Patreon Preview #347: King Mumbles pt. 5 w/ Allison Reese

Summary

Hey Riddle Riddle – Patreon Preview #347: King Mumbles pt. 5 w/ Allison Reese

Date: October 31, 2025
Hosts: Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, John Patrick Coan
Guest: Allison Reese
Main Theme:
This bonus episode of Hey Riddle Riddle continues the whimsical, long-running saga featuring the eccentric King Mumbles—a blend of improv storytelling, character work, and playful riffing on tropes of riddles, fantasy, and pop culture. The gang, joined by Allison Reese, navigates their way to and through King Mumbles’ bread-filled castle, encountering ghosts, birds, and ever-present absurdity.

---

Main Story & Structure

1. Surreal Banter After a Long Recording (Starts ~00:00)

• The group is feeling brain-fried from an intense prior recording.
• Erin and Adal joke about strange characters and worn-out brains.
• Conversation veers into an extended, self-aware riff about podcast recording running over:
  • “This sort of feels like we thought this would be a month and it's actually a month and a week.” – Erin (02:00)

2. Meta-Narratives & Fantastical Digressions

• Narnia, TARS, and Movie Stress:
  • The team gets tangled in a pop-culture reference spiral—from Narnia to Interstellar’s TARS.
  • Erin confesses to movies causing anxiety, even benign ones like Mrs. Doubtfire and Brave Little Toaster:
    • “Is it a safe space to say that Interstellar kind of stressed me out?” – Erin (04:08)
    • “Well, yeah, and Brave Little Toaster stressed you out.” – John (04:20)
• Adal and JP joke about following the most confident person, with a tongue-in-cheek cult comment.

3. Summoning (and Sassing) King Mumbles (Storyline Proper ~04:30)

• After various comedic starts, Erin’s “King Mumbles says…” joke actually conjures the king.
• Confusion about King Mumbles’ first name being “Marco” leads to a funny Marco Polo riff and tying it back to a possibly drowned man in the castle moat:
  • “He was trying to reach my bread pantry because he was hungry… and I said, drown him in the moat.” – King Mumbles/Allison (05:36)
• Light-hearted exchanges about Les Mis, with King Mumbles’ misunderstanding creating a comic dynamic:
  • "Who's Les Mis?" – King Mumbles (05:51)

4. Negotiating with King Mumbles

• The cast role-plays requesting favors of the king, slipping between Renaissance drama and modern idioms:
  • “We are actually kind of a group of miserables. Who is coming to you, hat in hand, hand on bended knee, hat on bended hand.” – JP (06:16)
• King Mumbles riffs on “three for one” deals and past misadventures:
  • “Okay, so you want a three for one? What, bedroom, mine or guest rooms?” – King Mumbles (06:46)
  • “Oh, we actually already tried that and almost ruined our friendship, so better steer clear.” – Erin (06:50)

5. Running Gags: Bread, Mead & Headings

• King Mumbles’ obsession with bread and mead becomes an improv focal point:
  • “I love bread. I heard you mention bread as I zoned out. Bread is so good.” – King Mumbles (07:28)
• Extended riff about mead orders, threats of beheading staff if requests aren’t met—a farcical “tyrant” motif.

6. Ghostly Companions and Castle Silliness (~09:01 onward)

• King Mumbles reveals his best friends are the ghosts of those he’s had executed, sparking goofy irony:
  • “Everyone else works for me or is scared of me, but the ghosts, they really tell me how it is.” – King Mumbles (13:05)
• Discussion about friendly versus heckling ghosts:
  • “Are these all the spirits of those you have put to death?” – JP (14:34)
• Further comic world-building with bird companions and chainmail made of croutons:
  • “Your chainmail made of croutons looks so tasty.” – Adal (15:06)
  • “Those are my other friends.” – King Mumbles (15:19)

7. Childlike Logic & Absurd Details

• Squirrel mascot makes a “saving acorns” financial literacy cameo, improvising puns and breaking the improv “fourth wall.”
• MIT is humorously redefined as “Munch Into Trees” by the talking squirrel.

8. Small Moments & Running Jokes

• Erin’s childhood crush on the human form of Casper.
• Adal and JP playfully threaten to stomp cartoon animals.
• Repeated confusion and gentle bickering about mundane modern concepts in a medieval logic world.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Bread, Death, and Rulership

• On arbitrary executions:
  • "He was trying to reach my bread pantry because he was hungry and was babbling on about not feeding the peasants of the land, and I said, 'drown him in the moat.'"
    – King Mumbles (05:36)
• On ghostly friendships:
  • “Everyone else works for me or scared of me, but the ghosts, they really. They really tell me how it is, you know, they're my best friends.”
    – King Mumbles (13:05)

Running Gags & Absurdities

• On following confidence:
  • “You came in really hot and I just follow whoever's the most confident in the room. That's why I'm susceptible to cults.”
    – Erin (04:00)
• On drinks order stakes:
  • "Do you have nae mead? Is that a crazy thing to ask here?...If you cannot, I will kill you."
    – King Mumbles (08:02, 08:27)

On Pop Culture Tangents

• On TARS & Interstellar:
  • “What's the movie? That's like Inception, but in space.” – JP (02:55)
  • “Star Wars.” – Erin (02:59)

---

Character & Performance Highlights

• Allison Reese, as King Mumbles: Effortlessly weaves regal cluelessness, menace, and wacky joy. Her delivery of lines about executions, bread, and ghosts opens up rich, laugh-out-loud character moments.
• Group Dynamics:
  • Their comfort with one another allows for hilarious “yes, and” flows, especially with role reversals (“king at your service”) and meta-commentary on the improv process.
• Squirrel Interlude (Meta-Absurdism): The “savings squirrel” bit lampoons sponsorships, infusing the mid-episode with energy and wordplay (“MIT = Munch Into Trees”).

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – 01:50: Post-recording wind-down and sponsor bits (skipped as non-content)
• 02:00 – 04:15: Meta-commentary, tangent about “TARS”, Narnia and movie anxieties
• 04:30 – 05:56: Summoning King Mumbles, Marco Polo and ‘moat murder’ riff
• 06:16 – 08:10: Request to King Mumbles for favors; three-for-one joke, mead negotiation; bread obsession surfaces
• 09:01 – 09:14: Ghosts of victims, castle being haunted/inhabited by former friends
• 13:05 – 15:19: Discussion about ghosts, crouton chainmail, bird friends, and blending of absurd character details

---

Summary Review

This episode is a shining example of Hey Riddle Riddle’s hallmark blend: sharp improv, world-building silliness, and affectionate meta-commentary. With Allison Reese’s King Mumbles at the helm, the hosts riff through a world where bread is king, ghosts are confidants, and every pun and intertextual joke is a springboard. Tangents and asides blend seamlessly with the ongoing fantasy, making it one for fans who love absurdist comedy with just enough narrative continuity to keep the fairy tale rolling until the next week.

Transcript

[A]

Whoa, guys, that recording was crazy. We played all sorts of characters and my brain's like, we. Whoa.

[B]

We.

[C]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[A]

I need to find a way to unwind. What to do, what to do, what to do.

[D]

Aaron, you are not wrong. That last recording that we did for the podcast. Hey, Riddle Riddle. Was a doozy.

[B]

Oh, yeah, I sort of. I sort of like tweaked my back playing Kung Fu Shrimp. Remember that character Kung Fu Shrimp? I sort of threw my back out. So I'm looking for, like, a natural way to, like, relieve aches and discomfort. You know, I'm not as young as I once was, but yeah, maybe. Oh, maybe like cornbread hemp CBD gummies, right? I feel like that's been a huge piece of my wellness plan recently.

[A]

Cornbread hemp CBD gummies are made to help you feel better, whether it's stress, discomfort, or just needing a little relaxation.

[B]

They only use the best part of the hemp plant, the flower for the purest and most potent cbd.

[D]

Oh, yeah, Cord bred hemp. That's right. Their CBD gummies and all of their products are third party, lab tested and USDA organic to ensure safety and purity. Now I know exactly what you guys are talking about, and I feel like I can really participate.

[A]

Perfect. Right now. Hey, Riddle Riddle listeners can save 30% off their first order. Just head to cornbreadhemp.com Riddle and use code RIDDLE at checkout. That's cornbreadhemp.com RIDDLE and use code RIDDLERI.

[D]

D, D, L, E. Don't just take it from us. Take it from. What is it? Kung Fu shrimp.

[B]

Hello, I'm Kung Fu Shrimp. Everyone, let's chop these boards.

[A]

Adel, you're gonna really hurt yourself.

[B]

The surfboards.

[D]

Dedede. There we go. Oh, his back. Oh, his back.

[E]

Give me another gummy.

[B]

Another gummy, please.

[C]

Oh, man.

[A]

You guys, you know what this has the vibe of? And like, correct me if I'm wrong, this sort of feels like we thought this would be a month and it's actually a month and a week. Do you know what I mean?

[B]

For sure, Yeah.

[A]

A month and a week turned into five weeks. Like, when we've committed to this, we thought it was four and it's actually fine.

[D]

Well, here's the thing, Aaron, because, like, we don't know how we got here, but it might be one of those things where like a minute has passed in our world, but, like, you know, like Narnia tars, you know, what are.

[A]

You trying to say?

[D]

Tars?

[B]

Oh, cate Blanchett.

[D]

Exactly. Tars. Aaron Tars.

[A]

I don't know what you're trying to say.

[B]

You haven't seen Tars? She's a conductor.

[A]

Oh, I saw the Cate Blanchett movie. No, there was a band.

[E]

What are you talking about, jp the.

[D]

Name for that movie. No, not Lydia. Tars.

[A]

I was thinking of the Chronicles of Narnia.

[D]

What's the movie? That's like Inception, but in space.

[A]

Star Wars.

[B]

Inception, but in space.

[D]

It's Christopher Nolan and it's like Inception, but it's like, in space.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Interstellar.

[A]

Timothy on a truck.

[D]

I actually only know that movie as tars, which is my favorite character from that movie.

[B]

Oh, it's a little robot.

[A]

That. That's way too long of a walk for us to do that. You're trying to say Narnia. They go into Narnia, they're kings for, like, 80 years, and then they come out. It's only been five minutes.

[D]

Yeah, tars wasn't as Christian, but whatever you want to do. Look, why don't we do this? Let's find King Mumbles. Let's, you know, beg of him our favors or whatever we need to do. And let's get the folk back home, okay?

[B]

Was the robot named tars? Because it's an anagram of star.

[D]

I think it's like one of those things where it's like an initialism and it's like tars, like Turbo Automated Robot System or something like that.

[A]

That movie stressed me out.

[D]

And the name might not be tars. Yeah, have we considered that?

[A]

Well, you came in really hot and I just follow whoever's the most confident in the room. That's why I'm susceptible to cults.

[D]

That's how the robot ended up being named tars.

[A]

Exactly. Is it a safe space to say that? Interstellar kind of stressed me out. Is this. Am I allowed to say that?

[D]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Aaron, you said Mrs. Doubtfire stressed you out.

[D]

Well, yeah, and Brave Little Toaster stressed you out.

[A]

Okay, that is a horror movie.

[D]

It might be a movie issue with you, Aaron. Let's find King Mumbles.

[A]

Fine. Fine.

[D]

Should we what, just open up pantries until we. Or wait.

[A]

I got it. King Mumbles says.

[D]

What?

[C]

What?

[A]

What?

[B]

It worked.

[D]

Holy shit.

[C]

Who.

[D]

Who.

[C]

Who did that? Hello, Marco. King Mumbles.

[A]

It worked again.

[B]

Yeah. Aaron, Marco Polo isn't invented yet.

[A]

Okay. Right. Okay.

[D]

I think King Mumbles. First name might be Marco. Maybe not. Maybe not.

[C]

Ah, fare thee well.

[A]

Oh, already saying goodbye to us.

[C]

Fare thee well.

[D]

All right.

[C]

Fare thee well. King Mumbles, at your service.

[D]

Interesting. King at my service.

[C]

Marco.

[A]

Marco is a guy who's always sort of lost in a pool. He sort of can't make his way around a pool.

[C]

Ah, is that like the man we drowned in the moat last week?

[A]

Oh, is that him?

[C]

Is that Marco?

[A]

Maybe, yeah.

[C]

You're saying no.

[A]

Oh, we just.

[D]

We.

[C]

He was trying to reach my bread pantry because he was hungry and was babbling on about not feeding the peasants of the land, and I said, drown him in the moat.

[B]

Oh, that's like a Les Mis situation.

[A]

Yeah, he tried to steal a.

[C]

Who's Les Mis?

[A]

Huh?

[D]

Well, you know, in fact, King Mumbles, Les Mis is short for Les Miserables, which means the Miserables. And we are actually kind of a group of miserables. Who is coming to you, hat in hand, hand on bended knee, hat on bended hand.

[C]

What?

[D]

To beg of you. A favor of your majesty. How am I doing this? I'm trying to like.

[B]

You're doing great.

[A]

You're doing all the buzzwords.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

A favor of your majesty. Of me? If I can be of service to you. This is a fun little role play. Let's see where it goes.

[D]

And if it needs to be like a quid pro quo situation, we're like. We're totally down for that. We could do favor for favor. We could do a three for one.

[C]

Okay, so you want a three for one? What, bedroom, mine or guest rooms?

[A]

Oh, we actually already tried that and almost ruined our friendship, so better steer clear.

[C]

It does get sticky.

[A]

Cane chips is fun.

[C]

Well, then, thank you. I try to be. You know, people always say, the king's out of touch. The king's keeping all our bread. And I'm like. I'm just kind of a fun guy.

[B]

Yeah, you're a party king.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

You're affable. I would have a beer with you. You're fun.

[C]

Beer. Oh, beer.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Aaron, I'm noticing that King Mumbles has kind of like a goblet with, like a. Looks like a half loaf of bread kind of sticking out. It seems like bread is more.

[B]

It's like big into bread.

[C]

Yeah, I love bread. I heard you mention bread as I zoned out. Bread is so good. There are all kinds.

[D]

Did you know this beer is kind of beer? Where we're from is kind of like liquid bread, right?

[C]

Ah, mead. Yes, yes, mead.

[A]

Okay. So would you like mead?

[D]

They have mead.

[A]

I'll take a mead.

[C]

Okay. Anybody else want a mead? Would you like a mead?

[B]

Oh, yeah, I'll take a mead.

[C]

Two Meads.

[D]

Three meads.

[C]

You can't.

[D]

Do you have. Do you have nae mead? Is that a crazy thing to ask here? Is that crazy to ask if they have nae mead?

[C]

Nae mead. Nae mead. You know what?

[A]

I'll ask.

[C]

And if they can't provide it, I'll behead them servants.

[D]

Oh, no. Hey, you know what? Hey, you know what?

[E]

Yes, my king.

[C]

Ah, yes. I need three meads. Three meads?

[D]

Yes.

[C]

Four meads.

[E]

Four meads.

[C]

I almost forgot myself. Four meads.

[A]

Two.

[C]

Three of them.

[E]

Goodness.

[C]

Three of them.

[D]

Normal.

[C]

Three of them. Good. Now the third one, I need you to provide something called an na mead. Can you do that? If you cannot, I will kill you.

[A]

You're about to have a literal blood on your hands, buddy.

[D]

No, we're good. We're good. We're good, we're good.

[C]

Am I going to have to kill you?

[D]

Just not. Just not. Just not. Just not.

[C]

Okay. And remember, I did kill a guy last week in the moat. So run along. Get us our mates.

[D]

Marco.

[E]

Yes, Marco.

[D]

Oh, so his name was Marco.

[C]

I believe so.

[D]

I believe.

[C]

Which is, you know, when you said Marco, I said, oh, no, another ghost. Right?

[A]

Oh, is the castle filled with ghosts? That's funny.

[C]

Oh, yes. Oh, yes. They're actually, I think they're my best friends. Oh, that's so cute.

[D]

That's cute.

[E]

Yeah. Hi, Aaron. Hi, jpc. It's me. Saving Squirrel.

[D]

Aaron. I'll stomp on it. You just give me the. Yes, the. Go ahead. The thumbs up and this thing is gone.

[A]

No, no, jpc, I think there's something he's trying to say.

[D]

Foot just hovering over it.

[A]

Wait.

[E]

I have value. I have value. Do you want to turn your kids in the savers acorns early, which I represent, makes it easy to teach kids healthy money habits that will stick with them for life.

[A]

You know, Squirrel, I was just thinking about how, like, why don't they teach us more about money in school? I feel like there should be a whole class for it. Because you go to college and you don't. You're dealing with money really for the first time.

[E]

Right.

[C]

And you don't know how to do it.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Aaron, don't say go to high school and go to college around the squirrel. It's obvious that this is a guy didn't go to high school and college because he's a squirrel.

[A]

Yeah, he did. Look, he's wearing a little graduation cap.

[E]

Yeah. Oh, I went to mit.

[D]

I am so sorry, squirrel. But not as sorry as I am about not learning about money when I was younger. Squirrel, let me ask you, do you have a piggy bank?

[E]

And I should say MIT stands for munch into trees.

[D]

That's what I thought.

[E]

I do have a piggy bank.

[D]

What piggy bank? Piggy banks are cute and they're great for loose quarters. But these days, there's so much more that kids and squirrels need to know about money. Acorns early makes it easy to teach kids lifelong money skills they can actually use in the real world or whatever world you live in. Squirrel.

[E]

Hmm. Thank you. I'm not. I thought it was the normal world, but I could be wrong.

[D]

Well, let me ask you this. If it's the normal world in your world, does Acorns early have a smart debit card and a money app that grows kids money skills as they grow up?

[E]

You betcha.

[D]

Okay. And can you start with in app chores tracker and teach your kids the value of a dollar?

[E]

Absolutely.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

And then you let your kids set their own saving goals and start building healthy money habits early?

[E]

You better believe it. Hmm.

[D]

Okay, so it sounds like we're in the same world.

[E]

Felt like when I said MIT stands for munch into trees, we all just kind of glazed over that.

[A]

No, I know. It's in Massachusetts. It's a really great school. Kids can spend what they've earned with their very own customizable debit card, giving them that extra sense of independence. Plus, with AC early spending limits and real time spend notifications, parents always stay in control.

[D]

I've looked through Acorns Early. I am thrilled for when my kid gets old enough that I can use Acorns early and kind of help them manage money. But I've gone through the system. I've gone through the information that exists there, although I haven't used it. It's all stuff that I would really recommend. And I think that, like, teaching young kids financial literacy stuff is super, super important. It really just gives them such a leg up for the world that they will have to live in.

[E]

You better believe it. So take it from Saving Squirrel. Ready to teach your kids a smart way to earn, save and spend. Get your first month on us when you head to acornserly.com heyriddle or download the Acorns early app. That's one month free when you sign up at acornserly.com heYRiddle Acorns early card is issued by Community Federal Savings Bank Member FDIC pursuant to license by MasterCard International. Free trial for new subscribers only. Subscription fee starting for $5 per month and Less canceled term supply at Acorns Do.

[A]

All right, jpc, let's go find you a little animal to step on.

[E]

Water Food.

[D]

Smash My leg. It was a cartoon. Mr.

[C]

Monopoly here.

[D]

Monopoly is back at McDonald's. Register in the McDonald's app so you're ready to get your bag. Two ways to peel for a chance.

[C]

To get your bag.

[D]

Physical peels with select items and digital peels with others. To get your bag, play Monopoly at McDonald's.

[A]

But up, up, up.

[D]

No purchase necessary. See rolls at [e-mail] for full details and [e-mail] to play without. Purchase ends November 23rd, but bonus plans November 2nd.

[E]

Monopoly is a registered trademark of Hasbro.

[D]

Copyright McDonald's.

[C]

Well, you know, everyone else works for me or scared of me, but the ghosts, they really. They really tell me how it is, you know, they're my best friends.

[A]

They shoot it straight. Yeah. You see, we're trying to butter up King Mumble. Say it's cute.

[E]

Oh.

[D]

I think that's cute. That a lot of the people that you have put to death kind of are now your friends. Is that kind of what we think is cute about it, or.

[B]

Well, I was thinking more like. I guess I'm thinking of, like, Christina Ricci and Casper.

[A]

Like, he's not a ghost. No, you're right. I see what you're saying.

[B]

But some people say that Casper is Richie Rich, if that makes sense.

[A]

I don't remember that discourse. I do know I had a huge crush on Casper.

[D]

On Casper, I guess.

[A]

The kid that played Casper when he was a human.

[D]

Oh, okay.

[B]

King Mumbles, are the ghosts that are your friends, are they friendly?

[C]

Friendly? Some of them are friendly. Some of them are really, really. They like to shoot. What is it? From the hip. They really tell me how it is. And then there's. There's a faction that are my family members. And I don't even. I don't even want to get into it. But, you know, they're. They're. They're a lot. I like them. They're funny. They have things to say. They tell me when my outfit is bad.

[D]

You know, these sound dig mobiles, these are more like hecklers. Like, hecklers. Well, yeah, just like ghosts. That comment about your outfit like, that sounds. Because these are all. Are these all the spirits of those that you have put to death?

[C]

Rightfully, I'm sure Not all. Not all, but they are.

[A]

There.

[C]

There are other ghosts, you know, ghosts who are servants from the past and they. They have no real. What am I gonna do to them if they say, excuse me, King, that that makes your butt look fat, I'm not gonna. What am I gonna do?

[B]

And King, can I just say, your chainmail made of croutons looks so tasty.

[A]

And what small feet you have, sir.

[B]

And the birds around you are going nuts.

[C]

Thank you. Those are my other friends.

[D]

I don't think I've ever seen this many, like, indoor birds. And they kind of have like, you're kind of giving them the vibe that they're like Cinderella birds that are like helping dress you and stuff. But they're kind of acting like, I want to say, just like beach seagulls. We're just kind of going crazy for the crew. Dogs. 1, 2, 3, 4.

[C]

Hate Riddle.

[D]

Riddle's clue Crew. Listen to the rest of the episode now by starting your free 7 day trial at patreon.com heyriddleriddle.

[F]

What'S going on?

[D]

It's Lamorne Morris and Hannah Simone.

[F]

And we host the Mess Around a New Girl. Rewatch Po now on Headgum. Now here's the thing. Every single week, we chat about an episode of New Girl and we really get into it. Like, we get up in there. We get up in there. You know, we reminisce about our times on set. We share behind the scenes tea. We react to rewatching episodes that we haven't seen in years. We talk about how Jake Johnson is dog.

[C]

That's not true. We talk about so many memories we have of working with the biggest stars on the planet. Planet. I'm talking Prince Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo.

[F]

We're just two BFFs having a good old time. Okay. Sometimes we even talk to other co stars like Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, and Damon Wayans Jr. And your dad. We talked to your dad on this show as well.

[C]

Make sure you subscribe to the Mess around wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every single Tuesday.