WeWow on the Weekend (9/14/25)

Summary

Wow in the World — WeWow on the Weekend (9/14/25) Summary

Episode Overview

This episode of WeWow on the Weekend—a spinoff from the #1 science podcast for kids, Wow in the World—is hosted by the quirky Dennis and his co-host Reggie. The show kicks off with listener Q&A, moves into an “Inside Tinkercast Studios” segment (featuring a classic Wow in the World episode about flying taxis in Dubai), and blends humor, science facts, and engaging storytelling for curious young minds.

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Main Segments & Key Discussion Points

1. Listener Q&A with Dennis and Reggie (02:51–09:34)

Dennis begins the weekend show with his signature song and playful banter with Reggie before diving into listener questions and riddles:

• Listener Riddle (Ellie from Ambler, PA)

  • Riddle: "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
  • Dennis guesses the classic answer and jokes with Reggie about alternative possibilities (like chasing the ice cream man).
  • Ellie's punchline is a twist on the classic: "He was trying to get to the ice cream man because the ice cream man was too fat for him." (05:40)
  • "Wow. You got really close, Reggie. But you were still wrong. Next question." (05:50, Dennis)

• Why Start WeWow on the Weekend? (Arjun from Ohio)

  • Dennis explains the reasoning: other Tinkercast shows post on weekdays, so weekends needed something special.
  • "Wee wow on Tuesdays doesn’t sound very good. Wee wow on the weekend is way better." (06:25, Dennis)
  • He says he works with Reggie because Reggie knows how to set up the technical side (microphone, website, RSS feed), but quickly gets overwhelmed by the details.

• Which Came First, the Spoon or the Fork? (Q, age 5)

  • Dennis muses about big cooking utensils vs. eating utensils, and hypothesizes that spoons came first for practical reasons, especially for eating soup.
  • "That's my final answer: eating spoons came before the eating fork." (07:51, Dennis)

2. Inside Tinkercast Studios — Flying Taxis in Dubai (09:34–18:11)

Dennis introduces a "replay" of Wow in the World Season 1, Episode 14: "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Flying Taxi," featuring hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz.

Key Talking Points:

• What is The Jetsons? (10:00–10:32)

  • Discussion of the iconic futuristic cartoon and its vision of flying cars and robot helpers.
  • "It was that cartoon from the past that took place in the future and basically predicted most of what we have today, right?" (10:03, Mindy)
  • Mindy and Guy reminisce about the show's predictions, mentioning the robot maid Rosie.

• Are Flying Cars Coming? (10:42–11:56)

  • Many in the past thought we'd have flying cars by 2017, but safety and logistics (like crowded skies) are big barriers.
  • "A dream is like an engine inside your body, except it powers ideas." (11:42, Guy Raz)

• First Real Flying Taxis: Dubai’s Plan (12:26–13:16)

  • Dubai aims to become the world's most modern city by introducing flying taxis—essentially large human-carrying drones.
  • "Dubai will be the first place to have flying taxis." (12:48, Guy)

• How Do Flying Taxi Drones Work? (13:17–15:09)

  • The flying taxis resemble egg-shaped drones with eight propellers.
  • They have one seat (for a single passenger) and no human pilot; navigation is handled by computers and satellite signals, similar to GPS-based apps.
  • For safety, they're constantly monitored by humans at ground stations.

• Where Will the Drones Go, and How High? (16:22–17:19)

  • The drones are programmed with fixed routes for safety, landing only at designated spots.
  • They can fly up to 11,000 ft—enough to drop passengers at the top of skyscrapers like the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
  • "That little drone taxi will be able to fly as high as 11,000 ft." (17:01, Guy)

• Why Dubai? (17:27–17:50)

  • Dubai is keen to be a model of technological advancement, already operating a driverless metro system.
  • "If this experiment does work in Dubai, I have no doubt that we will all be traveling in little air taxis in a few years from now." (17:45, Guy)

Notable Moment:

• Mindy jokingly suggests launching Guy in a mayonnaise-greased balloon attached to her drone as a playful, off-the-wall fantasy. (17:50)

3. Closing Banter & Reflections (18:11–19:42)

• Dennis realizes he appeared in an early episode of Wow in the World, connecting the present to its “origin story.”
• Dreaming wistfully about flying taxis and haggling over a ride to Dubai with Reggie (his bird co-host), Dennis keeps the laughter going:
  • “Oh, $100. Well, why didn’t you say so, sir? Next up: Dubai. Walk to Dubai. Walk to Dubai.” (19:37, Dennis)

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Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• Dennis: "Wee wow on Tuesdays doesn’t sound very good. Wee wow on the weekend is way better." (06:25)
• Guy Raz: "A dream is like an engine inside your body, except it powers ideas." (11:42)
• Guy Raz: "Dubai will be the first place to have flying taxis." (12:48)
• Guy Raz: "If this experiment does work in Dubai, I have no doubt that we will all be traveling in little air taxis in a few years from now." (17:45)
• Dennis: "That's my final answer: eating spoons came before the eating fork." (07:51)
• Mindy Thomas: "It was that cartoon from the past that took place in the future and basically predicted most of what we have today, right?" (10:03)
• Dennis: “Oh, $100. Well, why didn’t you say so, sir? Next up: Dubai. Walk to Dubai. Walk to Dubai.” (19:37)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Q&A Segment starts: 04:48
• Riddle from Ellie: 04:48–05:50
• Why WeeWow on the Weekend? 05:56–06:48
• Spoon vs. Fork question: 07:01–07:51
• Inside Tinkercast Studios intro: 08:55–09:34
• Flying taxi discussion begins: 10:00–18:11
• Dennis reflects and signs off: 18:11–19:42

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Episode Tone & Style

The episode features:

• Inventive, child-like curiosity
• Playful banter
• Humor and whimsy blended with scientific topics
• Encouragement to dream big and stay curious

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Bottom Line

This WeWow on the Weekend episode whirls listeners through jokes and questions from real kids before sparking imaginations with a look back at a futuristic real-world innovation—flying taxis in Dubai. While full of laughs and Dennis’s charming tangents, the episode reinforces the values of asking questions, following dreams, and believing science fiction might just become tomorrow’s reality.

Perfect for kids and parents who want science, silliness, and a hearty dose of “WOW”!

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 Thomas]

Hey everyone, it's Mindy and Guy Raz here from wow in the World. And guess what?

[Guy Raz]

What Mindy?

[Mindy Thomas]

We've got new toys coming to a shelf near you.

[Guy Raz]

That's right Grown ups. Does your Wowzer love traveling back in.

[Mindy Thomas]

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[Guy Raz]

Or maybe your Wowzer like to test out new science experiments or search for.

[Mindy Thomas]

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[Guy Raz]

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[Mindy Thomas]

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[Dennis]

We wow on the weekend we wow on the weekend we 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. 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 my co host, Reggie. Hey, Reggie, guess what I found. No. Guess again. No, it's my old karaoke machine. Yeah, it was under a bunch of old yearbooks and fossilized Halloween candy. I think it still works. Let's find out. Here we go. And. Okay, okay, I got it. I got it. What'd you take me to? Why don't you take me to. Why don't you take. Aw, man. Oh, you're right. We better keep the show rolling. Let's answer some questions with a 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 We wow on the Weekend.

[Guy Raz]

That's me.

[Dennis]

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.

[Listeners (Ellie, Arjun, Q)]

Hi, Dennis, my name is Ellie and I live in Ambler, Pa. I don't have a question, but I have a riddle.

[Dennis]

Oh, yay. I love riddles. Let's hear it, Ellie.

[Listeners (Ellie, Arjun, Q)]

Why did the chicken cross the road?

[Dennis]

Wait, I've heard this riddle before. It's a joke riddle, right? Why'd the chicken cross the road to get to the other side? No, Reggie, that's how the joke goes. I know. Ellie said it was a riddle. All right, Mr. Smarty Pigeon. Why do you think the chicken crossed the road? Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay. You think the chicken crossed the road to get to the ice cream man, but the ice cream man was out of ice cream for the day. Reggie. I don't think that's what Ellie was going for. But let's play the answer. Okay, Ellie. Why did the chicken cross the road?

[Listeners (Ellie, Arjun, Q)]

So he was trying to get to the ice cream man because the ice cream man was too fat for him. Bye. Love your show.

[Dennis]

Wow. You got really close, Reggie. But you were still wrong. Next question.

[Listeners (Ellie, Arjun, Q)]

Hi, Dennis. This is Arjun. I live in Ohio. My question is, why do you start Wee Wow on the weekend? And why is Reggie working with you, too?

[Dennis]

Good question, Arjun. I started wewow on the weekend because wow in the World. Posts on Mondays who win wow. Posts on Wednesdays. How to Be an Earthling. Post on Thursdays and two once in a while. Posts on Fridays and no One was posting a show on the weekend for the Weeknd. About the weekend? Yeah. So I decided I would do it. Wee wow on the weekend, baby. What? Oh, yeah, Tuesday. No one's posting on Tuesday. Huh? Yeah. Wee wow on Tuesdays doesn't sound very good. Wee wow on the weekend is way better. And I'm working with Reggie because he knows how to set up the microphone and the website and the RSS feed. What's that? Actually, you know what? I don't want to know. Next question.

[Listeners (Ellie, Arjun, Q)]

My name is Q and I'm five years old. Which one was invented first, the spoon or the fork?

[Dennis]

Great question, Q. I've never thought about that before. Sometimes I forget things need to be invented in the first place. Forks and spoons have always just been here in the drawer, you know? And now that I think about it, there are forks and spoons for eating with. And there are forks and spoons for cooking with. Right. I don't eat with those really big spoons and forks used for cooking. I eat with the littler ones. Which ones of those came first, the big ones or the little ones? Alright, I bet the big cooking forks and spoons came first because first you cook the food and then you eat it. Also, what counts as a cooking fork? Like, what about the stick I use to cook marshmallows over the campfire? Is that a fork? Because pointy sticks were invented a long time ago. Oh, yeah. My fingers kind of do look like little forks. I suppose I don't really need a fork to eat most things like spaghetti. So maybe spoons were invented first because it's really hard to eat soup with your hands. Yeah, that's my final answer. Eating spoons came before the eating fork. 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. Okay, that takes care of that. All right, next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios. Ahem. Inside Tinkercast Studios. This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows. This weekend we're listening to a story from wow in the World, Season 1, Episode 14 called It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a flying taxi. Yeah, that title is an old superhero reference. Oh, I don't remember. Super dude. No, no, no, no. Super manager. No. Supermanifred. Yeah. Yeah, that sounds right. Supermanifred. No, Reggie. This episode is not about superheroes. It's about flying cars. I know. In.

[Listeners (Ellie, Arjun, Q)]

I know.

[Dennis]

We should go to Dubai someday. Okay, let's play the episode. All right. There we go. And play Wee.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wow. Will be right back. Grown ups, this message is for you. That's it. Now back to the show wow in the World.

[Guy Raz]

Hey, Mindy, do you remember that show the Jetsons?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah, I know the Jetsons. It was that car cartoon from the past that took place in the future and basically predicted most of what we have today, Right?

[Guy Raz]

You remember, meet George Jetson.

[Mindy Thomas]

His boy Elroy. I don't know the rest of it.

[Guy Raz]

And Mindy, for kids who haven't heard of it, the Jetsons was a cartoon that a lot of your parents probably watched. It was about a family living in the future. They had a robot made.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, Rosie.

[Guy Raz]

And the coolest thing they had, Mindy.

[Mindy Thomas]

A dog treadmill. Uh, no, that is not the flying car. Yep.

[Guy Raz]

And Mindy, back when the Jetsons was on TV, a lot of people thought that by the year 2017, we'd all be flying to work and to school in our flying cars.

[Mindy Thomas]

But alas, we're still stuck here in traffic on the ground because I don't even know why.

[Guy Raz]

Because it would be pretty dangerous, right? I mean. I mean, could you imagine flying cars flying all around, all over the place? I mean, that would not be safe, right?

[Mindy Thomas]

No, it would definitely not be safe. It would be awesome. I mean, just imagine it, Guy Raz. No speed limits, no red lights, no stop signs. People could just fly around like maniacs. Meatons bridled wild skies and.

[Dennis]

Oh.

[Guy Raz]

Yep. And so the dream of flying cars was really just that, a dream.

[Mindy Thomas]

But if it's a dream, it could still happen, right?

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, you said the magic word, the D word. Dream. And a dream is like an engine inside your body, except it powers ideas. And guess what, Mindy?

[Mindy Thomas]

You're about to make my wildest dreams come true.

[Dennis]

Surprise.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, you're gonna need a lot of supplies for this, but good news, I've been keeping a list.

[Guy Raz]

Well, all right.

[Mindy Thomas]

We're gonna need 45 turkey basters, 200 AAA batteries, a pig that can lay eggs, and maybe that's not what you.

[Guy Raz]

Well, Mindy, the dream of flying cars is about to become a reality, and it will start this.

[Dennis]

What?

[Mindy Thomas]

You're telling me that flying cars are coming?

[Guy Raz]

Well, everybody duck. Well.

[Mindy Thomas]

Kind of freaking out. Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

You should be okay, Mindy. I mean, they are coming. And this summer, in the city of Dubai, which is a small little city on The Arabian Peninsula.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah. Dubai is known for having the largest, tallest, and biggest of a lot of things. So what's next?

[Guy Raz]

Dubai will be the first place to have flying taxis.

[Mindy Thomas]

What, you're saying that just like in the Jetsons, people will be able to fly from their house to their friend's house or to a restaurant or to school?

[Guy Raz]

Well, eventually, yes. But this summer, when the flying taxis are ready for customers, they will only go to a few places, and that's because they will be programmed to fly to just those spots where they can land safely.

[Mindy Thomas]

So how will this work?

[Guy Raz]

Well, Mindy, you've heard of drones, right?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah. I have a drone guy, Raz. It's like a little remote control powered robot, and I use it to drop glitter and mayonnaise on my neighbors when they forget to invite me to their barbecues. Uh, here, watch this. So the first thing I do is I take one balloon and I dump a bunch of glitter inside of it until the whole thing is full of glitter. Great. Okay, now hand me that other balloon over there. Uh, now I take this other balloon and I shove a bunch of mayonnaise inside of it. Then I'm going to attach both of these balloons to the bottom of my drone and then get my remote control over here. All right, power this thing up. And there it goes. Going up, up, up. Oh, look, my neighbors are having a barbecue and they forgot to invite me. Let's see if we can get this mayonnaise to drop on their hamburger buns. Am I right? All right, here we go. Ready? Bombs away.

[Dennis]

Mayonnaise in my eye. Glitter in the mayonnaise. No. The humanity who keeps doing this.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ah, listen to them squealing with glee. Just a little neighborhood joke we have. That's only fun as long as I'm the only one with the drone and they can't get me back.

[Guy Raz]

That's right. Drones are now much, much, much more common and much easier to make. And these flying taxis are basically bigger versions of the small drones that you can buy in a toy store or a hobby shop.

[Mindy Thomas]

So what do these flying taxi drones look like?

[Guy Raz]

The flying taxi looks a little like a flying egg, except it has eight propellers to keep it steady and stable. And it doesn't have a pilot. It has just one seat inside, so it can only take one. One passenger at a time.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wait a minute. So if there's no pilot, then how does the drone know where to go?

[Guy Raz]

Well, by using very sophisticated technology. Inside the drone taxi, there's a computer that is connected to satellites floating up in space. And these satellites are able to send signals to the drone taxis to tell them exactly where to fly. It's a little bit like using a navigation app. Like, you know, Mindy, when you use Google Maps or Waze on your phone. You know those apps that give you directions?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah, I use them all the time to help me get lost.

[Guy Raz]

Well, they're supposed to tell you how to get to where you need to go. No, but the principle is the same, except that instead of telling a human to turn left or to turn right, the app tells a computer what to do. And that is also why these drones don't crash into anything, because they are programmed that way. But, Mindy, in case you are wondering, each and every drone taxi will be monitored by a human sitting at a computer on the ground just in case something goes wrong. Then the human can quickly reprogram the drone and send it to a safe place.

[Dennis]

Wow.

[Mindy Thomas]

That's so cool. So how much would a ride cost on one of these flying drone taxis?

[Guy Raz]

Well, the company that is offering this service isn't saying how much a ride will cost, but what we do know is that these little drones will probably be able to drop you off high up in the sky. So, for example, do you know where the tallest building in the world is located, Mindy?

[Mindy Thomas]

Same place known for having the biggest, longest, largest, tallest of things. I'd say Dubai.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, exactly. It's also in Dubai. It's called the Burj Khalifa, and it stands in 2000, 722ft. That's about a half a mile, Mindy. And guess what, chicken butt?

[Mindy Thomas]

What?

[Guy Raz]

That little drone taxi will be able to fly as high as 11,000ft. So say you have a meeting on the top floor of the Burj Khalifa building. You might be able to get dropped off right at the top instead of at the bottom. And then having to take the elevator up.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, man, that sounds so awesome. And I can't wait to ride one. But why does Dubai get it first? They get all the cool stuff.

[Guy Raz]

Well, Mindy, it's because Dubai wants to become the most modern city in the world. So, for example, the city already has a metro train system that works without a conductor or a driver. But if this experiment does work in Dubai, Mindy, I have no doubt that we will all be traveling in little air taxis in a few years from now.

[Mindy Thomas]

But the future is tomorrow. We've got no time to wait. So, Guy Raz, hop inside this balloon. I've already greased it up with some mayonnaise. I'm going to attach you to my drone and fly you overhead. Ready?

[Dennis]

Reggie, did you hear what I heard? No, Reggie, not that part. The part where Mindy flew her drone copter with mayonnaise and glitter over to her neighbor's house and glitter bombed them. Reggie, I think that was me. I know. I cannot believe that I, Dennis was in the first season of wow in the World. It's almost as cool as a flying taxi. Speaking of which, do we have flying taxis? We don't. Oh, but they're hoping to have them soon. Well, how soon? 20, 26. But Reggie, I want to fly to the destination of my choice now. All right, I guess you are like a flying taxi. Can you give me a ride to the grocery store? 50 bucks, Reggie. I'll give you a ride on my back for 10 bucks. Oh, really? Sweet. Where to, Pa? Okay, I gotcha. Yes, sir. Right away, sir. Whack, whack, whack, whack. No, Reggie, I can't take you to Dubai. That's too far. Oh, $100. Well, why didn't you say so, sir? Next up, Dubai. Walk to Dubai. Walk to Dubai.

[Mindy Thomas]

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 on Apple Podcasts prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Mindy Thomas]

And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey. Thanks for joining us for this edition of WEWOW on the Weekend. Our show is written by Ruth Morrison and Jed Anderson. Original sound design and production is done by Henry Moskal and Marion Lozano with help from Jed Anderson and Tyler Thole. Original music for WEWOW on the Weekend is composed and performed by Tyler Thol.

[Guy Raz]

Special thanks to Steph Sosa, Rebecca Caban and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast hq.

[Mindy Thomas]

There's still time to share your wee wow crafternoon challenges with us grown ups. You can upload pictures and videos of your projects to [e-mail] share or call us at 1-888-7-WWOW.

[Guy Raz]

Our website is tinkercast.com there you can learn more about becoming an official member of the world organization of Wowzers, learn about upcoming events, shop our shop and pick up a copy of the latest edition of our number one New York Times best selling book series, wow in the Wild.

[Mindy Thomas]

Thanks again for thinking, tinkering, experimenting and exploring with us this week. Meet us back here on Monday for Wow in the World and remember who wows we wow, wow, wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent.

[Dennis]

To you by Wondery.