Hey Riddle Riddle – Episode #384: The Return (really!) of Kid Friendly

Release Date: November 26, 2025
Hosts: Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, John Patrick Coan (JPC)

Overview

For their third-ever "kid friendly" special, the Hey Riddle Riddle team—Adal, Erin, and JPC—crafts a lighthearted, exuberant episode meant for families, kids (and even "baby goats," aka kids and "the Greatest Of All Time" puns). While the show is known for its riddle-solving shenanigans, much of the fun comes from their offbeat tangents and improv comedy, and this episode is no exception. The trio commits to jokes that land on both kid-level and meta, offering riddles, playful sketches, and bits that lampoon both childhood experiences and over-specific cultural references.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Opening—Stand-Up for Kids (04:27)

• The hosts each attempt "kid-friendly" stand-up routines, poking fun at the adult tendency to miss the point of kid experiences.
• JPC’s set focuses on Halloween, bashing "bad" treats and rambling about neighborhood traditions.
  Quote: "Why is Halloween only one day? You’re telling me there’s a day when we can knock on people’s doors and they give us candy, and you’re only giving us one of those? … Let’s call that Thursday!" (05:39)
• Adal’s bit wonders why adults suddenly stay home and love being "inside" as they age, riffing on Minecraft and Gucci, and failing to connect with the young audience.
• Erin’s routine laments the tyranny and mysteries of kid water bottles, claiming that teachers spend half their careers tracking them.
  Quote: "Little did I know the only thing that it’s about is keeping track of my water bottle!" (09:34)
• They self-consciously point out how their humor is more for parents than actual kids, and riff on Gen Z slang (04:04).

2. Acknowledging Grown-Ups Get Things Wrong (11:30)

• The hosts take a detour on adults admitting mistakes, jokingly encouraging parents to turn to their kids and say, "I’m wrong most of the time."
  Quote: "I want every grownup to turn to your kid right now and say...I’m sorry. I’m wrong most of the time. Turn to your kid and say that right now. I’ll wait." (12:21)

3. Riddles & Improv Scenes

Classic Riddles with Kid-Friendly Vibes

• Riddle: "I speak every language but never learned one."
  Answer: An echo. (14:20)
  Improv scene: Echo's first day on the job messing up for a caveman.
  Adal (prompting): "Adol, you are a guy who is in a cave, and you're trying to hear the echo of your voice and JPC, this is your first day on the job as an echo." (14:33)

• Riddle: "I travel straight while standing still. The longer I go, the shorter I get."
  Answer: A candle (pencil is an acceptable but debated answer). (17:52) Scene: Pencil and candle compare their respective fates as they get "used up." (18:04)

• Riddle: "I can cross a river without getting wet and climb a wall without touching it."
  Answer: A shadow. (25:38)
  Scene: A man’s shadow refuses to cross the river—a bureaucratic ordeal to get a "new" shadow.
  JPC: "Can you jump and I’ll catch you? I forgot. I never taught my shadow English." (25:54)

Meta Commentary & Kiddish Tangents

• Extended tangents about nursery rhymes and the absurdity of pies filled with birds (22:08+).
• Debates about cake vs. pie: which is stronger and which do kids prefer (21:26–21:52).

4. Listener-Submitted Kid Riddles (48:48, 49:00)

• From 3-year-old Leo: “What’s the bare minimum?”
  Answer: One bear. (49:31)
  The hosts are delightfully stumped and do a fake news report on being bested by a toddler.

• From Marcus: “Why did the cowboy get a dachshund?”
  Answer: He wanted to get a long, little doggie. (52:41)
  Scene: Dog cowboy and a cattown mayor spar in a kid-western.

• Why did the doctor remove his doorbell?
  Answer: He wanted a No-bell prize (Nobel Prize). (62:29)

• What is orange and sounds like a parrot?
  Answer: A carrot. (67:12)

5. Absurdist Scenes and Kid Jokes

• Scene: Kids swimming in a portal full of Hi-C during a math class gone quantum-physics-wrong (56:44–58:50).
• Another: Doctor obsessed with winning awards acts out an Oscar speech during a checkup (63:04–64:42).
• Parrot sketches: Parrot preempts owner’s sentences, insinuating birds are smarter and more successful than their people (68:48–71:12).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "Listening is preparing. And my brother talks all the time. And if you think I’m going to listen to a word of it, you’re dead wrong. And kids listening, you know what I’m talking about. Listening to your siblings, listening to your parents—really important." – JPC (11:32)
• "I guess when you get older, home is like...the best part of vacations as you get older is coming home versus the vacation itself." – Adal (08:19)
• "I can cross a river without getting wet. I climb a wall without touching the wall... Is this a wave?...No. Cause a wave would get wet." – Riddle segment, debate (25:30–25:33)
• "I want him to be 100 and I want the other one—the one I don't want—26." – Erin as an ageless grandma negotiating youth transfers with The Cake Genie (35:48)
• "Why did the doctor remove his doorbell?...He wanted a Nobel Prize." (62:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:27 – Stand-Up Routines for Kids
• 11:30 – Grown-Ups Admit Their Mistakes
• 14:20 – "I speak every language..." (Echo riddle and improv)
• 17:52 – Candle/Pencil riddle and sketch
• 25:38 – Shadow riddle & "Peter Pan Law" improv
• 49:00 – Listener riddle: "What’s the bare minimum?"
• 52:41 – "Cowboy and Dachshund" riddle & western scene
• 62:29 – Nobel/no-bell doctor riddle & scene
• 67:12 – Carrot/parrot riddle & Bugs Bunny parody

Recurring Themes & Running Gags

• Constant "meta" breaking of the “kid-friendly” premise to amuse themselves and parents.
• Playful but intentionally dated pop culture references (Great Gatsby, SNL, Timothée Chalamet as the Cake Genie).
• Over-explanation for the benefit of parents—e.g., classic nursery rhymes or legalese about shadows.
• Commentary that’s both for and about the kids’ world and adults’ confusion connecting to it.

Episode Tone

The show, per usual, blends irreverence, improv, and a touch of absurd sincerity. The hosts’ faux-exasperation with riddles, digressions into playful sketches, and inviting giggles create a welcoming, silly space for genuinely all ages—if you have a sense of humor about the kid world and adults fumbling through it.

Final Message / Takeaways

• The hosts cheer on young listeners and their imaginations, encouraging (sometimes satirical, sometimes sincere) rebellion and making messes.
• “Don’t be like JPC,” Erin concludes, “so you can play in the sink without the towel.” (74:32)
• The episode concludes with thank-yous to specific kid fans, a soft “keep playing” sentiment, and a silly plug segment about kid activities (putting rocks in shoes, hiding crayons).

Summary Prepared For:
Anyone seeking the spirit and specifics of Hey Riddle Riddle’s 2025 kid-friendly special—catching the improv, riddles, memes, and madness in one dense, jokey package.