Inside Crash Course Geology

When we make a Crash Course series, you know it's going to be not only well-researched and informative but entertaining and fun. While each series feels like Crash Course, it also has it's own unique identity with fun characters, different animation styles, and tangent segments that explore the topic deeper. For Crash Course Geology, we have three different ways to make talking about rocks more engaging.

Dwayne the Pet Rock

In our very earliest brainstorming sessions, it became clear that we would need a pet rock mascot for this series. But what to name him? While our series mascot began as “Iggy” (short for igneous), a rogue joke about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was too good not to run with. So, Dwayne the (Pet) Rock became our series companion. He was sourced at an Arizona rock shop by our producer, Caroline, and he is made of granite. He’s generally a little nervous, like a shelter dog, but he’s also sometimes sassy. He loves an accessory and is a great emotional support rock. And he’s mostly a pretty quiet guy… except for when he talks about geologic time. We used Dwayne to add humor and comfort to the episodes, especially to break up big chunks of information and to acknowledge the tough topics we discussed. If anyone knows Elmo’s arch-enemy, Rocco, Dwayne would love to stop by Sesame Street sometime.

Geology Rock Stars

Geology has many interesting sub-disciplines, but there’s a common misconception that the only route for a geology career is the oil industry. Crash Course Geology makes an effort to show the wide array of ways geologists are helping us understand our planet and live in our modern world. Similar to Crash Course Biology 2.0’s “Theater of Life,” CC Geology features a segment called “Geology Rock Stars,” where Sage introduces us to the stories of real geologists of the past and present. While geology can be a very white male field, we made a conscious effort to include the contributions of geologists of all genders and backgrounds—and the stories that inspire us. (Plus, Dwayne gets to shred it on guitar!)

Detective Sage

There are a lot of mysteries in geology, so it was only natural for us to create a detective character to try to solve them. Enter Detective Sage at the Sherlock Stones Agency—a film noir bit we feature in some of our episodes. We love to mix up the set and throw in a costume, and Sage was absolutely game. (Plus, she’s great at a Transatlantic accent.) This recurring bit added some humor and light-heartedness to information-dense episodes and brightened the mood when we needed to. See if you can spot Dwayne’s fantastic mustache.