Podcast Summary: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – "Cocoland"

Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Conan O’Brien
Guests/Regulars: Matt Gourley, Sona Movsesian, Margaret (Fan & Theme Park Designer)

Main Theme / Purpose

In this lively and imaginative episode, Conan, Sona, and Matt are joined by Margaret, a professional theme park and experience designer. Together, they swap stories about theme parks, reminisce about hilarious past theme park jobs, and brainstorm what a "Cocoland" (a Conan-themed theme park) would look like. The conversation is playful, inventive, and full of jokes, poking fun at celebrity ego, the theme park industry, and each other’s peculiarities, while spotlighting Margaret’s unique career and love of the genre.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Fan Introduction & Theme Park Enthusiasm

[01:24–02:52]

• Margaret shares her trajectory from childhood visits to Tokyo Disneyland to designing theme parks and museum experiences professionally, including work on "Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge."
• Her favorite Conan content is the unscripted staff interactions, not just celebrity interviews.

2. Matt Gourley’s Time as a Disney Trash Can

[04:47–07:08]

• Matt describes working at Disneyland, most notably as “Push the Talking Trash Can.” Dressed normally, he remote-controls and provides the trash can’s voice, often going rogue with jokes.
  • Notable quote:
    "My hand's in the bag, and I can remote control the trash can. And I have a secret microphone in my hand." — Matt Gourley [05:35]
  • He would break out of the approved script when managers weren’t watching, making the trash can ask existential or subversive questions.
• Conan and Sona riff on Matt’s role, with Conan imagining the trash can “running and screaming, ‘kill me, I cannot die.’” [06:55]

3. Theme Park Inhibitions & Edibles

[08:35–09:53]

• Sona admits her enjoyment of visiting theme parks while high on gummies, leading to comic banter.
  • Notable quote:
    “You could have wandered around a split level garage and had just as much of a visual experience.” — Conan [09:42]
• Margaret proposes a "Clueless Theme Park Goer" podcast episode, sending Conan, Sona, and Matt to various theme parks around the world. [10:02]

4. Planning a “Guerilla” Podcast in a Theme Park

[10:26–11:05]

• Matt wonders if Disney would allow them to record a podcast on-site without formal permission. Margaret, as an insider, delivers the reality: “The moment you walk in, especially with Conan, they’re going to jump on that immediately.” [10:52]
  • Notable quote:
    "I'm like a guy who's passed a bad check in every restaurant in town." — Conan [10:58]

5. Unusual Theme Parks: The Dark Side

[15:25–16:12]

• Margaret reveals her affection for Haupar Villa in Singapore, an amusement park themed entirely on gruesome Chinese mythological punishments in hell, much to everyone’s fascination and horror.
  • Notable quote:
    "It is the inverse of It's a Small World. It's not optimistic, it's not cheerful." — Conan [16:12]

6. Celebrities & Theme Parks: The Expansion

[16:39–17:18]

• Brief discussion on a growing trend: celebrities opening their own theme parks (e.g., Nate Bargatze’s venture, Dollywood).
• Margaret: “If Walt Disney did it, why not anyone else?”

7. Dreaming up Cocoland / Conan Land

[17:29–23:34]

• Group envisions a Conan-themed park, with Margaret designing rides tailored to each host's personality:
  • Conan’s ride:
    A "ginger-colored high-speed roller coaster"—unpredictable and slightly unsafe, incorporating his signature string dance. [18:24–19:01]
    • “They get off, and their skin is dry, and they’re questioning some of their decisions in life.” — Conan [19:06]
  • Sona’s ride:
    A lazy river with edibles, plush gondolas, “scenes of Magic Mike,” and favorite reality shows. End with snacks (hummus!) and ignore any calls for help from a robotic Conan. [19:29–21:23]
    • “You exit through a gift shop, eat hummus, and come back on the ride.” — Margaret [20:38]
  • Matt’s ride:
    A dark, “Haunted Mansion”–style omnimover in a leather armchair, with whiskey, vinyl music, mid-century retro decor, and flea market scenes. Every rider gets a cat. [21:35–23:03]
    • "When you get in, you have a whiskey or a cocktail in hand... through a thrilling ride of your imagination and dreams." — Margaret [22:02]
• All rides crash together at the end—a metaphor for the podcast itself, per Conan and Matt.
  • “All three rides collide at the end...and there’s some injuries every time.” — Conan [23:06]

8. A Happy Ending: The S’Mores Picnic

[23:25–23:50]

• Margaret envisions park guests and hosts relaxing around a bonfire after the “crash,” reinforcing the family/friendship theme.

9. Fun with Star Wars Blue vs. Green Milk

[24:26–24:39]

• Matt quizzes Margaret on her favorite Galaxy’s Edge beverage; she prefers Green Milk (“tastes like Fruity Pebbles”).

10. Fan Encounter Flashback

[25:28–26:54]

• Margaret recounts meeting Conan years ago in Studio City, nervously chasing him for a photo after dinner, which he warmly obliged.
  • Notable quote:
    “Now, once you get to know me, Margaret, your life will be a hell. But when you’re a stranger, I couldn’t be more pleasing.” — Conan [26:59]

Memorable Quotes

• Margaret: “I help to tell the stories in built places and built environments.” [02:52]
• Conan: “Celebrities just get in the way. Let’s face it.” [02:26]
• Matt: “I just look like a creep, you know? And my hand’s in the bag, and I can remote control the trash can.” [05:35]
• Conan: “You’re either touching yourself or delighting millions with your banter. I just don’t know which. Or both.” [06:12]
• Sonam: “Can you get us in for free? And can I bring my edibles?” [09:17]
• Margaret: “Going to theme parks releases all those inhibitions so you can be whoever you want to be.” [08:35]
• Conan: “I act that way at The Gap.” [08:49]
• Margaret: “It’s kind of my dream, my life journey, you know, to work in theme parks and build other experiences too...” [03:54]

Notable Moments & Highlights (with Timestamps)

• [02:16–02:34] Margaret on preferring Conan’s staff segments to celebrity interviews.
• [05:03–06:41] Matt’s detailed trash can story and Conan’s gruesome hypothetical script.
• [10:13] Margaret’s pitch for “Clueless Theme Park Goer” episodes featuring the trio.
• [16:00–16:19] Introduction of the grotesque Singapore park, Haupar Villa.
• [18:24–20:34] Margaret’s ride concepts for Conan and Sona; discussion gets sillier and more personal.
• [21:35–22:59] Matt’s fantasy armchair ride—cats, whiskey, and flea markets.
• [23:06–23:20] Conan’s vision for a “collision” of all park rides.
• [23:37–23:50] Margaret wraps things up with a heartwarming, marshmallow-toasting vision of friendship.

Conclusion

This episode serves as both a tribute to the playful, childlike wonder inspired by theme parks and a comic fantasy of what might happen if the Conan team built a park in their own image. With Margaret’s expertise anchoring their wild ideas, Conan, Sona, and Matt riff off each other’s quirks, dreams, and self-deprecating humor. Lively, funny, and packed with genuinely clever ideas, it’s an episode that blends sincere celebration of fans with the absurd, distinctive Conan O’Brien tone.