ABC Australia

Short & Curly

Kids EN ↓ 183 episodes

Short & Curly is the fun and educational ABC Kids and Family podcast that makes philosophy and ethics easy, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Hosted by Molly Daniels, Carl Smith, and philosopher Eleanor Gordon-Smith, the show explores big questions for kids about right and wrong, fairness, truth, knowledge, logic, beauty, and art. Perfect for kids aged 8–12, Short & Curly is loved by families, parents, and teachers worldwide. One of the best kids shows for curious minds, it inspires learning, laughter, and big ideas that help children learn how to think, not what to think. Created by the AB...

Author

ABC Australia

Category

Kids

Podcast website

www.abc.net.au

Latest episode

Mar 31, 2026

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Episodes

The ethics of smartphones 31.03.2021

When Molly got her first smartphone, she was so excited she couldn’t stop staring at her screen and she walked into a power pole. Carl is not so convinced by this flashy and very useful technology. Brains Trust: Guardian Angels Primary School in Queensland — Cienna, Daniel, Ellena, Eva, Kaizin and Laetitia.

Making "life and death" decisions for your pet 31.03.2021

Molly and Carl finally get their dream jobs as vets but soon learn it's not all cuddles with cute animals — big and important decisions have to be made. Like whether to de-sex a pet or when it might be best to euthanise a much-loved furry member of the family. Brains Trust: Guardian Angels Primary School in Queensland — Cienna, Daniel, Ellena, Eva, Kaizin and Laetitia Guest: Dr Ari Ende, VETaround...

It's the end of the world. Let's go berserk! 31.03.2021

Here's a little thought experiment: if you found out the world was going to end next week, would the rules about right and wrong change? If there was no tomorrow would it be okay to steal something you really wanted, or punch someone who had been bullying you? Let's see how Molly and Carl deal with a little thing called… the end of the world. Brains Trust: Somerset College in Queensland — Ethan, S...

Can we build a world that works for everyone? 31.03.2021

Carl has shrunk Molly and set her up in a world built of LEGO. You'd think that would be a fun adventure, but not for Molly, who just doesn't fit in. We find out if it's possible to build a world that works for everyone. Brains Trust: Somerset College, Queensland — Charlotte, Abhiraj, Magnus, Isabel, Sarah and Archie. Guest: Simon Darcy, Professor of Social Inclusion at the University of Technolog...

Should we always be brave? 31.03.2021

Molly and Carl head to Sweden to try one of the most disgusting foods in the world. Just wait until you find out what it is! Between gagging and dry retching, they try to answer an important question — am I brave or am I a coward? And is one always good and one always bad? Brains Trust: Guardian Angels Primary School in Queensland — Cienna, Daniel, Ellena, Eva, Kaizin and Laetitia.

BITE — It was an accident! 22.02.2021

Have you ever been punished for something that was an accident? Like, you really, really didn't mean to do it, but you still got in trouble. Today's BITE: If you didn't mean to do something should you still get in trouble?

BITE — Killing in computer games 15.02.2021

Do you ever play computer games where you have to kill another character? Does that make you feel bad? Should it? Today's BITE: Is it wrong to enjoy killing people in computing games?

Is it fair to punish the whole class? 24.12.2020

Have you ever been in a situation where someone did something wrong, but didn't own up? And then the teacher punished the whole class until the real culprit confessed! Is it fair for a whole group to be punished for something one person did? Molly, Carl and Matt go back to school to find out. Brains Trust — Somerset College in Queensland: Ethan, Saeesha, Spencer, Maddi, John, and Harry.

Swimmers vs sharks — who matters most? 24.12.2020

On a hot sunny day there's nothing Molly loves better than a swim in the ocean. But the sea can be dangerous, right? There are big waves, dangerous rips and SHARKS! Even though shark attacks are actually very rare, they can be deadly. So, should we kill sharks before they have a chance to kill us? Brains Trust: Guardian Angels Primary School in Queensland — Cienna, Daniel, Ellena, Eva, Kaizin and...

Do the ends justify the means? 24.12.2020

When Matt doesn't have his nose in a big thick philosophy book, he loves watching movies. So when he invites Molly and Carl to "Matt's Mega Movie Trivia Night", they jump at the chance. But it's not any old trivia night, it's about ethics, and he asks only one big question: If you do something bad but you do it to make the end result good, does that make it okay? Brains Trust: Guardian Angels Prim...

Should robots replace humans? 24.12.2020

Imagine a future where robots do the jobs humans are doing now, like construction workers, nurses, musicians and truck drivers. We could spend more time relaxing and playing with our friends. Woo hoo, bring it on! But are there some jobs that robots can't or shouldn't do? Brains Trust: Guardian Angels Primary School in Queensland — Cienna, Daniel, Ellena, Eva, Kaizin and Laetitia

Who owns a forest? 24.12.2020

Molly and Carl take a riverboat adventure along the Amazon river in search of an elusive and very fragrant plant in the Amazon forest. But who owns this flower, and who owns the forest it's in? And who should get to decide what happens to the "the lungs of humanity", the Amazon rainforest? Brains Trust: Somerset College in Queensland — Charlotte, Abhiraj, Magnus, Isabel, Sarah and Archie

A little gift for you! 24.12.2020

Molly and Carl got you something for Christmas. They made it themselves, on their phones. What could it be?

INTRODUCING — Short & Curly's big surprise! 19.12.2020

2020 has been a pretty weird year, right? But at least we know one thing: Short & Curly listeners are the best! So here’s something just for you.

BITE — Banning peanut butter  16.11.2020

Nut allergies are one of the super dangerous food allergies. If you’re allergic to nuts, it causes anaphylaxis and sometimes death. Today’s BITE: Should we ban nuts since people with allergies can die if they eat them? Thanks to Tammy for this excellent question. 

BITE — Rough play 09.11.2020

You can do things on the sporting field which would be a big no no at almost any other time. Today's BITE: Should rough sports be banned? Thanks to Nora for this excellent question.

BITE — Bossy parents 02.11.2020

Have you ever asked why you have to do something and your parent or an adult says to you, "Because I say so"? It's so infuriating, right? Today's BITE: Do we have to do everything our parents tell us to? Thanks to Samira for this excellent question.

INTRODUCING — Short & Curly BITES 29.10.2020

We get so curly many questions sent to us that we thought we'd make some special mini bite-sized versions of the show for you to nibble on! We will drop these BITES into your podcast feed (get it?) every now and then, so keep your ears out.

Bringing back extinct animals. What could go wrong? 17.09.2020

So many birds, mammals and insects which once existed on Earth are now gone forever — extinct, kaput! This got Carl thinking, what if forever wasn't really forever? Should we try and bring some of these creatures back, especially if it was humans who caused them to become extinct in the first place?

Should we censor stuff on the internet? 17.09.2020

When Molly and Carl are not making Short & Curly they are in charge of the world's biggest video sharing platform, called, TubeVids. That's right, it's their job to watch gaming videos, and movie parodies all day long! But it's not all fun and cat videos, people also post lots of mean stuff, as well as videos that are straight out untrue. What should they do about it? Let all the videos stay o...

Should Gabi have climbed the cherry blossom tree? 17.09.2020

Cherry blossom trees are very important in Japan. They're so special they even have their own festival every year. Our listener Gabi lives in Japan and got in trouble for climbing one. But did he really do the wrong thing? Do the rules of another culture (or even another family) apply to us when we visit?

Do you always have to keep a secret? 17.09.2020

If your friend asks you to keep a secret, should you ever break that promise? When should you keep your mouth zipped and when should you spill the beans? Join us for an old-fashioned detective story involving a crime and a secret.

Food fight! Can you be an ethical snacker? 17.09.2020

Molly and Carl love snacks and treats. But when one of our listener's challenges them to buy only ethical snack foods, they face tricky choices in the supermarket. Join us on a race to see whether things that are yummy to eat can also be good for the world.

Are you really free? 08.04.2020

This season we look at one of the curliest questions of them all, are you really free? We say all the time that someone made good choices or bad choices. Or that they should be punished or rewarded for the choices they make. But did you really choose to like a certain style of fashion? Is it your fault if you're a messy person? Can society be blamed for people turning to crime? And do Molly and Ca...

Oedipus – The Musical 08.04.2020

Meet Oedipus. He's the main character in one of the world’s oldest stories. He lived a long time ago and he did some pretty bad things. But was it his fault or was it fate? Was there anything he could have done to avoid tragedy? Join Molly, Carl and Matt as they sing their way through an ancient tale of terrible misfortune. 

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