WeWow on the Weekend (1/18/25)

Summary

Wow in the World: Episode Summary – "WeWow on the Weekend" (January 18, 2025)

Wow in the World, the premier science podcast for kids and their grown-ups, delivered an engaging and entertaining episode titled "WeWow on the Weekend." Hosted by Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, this episode seamlessly blended humor, scientific insights, and interactive segments to captivate its young audience and their families. Below is a comprehensive summary of the episode, highlighting key discussions, insightful moments, and memorable quotes.

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1. Introduction and Host Banter [00:00 – 01:16]

The episode opened with a brief promotional segment encouraging Wondery subscribers to access Wow in the World early and ad-free through various platforms. Mindy Thomas then introduced a special project for homeschooling families, TinkerClass, a project-based learning tool designed to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and creative innovation among K5 students. She emphasized its widespread adoption with over 3,000 teachers already integrating TinkerClass into their classrooms.

Notable Quote:

Mindy Thomas [00:12]: "With Tinkerclass at home, you get access to all of our podcast based projects or as we like to call them, podjects."

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2. Transition to "Wee Wow on the Weekend" [01:16 – 07:30]

The episode transitioned into a playful skit titled "Wee Wow on the Weekend," hosted by Dennis and his sidekick, Reggie the giant pigeon. This segment set a casual and humorous tone, inviting listeners to engage through questions and interactive content.

Notable Quote:

Dennis [01:58]: "Wee wow on the weekend. Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Talking, laughing, me and Reggie singing, laughing."

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3. Listener Q&A Segment [03:45 – 05:51]

Dennis and Reggie opened the floor to listener questions, providing entertaining and lighthearted responses.

• Question from Galilee and Genevieve (Portland, Oregon) [03:45]: "Does dogs fur grow the same as humans?"

  Response: Dennis humorously corrected the terminology, distinguishing between fur and hair.

• Question from Noah (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) [04:13]: "You said that you went to boarding school. What boarding school did you go to?"

  Response: Dennis invented a whimsical boarding school, highlighting his playful nature.

• Riddle from Emma (Charleston, South Carolina) [05:04]: "What do you call cheese that isn't yours?"

  Response: After a humorous back-and-forth, Dennis correctly identified the answer as "nacho cheese."

Notable Quote:

Dennis [05:48]: "Nacho cheese. Emma, are you sure that's a cheese? Oh, nacho cheese. Like nachor cheese. Ah, that is good. Now I'm hungry."

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4. Inside Tinkercast Studios: The Hermit Crab Housing Crisis [07:30 – 16:48]

In the "Inside Tinkercast Studios" segment, Dennis and Reggie revisited a past episode of Wow in the World titled "The Hermit Crab Housing Crisis." This imaginative retelling explored the struggles of hermit crabs battling for better shells, drawing parallels to human desires for improved living conditions.

a. The Hermit Crab Reality Show Parody [07:30 – 10:14]

Mindy and Guy Raz humorously narrated a fictional reality show, "House Hunters: Hermit Crabs Smackdown Edition," where hermit crabs compete in a wrestling ring to secure superior shells.

Notable Quotes:

Mindy [07:35]: "Don't give up the fight. You're a fierce little hermit crab with a broken shell and abs of steel."

Guy Raz [09:00]: "Well, that doesn't seem very fair."

b. Scientific Insights on Hermit Crabs [10:14 – 15:51]

The discussion transitioned into the scientific aspects of hermit crab behavior. Mindy detailed a study involving hermit crabs with broken versus intact shells, emphasizing their determination to secure better living conditions despite physical disadvantages.

Key Points:

• Shell Quality and Health: Hermit crabs with damaged shells suffer from poor health and diminished strength.
• Behavioral Motivation: Crabby hermit crabs, despite their weakened state, exhibit increased tenacity to acquire superior shells.
• Scientific Experimentation: Researchers from the University of Mexico and Texas A&M University conducted experiments by placing hermit crabs in controlled environments to observe their competitiveness for shells.

Notable Quotes:

Mindy [12:27]: "I never said hermit crab life was fair, Guy Raz."

Guy Raz [14:38]: "I'm gonna place all my money on the underdogs here. I'm gonna guess that the broken shelled hermit crabs proved to be stronger."

Mindy [15:17]: "They can win the fight for the best shell just because they're willing to fight so intensely for it."

c. Conclusion of the Hermit Crab Segment [15:51 – 16:48]

The segment concluded with Dennis empathizing with the underdog hermit crab, drawing a parallel to his own aspirations.

Notable Quote:

Dennis [16:19]: "I'm just like that underdog hermit crab. [...] And it's only a matter of time before I get my dream home with a pool and indoor tennis court."

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5. Conclusion and Wrap-Up [16:48 – 18:07]

Dennis and Reggie wrapped up the episode by encouraging listeners to submit their questions for future shows and teased upcoming content with a humorous note about their "strong crab" identity. Mindy and Guy Raz reappeared to remind listeners about Wondery’s subscription benefits and to participate in a short survey.

Notable Quote:

Mindy [17:30]: "If you like wow in the world, you can listen early and ad free right now on Wondery."

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Key Takeaways and Insights

• Engaging Educational Content: The episode skillfully blended humor with scientific inquiry, making complex topics like animal behavior accessible and entertaining for children.

• Interactive Segments: By incorporating listener questions and interactive storytelling, the podcast fostered a sense of community and active participation among its audience.

• Emphasis on Resilience: The hermit crab narrative highlighted themes of resilience and determination, encouraging young listeners to persevere in the face of challenges.

• Cross-Promotion of Educational Tools: Mindy's introduction of TinkerClass underscored the podcast’s commitment to educational excellence beyond audio content.

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Conclusion

"WeWow on the Weekend" exemplified Wow in the World's mission to inspire wonder and curiosity among children and their families. Through its creative storytelling, humorous interactions, and insightful discussions, the episode successfully delivered both entertainment and educational value, leaving listeners eager for more fascinating explorations of the world around them.

Transcript

[Guy Raz]

Grown Ups Wondery subscribers can listen to wow in the world early and ad free right now. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or Wondery Kids plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Mindy]

Hey Wowzer fams Mindy here and before we start the show, is your family homeschooling this year? You may have heard about our project based learning tool Tinkerclass which helps K5 students build 21st century skills like critical thinking, collaboration and creative innovation. Over 3,000 teachers are using Tinkerclass in their classrooms and now we want to bring Tinkerclass to a homeroom near you. With Tinkerclass at home, you get access to all of our podcast based projects or as we like to call them, podjects. Plus over a thousand online activities, experiments, crafts, recipes, worksheets and more. Want to learn more about how you can bring the WOW into your homeschool curriculum this year? Visit tinkercast.com that's tinkercast.com homeschool that's it. And now let's get back to the show.

[Unknown]

Hey grown ups. Give your loved ones the gift of family gaming fun with the Nintendo Switch system. The home of Mario and friends. Compete for first place in thrilling high speed races in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Or try your luck on action packed game boards and enjoy the fun and funny mini games of Super Mario Party Jamboree. And those looking for a wonder filled adventure can join Mario, Peach, Toad and friends as they explore the whimsical flower kingdom in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. No matter how you like to play, there's fun for the whole family on Nintendo Switch. Go to Nintendo.com to learn more and browse the full lineup of Nintendo Switch systems. Additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode game systems and some accessories sold separately. Games rated E for everyone.

[Reggie]

Ahem.

[Dennis]

Ahem. Wee wow on the weekend. Wee wow on the weekend. Wee wow on the weekend. Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Talking, laughing, me and Reggie singing, laughing. And then we. Oh wait, no I said laughing twice. Whatever. We wow on the weekend. Yeah we wow on the weekend. Laugh waff we wow on the weekend. Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Hello and welcome to Wee Wow on the Weekend. I'm your host, Dennis and that's Reggie. Yes, Reggie the giant pigeon. Right, Reggie the giant pigeon with a black belt and karate. We're here in my mother's basement bringing you wow and Wonder on Saturdays and Sundays. That's right Reggie. This show is super casual. We're still in our Jim Jams. See mine have little Reggies on them. And Reggie's have little Dennises on them. Anyway, how's about we get to it and answer some of the many, many yo, many banana fanifo fanny questions from our devoted listeners? That's right, Reggie. It's time for the Q and A segment. The Q and A segment. All right, let's just get the old answering machine pulled up here. Okay, Here we go. Hi, you've reached Dennis from wewow on the weekend. That's me. Do you have a question? Well, I do too. Lots of them. And who's gonna answer all my questions? You? Probably not, but I guess I can answer yours. Leave me a message.

[Galilee]

Hi, Dennis. We love your show. I'm Galilee. And I'm Genevieve, and we're from Portland, Oregon. We have a question. Our question is, does dogs fur grow the same as humans? Bye.

[Dennis]

Does dog's fur grow the same as humans? Uh, humans don't have fur, Veggie. That's not fur. That's hair. Ah, quit looking at my arm. Fur. Next question.

[Galilee]

Hi, I'm Noah from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. And my question is in getting nosy about the science of Mel. You said that you went to boarding school. What boarding school did you go to?

[Dennis]

What boarding school did I go to? Well, Noah, I'm a proud alumnus of Count Montague's School for Nosy Little Children. I studied many important subjects. Snooping, prying, Busy body studies. And the history of listening at closed doors with a cup pressed to your ear. And I was awarded Eavesdropper of the Month seven times. Where'd you go to school, Reggie? Yale. No, you did not. Oh, whatever. Next question.

[Galilee]

Hi, Dennis. I'm Emma and I live in Charleston, South Carolina. I don't have a question, but I have a riddle. What do you call cheese that isn't yours?

[Dennis]

Oh, it's. It's. Let's see. Oh, brie. Brie. Because it rhymes with me. Oh, no, you're right. That guy. That can't be it. Don't tell me, don't tell me, don't tell me. What are cheeses? What are cheeses? Gargonzola. Gargonzola. No, no. Cheddar. Cheddar. Pepper jack. Pepper jacks. Pepper jack. Swiss. Pepper jack. Swiss cheese. Queso. Queso fresco. Parmesan, Gruyere. Harvardi. Stilton. Polish sheep's milk. Cheese.

[Galilee]

The answer is nacho cheese.

[Dennis]

Nacho cheese. Emma, are you sure that's a cheese? Oh, nacho cheese. Like nachor cheese. Ah, that is good. Now I'm hungry. Yeah, we better move on. So we can go make nachos soon. Thanks for your calls, everyone. If you've got a question for me, call and leave me a message. The number is 1-888-7-WOW. Wow. I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the weekend. O. That takes care of that. All right, next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios. Inside Tinkercast Studios. This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows. And this weekend, we're revisiting episodes from the very first season of wow in the world. Today we're doing a story from episode four called the hermit Crab housing crisis. Oh, good question, Reggie. Are hermit crabs crabs or hermits? Hmm, I'm gonna say crabs because I don't know what a hermit is. Is it a type of frog? Oh, right. No. Well, let's play the episode. Okay, here we go. And play.

[Mindy]

Wee wow will be right back. Grown ups, this message is for you. That's it. Now back to the show.

[Guy Raz]

What in the world? You.

[Mindy]

Go get him, Scrappy. Don't give up the fight. You're a fierce little hermit crab with a broken shell and abs of steel.

[Dennis]

What?

[Mindy]

Give him your best shot.

[Guy Raz]

What are you doing, Mindy?

[Mindy]

Oh, hey, guy. Raz. I'm just watching an episode of House Hunters. Hermit Krabs Smackdown Edition. It's a real estate reality show mixed with professional wrestling, and it stars hermit Krabs.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, and so why are you watching it with the TV turned off?

[Mindy]

Oh, that's because it doesn't exist, so I'm watching it in my head.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, so you're sitting in front of a blank tv, shouting at it and cheering on a hermit crab trying to.

[Mindy]

Fight for the ultimate dream shell to call home. Here, do you want to take a peek inside and see for yourself?

[Guy Raz]

Uh, just pop the top of your head.

[Mindy]

Here, I'll do it for you.

[Guy Raz]

Whoa.

[Reggie]

And in this corner, Hulk Hermit with a shell so strong you could bounce a nickel off it.

[Mindy]

Tell me what you see.

[Guy Raz]

Well, I see one very confident looking hermit crab in a wrestling ring in the middle of a suburban neighborhood where all the homes are she.

[Dennis]

Oh.

[Mindy]

This is where all the action happens.

[Reggie]

And in this corner, we have cranky Crabmeister with a broken shell and an attitude to match.

[Mindy]

What else do you see?

[Guy Raz]

And now I'm seeing another hermit crab.

[Dennis]

Yeah.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, that's crabby Crabmeister dragging himself into the ring. He does not look happy. In fact, I think his shell might be broken. What? It looks like it might be really Heavy for him to carry. Is that the one you were rooting for, Mindy? Because I don't think he's gonna make it, that other hermit crab.

[Mindy]

Oh, Hulk Hermit.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, Hulk Hermit definitely has the advantage here. Just look at his beautiful shell. It's just stunning.

[Mindy]

Okay, pause the imagination.

[Guy Raz]

Ah, Mindy, we were just getting to the good part. They were about to fight for the title of the ultimate dream shell to call home.

[Mindy]

Well, that's just the thing, Guy Raz. If you had to place a bet on which of those two hermit crabs would win the shiniest, strongest shell in the end, who would you pick?

[Guy Raz]

Mindy. Without question, it would be Hulk Hermit. He just looks like a winner. Definitely had the upper claw. The other one.

[Mindy]

Crabby Crabmeister.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, that one. He was just kind of falling apart. His shell was cracked and he could barely even carry it into the ring.

[Mindy]

Well, Guy Raz, the results of this match might just surprise you.

[Guy Raz]

Oh really?

[Mindy]

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would do whatever it took to have it or achieve it, even if it seemed like a major stretch?

[Guy Raz]

Oh yeah, like the time I tried to order a kale salad at KFC and they called the police.

[Mindy]

That really happened? Uh, nevermind, don't answer that. Anyway, so it's the same thing with hermit crabs.

[Guy Raz]

How so?

[Mindy]

Well, two scientists, one from the University of Mexico and one from Texas A and M University here in the US recently spent a lot of time with hermit crabs.

[Guy Raz]

That certainly seems like time well spent.

[Mindy]

And after getting to know these tiny little hard shelled creatures, they started to notice a few things.

[Guy Raz]

Like what?

[Mindy]

Well, like the fact that much like we humans, hermit crabs just want to have a nice place to live.

[Guy Raz]

Like with a pool and a two crab garage?

[Mindy]

No, like a really nice shell.

[Guy Raz]

Oh. So how do they find them?

[Mindy]

Well, basically by fighting for it.

[Guy Raz]

Hence the hermit crab. Cul de sac. Wrestling ring reality show happen inside your head.

[Mindy]

Exactly. So as anyone who has ever had a hermit crab for a pet knows, hermit crabs basically spend their whole entire lives just looking to move on up in the world. They're constantly on the hunt for better fitting shells that are strong and free of cracks and will last a long time until they're ready to move it on up again.

[Guy Raz]

And if there are two hermit crabs living together and one of them has a nice roomy shell and the other one has a damaged smaller shell, then the one with the crummier shell is willing to to fight for the other hermit crab's shell.

[Mindy]

You got it, Guy Raz. The hermit Crab with the messed up shell will straight up try to kick the luckier crab out of his lap of luxury shell and not even apologize.

[Guy Raz]

And they're doing all of this without any lawyers getting involved.

[Mindy]

Guy Raz, the scrappy hermit crab will walk right up to the lucky hermit crab and start banging like crazy on his shell. Then that hermit crab will get all annoyed and start fighting back. And in the end, only one hermit crab gets to call the shell home. Because they're basically like one bedroom hermit crab studio apartments.

[Guy Raz]

Well, that doesn't seem very fair.

[Mindy]

I never said hermit crab life was fair, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Well, what's so bad about having a cracked shell anyway? I mean, isn't there beauty and imperfections?

[Mindy]

Well, that's one of the things that these scientists set out to discover. So one of the things that they began was that when hermit crabs have broken shells, they themselves are in pretty bad shape as well.

[Guy Raz]

Like their health.

[Mindy]

Yeah, they become really unhealthy and weak.

[Guy Raz]

And all of this is because of their cracked shells?

[Mindy]

Yep. A bad shell can make a hermit crab really miserable. And by miserable, Guy Raz, I mean crabby. You get it, you get it?

[Guy Raz]

Uh huh.

[Mindy]

Ugh, nevermind.

[Guy Raz]

But does it make the hermit crab even more determined to want to leave his or her shell and find a new one?

[Mindy]

Well, that's exactly what these scientists were thinking. So they started to experiment.

[Guy Raz]

And what did they do?

[Mindy]

Well, they set up a hermit crab wrestling arena.

[Guy Raz]

You're making this up, Mindy.

[Mindy]

Well, not entirely. They got a bunch of hermit crabs off the coast of Mexico. Some had broken shells, and some shells were fully intact.

[Guy Raz]

And then what did they do?

[Mindy]

They gave them all awesome wrestling names.

[Guy Raz]

No, they didn't.

[Mindy]

Okay, fine. But they did put them in a tiny wrestling ring. And in one corner of the ring, they put one scrappy hermit crab with a sad little broken shell.

[Guy Raz]

And in the opposite corner of the.

[Mindy]

Ring, they put a strong, healthy hermit crab with a pretty good shell.

[Guy Raz]

And in the middle.

[Mindy]

In the middle was a glowing, strong, shiny, roomy, lap of luxury shell that the scientist had attached to a thread.

[Guy Raz]

A hermit crab's dream home.

[Mindy]

You know it.

[Guy Raz]

And then they fought for the new shell.

[Mindy]

They did. And the thread attached to the shell was also attached to a pulley and a dynamometer, which is a special device that measures force or power.

[Guy Raz]

And that was so they could measure which hermit crab was the strongest.

[Mindy]

Yep. And then they had pairs of hermit crabs wrestle each other. And once again, two with broken shells, two with intact shells. And who do you think Came out the strongest.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, I'm gonna place all my money on the underdogs here. I'm gonna guess that the broken shelled hermit crabs proved to be stronger.

[Mindy]

Welp, you'd think that what doesn't break you makes you stronger, but that's just not the case here.

[Guy Raz]

I really thought this story would have a happier ending.

[Mindy]

Who says that this is the end? These scientists discovered that in the case of hermit crabs, what doesn't break you makes you scrappier. Meaning while they don't have the muscle strength to beat their opponents in a fight, what they do have is the sheer raw willpower to match their opponents when going for what they want.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, so you're saying they can win the fight for the best shell just because they're willing to fight so intensely for it?

[Mindy]

Yep. And as it turns out that after living for a long time in these old broken shells, these hermit crabs value the better life that a new shell would bring them so much that they're motivated to fight harder than even the strongest hermit crabs around.

[Guy Raz]

And they ultimately win the title of world's best shell.

[Mindy]

Not always. But their chances of winning are way better than their general health and muscle strength would suggest.

[Guy Raz]

So now I'm dying to see who wins the hermit crab dream shell in that reality show you were watching in your head.

[Mindy]

Ready to pop the top?

[Guy Raz]

Nope.

[Mindy]

Okay, I'll do it.

[Reggie]

He may be little, he may be weak, but using tenacity and sheer aggression, I give you your champion, the underdog, Krabby Crabmisko.

[Dennis]

I did it.

[Reggie]

He will trade his crab shack for a spacious four bedroom shell with a swimming pool and indoor tennis court. Such luxury.

[Guy Raz]

I knew he had it in him. It's just too bad they can't share.

[Mindy]

Yeah, I agree. But you know what they say about crabs Guy Raz. They're very shellfish.

[Guy Raz]

Crabsolutely. Mindy.

[Dennis]

Oh, wow. That episode made me really emotional, Reggie. Because I'm just like that underdog hermit crab. Reggie. No, not because I smell like a crab. Because I'm scrappy and independent. And it's only a matter of time before I get my dream home with a pool and indoor tennis court. Well, let's wrap this up. Thank you everyone for listening to this episode of Wee Wow on the weekend. If you have a question for me, call and leave me a message at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW. That's 1-888-7-WWOW. I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the weekend. Hey, Reggie, should we do the goodbye song all right, that's the end of the show. I'm not scared cause I'm a really strong crab and I'll do another show tomorrow. But for now, that's the end of the show.

[Mindy]

Bye grown ups. If you like wow in the world, you can listen early and ad free right now on Wondery.

[Guy Raz]

Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Wondery Kids plus on Apple Podcasts prime members can listen ad free free on Amazon Music.

[Mindy]

And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.