November
23, 1985 "House Guest" airs. Hal Smith
makes his first debut in a Focus on the Family Radio
drama. He would later take on the role of John Avery
Whittaker, Odyssey's central character.
Whit, circa 1987, as featured
in Focus on the Family Magazine
January
5, 1987 First Family Portraits
drama ("Whit's Visitor") airs on the Focus on the
Family daily broadcast.
Full episode is available as a bonus
feature in Just
in Time.
August
10, 1987 Radio Drama "Tilly" airs; it
was based on the book by the then unknown author
Frank Peretti.
November
21, 1987 First Odyssey USA
episode ("Whit's Flop") airs on 200 radio stations.
Early version of Connie Kendall.
(artist Bruce Day)
December
12, 1987 Connie Kendall first appears
in Odyssey and begins working at Whit's End
("Connie Comes to Town").
―
1988 ―
A generic version of the AIO logo,
used prior to the development
of later versions.
Slight tweak to the logo to make it
fit the new name.
April
23, 1988 Name changes to Adventures
in Odyssey. First episode to air: "The Quality
of Mercy."
May 1988
First retail package (Odyssey USA) released.
Odyssey USA later re-released
as Adventures in Odyssey. Eventually, the album became The
Early Classics, with a re-arrangement of episodes to squeeze in
unreleased shows. Ultimately, The Adventure Begins was
released to restore proper chronology to the series.
A preliminary illustration of a
future Classics album release, Drive Time,
featuring the Barclays on their vacation to Florida.
June 18,
1988 The Barclays first appear on
Odyssey in "Family Vacation."
Artist Bruce Day's early
version of Eugene Meltsner.
December 3,
1988 Eugene Meltsner first
appears in Odyssey and begins working at
Whit's End ("Connie").
Early cassette label for Adventures in Odyssey.
Whit unveils something beneath a sheet, thought to be
Kids Radio equipment or the Imagination Station.
December
10, 1988 In "Connie," Connie Kendall
becomes a Christian.
―
1989 ―
One of Odyssey's firstillustrations
of the Imagination Station
(artist Bruce Day)
March
18, 1989 Whit unveils his greatest
invention in "The Imagination Station."
Whit, circa 1989-1990, as pictured on the original
Courageous Characters, Fabulous Friends audio collection (artist
Bruce Day)
An early Chick-fil-A Kids Meal
cassette copy of "That's Not Fair"
Summer
1989 Chick-fil-A puts Adventures in
Odyssey booklets in its kids' meals.
July 8,
1989 Dr. Regis Blackgaard arrives in
Odyssey. ("The Nemesis")
―
1990 ―
March 3, 1990
In "By Any Other Name," Bernard Walton first appears
in Odyssey.
Illustrations of Doris and Bart
Rathbone debuted later in the series.
June 16, 1990
The Rathbone family first appears in Odyssey
in "An Act of Mercy."
Illustrations of town bully
Rodney Rathbone
―
1991 ―
Cassette label for Adventures in
Odyssey used primarily in the 1990's, last
appearance in Wish You Were Here!
August
5, 1991 Adventures in Odyssey
starts airing daily on stations around the country.
September 1991 First
Adventures in
Odyssey video released: The Knight Travellers.
Horizontalversion logo
released on Other Times, Other Places with subdued colors.
October
1991 Focus on the Family moves from
Pomona, California, to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
―
1992 ―
An illustration of Bryan Dern,featured
years later in Clubhouse
Magazine
May 2,
1992 Odyssey's shock jock Cryin' Bryan
Dern first appears in Odyssey in "A Tongue of
Fire."
Illustration of Eugene and Whit, featured
on the
original It's Another Fine Day...
Featured on original cover for
Meanwhile, in Another Part of Town
Years later, artist Gary Locke's
cover illustration for Meanwhile, in Another Part
of Town
May 9,
1992 Eugene obtains his driver's
license in "A License to Drive."
Summer
1992 First Adventures in Odyssey
novel released: Strange Journey Back.
Archedlogo released on The
Early Classics and albums 11-17 (used 1992-1994) with "Audio
Series" under the name.
June 27,
1992 Harlow Doyle first appears in Odyssey in "Harlow Doyle, Private Eye."
Illustrations of Edwin
and his counterpart Shakespeare appeared later in
the series.
August 29,
1992 Edwin Blackgaard first appears in
Odyssey in "Double Trouble."
―
1994 ―
Arched logo abandoned and reverted
back to horizontal logo (tweaked from 1991 version), beginning with
A Time of Discovery. This version of the logo contained more
vibrant colors and "Audio Series" text (albums 18-44).
Several albums were released with
yellow "Adventures in" text, but later reverted back to red.
Used 1994-2005.
January
8, 1994 Eugene meets his future wife,
Katrina Shanks Meltsner, in "Truth, Trivia, and
'Trina."
January
28, 1994 Hal Smith, voice of John
Avery Whittaker (1987-1994), passes away. The search
for a new voice for Whit begins.
Illustration of Jack Allen, as
appeared in Clubhouse magazine.
September 3, 1994
"Gone..." airs. Whit
leaves Odyssey. Jack Allen comes to town and co-runs
Whit's End during his absence.
November 5,
1994 Tom Riley elected mayor of
Odyssey in "Tom for Mayor."
Cassette
label for Adventures in Odyssey used primarily in 1990's
beginning with The Changing Times, last appearance in
Signed, Sealed and Committed.
December
3, 1994 Jason Whittaker moves to
Odyssey. ("A Name, Not a Number")
November 24,
1994 "Unto Us a Child Is Born" airs.
Stewart Reed Barclay is born.
―
1995 ―
A scene from BTV: Behind the Scenes,
illustrated by artist Gary Locke years later.
January
21,
1995 Bernard Walton's television show,
B-TV, is born in "I Want My B-TV!"
The standard version of Eugene with
hair over his eyes used up through 2009.
September 2,
1995 In "The Time Has Come," Eugene
becomes a Christian.
October
7, 1995 "The Final Conflict" airs. The
album Darkness Before Dawn is finished. Dr.
Blackgaard dies.
―
1996 ―
January
13, 1996 "Pokenberry Falls, RFD"
features the Barclays leaving for Pokenberry Falls.
Original cover illustration for The Search for Whit
Artist Gary Locke's illustration of The Search for Whit collection
years later when it was repackaged
May 18,
1996 Paul Herlinger steps in as the
voice of Whit in "The Search for Whit."
Summer
1996 First Focus on the Family
Radio Theatre production released. (Charles
Dickens's A Christmas Carol)
Original Welcome Home
illustration (main), Gary Locke art released years
later (left)
November
2, 1996 "Home, Sweet Home" airs. Whit
returns to Odyssey.
―
1997 ―
January
1997 Adventures in Odyssey goes
on vacation and takes a break from production.
Re-airs the best of Adventures in Odyssey.
September 6, 1997
Production resumes
with "For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll." Jack Allen
and Joanne Woodston marry. Eugene and Katrina Shanks
get engaged.
November
1997 The Complete Guide to
Adventures in Odyssey released.
Cassette
label for Adventures in Odyssey used in the late 1990's to
early 2000's, beginning with Through Thick & Thin, last
appearance in Lost & Found.
November
8, 1997 Margaret Faye elected mayor of
Odyssey. ("The One About Trust")
November
29, 1997 "New Year's Eve, Live!" is
recorded in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to celebrate
Adventures in Odyssey's 10th anniversary.
Featured in Focus on the Family's The Odyssey Times and Clubhouse Magazine to
celebrate a decade of Odyssey.
―
1998 ―
May 23,
1998 Connie finally graduates from
high school as valedictorian of her graduating class
in "The Graduate."
―
1999 ―
Tom Riley's inspiration for the
Timothy Center came from an unexpected source.
An illustration of the Timothy
Center,featuredin Clubhouse
Magazine
March 6,
1999 Tom Riley opens the Timothy
Center. ("Opening Day")
Illustration depicting a scene from split-episode
"Idol Minds," a more outlandishshow in Odyssey
history. Featured on the original cover for In Your Wildest
Dreams.
Due to short time (15 minute stories or less), half
shows/split-episodes were not popular as they limited plotlines and
character development. Odyssey fans preferred 25 minute
episodes over the split-episode format.
October
30,
1999 First Odyssey half-show
(split episode format), "The Eternal
Birthday/Bethany's Imaginary Friend" airs. Half
shows would later be abandoned after Fall
1999/Spring 2000 seasons. "Bethany's Flood" is the
final split-episode.
October
1999 First Passages book―Darien's
Rise―is released.
December
18, 1999 "A Look Back" celebrates a
millennium of Adventures in Odyssey episodes.
―
2000 ―
February
7, 2000 "Mandy's Debut" recorded live
at National Religious Broadcasters' convention in
Anaheim, California.
April 1,
2000 Official Web site launched at
WhitsEnd.org.
December
2, 2000 "Opportunity Knocks" airs. The
Novacom saga series of action-adventure shows
begins.
―
2001 ―
Artist Gary Locke's first illustration for an
Odyssey cover appears on Danger Signals in 2001. He would
later serve as artist for albums 1-50, featuring a heavyset Whit, a
rendition of Eugene with hair hiding his eyes, and jogging suit
Connie. He primarily used character designs developed during the
days of theOdyssey video series.
February
24,
2001 Connie meets a significant new
love interest, Robert Mitchell, in "Green Eyes and
Yellow Tulips."
An early illustration of Odyssey
mailman Wooton Bassett. His face would remain a
mystery several years.
May 26,
2001 Wooton Bassett's first appearance
in Odyssey.("Welcoming Wooton")
―
2002 ―
Artist Gary Locke's illustration of a
hidden camera embedded into a book.
January 5,
2002 Whit's End Connellsville opens in
"Grand Opening."
January
26, 2002 Eugene and Katrina finally
tie the knot and promptly leave the show for several
years. ("Plan B: Missing in Action")
A special collection devoted to the
Novacom saga. Needless to say, the 30-part series was popular.
A depiction of a scene in
"Expect the Worst"
July
7, 2002 "Exit" airs. The Novacom saga
ends.
Pictured above, a special
limited-time CD copy of "500"
July 13,
2002 "500" airs, a show celebrating
500 Odyssey episodes.
Cover for Clubhouse Magazine in celebration of 500 Odyssey episodes
July
25-27, 2002 "Live at the 25" recorded
at 25th anniversary of Focus on the Family in
Colorado Springs, Colorado.
―
2003 ―
January
25, 2003 The Washington family first
appears in "The Toy Man."
November
22, 2003 Connie almost marries
Robert Mitchell. ("Something Blue")
December
2003 Gold Audio Series begins.
Albums 1-15 were repackaged and released on CD for
the first time with
bonus features. These would later be re-released as
normal Odyssey collections.
Logo created for Gold Audio Series
albums only. Featured red oval and gold "Adventures in" text.
(2004-2005)
―
2004 ―
The most well-known Whit style, perfected by artist
Gary Locke
Fall
2004 Adventures in Odyssey
video games released. ("The Treasure of the Incas"
and "The Sword of the Spirit")
―
2005 ―
April 2,
2005 "A Most Intriguing Question"
airs. Eugene returns to Odyssey with much
fanfare. The team did their best to keep his return
secret until the episode aired.
A white oval container was added to
the logo for
remaining albums in the series as pictured in the original cover of
Eugene Returns! This
white oval is now featured on repackaged albums 1-50.
Above, Eugene Sings! and Eugene Sings!
Christmas albums released as part of the fanfare of Eugene's
return.
May
14, 2005 Eugene and Katrina finally
celebrate their official wedding ceremony in "For Better or
For Worse."
October
15, 2005 Eugene learns that his
long-lost father, Leonard, is alive. ("Prisoners of
Fear")
December
3, 2005 Connie starts writing a book.
("Tales of a Small-Town Thug")
―
2006 ―
Original
logo
September 20, 2006 The first
Official Adventures in Odyssey Podcast released.
December
16, 2006 The Washington family become
foster parents to a girl named Kelly. ("The Chosen
One")
―
2007 ―
February
15, 2007 Walker Edmiston, voice of Tom
Riley and Bart Rathbone, passes away.
"Actor Will Ryan said Edmiston's
versatility was exemplified on Adventures in Odyssey, a radio
series set in a small town produced by the nonprofit Focus on the
Family." - Los Angeles Times
Artist Gary Locke's rendition of Bernard, based off of
Bernard Walton's look in the video series.
March
10, 2007 Eugene Meltsner discovers
that he has a brother, Everett. ("The Top Floor")
September
29, 2007 Leonard Meltsner leaves for
Africa. ("A New Era")
―
2008 ―
Artist Gary Locke
March 1,
2008 Odyssey considered for Best Small
Town in America. ("Suspicious Finds")
April
12, 2008 Whit purchases McAlister Park
(the land Whit's End sits on) in "The Forgotten Deed"
after years of confusion regarding ownership of the
property.
The new look of Focus on
the Family's logo (2008)
June
2008 First Kidsboro novel released―Battle
for Control.
A poster advertising the AIO
Birthday Bash in Colorado Springs
August
16, 2008 Adventures in Odysseycelebrates its 20th birthday at the "AIO
Birthday Bash." "B-TV: Live!" recorded live at Focus
on the Family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Adventures in Odyssey: The Official Guide
released.
The Adventures in Odyssey, Celebrating 20 Years
logo, used on products leading up to the milestone celebration.
September 2008 50th album released
and dedicated to actor Walker Edmiston:
The Best Small Town. Adventures in Odyssey
takes a hiatus and takes a break from production of
the numbered albums. No "new" episodes would air
until March 2010.
―
2009 ―
June
2009 Special album released: The
Truth Chronicles, a collection of episodes
exploring a Christian worldview. Tie-in to Focus on
the Family's The Truth Project.
Artist Mike Harrigan's rendering of Darien's Rise, featured on both the
audio drama and book releases.
September 2009 Passages: Darien's
Rise audio drama released.
September 19, 2009 Andre Stojka steps
in as the voice of Whit in "Passages: Darien's
Rise."
―
2010 ―
Nearly 10 years after his creation, Wooton Bassett's
full face is revealed.
New Odyssey characters:
the Parker family
Early Whit sketches
AIO logo with yellow
frame, "in" moved to top line for better
readability.
Same AIO logo without frame
Spring
2010 Adventures in Odyssey logo
is refreshed with a new look to Odyssey
characters Whit, Connie, and Eugene; new characters
introduced.
February
2, 2010 Paul Herlinger, voice of John
Avery Whittaker (1996-2008), passes away. Unlike Hal
Smith, Paul resigned from his role due to health
reasons.
"Paul's voice gave him special distinction. He was
called upon to narrate regional and national documentaries, had
numerous commercial clients, appeared in radio dramas, and for more
than 10 years, until recently, played the leading role of John Avery
Whittaker in the radio drama series "Adventures in Odyssey", earning
him fans worldwide." - Obituary of Paul Herlinger
For God and Country, the first Adventures
in Odyssey collection to visit outer space.
Artist Gary Locke's rendition of
Col. Terry Virts
February
8, 2010 Adventures in Odyssey
travels to outer space with astronaut Terry Virts. A
copy of For God and Country goes up to the
International Space Station via the space shuttle
Endeavor.
March 2010 51st album released:
Take It from the Top.
A much thinner John Avery Whittaker, circa 2010 and
beyond. (artist Gary Locke)
March 6,
2010 After a nearly two-year hiatus,
Adventures in Odyssey starts anew with
Whit introducing his new invention in "The
Inspiration Station"; Take It from the Top;
Andre Stojka appears for the first time as Whit in
the numbered audio series.
April 2010 First Passages book―Darien's
Rise―is re-released,
landing a third edition.
Prior to the Avery Awards, fan sites hosted
their own "End of Season Awards" each season (see
here).
June 16, 2010 The Official Podcast
releases its first-ever edition of the Avery
Awards, an awards show to determine Best Actor,
Best Actress, Best Sound Design, Best Script, etc. from
current Adventures in Odyssey seasons.
July 29,
2010 The Official Podcast
celebrates its 100th episode after nearly four years
of podcasting.
Podcast host Jesse Florea shows
off a card sent in by a devoted AIO fan.
October
2010 52nd album released: Cause &
Effect. The entire Adventures in Odyssey
audio
series is officially made available for download in
the Family Store.
Nathan Hoobler (left) poses with a
team of talented professionals.
November 2010 Adventures in Odyssey
reaches new audiences. Whit's Flop is
recorded in Miami, Florida—one
of many episodes to premier for Spanish-speaking
audiences.
November 27,
2010 A Thankstaking Story
airs—a special
holiday musical episode of Adventures in Odyssey,
unlike any done in the past.
December 22,
2010 The Odyssey Scoop,
one of the longest standing Adventures in Odyssey
fan sites, celebrates a decade of AIO promotion.
(Okay, so we fit somewhere in Odyssey's timeline,
don't we?)
―
2011 ―
February 5,
2011
Odyssey's first-ever early digital download of 53 (The
Green Ring Conspiracy) debuts online, with hard
copy to follow in March.
February 12,
2011
Kenneth Mars, voice of Fred Holstein,
Officer Quinn, and many others passes away at the
age of 75.
Said of Kenny Mars: "Kenneth Mars ... was
cherished by audiences for his unhinged comic performances in two of
the writer-director Mel Brooks's finest and funniest movies, The
Producers (1968) and Young Frankenstein (1974). Along with
performers including Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn and Cloris Leachman,
he created some of the most sublimely silly moments in US film
comedy." - The Guardian, February 15, 2011
The Imagination Station book series,
geared for younger readers,
follows cousins Beth and Patrick
as they visit historical and biblical
events in history by utilizing
Whit's greatest invention.
March 2011 First Imagination
Station book―Voyage
with the Vikings―is released.
James Duggar shows off
his Adventures in Odyssey T-shirt under his suit.
March 18-19,
2011
The Duggar family visits Focus on the Family and
tours the Adventures in Odyssey studios.
Odyssey artist Gary Locke's rendition of
Josiah Duggar. Josiah makes a cameo appearance in "You're Two Kind"
and
asks Valerie to bat her eyelashes.
March 26, 2011
Penny Wise first appears in
Odyssey as a new friend for Connie Kendall ("The
Green Ring Conspiracy").
Chad Reisser, voice of
Monty Whittaker, records for
"The Green Ring Conspiracy".
His character hadn't appeared
on the show since
"Scattered Seeds" (1990).
April 2, 2011
Monty Whittaker, Whit's grandson,
returns to the show in "The Green Ring Conspiracy".
Cover for April
2011 edition of Clubhouse magazine, featuring an interview
with Zach Callison, voice of Matthew Parker.
The Duggars meet the Odyssey
characters, visit the three-story slide,
Whit's End, and go behind the scenes
and learn about making sound
effects for Adventures in Odyssey...
all on national television!
19 Kids & Counting
"Duggars Focus on Family" Season 4, Episode 3
June 14, 2011
Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey
make an appearance on TLC's 19 Kids & Counting
reality show, featuring the Duggar
family.
August 15,
2011 54th album
released for digital download: Clanging
Cymbals... and the Meaning of God's Love, with
hard copy to to follow in September.
Artist Gary
Locke's rendition of
Phillip Glossman, Richard Maxwell,
and Dr. Regis Blackgaard for the Blackgaard Chronicles collection.
September 2011 Special
collection released: The Blackgaard Chronicles,
one of the most requested AIO products of all time.
September 20,
2011 The Official Podcast
celebrates 5 years of podcasting.
September 21,
2011 The first Adventures in
Odyssey inspired album, M'kalister Park,
is released by fans, for fans―featuring
"Come Back Jimmy", "Communicate", "Bring Mitch
Back", and more. (Learn
more)
October 2011 Kidsboro book
series is re-released as a 4-in-1 omnibook.
A special AIO
Christmas story
published in the December 2011
editionof Thriving Family to promote
the Imagination Station book series.
December
1, 2011 Focus on the Family mobile
app is released, enabling Adventures in Odyssey
fans to listen on mobile devices.
December 3,
2011
700th AIO episode airs ("How to Sink a Sub")
