Hey Riddle Riddle #399: Tedd-99 (March 11, 2026) – Summary

Episode Overview

In this lively and pun-filled episode, hosts Adal Rifai, Erin Keefe, and John Patrick Coan (JPC) tackle a slew of animal-based riddles, improvise hilarious scenes around them, and riff on everything from Taco Bell slogans to the perils of potty training and children’s party characters. The central focus is a set of “Animal Pun Raid” riddles submitted by listener Ted, sparking rapid-fire wordplay and improv. Along the way, the trio's tangents, inside jokes, and playfully chaotic energy are on full display, making it a quintessential Hey Riddle Riddle episode.

Key Discussion Points & Notable Segments

Taco Bell Improv – Slogans, Mascots & Corporate Satire

[00:29–04:22]

• The show opens with an improvised boardroom scene where the team brainstorms retro Taco Bell pricing and new slogans.
• The hosts joke about problematic slogans from the ‘80s (“Run for the border”), possible alternatives, and the fate of the Taco Bell chihuahua.

“Cheap dong.” – Erin (02:02) “Should we say a few words? … Chalupa, quesadilla, gordita, chocolate taco, quesarito, cinnamon twists.”—Erin, mock-eulogy for the chihuahua (02:32)

• They riff on Taco Bell culture, strange slogans, and absurd memories.

Musical Tangent – “I Love My Shirt”

[05:36–06:42]

• Adal references an obscure ‘60s song “I Love My Shirt” by Donovan, leading to a discussion about Raffi-adjacent children’s music and ideas for mock apology songs.

Animal Parade & Animal Stories

[08:09–16:34]

• JPC introduces “Animal Parade,” blending animal improv with riffing on quirky animal news.
• The hosts share a heartwarming real-life story about a boy, his cat Cheese, and the pitfalls of bribing toddlers with pets for potty training.

“Sometimes Popsicle will show up when we’re trying to take a bath…sometimes Cock a Doodle Doo will show up when we’re eating dinner.”—JPC on his kid's imaginary animal friends (10:10)

Potty Training Theories – Serious and Silly

[13:00–13:49]

• JPC explains evolving potty training advice—from M&Ms and bribes to “three days naked” methods.
• Erin and Adal contribute with tongue-in-cheek parenting wisdom and anecdotes.

“Animal Pun Raid” Riddles – Warmup & Wordplay

[16:44–34:12, 40:42–62:02]

• Listener Ted’s “Animal Pun Raid” challenges the hosts to solve riddles resulting in animal-based puns.
• Examples and banter:
  • “This mammal thinks that getting its fur trimmed will stop people from thinking it’s a rabbit.”—Answer: “Haircut” (17:50)
  • “This arthropod makes great use of the web while performing espionage.”—Answer: “Spider” (18:13)
  • “These eusocial insects will often go to war with each other to gain resources.”—Answer: “Deficient” (defi-ANT) (32:05)
  • “The largest living land animal is worried that it doesn’t matter.”—Answer: “Irrelephant” (41:12)
  • “This marsupial has all the right credentials to be called a bear.”—Answer: “Koalified” (42:12)
  • “This tiny crustacean prefers to live without complexity or excess.”—Answer: “Shrimply” (48:18)
  • “This animal will always play dead when threatened, despite having so many other options.”—Answer: “Possum – Possibilities” (54:42)
• Each riddle is followed by wordplay, scene requests, and playful bickering.
  • “Can we give that one to Erin?”—JPC (41:20)
  • “Haircut. Cut. Haircut.” – JPC clarifying the pun format (18:13)
  • “Shut up. Talkative. Talkative.”—Adal, struggling with ‘talkative’ (26:30)
• Multiple improv scenes are woven in to illustrate or extend the logic or absurdity of the riddles.

Improv Scenes and Running Bits – Riddles to Sketch Comedy

Throughout, notably:

• Espionage spider: Spy spiders in a CIA briefing ([21:09])
• Toy execs pitch “cat attack” (26:34)
• Chimpanzee actors on a “Chimpossible” set ([29:35])
• “Shrimply the Simple Shrimp” — sitcom parody ([48:29])
• “Crow Operation” – crow doctors operate on a human ([50:33])
• Koala job interview at Claire’s ([42:17])

“Can I take a shot in the dark? Am I the first koala you’ve talked to in an employment sense?” – Erin as a job-seeking koala (43:38)

Tangents: CGI and Pop Culture Sidebars

• Mockery of poor CGI in TV/movies (Once Upon a Time, Polar Express, “cat butthole” VFX fiasco)

“Buttholes, buttholes, buttholes!”—Erin, on rushed VFX (53:46)

• Reflecting on the cultural shelf-life of Ally McBeal’s “dancing baby” and related nostalgia ([52:47])

Voicemails & Bonus Segment: Royalty-Free Party Characters

[62:34–66:49]

• Responding to a listener’s request for royalty-free children’s party character pitches, the hosts invent characters like:
  • “Alfred the Alligator Who Don’t Eat Kids”
  • “Clown Townie” (the local clown)
  • “Kendra the Apathetic Unicorn”
  • “Tommy Balloons: a man made out of balloons” (not for free!)

“Tommy Balloons is actually not for sale. Thank you.”—Adal (66:46)

Quick-Fire Moments & Quotes

| Timestamp | Moment/Quote | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:02 | “Cheap dong. … You know how bells go Dong.”—Erin | | 04:57 | “This is Hey Riddle Riddle...the podcast about riddles featuring improv, featuring three guys drinking some coffee.”—JPC | | 17:13 | “This mammal thinks that getting its fur trimmed will stop people from thinking it’s a rabbit.”—Animal pun riddle intro | | 41:16 | “Irrelephant. Aaron, what do we think? Can we give that one to Aaron?”—JPC | | 54:42 | “Possibilities.”—Adal with possibly the best animal pun of the bunch | | 48:29 | “Shrimply is filmed in front of a live studio audience.”—parody sitcom skit |

Episode Structure / Timestamps

[00:29–04:22] — Taco Bell Improv / Slogans

[04:22–08:09] — Banter, Song Jokes, Introduction

[08:09–16:34] — Animal Parade, Animal News Story, Parenting Tangent

[16:44–34:12] — “Animal Pun Raid” Warmup Riddles and Scenes

[34:12–40:42] — Ads (skipped)

[40:42–62:02] — Main “Animal Pun Raid” Round; Riddles, Wordplay, Improv Scenes

[62:34–66:49] — Voicemails; Royalty-Free Party Characters Segment

Notable Quotes (Speaker attributions & timestamps)

• Erin (02:02): “Cheap dong. … You know how bells go Dong.”
• JPC as improv exec (02:41): “No bad ideas. These haven’t been great, but they’re not bad.”
• Adal as job-seeking koala (43:38): "Am I the first koala you’ve talked to in an employment sense?"
• Adal (41:16): “Irrelephant. Aaron, what do we think? Can we give that one to Aaron?”
• Adal (54:42): “Possibilities.”
• Erin (48:18): “Shrimply. The very simple shrimp.”
• JPC (66:46): “Tommy Balloons is actually not for sale. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Tone & Style

The hosts blend rapid-fire wit, relentless punnery, and affable chaos. The tone is irreverent, warm, and inclusive—inviting listeners to enjoy both the riddles and the meandering routes the hosts take. Improv is ever-present, with surreal tangents and in-jokes fitting the "barely about riddles" promise.

Summary Takeaways

“Animal Pun Raid” is a crowd-pleasing, wordplay-heavy feature that showcases the cast’s skills at both solving puns and improvising comedically around them. The episode is layered with tangential real-life stories, crowd-pleasing improv scenes, and affectionate ribbing. For fans, it offers classic Hey Riddle Riddle chemistry with new riddle structures and improv shenanigans. Newcomers get a taste of everything the show’s about: riddles, barely-sequitur jokes, enthusiastic sketches, and a podcast community vibe.

Listeners searching for high quantity/quality animal puns, improv sketches, and podcast energy at its purest will find this episode shrimply irresistible.