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The Pokey Pup: CDs, DVDs, Books & More for Cool Kids (and their parents)
Who do you think you are, telling me what's hip?
Here at The Pokey Pup, we are fed up--fed up and tired of kitschy, mind-numbing children's music and media! We think most parents would agree with us that if they hear how the purple dinosaur loves them one more time or watch a video of multi-colored alien babies for the umpteenth time in one day their heads might explode. The Pokey Pup was born to right the injustice of all of the annoying kid's music and media that has flooded the market for too many years. Let's face it, parents end up listening to this music and watching the DVDs as much as their kids do, and after a while, that can be downright excruciating on everyone's ears. In our humble opinion, we think the best children's music can also be music that parents enjoy as much as their little ones. The best DVDs can be enjoyed by all ages. So put down that sticky old cassette of imaginary animals and guys dressed in matching clothes and join the revolution--the revolution of hip music the whole family can enjoy.
Alphabet Soup and a Love For Great Music
Our focus is on great music and other items for the children of all those parents who belong to the generation of X's and Y's (maybe the Ps and Qs too). The Pokey Pup is here for all the parents who came of age alongside music television and who love alternative music, indie rock and all kinds of music in between. We are the store to help you open your little ones' ears (and minds) to more sophisticated sights and sounds. Just think of us as your favorite little indie record store that focuses on your kids as well as you (but without all of the surly employees!).
What the heck is "hip" kids' music anyway?
Luckily for us, there has been revolution brewing in children's music during the last several years. Just like us, artists we know and love are growing up and having kids of their own, and (fortunately for us) putting out great music for the whole family. The best part is that this new genre of kid's music will keep you sane as well as help lay the foundation for your children to develop diverse musical tastes to carry with them throughout life. If music is the soundtrack to your life, why not share it with your kids?
So, what's the story, morning glory?
 The Pokey Pup is a father-owned company located in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded by Bryan Townsend in 2005 while him and his wife were awaiting the arrival of their first child. It made him think about the things that he loved (music, movies, books, cartoons, etc.) and the things that he wanted to share with his own child. Bryan has worked in the music industry in some form (including promotions for MCA/Geffen Records, marketing for Interscope Records, music licensing, owning a record store since 1997) for most of his working life, he decided to challenge this expertise in a new direction, providing great music and other media for kids and parents. We would love to hear your comments and suggestions to help make The Pokey Pup a better place, so feel free to e-mail Bryan.
The Pokey Pup is the little brother of Underdog Records, a once "brick and mortar" independent record store, now online music store that began in a southern college town in 1997. Underdog Records features quality new and used music in a variety of genres, focusing on hard-to-find, out-of-print CD titles. If you can't find it at The Pokey Pup, please visit Underdog Records for all of your more adult-like musical needs.
What's with the name?
My other record store is called Underdog Records. When I started thinking of a name for a children's record store I wanted to continue the "dog" theme and naturally something with "Pup" in the title was the logical connection. The "pokey" part came from a more sad thing. Our family dog, Copper, was an Australian Shepherd who was suffering badly from epilepsy. Since he was herding dog he was constantly at our feet and walking in front of us. His epilepsy was taking a toll on his stability so he would walk in front of you very slowly and often stopping right in front of you. It was a struggle to walk from one room to the other in our house because he was constantly at our feet. Because of this my wife and I would constantly be telling him to move it along and we would start referring to him as "Pokey". "Move it along pokey" was heard throughout the day in our house and after saying that phrase constantly, we started then starting referring to him "pokey pup" and that's where everything connected for me to call the store that. It's a connection to my other record store and a tribute to my dog, who sadly died last year before the store was launched. So, to answer the big question...The Pokey Pup store is not named after a book.
Need some more info? Visit our Freqently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page here.
The Pokey Pup philosophy of music
(summed up in a neat bullet point list)
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Alternative music for kids?
The Pokey Pup tries very hard to not sell repetitive, television-based music used to sell mass amounts of merchandise. We are an unconventional children's media store that specializes in independent kids music and other great stuff.
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Listen to YOUR kids.
At The Pokey Pup, we do not endorse kids' music sung by choirs of other kids (*see Kidz Bop and many others). Listen to your own brood sing along to the music, not someone else's kids singing to your kids (and you).
- Not all kids' music has to be "kids" music. Some of the music that The Pokey Pup chooses to carry is music that transcends what is commonly classified as "children's music." We simply love great music that both kids and their parents can enjoy. For example, the Ramones are not usually classified as kids' music, but play Rockaway Beach to some kids and see if they don't dance. Check out our For The Whole Family to find some gems for your kids!
- Expand their horizons (and musical tastes). Play your kids some of your own collection: some Aretha, Beatles, Elvis, Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, the Talking Heads, etc. Sharing diverse musical genres with your little ones will help expand their lifelong love for all kinds of music. My parents like to tell the story of when I was in kindergarten and I took in two record albums for Show and Tell: Destroyer by KISS and YMCA by The Village People. Talk about some musical diversity at an early age! No wonder I turned out to be such a music geek. Again, check our For The Parents and our For The Whole Family section for more for suggestions.
- The “classics” are still the “classics.” You just can’t go wrong with the stuff we grew up with like Sesame Street, Schoolhouse Rock or The Muppets.
What are your kids listening to?
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