is an "audio magazine" for children.
Designed for children ages 6 through 12, Boomerang! combines the qualities of a printed magazine, radio show and educational programming. Originally delivered on Audio Cassette , the product is now delivered on Compact Disc and MP3 electronic downloads.
Boomerang! was founded by David Strohm , who continues to head-up the audio magazine's content development and day-to-day operations.
At its core, Boomerang! is designed as an educational product but often uses a lighthearted, nostalgic tone to present interesting facts in an accessible, friendly manner.
Much of Boomerang! is recorded by a group of children and teenagers known as the "Boomerang! Kids." Over the years, the kids have changed, but, in some cases, they have kept the same names in their respective segments.
Each issue of the magazine starts with a collection of Sound Effects for listeners to identify. This then segways into a brief skit that previews some of the content in the issue. At the end of this short segment, one the Boomerang! Kids introduces him or herself and tells listeners to "feed your head," a phrase that has become an unofficial slogan of the audiomagazine.
After the audiomagazine's theme song plays, the segments begin.
Segments generally appear in a fairly standard order, but often vary from issue to issue.
- Two of the Boomerang! Kids read letters from listeners about "the funny things grown-ups do." The responses to these letters are usually tongue-in-cheek.
- Using the background story of Freddy's Rhubarb and Banana Sandwich Stand, this skit introduces listeners to financial matters in easy-to-understand terms. Past topics have included interest, the federal debt and budgets.
- Using the Boomerang! "time machine" a Boomerang! Kid goes back in time to "interview" a famous person from history.
- This segment, often considered the centerpiece of each issue, is hosted by "The King of Complicated Stuff" and one of the Boomerang! Kids "from the Bureau of Big Ideas." This segment is usually one of the longest on each issue and includes indepth discussion on a topic. Topics range from current events to general interest subjects. Sometimes the Big Idea includes an interview with an expert on the subject being discussed. A trademark of the Big Idea is the "difficult word detector," a mix of sound effects that alert the hosts to explain a certain word, term or concept that may be new to listeners.
- This game-show like segment introduces listeners to strange words.
- Billed as "broadcasting from a messy bedroom from somewhere in the universe," Boom Radio usually provides some kind of general commentary about an issue important to kids.
- Done in the style of an old-style radio serial, the segment follows private eye Tucker Jones while he solves a neighborhood case. The cases tend to be offbeat or lighthearted and don't involve real crimes.
- This segment chronicles one of the Boomerang! Kids entering the elevator in the Boomerang! building and striking up a conversation with Dave Schmave, the elevator man. Schmave is voiced by Boomerang! founder Strohm. The conversation ends up segwaying into a story Schmave tells from his childhood around a theme such as trust or honesty. It often seems that "Schmave's" stories are actually true or quasi-true stories from Strohm's own childhood.
- This over-the-phone survey segment poises a question to several Boomerang! listeners. These questions range from the offbeat to serious and sometimes play off another segment on the issue.
- This segment follows Tobey and her grandfather's trips across the country.
- This short segment has one of the Boomerang! Kids telling a story about when he or she proved that kids have power.
- In this segment, Boomerang's "kitchen mechanic" and her assistant Jacque (really a voice from a French language tape) tell listeners how to cook a recipe.
- One of the Boomerang! Kids discusses an animal or natural resource. This segment is unique in that its script is peppered with the phrase "I wonder..."
- This segment teachers listeners how to count to ten in a foreign language.
- Widget and Whack, a brother and brother team, explain how a mechanical device works.
- An interview with a children's book author.
- Jokes have been a trademark of Boomerang! since its inception. Usually two to several Boomerang! Kids take turns telling jokes and their answers. This segment is always placed at a random location in the issue and have, at least once, been omitted completely.
Boomerang! has received the American Library Association's Notable Recording Award, the Parent's Choice Award and the Educational Press Association Award for excellence in news reporting and was included in Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products.
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