The Magical Doorway | Fantasy Portal Stories for Kids

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On an otherwise normal day, a portal opens in a mysterious tree hidden in the very corners of a California redwood forest. Jonathan walks through the trunk and tumbles into the mystical, magical land of Once Upon a Time. Mr. Reginald T. Hedgehog, who’s out on his daily walk around his hovel, encounters this lost human. The two discover their kinship and begin their quest to bring joy and understanding to others through stories. As the sun sets behind the Cliffhanger mountains, they set sail across the Fantasea in pursuit of their first storytelling adventures!

Cue the confetti, it’s our 50th episode! For almost two years, we’ve been building our fictional “Once Upon a Time” universe—a place filled with Imagination where Jonathan and Mr. Redge take you on a journey of curiosity and acceptance – through fairy tales with a geeky twist, the histories of hidden heroes, and now, Dorktales lore stories! Our lore stories take you deeper into our anything-is-possible world-building. The Magical Doorway—our very first lore story–was inspired by our listener friend, Gael who asked, “How did Mr. Jonathan and Mr. Redge meet?”

Go to the episode webpage: https://jonincharacter.com/the-magical-doorway

HEY GROWNUPS: Sign up to receive our podcast newsletter every two weeks and you'll receive FREE access to our Dorktales Storytime Podcast's Resource Library filled with activity guides, conversation starter PDFs, printables and more: https://dorktalesstorytime.aweb.page/Dorktales-Library-Card

CREDITS: This episode has been a Jonincharacter production. Today’s story was written by Molly Murphy and performed by Jonathan Cormur. Sound recording and production by Jermaine Hamilton at Hamilton Studios.

CALLING FOR LISTENER SUBMISSIONS BY 9/20/26: Grownups, send us your child's questions, ideas, or drawings of their favorite character or episode for a chance to be featured in our next FanTales zine. Email us at dorktalesstorytime.com and don't forget to include your child's first name and age.

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GROWNUPS: Dorktales Storytime is more than a Kids and family stories for kids podcast. Every visit to our Once Upon a Time world invites kids to discover reimagined fairy tales, fables, Greek myths, mysteries, fantasy adventures, pirate adventures, bedtime stories, Halloween stories, dinosaur stories, spy adventures, and inspiring stories about historical figures and STEAM pioneers. We believe a well-told story brings families together, opens the door to meaningful conversations, and helps every child know they belong and their imagination can change the world.

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