In August 1986, tweens were first introduced to four preteen friends who started a successful babysitting business in “Kristy’s Great Idea” by Ann M. Martin. The series itself became a big business! In the forty years since its debut, “The Baby-sitters Club” has grown to include over 200 titles, two television shows, and a feature film. The stories continue to inspire generations of readers, who have become leaders in Hollywood, publishing, and much more.
From the creators of “Generation: Barney” and “Generation: Gilmore Girls”, meet “Generation: Baby-Sitters Club”, a five-episode podcast about the books that help us become who we are. We revisit the popular series to learn about how it shaped the world of children’s publishing, how it’s reaching new audiences through graphic novels and on-screen adaptations, and why we cherish stories that take the tender years between elementary school and high school seriously.
Listen below and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.
"Generation: Baby-Sitters Club" is hosted by Daniela Doncel. This series was reported, written, and produced by Lily Tyson and Daniela Doncel. It was edited and produced by Cassandra Basler. Sound design and mixing by Jay Cowit. Megan Fitzgerald is our project manager. Ayannah Brown and Mark Mirko are our visuals producers. Sam Hockaday created our show art. Marketing support provided by The Podglomerate.
"Generation: the media we love and how it shapes us" is a podcast series from Connecticut Public. Each season tells the origin story of a beloved cultural touchstone, asks what keeps it alive across generations, and explores how it helps us become who we are.
We love hearing from listeners! Email generation@ctpublic.org to reach us.
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In this episode, we visit a local babysitting class to explore the changing nature of American childhood, tweenhood, and babysitting. And we learn how these early work experiences shape the gender wage gap for life. -
In this episode of “Generation: Baby-Sitters Club,” we learn how the series has evolved to stay relevant for new generations, and what this can tell us about why we shouldn’t turn our noses up at the books young readers want to read. -
This episode on “Generation: Baby-Sitters Club”, we talk about how a book moves from the page to the screen, what it means for readers when a favorite book is adapted, and what forces determine what we see. -
In this first episode of “Generation: Baby-Sitters Club”, we time travel to the Scholastic Book Fairs of our childhoods to learn about the origins of “The Baby-sitters Club” — and other iconic paperback series — and discover how they shape generations of readers and the publishing industry. -
How has a 200+ book series about a group of tween babysitters shaped the publishing industry, Hollywood, and the lives of the people who grew up with it? And what can those babysitters teach us about friendship, entrepreneurship, and girlhood? This five-episode podcast revisits the popular series to learn about why we cherish stories that take the tender years between elementary school and high school seriously. -
We explore the popular book series, "The Baby-Sitters Club," and how a group of adventurous tweens created a worker-owned childcare cooperative that fueled more than 200 books and multiple on-screen adaptations.
More from the "Generation: Baby-Sitters Club" Team
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Generations of readers were inspired to become caregivers after reading “The Baby-Sitters Club” series. The podcast “Generation: Baby-Sitters Club” explains how these first jobs shape us – for better and for worse. -
Graphic novels are becoming one of the best selling book genres in North America – but not everyone is happy about it. -
Forty years ago, young readers first met Kristy, Mary Ann, Stacey and Claudia – and the fictional, coastal town of Stoneybrook, Connecticut. “The Baby-Sitters Club” series became a cultural phenomenon, selling over 200 million copies and continuing to draw in new generations. -
Before it sold 200 million copies, the series by Ann M. Martin launched in August 1986 with “Kristy’s Great Idea”. It may include nods to Martin’s time teaching in Connecticut.
