Which Odyssey Era Is Your Favorite?

[The Old Judge]

If you haven't read my article: "The Stojkan Era: Inferior Or Not?" I am very interested with what my fellow AIO fans think about different periods of Odyssey. So I decided to make a poll to see which ones you like best.


P.S. Please read my article: "The Stojkan Era: Inferior Or Not?" to post whether or not and the pros and cons of our current Odyssey Era.

[Wretched Sinner]

I really don't like the Stojkan era. I like the Herlinger era.

[HannahJ.]

It is A Hard Pick..They are all so Different!

[Jason]

I really don't like the Stojkan era. I like the Herlinger era.

Care to explain why?

[Wretched Sinner]

I really don't like the Stojkan era. I like the Herlinger era.

Care to explain why?

Its just that the HE and also the CE have this really nice homey feeling when you listen to them. In the SE lots of the episodes aren't as nice.

[The Old Judge]

That truly makes no sense. I feel just at home, if not more at home with the SE than the HE. What was really common in the CE was a kid having a problem and pulling up a stool at the ice cream parlor where Whit, played by Hal Smith, would be handing out advice while cleaning an ice cream glass. That's been happening a lot more with Andre Stojka than it did with Paul Herlinger. That's about as homey as it gets.

[Aaron Wiley]

I really don't like the Stojkan era. I like the Herlinger era.

Care to explain why?

Its just that the HE and also the CE have this really nice homey feeling when you listen to them. In the SE lots of the episodes aren't as nice.

That "nice" feeling you're talking about is called "nostalgia", the feeling you get when you experience something you did a lot when you were younger, or when you're reminded of something from your past. The new episodes are great too.

[Jason]

That "nice" feeling you're talking about is called "nostalgia", the feeling you get when you experience something you did a lot when you were younger, or when you're reminded of something from your past. The new episodes are great too.

I do agree with Wooton. I mean, I like the newer ones to an extent, but the older ones are ones I listen to more.Not that the new ones are bad, they just feel like a different style sometimes. Almost like they lose their timeless feel and have been toned down to a kid level. Just feels that way with some of them to me.

[Aaron Wiley]

That "nice" feeling you're talking about is called "nostalgia", the feeling you get when you experience something you did a lot when you were younger, or when you're reminded of something from your past. The new episodes are great too.

I do agree with Wooton. I mean, I like the newer ones to an extent, but the older ones are ones I listen to more.Not that the new ones are bad, they just feel like a different style sometimes. Almost like they lose their timeless feel and have been toned down to a kid level. Just feels that way with some of them to me.

They are toned down to a kid level, but that's the whole point. AIO's target audience is kids 7-13 (if I remember right). Currently, their ratings are higher for that age group than they've ever been. The new episodes are different, but I wouldn't say they're "not as good". If anything, they're better, because they're making the show more popular, specifically within the age-group that it's intended for.

[Jason]

That "nice" feeling you're talking about is called "nostalgia", the feeling you get when you experience something you did a lot when you were younger, or when you're reminded of something from your past. The new episodes are great too.

I do agree with Wooton. I mean, I like the newer ones to an extent, but the older ones are ones I listen to more.Not that the new ones are bad, they just feel like a different style sometimes. Almost like they lose their timeless feel and have been toned down to a kid level. Just feels that way with some of them to me.

They are tones down to a kid level, but that's the whole point. AIO's target audience is kids 7-13 (if I remember right). Currently, their ratings are higher for that age group than they've ever been. The new episodes are different, but I wouldn't say they're "not as good". If anything, they're better, because they're making the show more popular, specifically within the age-group that it's intended for.

I can see that. But I guess for me, it just doesn't feel the same at times. The new episodes are still of good quality, but a lot of the older ones stand out more to me. So I'm just more prone to listen to more of the older eras verses the newer one.

[Aaron Wiley]

Which would make sense, since a lot of the older ones were targeted towards older audiences.
I guess you could almost look at the "old" AIO as the original show, and the "new" AIO a sort of more kidsy spinoff.

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

Herlinger era will always rule supreme!

[C-guy]

Herlinger era will always rule supreme!

Well, let us hope not...

[Whittifer]

I liked them all, but if I had to pick a favorite it would have to be between the Classic Era and the Herlinger Era. But pretty much it doesn't matter to me, because it's Odyssey!

[Pound Foolish]

I already made a post that basically answers this question. For those of you who haven't read it, here it is:
Oh boy. This topic is playing with fire. I shall do my best to state my case strongly without getting the entire AIO Board Association screaming at me. The Hal Smith era started alright, but weak at times. Witness, for example, Isaac the Benevolent, a really not very funny comedy, except for the one-time character Big Ed. Compare to the hilarious and enjoyable later The Trouble With Girls.

What I'm saying is, classics got more interesting, by and large, as they went along. Paul Herlinger sounded MUCH like the first Whit, though with very different acting. I never knew the difference at first apart from the credits (which is why he got the part, after all.) These goldies are full of unforgettable moments and, most of all, characters.

When Andre took over to carry on the legend, in my family, it was DRAMATIC. I and my sibs were quietly enjoying listening to a new Odyssey on the internet. The episode started with some person we didn't recognize talking. Then a kid called him, "Mr. Whittaker." We yelled "WHAT???" Andre doesn't sound very similar in voice either to Herlinger or Hal. Over time though, he won us over, and we learned to see the similarities to the predecessors. Now, we love him as much as the passed two.

And so, the new era... it is a bit more kiddish, ins some ways, isn't it? It's kinda getting back to Odyssey's roots. AIO is about the seemingly small things in a child's life: cleaning the clutter in a house, a crush on a much older boy. Much like Jane Austen's books. Her masterpieces centered on balls, chit-chats, and walks. One either has to be dead bored or admit such things matter. Another comparison: Peanuts. In order to understand its world, one has to accept the gravity of a child's life. Peanuts can make one sad. We can ignore that, or admit that their problems really are as great as our own, in a way. I'm not saying Care Bears is great art, or even watchable, but if a child's world is shown in a more genuine way, like AIO, then it's amazing. The older listeners... teenagers and adults... of whom I am one... we like to shrug off the trials of a child, focusing entirely on our problems and missions. Yet, Odyssey forces us, if only for half an hour, have our hopes and hearts pinned on a bike race, or a baby bird, or a machine made by a boy named Davey. After all, are not the decisions of a President... the actions of the head of large charity... the blood of a soldier shed for his or her country... made of single steps, small decisions? Is not the tear of a single child as great as a gushing dam constructed by a thousand adults?

"You cannot do great things, only small things with great things, only small things with great love."
Mother Teresa
"Thank God for Odyssey."
Whit,The Forgotten Deed

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

Hmm.. Uh, PF, what was the point of just copying a post you've already made on a different topic when we could just read it on that topic? I still love that post, though! It's a true work of art, and I could read it again and again. It almost reminds me of something from Out of Control in Odyssey. I will tell you again, PF that I think you should make an AIO fansite!

[Wretched Sinner]

I really like albums 45-49

[The Old Judge]

MeltsnerGirl, what was your opinion on Album 55, just out of curiosity?

(Also, it's good to have you on the Soda Shop!)

[Pound Foolish]

Yes indeed, good to have you, and may I congratulate you one your fine post! So, what DID you think of 55?

[Pound Foolish]

Well, Mitch is fantastic. Sadly, yes, in that episode, he wasn't at his best at all. Camilla has potential. I hope to hear more of her in 56, but I also am uncertain we shall. See the Camilla topic for my, and one or two other prominent Soda Shoppers, ideas on that. It's pretty brief.