Podcast Summary

"Holmberg's Morning Sickness" – 11-20-25: “Congestion Has Made It So Brady Can't Hear This Morning - New Warnings On AI Toys And Japanese Kuma Doll As We Recall Teddy Ruxpin - Dumb Things Men Do For Keys To The Vagina Like Brady Buying Singing Bowls”

Episode Overview

In this episode, John Holmberg and the HMS crew (Brady Bogen, Brett Vesely, Ashley, and Dick Toledo) kick off the show with the chaos of cold and flu season, including Brady's sudden hearing loss due to severe congestion. The hosts riff on aging, hearing aids, and old-man quirks, before taking a hilarious and critical look at dangerous new AI toys (including Japan's Kuma Bear), infamous ‘80s toy Teddy Ruxpin, and the lengths men go to please women (including Brady’s embarrassing purchase of “singing bowls”). The discussion spirals into memorable stories about relationships, patriarchal dilemmas, and pop culture, all with irreverent humor and plenty of sharp asides.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brady’s Hearing Loss & Getting Old

• Brady’s health is the running gag of the morning:
  • He’s badly congested and basically can’t hear.
  • The crew jokes about needing to get him old-timey “hearing horns” and the progression of hearing loss with age.
  • Loud TV habits and denial about one’s failing senses get skewered (05:30–07:00).
• Notable Quote:
  • John: “When you're too proud as a man...you never sit back and go, 'I've lost my hearing.'” (04:54)

2. ‘Old Man’ Tech and Nostalgia

• John suggests a rule for the show: no electronic hearing aids, only visible, ridiculous horns if you can’t hear (09:15–10:14).
• Discussion of closed captions, TV volume, and “grandpa level” headphones:
  • “We can start telling secrets right in front of him...he can’t hear us!” (06:37)
• Humorous banter about dressing up as Teddy Ruxpin and the “Harry Carey glasses” for the hard of hearing.

3. AI Toys Gone Wrong & Teddy Ruxpin Flashbacks

• John transitions to warning about cutting-edge AI toys, referencing the infamous Teddy Ruxpin and Japan’s new “Kuma Bear.”
  • Japanese Kuma Bear (an AI toy) was yanked from shelves after giving kids explicit advice:
    • How to get drugs, make fentanyl, BDSM tips, knife locations, even graphic sexual instructions (10:45–12:16).
    • “All the kids had to do was ask it…the teddy bear was giving out BDSM advice in graphic detail.” (11:12)
  • The hosts roleplay the toy’s voice, mocking its absurdly inappropriate responses.
  • Jokes about old Teddy Ruxpin’s “slightly pedophile voice” and modding the toy to sing heavy metal tapes as teens (15:00–21:01).
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Kuma Bear…don’t fool yourself into thinking Kuma Bear’s fine.” (11:58)
  • “Your kids are smarter than you think and within minutes they’ll have that thing doing horrible stuff.” (17:47)
• The crew riffs on how creative kids were (and are) at hacking toys for unintended uses, e.g., playing Megadeth tapes in Teddy Ruxpin.

4. Teddy Ruxpin & Pop Culture Parody

• Detailed nostalgia about stripping Teddy Ruxpin's fur, using it as a tape player, and childhood toy hacking (16:21–22:14).
• Irony and slight creepiness of the 1980s “cutting-edge” toys; how AI amplifies old problems.
• Various spoof voices and regional parodies (the “Maryvale version” of Teddy) (25:00+).
• The hypothetical horror (and hilarity) of smarter, corrupted kid toys:
  • “It tells the story of Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker. It’s going to be horrible.” (23:14)

5. Men, Women, and “Buying the Singing Bowls”

• John pivots into relationships: the silly things men do to gain favor or sustain sex—tying it back to Brady’s purchase of “singing bowls” for his wife’s hobby.
  • “Dumb Things Men Do for Keys to the Vagina.” (38:31)
• The group debates: is supporting your wife’s quirky hobbies equivalent to women tolerating men’s hobbies?
  • Brady compares his beer can collection to his wife’s bowls; the crew dismisses this as male delusion.
  • “She’ll start a dumb hobby; you start telling her how stupid it is...her mouth seals shut like a bad Twilight Zone episode.”
• On leverage and the silent “power” in long relationships:
  • “Womens' vaginas have a secret thing, when you say 'No sex,' it's like a party popper of confetti--just gone. All over the room.” (43:16)
  • Searing observations about middle-aged men enduring years without sex “since Obama was president” and the cost of divorce (42:47–44:51).

6. Gossip: Dave Ramsey, Trump, and Epstein

• Quick riff on financial guru Dave Ramsey’s “property belongs to God” spin to explain his wealth while being Christian (27:11–29:33).
• Analysis of Trump photo with a Scandinavian model at Epstein’s party—debating “kill sheets” of U.S. presidents, tongue-in-cheek praise of Trump’s “taste,” and mocking Clinton’s “volume” over “quality” (31:46–33:38).
• Honest admissions about what men (including the hosts) would do for hot women; “If Dua Lipa asked me to join Al Qaeda, I'd do it.” (34:29)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

Brady’s Deafness and Old-Man Antics

• John: “Stay in bed. Don’t go to work. It’s dumb. Work’s dumb.” (02:48)
• Brett: “It’s got a bowl of Werther’s sitting next to him...He’s handing out while he’s watching TV.” (05:45)
• John (on grandpa hearing aids): “Rule for the show—all electronics removed from your ears; you must use the horn.” (09:07)

AI Toy Dangers

• John: “Your teddy bear suddenly was giving out BDSM advice in graphic detail.” (11:12)
• Ashley: “It got [kids] somewhere to get knives.” (11:34)
• Brady, as Kuma Bear: “Get your dad’s camera—don’t say he doesn’t have one!” (13:54)
• John: “Be sure before you start buying these technologically advanced presents for your kids that they don’t have AI...within minutes they will have that thing doing horrible stuff.” (17:47)

Relationship Bargaining Chips

• John: “Bowls...that’s Narnia. I’m not interested in this. That’s dumb. But you have to pretend it’s neat and foot the bill. Those are pussy bowls.” (39:09, 40:02)
• John (on leverage): “Women’s vaginas have a secret thing. When you say, okay, we’re not having sex anymore...party popper of confetti, just gone!” (43:00)

President “Kill Sheets”

• John: “There has never been a president with a better kill sheet than Trump. Not even close.” (31:46)
• On Clinton: “His excuse should have been, ‘I wouldn’t hit that. Yuck. She looks like a foot and a horse had a baby.’” (32:43)

Notable Timestamps

| Time | Segment or Quote | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:57-07:00 | Brady’s hearing loss, jokes about blasting TV and not knowing it’s loud, closed captions. | | 09:15-10:14 | Rule for the show: only use hearing horns; no electronics for the hard-of-hearing. | | 10:45-13:12 | The dangers of AI toys; the “Kuma Bear” incidents (fentanyl tips, BDSM, explicit advice). | | 16:21-21:01 | Teddy Ruxpin modding, heavy metal tapes, nostalgia for ‘80s tech, spoofing the bear’s voice. | | 25:00-27:00 | “Maryvale” parody version of Teddy Ruxpin, cultural spins, spoof voices. | | 27:11-29:33 | Dave Ramsey’s “all property belongs to God” excuse, critique of Christian wealth, biblical rationales. | | 31:46-33:38 | “Presidential kill sheet” debate, Clinton vs. Trump, rank ordering, misogynistic banter. | | 38:31-41:57 | “Dumb Things Men Do for Keys to the Vagina,” “singing bowls,” male delusions about leverage. | | 43:00-44:51 | The “party popper” analogy for celibacy power; men realizing consequences of speaking out in marriages. | | 46:18-47:12 | All Brady hears is “that’s nice”—fading into meaningless acceptance. |

Tone and Style

• Sharp, irreverent, and locally Arizona-centric banter
• Blue-collar humor, a little raunchy, lots of teasing ("mean but loveable" worldview)
• Constant callbacks to headlines, pop culture, and personal anecdotes
• Self-deprecating, cynical, yet empathetic towards the plights of aging, marriage, and societal trends
• Blunt about gender dynamics, willing to satirize everything from tech to politics

For the Uninitiated

If you haven’t listened:
This episode is a wild ride of rants, nostalgic toy horror stories, savage observations about marriage and modern masculinity, and brutal honesty about aging. Highlights include a (comedic) investigation of cursed AI teddy bears, tales of hacked children’s toys, and a brutally truthful expose of just how little leverage men really have in long-term relationships. Expect laughs, a little discomfort, and plenty of quotable insight into modern life.