Hey Riddle Riddle: Patreon Preview #346: King Mumbles pt. 4 w/ Rob White

Date: October 24, 2025
Hosts: Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, John Patrick Coan (JPC)
Guest: Rob White (as King Mumbles)

Episode Overview

This episode continues the "King Mumbles" saga, finding the crew—Adal, Erin, and JPC—in a whimsical, lightly anachronistic castle filled with eccentric decor and abundant peach trees. They’re on their way to meet the enigmatic King Mumbles, whose quirks and reclusive lifestyle lead to hilarious improvised encounters, gentle pokes at fantasy and royalty tropes, and memorable character work from guest Rob White. The episode focuses much more on improv and character comedy than riddles per se, staying true to the show’s tone of playful chaos.

Key Discussion Points and Highlights

1. Castle Tour and First Impressions

• The gang marvels at the castle’s odd mix of styles.
  • "Would you say this is like Georgian, like a Georgian building?" (Adal, 00:54)
  • "More like Florida." (Erin, 00:59)
  • Commenting on the peach trees and the Georgia-esque heat:
    • "I've never seen a castle with a porch." (Adal, 01:05)
• They notice humorous anachronisms:
  • Throne room is labeled “bathroom”; decor includes “live, laugh, love” signs.
  • "I think that the decor in here is all over the place. Little cheugy castle." (JPC & Adal, 02:16)

2. Meeting King Mumbles

• They find King Mumbles in a vulnerable state, leading to comedic awkwardness.
  • "I just thought the king would be... a big guy." (Adal, 02:48)
  • King Mumbles explains his sickly appearance is due to childhood illness.
  • "I did fully physically recover on the inside. It's just the outside doesn't look so good." (King Mumbles, 03:58)
• King Mumbles is posing for a portrait in an unconventional pose:
  • "All fours on the ground, ass pointed up, face turned around with a little whisper of like, I have a secret." (JPC, 04:34)

3. Royal Lifestyle, Peaches & Population

• The castle is overflowing with peaches and peach products.
  • "Can I offer you a peach? Anybody care for a peach?" (King Mumbles, 05:14)
  • "We just kind of have to do something with them." (King Mumbles, 05:43)
• The castle’s resident count is convoluted due to rotating occupancy.
  • "Some are just Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, room is empty on Sunday." (King Mumbles, 06:05)
• Odd details about dungeon tenants and peach pies on windowsills.

4. Clothes, Conditions, and Kingly Habits

• King Mumbles’s “jacket” is actually just his skin.
  • "What jacket? That's skin, Aaron." (JPC, 06:40)
• King Mumbles has hyperhidrosis:
  • "And you have wet little hands. King if I may." (Adal, 11:09)
  • "Yes, it's a condition unrelated or maybe related to the many illnesses I had as a child. But yes, I do have quite wet hands." (King Mumbles, 11:15)
• He changes into a two-piece silk “daytime” pajama set—humorously dubbed pajamas by the crew.
  • "Can I just say, stunning, two piece silk pajama set." (Adal, 11:34)
  • "These are daytime clothes, my friend." (King Mumbles, 11:42)

5. Revelation: The Crew is From "the Future"

• The hosts reveal themselves as time travelers.
  • "What I should say is that the three of us are from the future." (Adal, 11:49)
  • King Mumbles is skeptical, having dealt with many so-called seers and travelers:
    • "I'm skeptical. You must understand, I have visitors all the time who claim to see things, know things, and I have to suss a lot of nonsense." (King Mumbles, 12:05)
• Attempted predictions fail hilariously.
  • “Adel could probably tell you who won the Super Bowl.” (JPC, 12:36)
  • King Mumbles mishears “SOL” as “Spaniards on lawn”:
    • “In one year, I will have Spaniards on my lawn.” (King Mumbles, 12:47)
    • “Maybe SOL stands for shit out of luck.” (Adal, 12:50)

6. History, Geography, and More Improv

• Banter about Spain, Portugal, and geography misconceptions in the future.
  • “So, do you have a lot of Spaniards on your lawn?” (Adal, 13:00)
  • “They really mellow out. I will tell you.” (Riddle/Adal, 13:08)
• JPC jokes about American confusion over Portugal’s location.
  • “A lot of people will not be able to tell you what continent Portugal is on.” (JPC, 13:39)

7. Riddle & Tomato Tangent

• Riff on the origins of tomatoes and their comparison to peaches.
  • “It’s like a peach you pair with cheese.” (Adal, 14:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On King Mumbles's Portraits:

  • "Every year... and they all look sickly, to be honest. So I'm trying out some different poses, just seeing, you know." (King Mumbles, 04:22)

• On Castle Population:

  • "Some are just Monday, Wednesday, Friday... Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, room is empty on Sunday." (King Mumbles, 06:05)

• On Future Knowledge:

  • "What I should say is that the three of us are from the future." (Adal, 11:49)
  • "In one year, I will have Spaniards on my lawn." (King Mumbles misunderstanding "SOL," 12:47)
  • "Maybe SOL stands for shit out of luck." (Adal, 12:50)

• On American Geography Confusion:

  • "A lot of people will not be able to tell you what continent Portugal is on." (JPC, 13:39)

Noteworthy Segments with Timestamps

• [01:05] – Introduction to the castle’s odd design choices.
• [02:38] – First meeting with King Mumbles.
• [04:34] – JPC describes King Mumbles’s “portrait pose.”
• [05:14] – The kingdom’s obsession with peaches.
• [06:05] – Explanation of rotating castle residents.
• [11:12] – King’s hyperhidrosis and his wet little hands.
• [11:49] – Crew reveals they are time travelers.
• [12:47] – King Mumbles’s hilarious misunderstanding of “SOL.”
• [13:39] – Geography lessons gone wrong.

Tone and Style

The episode is casual, absurd, and improv-forward, playing with fantasy tropes and delivering laughs with deadpan character commitment and meta jokes. The back-and-forth is packed with callbacks, side tangents, and supportive “yes, and” energy. The guest’s character (King Mumbles) is given space to shape the worldbuilding, full of quirks and non sequiturs.

Perfect for Listeners Who…

• Love improvised character comedy
• Appreciate parodies of medieval/fantasy settings
• Want absurd, quick-witted banter with minimal focus on actual riddles
• Enjoy inside jokes about the show’s own premise and comedic meta-commentary

To continue this delightfully unhinged saga, listen to the full episode on Patreon!