WeWow on the Weekend (9/7/25)

Summary

Wow in the World: WeWow on the Weekend (9/7/25)

Hosts: Dennis, Reggie, Mindy Thomas, Guy Raz
Date: September 7, 2025

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of "WeWow on the Weekend" continues the show’s tradition of blending humor, science, and creativity for kids and their grown-ups. Host Dennis, with sidekick Reggie, leads listeners through a hands-on popsicle stick crafting segment in the basement, followed by a special replay of the fan-favorite "Wow in the World" segment about why we shouldn't feed bread to ducks. The tone is playful, silly, and curious throughout—inviting listeners to think, tinker, and learn.

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Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. Basement Antics and Crafternoon Chaos

[01:06–05:35]

• "What's in the Box?": Dennis finds old popsicle sticks from Mindy's failed spicy popsicle experiment, recounting the comical aftermath involving melted popsicles, a spicy pool, burning eyes, and bees.

  • Memorable moment: Dennis explains, “She put all the spicy popsicle juice in her pool and tried to throw a rainbow pool. But when everyone jumped in, their eyes started burning.” [03:08]

• Crafternoon Craft Project: Plans to build a scale model of the Eiffel Tower out of popsicle sticks spiral into slapstick mishaps involving ultra-strong glue (“Marvin Stickenheimer’s Ultra St. Mickey!” [04:15]), Dennis getting stuck to a paper towel, and ultimately to his keyboard.

2. Classic Science Rewind: Don’t Feed Bread to Ducks

[05:39–09:26]

• Setting the Scene: Mindy hangs out by a pond, pretending to share a stale bread snack with local ducks—who drop the bread because “they don’t have fingers” [06:13].

• The Problem with Feeding Bread:

  • Guy Raz (via Dennis) steps in to explain why bread isn't safe for ducks:
    • Bread offers little nutritional value (“It’s like giving them junk food.” – Dennis, [07:25])
    • Ducks may develop "angel wing," a condition caused by poor nutrition that prevents proper wing growth and flight.
    • Angel wing described as: “It can make it so the ducks can’t fly, and then they’d have to walk or swim everywhere.” – Dennis, [08:01]

• Healthy Alternatives: Instead of bread, Guy recommends:

  • Kale
  • Corn
  • Oats
  • Memorable exchange:
    • Mindy: “Is that…kale?”
    • Dennis: “Yeah, I always carry a little kale around with me for munching.” [08:35]

• Silly Touches:

  • Mindy jokes about finding spaghetti and an oyster in her pocket [06:46].
  • Mindy quips, “Kale makes him gassy,” after a duck noise [09:18].

3. Wrap-Up and Participation Invitation

[09:28–11:37]

• Dennis Recaps: Jokes about not listening to the science lesson, but learns “we shouldn’t feed ducks bread.”
• Listener Interaction: Kids are encouraged to call in or submit questions and Crafternoon project photos/videos to the show.
• Plugs and Credits: Information about becoming an official World Organization of Wowzers member, upcoming events, and the "Wow in the Wild" book.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Popsicle Pool Chaos:
  • “She put all the spicy popsicle juice in her pool and tried to throw a rainbow pool. But when everyone jumped in, their eyes started burning.” — Dennis ([03:08])
• Bread as Duck Junk Food:
  • “The problem is that bread might fill the ducks up, but there is almost no nutritional value for them. In other words, it’s like giving them junk food.” — Dennis ([07:25])
• Angel Wing Consequences:
  • “It can make it so the ducks can’t fly, and then they’d have to walk or swim everywhere. That would be awful.” — Dennis ([08:01])
• Carrying Kale:
  • “Yeah, I always carry a little kale around with me for munching.” — Dennis ([08:38])
• Duck Digestive Humor:
  • “That was a duck. Kale makes him gassy.” — Mindy ([09:18])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:06 — Start of “WeWow on the Weekend” theme and popsicle stick story
• 03:08 — Spicy popsicle pool mayhem flashback
• 04:15 — Crafternoon segment begins; glue mishap
• 05:39 — Transition to “Wow in the World” duck segment
• 07:25 — Science explanation: why not to feed bread to ducks
• 08:01 — Discussion of "angel wing" syndrome
• 08:34–08:50 — Guy Raz discusses safe foods for ducks
• 09:18 — Mindy’s digestive joke about the duck
• 09:28 — Show wrap-up and listener participation invitation

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Episode Tone and Style

Light-hearted, inventive, and packed with playful banter. The episode masterfully mixes slapstick humor with memorable science lessons, making the content accessible, fun, and educational for kids and adults alike.

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What Listeners Learn

• Why feeding bread to ducks is harmful, and what healthy alternatives exist
• How science and everyday life intersect in silly, unexpected ways
• That creative failure (like a spicy popsicle disaster) can lead to new fun activities, like crafting

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In summary: This episode offers a delightful blend of craft-time chaos, science knowledge, and interactive fun—reminding listeners to be curious, to question what’s commonly done, and to always approach learning with a sense of wonder and “wow.”

Transcript

[Host Dennis]

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[Host Reggie]

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. Laugh, laugh. Me 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. All right, and don't forget, Reggie, we're here in mother's basement with another exciting, engrossing, enchanting episode of Wee Wow on the Weekend. Reggie, it is so enchanting. You're bored? How could you be bored? Well, should we play what's in the Box? What do you mean? No, it is not a bad segment. Let's just do it real quick. Ahem. I found a box down here in the basement and now I'm gonna find out what's in the box. Alright, I'm gonna go into the crawlspace real quick. Okay, let's see. Okay, Got one. Uh oh. Hey Reggie, I'm a little stuck. I can't turn around. Just come over here and pull me up, please. Okay, got me. Now pull. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Thank you. Okay, here we go. Ready? What's in this box? Oh, hey. A bunch of popsicle sticks. Wow, a lot of popsicle sticks. I think these were Mindy's. Yeah, from last summer when she tried to sell hot and spicy popsicles out of the ice cream truck. Right, and nobody wanted them except for Grandma G Force. And then the ice cream truck freezer broke. And then all the popsicles melted. And so she put all the spicy popsicle juice in her pool and tried to throw a rainbow pool. But when everyone jumped in, their eyes started burning. Yeah, and then her backyard got really sticky and full of bees. Anyway, she gave me all the popsicle sticks. What should we do with them? Reggie, you're a genius. We'll do a Crafternoon craft project with them. Pancakes are for eating and rivers are for rafting. And Broadway is for my one man show. But afternoon crafternoons after crafting Crafternoon. Welcome, everyone, to the crafternoon segment. Today's crafternoon craft is something I like to call scale model of the Eiffel Tower made out of popsicle sticks. Reggie, No, I don't want to make a tiny little model of the Eiffel Tower. I want to make the actual size. Well, how big is the eiffel Tower? What, 330 meters? Or 1,083ft? Reggie, quit saying fun facts about the Eiffel Tower. We gotta get to work. This is gonna take all Crafternoon to build. Okay, got a popsicle stick here and some glue. Oops, too much glue. Popsicle sticks are stuck to my fingers. Reggie, can you hand me a paper towel? Thank you. Just dab this up and. Oh, darn. Now I'm stuck to the paper towel. Reggie, what kind of glue is this? Ah. Marvin Stickenheimer's Ultra St. Mickey, you're not going anywhere, Glue Rajay. Okay, fine. Let's skip Crafternoon and move on to the next segment. Inside Tinkercast Studios. Inside Tinkercast Studio. Oh, no. I'm stuck to my keyboard. Reggie, it's not funny. Just put on the episode. Ah, no, not that one. Play the wow in the world from season one, episode 15, about ducks and bread.

[Host Mindy]

Wee. Wow. Will be right back. Grown Ups, this message is for you. That's it. Now back to the show. Wow in the world. Hey, guy. Raz, over here.

[Host Dennis]

What's going on?

[Host Mindy]

Oh, you know, just the ush hanging out by the pond. The ducks and I like to feed each other stale bread. Check this out. So first they feed me a piece of stale bread. Come here. Come here. You dropped it. Sometimes they drop the bread because they don't have fingers.

[Host Reggie]

What?

[Host Mindy]

Come here. Come here. Oh. Mm. Jake yucky. Jake, yucky. Okay.

[Host Dennis]

Mm.

[Host Mindy]

Mm. And then I feed them a piece of stale bread. Wait, wait. Here. Yaki. Jacky, Yaki. Stop dead Ross. You just scared the ducks away.

[Host Dennis]

Mindy, don't feed those ducks that bread.

[Host Mindy]

Oh, why do you Want it? Cause just. Well, open your mouth. I'll throw some in.

[Host Dennis]

No, no, Mindy, I'm not hungry. I just don't want you to feed that bread to the ducks.

[Host Mindy]

Oh, okay. Well, I guess I could feed them something else I have in my pocket. Here, let me check. French fries. I got some spaghetti. Oh, hey, look, I found a little oyster.

[Host Dennis]

No, no, no, no, Mindy. In fact, I just read an article in Popular Science about why we should I never feed ducks. Stuff like that.

[Host Mindy]

But what's the point of having all this three year old bread if I can't feed it to the ducks? Come here, boy. Aw. See how much they love it?

[Host Dennis]

I know they love it, but when we feed ducks pieces of bread, we're actually not helping the ducks. We're actually harming them.

[Host Mindy]

Wait, what?

[Host Dennis]

Yeah, the problem is that bread might fill the ducks up, but there is almost no nutritional value for them. In other words, it's like giving them junk food.

[Host Mindy]

Oh, well, no wonder they love me so much. Look at them all encroaching into my personal bubble space. Hi, duckies. Contact.

[Host Dennis]

I know, I know, but the problem is that if these ducks fill up on bread, they won't eat the stuff that's good for them. And it can cause ducks to. To develop something called angel wing.

[Host Reggie]

Hmm.

[Host Mindy]

Angel wing. That doesn't sound so bad.

[Host Dennis]

Well, it is, Mindy. Angel wing is a condition that develops in baby ducks when they don't get enough nutrition, and it can affect how much their wings grow. In fact, it can make it so the ducks can't fly, and then they'd.

[Host Mindy]

Have to walk or swim everywhere. That would be awful. So you're saying that we should never feed the ducks?

[Host Dennis]

Well, the good news is that if you feel like you really want to feed the ducks, there are some better alternatives.

[Host Mindy]

Like what?

[Host Dennis]

Well, here. I happen to have some in my pocket.

[Host Reggie]

Oh, no.

[Host Mindy]

Is that. Is that kale?

[Host Dennis]

Yeah, I always carry a little kale around with me for munching.

[Host Mindy]

Wait, is that corn peeking out of your pocket, too?

[Host Dennis]

Yep. And I've got some oats, too. These are pretty safe foods for ducks.

[Host Mindy]

Kay. People think I'm the weirdo. You want some kale?

[Host Dennis]

See that, Mindy? All of these nutritious foods are a much healthier alternative for ducks. But usually when I visit this pond, or any pond, really, I actually avoid feeding the ducks. I just come to take it all in and enjoy a quiet afternoon.

[Host Mindy]

That was a duck.

[Host Dennis]

What?

[Host Mindy]

Kale makes him gassy.

[Host Reggie]

Uh huh.

[Host Dennis]

Mm.

[Host Reggie]

And then what? And then soak my hands in hoisin sauce. Okay, I'll try that. Thank you. Bye. Okay, what happened in the episode? I wasn't listening. We shouldn't feed ducks bread. Really? Oh, wow. I had no idea. Okay, well, let's wrap up the show and then go get unstuck from this keyboard. 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. Okay, let's go upstairs. Do you think we even have any hoisin sauce left? Well, how about gochujang? That might work. How are we out of everything? Do we have any of that sesame dipping sauce for the.

[Host Mindy]

Grownups? If you like wow in the World, you can listen early and ad free right now on Wondery.

[Host Dennis]

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

[Host Mindy]

And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey. Thanks for joining us for this edition of WEW 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 Weeknd is composed and performed by Tyler Thol.

[Host Dennis]

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

[Host Mindy]

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.

[Host Dennis]

Our website is tinkercast.com there you can learn more about becoming an official member of the 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 bestselling book series, wow in the Wild.

[Host Mindy]

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 in the world wow in the world wow in the world wow in the.

[Host Reggie]

World wow in the world wow in.

[Host Mindy]

The world World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.