink planet!

[00:05:35] And the rocket ship took off back into outer space in search of the brand new world. Several days later, the catstronauts rocket ship touched down on the pink planet's surface with a bounce. To the crew's surprise, the ground was spongy and their rocket boinged softly a few times

[00:05:58] before finally settling down. How peculiar, thought Captain Puss Puss. What could the ground be made of to make it so soft and spongy? After their recent visit to the moon and the discovery that it was in fact made of cheese, Captain Puss Puss knew that anything was possible.

[00:06:25] The catstronauts donned their suits and helmets and paraded off the rocket ship to inspect this new pink planet. Smudge instinctively reached down to the floor and picked up a handful of the pink spongy surface. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed. It smelled sweet, almost sickeningly sweet.

[00:06:54] Then he opened up the flap in his helmet and placed a piece on his tongue. Instantly, Smudge's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, The ground tastes like sugar. Looking around, Captain Puss Puss quickly realised why. Ahead of them were giant red and white striped city walls with huge candy canes at the sides of a

[00:07:23] gate in its middle. And at the top of the gate was a sign which read, Welcome to Candyland! The catstronauts all walked towards the gate in awe. From a distance, the shiny, colourful walls looked like marble, but the closer they got, They could see that they were made out of hard candy. Beyond the walls, they could see the tops

[00:07:52] of regal buildings with the biggest gumdrops they had ever seen perched on top of the roofs. And as they approached, the scent of sugar was undeniable. The sound of jolly music chimed from within, and the excitable chatter of voices filled the air.

[00:08:15] Captain Puss Puss and her crew reached the front gate and wondered what to do next. Should they knock? But their questions were quickly answered when the front gate began to open of its own accord. The catstronauts watched with anticipation as the gates to the city opened up wide to reveal

[00:08:40] hundreds of Candyland citizens, waiting for them on the other side. The citizens' grinning faces welcomed them warmly. And, to the cat's amazement, a giant peanut, wearing a golden, ruby-encrusted crown and a red velvet cloak stepped forward with open arms and announced,

[00:09:07] Welcome to Candyland, visitors from outer space. All of the Candyland citizens standing behind the giant peanut started to cheer and clap with delight, and Captain Puss Puss and her crew smiled at each other with disbelief. The catstronauts stepped inside the gates of the city and were immediately swarmed by the unusual citizens

[00:09:35] who lived on this pink planet. Everybody was so friendly and were clearly very excited to have visitors. The Candyland citizens had numerous questions they wanted to ask the cats, just as many as the catstronauts wanted to ask them. But when the giant peanut in the crown stepped forward, everyone fell silent.

[00:10:04] Greetings, the peanut said. I'm King Peanut Butter, and I rule a candyland. Who is your leader? Captain Puss Puss stepped forward, towering over the peanut king, and replied, I am your majesty. My name is Captain Puss Puss, and this is my crew of catstronauts.

[00:10:34] We saw your pink planet from afar, and journeyed for several days to be here. We thank you for your gracious welcome. King Peanut Butter blushed a little and responded, The honour is all ours, Captain. We have never had visitors from outer space before, so this is a most joyous occasion for us.

[00:11:05] King Peanut Butter offered to show Captain Puss Puss and her crew around Candyland. They would have the finest tour of everything they wanted to see, and would have all their burning questions answered. Hearing this, Smudge the cat piped up excitedly. Your majesty, what is the ground made of?

[00:11:33] King Peanut Butter replied nonchalantly. Why, it's marshmallow, of course. Smudge smiled and whispered, Of course it is, Captain Puss Puss Puss said, Captain Puss Puss subtly scolded Smudge for his brazen act.

[00:11:58] The captain gave her crew strict instructions not to eat anything in Candyland unless the king gave them specific permission to. The cat's genauts sighed with disappointment, but agreed to their captain's orders. They had heard lots about the tasty delights of sweets and candy back on earth. The humans seemed to love it, but the cats had never tried it themselves before.

[00:12:29] As King Peanut Butter led the cat's genauts on a guided tour of Candyland, the cats couldn't help but gaze around with longing, licking their lips. Every single thing in Candyland was edible. It was all made up of sugary treats. The buildings, the flowers, the trees.

[00:12:56] Candyland truly lived up to its name. Captain Puss Puss walked by King Peanut Butter's side and commented, You have a marvellous world here. It is so impressive. King Peanut Butter smiled proudly. He knew how spectacular Candyland was, and he was very proud of it.

[00:13:25] King Peanut Butter led the cat's genauts through the streets of his colourful, wonderful city, and pointed out the remarkable buildings and monuments. Each building was made out of a different type of sweet treat. There was a tall building made of fudge, and a shop created from wobbly jelly that shimmied and shook as they walked past.

[00:13:53] There was even a hut made out of yellow sponge cake with a whipped cream roof. The whole city was like a wonderland of sweetie goodness. While the buildings were very impressive, the citizens of Candyland were even more fascinating. Every citizen was made out of their own type of candy.

[00:14:21] The cat's genauts said hello to a pair of twin chocolate bars and ordered bubble tea from a friendly doughnut called Sweetie Pie. The king introduced them to two esteemed royal subjects called Treacle and Chocolaté, who were both made out of gingerbread and brownie mix respectively. And the cat's genauts were almost knocked over by a gaggle of excitable,

[00:14:47] bouncy gumdrop kids racing each other down the street. The king pointed to the forest on the outskirts of the city, where a sleuth of gummy bears lived, and the cat's genauts noticed how the leaves on the trees were kernels of fluffy popcorn. Then, to the right of the city, the king pointed to the sea, made out of chocolate milk.

[00:15:15] Cats don't eat chocolate, they're allergic, but they all laughed at how much the humans from Earth would love to swim in the chocolate sea. They all turned down a side street and the pavement became bumpy. King Peanut Butter explained that this was the rocky road,

[00:15:38] and the cat's genauts noted how it was made out of chunks of chocolate, biscuits, marshmallow and raisins. As the king continued their tour gleefully, an unusual-looking citizen appeared around the corner. Unlike the other sweet citizens of Candyland, this one was a tall toothbrush wearing a police officer's hat.

[00:16:07] King Peanut Butter called out to the tall toothbrush and beckoned them over. Officer Toothbrush, King Peanut Butter said cheerfully. Please, meet our guests from outer space, Captain Puspus and her crew. Officer Toothbrush tipped his hat to the cat's genauts and replied in a low, drawling voice.

[00:16:34] It's a pleasure to meet you all. King Peanut Butter explained how Officer Toothbrush was an integral member of the city. He kept everyone safe and ensured they were well taken care of, especially their teeth. Officer Toothbrush explained to the cat's genauts how it was imperative to take care of their teeth in such a sugar-filled world.

[00:17:01] It was something he felt very passionate about, and he ensured that the citizens of Candyland abided by the rule of brushing their teeth twice a day. Officer Toothbrush offered them some advice. Your milky white gnashers won't be as milky white for long if you drink too much from the sherbet waterfall.

[00:17:28] The cat's genauts nodded their heads and agreed with the officer. Yes, Officer Toothbrush, they chimed, and the officer marched back off down the street to continue carrying out his important duties. Captain Puss-Puss turned to King Peanut Butter with intrigue and asked, What is the sherbet waterfall, your highness?

[00:17:56] King Peanut Butter's eyes twinkled and he clapped his hands together with glee. Oh, it's the most wonderful place in Candyland. I'll take you there next, he said. All of a sudden, the sky changed colour, and everyone around popped up their umbrellas to protect themselves from the falling rain.

[00:18:23] The king and the cat's genauts all dashed for shelter underneath a nearby shop entrance, and Captain Puss-Puss noticed that the rain falling from the sky was made out of gooey caramel. Splodges of gloopy golden caramel pulled on the pavement, and citizens attempted to dodge the sweet, sticky substance as they navigated their way down the street.

[00:18:54] The cat's genauts watched on with wonderment until the rain subsided. Every single thing about Candyland was remarkable. When the rain stopped, King Peanut Butter led the cat's genaut crew out of the city streets and into an open park area

[00:19:17] where the blades of grass were made of licorice and tiny jelly beans hopped through the fields like rabbits. In the middle of the park was a huge flowing waterfall made up of pale pink sherbet. The fizzy, sweet powder rolled over the edge of a rocky waterfall made out of chocolate raisins

[00:19:44] and pooled at the bottom to create a large lake full of sherbet-y goodness. The cat's genauts stopped at the banks of the lake and admired the sherbet waterfall. This is beautiful, Captain Puspus exhaled, and King Peanut Butter smiled with a sense of achievement.

[00:20:10] Mittens, the cat's genauts, whispered to Smudge, Can we drink it? Smudge looked at Captain Puspus with begging eyes, But the captain shook her head and whispered back, Only if the king says so. King Peanut Butter checked his watch and turned to Captain Puspus and her crew with an air of urgency.

[00:20:39] I must be off, he insisted. I'm due to make a very important royal proclamation in fifteen minutes, and I mustn't be late. King Peanut Butter turned to dash off, but then hesitated, and turned back to the cat's genauts to add, You should come listen. I think you'll enjoy it.

[00:21:07] Everyone is congregating outside the palace in fifteen minutes. I'll see you there. Then King Peanut Butter rushed off to prepare his royal announcement, leaving the cat's genauts alone by the sherbet waterfall. The cat's genauts looked between themselves with bafflement. What are we supposed to do now? Mittens asked the crew.

[00:21:37] Looking around at the sherbet waterfall, the chocolatey, muddy banks, and the wafer flowers, Smudge shrugged his kitty shoulders and suggested, Shall we dig in while no one's watching? Captain Puspus playfully batted Smudge with her paw and rolled her eyes. We will not be digging into anything, she warned him.

[00:22:06] We are going to go to the palace like King Peanut Butter suggested. It will be nice to hear a royal proclamation. I wonder what it is. The cat's genauts were eager to go, but they were still a little bit confused. How are we supposed to know where to go? Smudge pouted.

[00:22:31] Captain Puspus looked around and noticed several groups of Candyland citizens flocking in the same direction, chatting excitedly. We follow the crowd, Captain Puspus smiled, gesturing to the steady flow of Candyland citizens walking down the nearby street. The cat's genauts followed where everyone was going

[00:23:00] and eventually came upon the Candyland Palace. It was a tall, pale pink building with turrets made out of twizzlers and honeycomb on the roofs. A moat full of hundreds and thousands of sugar sprinkles surrounded the castle, and a drawbridge made of peanut butter brittle formed a walkway across the moat from the front door to the land.

[00:23:29] It seemed like everyone in Candyland had gathered for the king's royal proclamation, and a sea of sugary citizens crowded together in a large square situated at the front of the palace. What is going to happen? Mittens whispered with anticipation.

[00:23:54] At that moment, King Peanut Butter appeared on the palace balcony, and the crowd of citizens cheered and clapped at his arrival. He was obviously beloved by his kingdom. The king lifted his hand to silence the crowd, and then, in his most prominent, most booming voice, he spoke to the people.

[00:24:22] Thank you for being here, fellow citizens and esteemed guests. It brings me great pleasure to see you all here today. I have wonderful news to share with you all. Then, another peanut in a crown stepped forward. Captain Puspus assumed she must be the queen.

[00:24:49] The queen handed the king a bundle of blankets, and he turned back to the crowd. He peeled back the blankets, and the crowd gasped as they realised what was inside. The king held up to the crowd a teeny tiny baby peanut, and the crowd sighed with adoration. King Peanut Butter announced,

[00:25:25] Princess Peanut Buttercup. The crowd erupted with applause and cheered for the new princess. The catch-tronauts grinned from ear to ear. They couldn't believe how lucky they were. They had visited Candyland on a very momentous day. King Peanut Butter announced that over the next few days,

[00:25:53] there would be a big festival held in celebration of the new princess, and the citizens of Candyland were delighted. The crowd cheered in unison. Three cheers for the new princess. Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!

[00:26:19] Captain Puspus and the catch-tronauts couldn't believe their luck. They had landed on this planet at just the right time. The catch-tronauts decided to stick around in Candyland for a few more days to enjoy the festivities. After all, they had all the time in the world and nowhere they needed to be.

[00:26:46] After the third day of Candyland festivities, the catch-tronauts started to feel exhausted. After spending so long in the relaxing Milky Way, lazing around all day every day, they weren't used to partying so much. As much as they liked it here in Candyland, they started to long for the Milky Way again.

[00:27:13] Captain Puspus made the executive decision to head back towards the Milky Way. They had achieved what they had set out to do, and now they could return to their favourite, peaceful spot in space, satisfied. The citizens of Candyland were sad to see the catch-tronauts go, but they understood. They had lots more planets to discover.

[00:27:42] As Captain Puspus and her crew prepared their rocket ship to leave, King Peanut Butter and the citizens of Candyland gathered outside of the city gates to wave them off. The king gestured to the gumdrop kids to step forward, and the little green balls rushed forward, carrying baskets and hampers full of lots of sweet treats.

[00:28:11] King Peanut Butter told the catch-tronauts, Here are some Candyland treats to take with you back into space. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed having you here. Smudge's face lit up, and he gratefully took two hampers of sweets, declaring, Oh, we will, King Peanut Butter. Thank you.

[00:28:40] We've heard so much from the people on Earth about how delicious this stuff is. We can't wait to try it for ourselves. The catch-tronauts loaded the rocket up with gifts from Candyland, and Captain Puspus thanked King Peanut Butter once more for his hospitality. They shook hands like good friends, and then parted ways.

[00:29:07] Captain Puspus climbed aboard the rocket with her crew and prepared for blast-off. As the catch-tronauts rocket ship jetted off into space, King Peanut Butter and the friendly citizens of Candyland waved them off until they were fully out of sight. It didn't take long for the catch-tronauts to dig into the hampers of delicious sweet treats.

[00:29:38] They all snacked on the delectable selection of lollipops, cookies, cakes and sweeties with joy. Smudge eventually laid back with a full belly and declared, I think Candyland is my favourite planet we've discovered so far, Captain Puspus smiled amusedly and added,

[00:30:07] And just think, there are so many more incredible, unique planets still to discover. Mittens licked a bright blue lollipop from her chair and replied, I hope we find a planet made up of scratching posts. The catch-tronauts all giggled

[00:30:33] and excitedly discussed the types of planets they would like to find, while Captain Puspus watched through the computer screen as the tiny pink planet of Candyland gradually disappeared out of sight. She smiled contentedly and said to her crew, Well, you'll like the next place we're heading to. Here we can relax

[00:31:03] and unwind for a while after such a busy few days in Candyland. And there's plenty of milk to drink to our heart's content. The catch-tronauts looked at each other excitedly and cheered all together, We're going back to the Milky Way.

[00:31:30] Captain Puspus set the course and sat back in her captain's chair, feeling fulfilled. A trip back to the Milky Way would be a welcome reprieve after so much excitement. Plus, she had heard that milk goes very well with cookies.