Kids audio streaming service Pinna is breaking new ground in the podcasting space after launching what it calls the first-ever voice-activated interactive podcast series.

Yes No Audio targets kids ages seven to 12 and consists of three escape room-based adventures (pictured)—Escape the Haunted House, Escape the Sinking Ship and Escape the Marshmallow Dream Forest. The original series launched in June exclusively on Pinna and is available with a full access plan on all iOS and Android devices and via desktop browsers.

In each episode, listeners must escape a high-stakes scenario in five minutes by answering yes or no to a series of questions posed by a host character.

Pinna has launched numerous call-and-response interactive experiences, including A to Z Mysteries Clue Club, ExtraBLURT and Hey Story Go. But Yes No Audio is the company’s first voice-recognition series where the Pinna app actually listens for answers and responds by altering the storyline, says Amy Kraft, senior director of development and children’s programming.

“Active listening experiences have always been a part of Pinna’s DNA,” says Kraft. “But with Yes No Audio, we’ve pushed the envelope further on how to get kids interacting.”

Kraft, senior production manager Ash Beecher and then-executive producer Anne Richards came up with the initial idea for the series and developed it with senior director of product Hilary Glazer and Canadian interactive agency Curious Media (Cat in the Hat Builds That), which built out the voice-recognition tech for Yes No Audio in Pinna’s app.

After prototyping and kid-testing the series, Richards took a new job in January 2022 as head of audiyo-yo, the podcast division of Boston-based animation and service studio FableVision. But she kept the collaboration with Pinna going, creating and writing the first three titles in Yes No Audio, which were produced by audiyo-yo under her leadership. She says her greatest challenge was writing the series. “Figuring out how to make the yes/no questions compelling, and ensuring that all of the story branches were laid out carefully at the start, were the biggest tests for me,” she says.

For Kraft, the biggest challenge was developing the underlying technology and future-proofing it for more voice-recognition titles. “We have some plans for later this year that will be radically different from Yes No Audio in terms of interactive storytelling,” she says. “But Pinna will also have more Yes No Audio titles out later this year that we’re making with other creators and internally.”

Looking to the future, Kraft says Pinna has a big advantage over others in the space because it operates its own platform. “Having our own app provides us with a playground for developing different formats like Yes No Audio or three-minute shows for our Surprise Box feature,” she says.

“I’m excited for all aspects of kids podcasting going forward.”