Parents' Guide to
Crime Origins: A Hero Hotel Investigation
Common Sense Media Review
By Robert Yaniz Jr.
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Silly mystery pod looks at villain origins; light on plot.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Listen
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
Crime Origins is a pun-filled prequel to Pinna's Hero Hotel podcast, based on the comic book of the same name. While the latter show centers on a hotel designed for superheroes, Crime Origins follows Glowis Glaine – investigative reporter for the Global Gazette – as she explores how supervillains get into crime. But as the show goes on, she gets wrapped up in a case involving superhero Golden Falcon, who's accused of stealing candy from a baby. The show is a parody of superhero stories, presented through the lens of a comedic mystery.
Is It Any Good?
In a marketplace dominated by superheroes, this podcast presents a playful parody of these comic book characters in a way that will likely appeal to younger listeners. CRIME ORIGINS is a silly alternative to the the popular true crime genre of podcasts. Although it lends to some laughs from all listeners, it often leans too heavily on easy puns -- Batman becomes the sausage-based detective known as Brat-Man, and Doctor Doom becomes Dentist Doom, who delivers cavities with sugar bombs -- that may be too immature for older listeners.
The voice actors and production values are up to the standards of other Pinna podcasts. However, the mystery surrounding Golden Falcon's case and Glowis Glaine's investigation isn't particularly as compelling as other series. Perhaps Crime Origins' greatest challenge is that has a limited number of episodes that are all fairly short, so it doesn't offer quite enough time to fully engage the listener. It does, however, provide a great starter show for kids new to listening to podcasts.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Crime Origins takes a look at fictional supervillains origin stories. Does understanding where a criminal's path started help justify their wrongdoing? How does it change how you see them?
Glowis Glaine follows her intuition in the course of her investigation. When solving a problem, is it more important to follow the facts or listen to your gut? How can these two approaches work together?
Podcast Details
- Release date: October 17, 2021
- Genre: Kids & Family
- Average Run Time: 7 minutes
- Website: https://pinna.fm/library/kids-shows/pinna-podcasts/hero-hotel-presents-crime-origins
- Production Company and Network: Pinna
- Pricing structure: Free to try, Paid (Pinna offers two subscription options after a free trial. The month-to-month option auto-renews monthly at $7.99/month USD. The yearly option is priced at $5.99/month USD, billed annually.)
- Topics: Superheroes , Adventures , Great Girl Role Models
- Last updated: January 11, 2024
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