Hey Riddle Riddle #396: "We Smabi" — Episode Summary

Release Date: February 18, 2026
Hosts: Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, John Patrick Coan (JPC)
Podcast: Hey Riddle Riddle (Headgum)

Episode Overview

In this characteristically chaotic and comedic episode, Adal, Erin, and JPC dive into their usual blend of lateral-thinking riddles, offbeat improv scenes, and amusing tangents. Episode #396 is themed around the invented term "smobby" (with multiple meanings including a greeting, a break, and a way to describe a state of being), riffing on the perils of modern small talk, and of course, the solving—or demolition—of riddles. Along the way, they discuss wild advertisements, cultural touchstones only known through parody, and the joys and frustrations of baby-naming trends.

The trio revel in their signature irreverent banter, blending silliness, observational humor, and a healthy dose of self-deprecation, making this episode as much about their dynamic as about the riddles themselves.

Key Discussion Points & Riddles

1. Redefining Greetings & The Birth of "Smobby"

(08:05–12:47)

• The hosts discuss how "How are you?" lost its meaning post-pandemic and brainstorm alternatives.
• "Smobby" becomes their new greeting word, described as, “it can kind of mean whatever you want it to be,” (C, 10:23) — ranging from seeking good news to simply acknowledging our collective malaise in 2026.
• The hosts riff on greeting alternatives like “back to bed, huh?” and “who do you think is coming to save us?”
• Notable quote:

  “We have a new word here at Hey Riddle Riddle that we started on a live stream, and it’s smobby. And the cool thing about smobby is it means all sorts of things.” — Erin (A), 10:12

2. Comedy Movies & Cultural Segues

(02:42–04:13)

• JPC recommends “Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie,” triggering discussion about comedy’s absence in theaters and over-the-top critical pull-quotes.
• Tangents about “who’s coming to save us?” veer into the feasibility of superheroes — with Batman and The Punisher dismissed as “not coming to save us,” landing on the hope for an alien Superman.

3. Riddles from 2019: Time-Travel Escapism

(15:12–30:31)

• The hosts engage with user-submitted riddles from 2019 as a form of escapism.
• JPC wryly comments:

  “The good news is the riddles we’re doing today came to us from 2019, when the world was a mildly better place.” (B, 15:34)

Riddle: Kevin & Susie

• Setup: Kevin is shopping, Susie grabs a knife, gives Kevin a cut, asks for money, Kevin runs away, and is later arrested.
• Solved via comedic lateral guesses (“He dined and dashed a tattoo”) before landing on:
• Answer: Susie is a butcher; Kevin ran off with meat without paying (shoplifting).
• Improv scene: The hosts launch into an elaborate “Les Mis”-esque post-butchery prison release scene.
• Notable moment:

  “14 years for two ribeyes, huh? Kind of wild, that.” — Adal as ex-con (C, 23:50)

Riddle: Agatha on the Train

• Setup: Agatha rides the train, breaking laws, conductor smiles, never calls police.
• Guessed: Agatha is a baby; “laws” broken are things like eating, sleeping, or relieving herself on the train.
• Notable:

  “As a baby, the conductor always smiles at her and ignores the letter of the law. The spirit is not to apply to babies.” — JPC (B, 34:46)

• Improv scene: Train enforcer writes ridiculous tickets to Erin for minor offenses.

4. Riffing on Language, Advertising, and Commercials

(46:05–48:15)

• Brief tangent on memorable (and now defunct) advertising campaigns: Herbal Essences, Lipton Brisk, root beer brands, and the strange inertia of brands "not advertising."

5. More Riddles, More Absurdity

Riddle: Mailing a Head

• Setup: A man mails a head; recipient isn’t scared or surprised. Why?
• Classic goofball answers (“lettuce”/“cabbage”) are explored. Actual riddle answers include:
  • The head is cabbage (acceptable);
  • Sent to a morgue;
  • Sent to himself at a different address.
• Improv scene: A couple awkwardly opening a mysterious box.
• Side tangent: “Mannequin” movie and problematic old movie plots.

Riddle: 12 Men, 12 Pairs Hanging

(56:07–59:00)

• “12 men walking by, 12 pairs hanging high, each took a pair and left 11 hanging there.”
• After much lateral thinking, the answer is revealed:
  • “Each” is a man’s name, so only one pair is taken.
• Hosts universally declare this riddle “stupid.”
• Notable quote:

  “The answer is that the man’s name was Each.” — JPC (B, 59:00)

Riddle: Six Little Grapes, Three Black Cherries, Four Peaches

(60:04–64:49)

• Visual/word riddle ultimately revealed to describe the faces of dice (pips).
• Bonus trivia about “pips” (dots on dice, grape seeds, and Gladys Knight & the Pips).
• Notable reaction:

  “F. Bonus points. That was the main answer.” — Adal, (C, 65:38)

Riddle: Two Wallets, $2, One Has Twice as Much

(66:50–72:12)

• Classic logic puzzle—hosts struggle until a hint about wallet size leads to answer:
  • One wallet is inside the other; thus, one wallet contains both dollars, the other only one, so “twice as much.”
• Over-the-top rejection:

  “That’s so stupid. F, F, F, F, F. That’s wild.” — Erin (A, 72:05)

• Improv: “Big Wallet & Little Wallet”—a satirical lesson on generational wealth.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On post-pandemic greetings:

  “No one’s been good since 2019, the last six years.” — Erin (A, 09:02)

• On the world’s woes:

  “Who do you think’s coming to save us?” — JPC (B, 10:48)
  “Batman, because he doesn’t really have any powers... Is that what I meant to say? Mostly he’s too busy playing golf.” — Erin (A, 13:48)

• On baby faces:

  “The face that babies make when they poop is so funny... we learn not to show other people our poop face.” — JPC (B, 35:24)

• On intelligence:

  “The three of us combined has the same intelligence of an average dog who’s been dead for less than 12 hours.” — JPC (B, 66:09)

• On riddle frustration:

  “I’m so smart I can’t make my brain dumb. I’m just kidding, I’m really dumb.” — Erin (A, 58:21)

Listener Voicemail: Cultural Touchstones Only Known via Comedy

(73:36–76:31)

• Listener asks if the hosts know of any pop culture they only understand through secondhand jokes.
• Examples: Parody movies (Airplane, Scary Movie, etc.), “We Bought a Zoo,” the “Electric Boogaloo” sequel meme, references to the band Phish, and The Simpsons.
• Notable quote:

  “There was a time... anytime they would name a fake sequel, they’d say ‘blank blank: Electric Boogaloo’... but I don’t know anyone who’s seen Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo.” — Adal (C, 76:17)

Closing & Plugs

• Quick plugs for other podcasts (Hello from the Magic Tavern, Dungeon or Gumshoes and Dragons), the Patreon, and live shows.
• Fun final moments: “Say the planet!” — “Jupiter. Jupiter.” — “Smobby.” (77:24)

Recurrent In-Jokes & Running Gags

• “Smobby” used as a meaningfully meaningless word, adapting to every conversational need.
• Erin’s aversion to certain riddles (“I don’t even feel like I’m on the track of anything.” 71:14)
• Ominous references to “going into the ocean.”
• Rejection of bad riddle logic by awarding them a grade F.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Smobby as a greeting — 10:00–12:47
• First 2019 riddle, Kevin & Susie — 16:36–22:49
• Train rule/Agatha riddle — 28:29–34:46
• Mailing a head — 48:18–54:32
• Cultural touchstones via comedy (voicemail) — 73:36–76:31
• Closing plugs and outro — 76:55–end

Tone & Style

• Silly, irreverent, fiercely self-aware, with a blend of improvisation and genuine camaraderie.
• Directly addresses the audience, sometimes shifting from riddle to storytelling to social commentary.
• Original hosts’ voices are goofy, energetic, and improvisational, never taking themselves or the material too seriously.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode of Hey Riddle Riddle is emblematic of the show’s style: riddles are merely the jumping-off point for running jokes, wild improv, philosophical musing, and affectionate mockery of both themselves and the world around them. If you’re looking for strictly riddle-solving, that’s maybe only half the fun: the real gems are in the hosts’ witty asides, their wild hypothetical scenarios, and the ever-evolving definitions of words like “smobby.”

Memorable Quote to Close:

“We wobble. We smobby.” — Adal (A), 48:23