An experimental radio program that debuted in 1987 on Christian stations to counter a rise in violent cartoons on television and the advent of sexually suggestive music videos on MTV remains so popular among children and adults that it’s marking a fantastical accomplishment.

Conservative Christian communications organization Focus on the Family will celebrate this year’s production of the 1,000th episode of “Adventures in Odyssey” on Saturday in Colorado Springs in two live, radio-theater performances.

Work on the “One Grand Party” has been ongoing for two years, and Saturday’s shows are sold out, according to the organization. About 6,000 fans from 47 states and five Canadian provinces grabbed tickets early for the in-person taping of an “Adventures in Odyssey” audio show with live characters in costume.

On Friday, the same ticket-holders can attend “Experience Odyssey,” where they’ll interact on sets that re-create the fictional town of Odyssey at Focus on the Family’s headquarters.

The buildings and costumed characters that normally reside in the imagination of listeners will come to life with a host of activities.

“We’re hoping people have fun with it and are able to immerse themselves in the stories they’ve heard, grown up with and loved,” said Megan Rolofson, project coordinator.

The reason for the audio drama’s unforeseen success is the same as why it was created, she said: unfailing Bible lessons.

“The biblical principles that are taught are timeless, and it doesn’t matter if you started listening 37 years ago at the very beginning or you’re listening to episodes now, those biblical truths are present today,” Rolofson said.

And the fun factor can’t be overlooked, she said.

The series centers on the make-believe town of Odyssey. John Avery Whittaker, a main character since the brand’s creation, owns an ice-cream emporium named Whit’s End, where kids hang out and he conducts scientific research.

Programs feature Whittaker’s Imagination Station, an invention that uses characters’ imaginations to enable them to feel as if they are transported to biblical and other historical events. There’s also the Room of Consequence, another innovation that allows characters to see possible outcomes of their actions.

It’s a sort of virtual reality before virtual reality came into being, said Dave Arnold, executive producer for the “Adventures in Odyssey” series and the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre program, which creates original and adapted radio theater shows.

“We’re feeding all this information into your brain, and how you extrapolate it in your brain is inside your imagination,” Arnold said.

“Adventures in Odyssey” claims an audience of than 2 million listeners in 30 countries and also is available in podcast and through a phone app.

A large cast of characters, from young children to geriatrics, has come and gone or matured into the second generation.

“It’s good, solid storytelling with fabulous acting and songs that create a visual audio experience — the audience is filing in the pictures because of the way we tell the stories,” Arnold said.

Several recognizable people have provided voices, including Hal Smith, who played Otis the drunk on “The Andy Griffith Show” and was the original Mr. Whittaker; David Madden from “The Partridge Family”; and Walker Edmiston of “Gunsmoke.”

“A lot of the actors were in old-time radio and television and have passed on,” Arnold said. That’s given way to variety and diversity among characters and “allowed us to speak to people in a way they can identify with,” he said.

“We built in every genre, from dramatic to comedic, to science fiction and mystery to Western.”

While “Adventures in Odyssey” is geared toward ages 8-12, listeners say the universal values-based messages speak to all ages.

Topics such as doing well in school, handling bullying, getting along with siblings, dating, understanding stepparents and other life conundrums can apply across the board, Rolofson said. Storylines also have delved into conspiracies, spying and conscientious objection.

“Lessons hit people in different stages of their lives, depending on what families are going through, so there’s a relatability for everyone,” Rolofson said, adding that she listened to “Adventures in Odyssey” when she was growing up and has never lost interest in the show.

A theme repeated in letters from listeners is that the show “feels like you were looking into my life and you knew what I was going through, and you helped me how to approach it and figure things out,” Arnold said.

“Adventures in Odyssey” became Focus’ initial entry into the mainstream entertainment market and is now one of the longest-running radio programs in production.

A subscription service with numerous perks, the Adventures in Odyssey Club, launched in 2014 and has 40,000 members.

In addition to 17 animated videos, the brand has generated board games, computer games, novels, devotionals, a comic book and action figures.

The first series aired in the production style of old-time radio of the 1940s, which has continued. Realistic sounds of creaking doors opening, dishes clattering in the school cafeteria, hospital machines beeping and people walking add to the imagery.

“People engaged in our stories and said they wanted more,” Arnold said. “Audio dramas died when television came into being, and we resurrected it. Now it’s becoming another form of entertainment that people love.”

While the 1,000th episode will be released this year, Saturday’s show is not the actual 1,000th episode, according to Focus on the Family.

Contact the writer: 719-476-1656.