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A
Hey, Wowzer fams. Mindy here. And before we start the show. Oh, hey, Reg. What's that? A new pigeon dropping? Isn't that the postcard you send out to members of the World Organization of Wowzers every quarter? Can I see it?
B
What?
A
You need to see if I'm a member of the wow First. Reggie, come on. It's me, Mindy.
B
Huh?
A
You're not seeing a Mindy on the list.
B
Okay?
A
Try Mandy. I think Thomas Fingerling signed me up.
B
Yes.
A
Can I get my pigeon dropping now?
B
What?
A
I gotta wait for it in the mail, but it's right there. Okay, fine. Guess I'll go wait out by the mailbox. In the meantime, to get the next quarterly mailing from Reggie, Grownups, you can sign your Wowzer up to be a member of the World Organization of wowzers by Monday, March 16. It's so top secret, I haven't even seen it yet. Now where'd I put my mailbox? Grownups, when you sign your Wowzer up to be a member of the World Organization of Wowzers, you also get birthday cards in the mail from me and Guy Raz, access to over a thousand online activities inspired by our podcast, and a welcome kit from me and Guy Raz, including our autographs and a special T shirt. Plus, you get to help support all the work that goes into powering the wow at Tinkercast Grown Ups. Visit Tinkercast.com membership to sign up today. That's Tinkercast.com membership. That's it. And now let's get back to the show.
C
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, 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. We wow on the weekend. Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
D
Okay.
C
Okay. All right. Let's see here. Just gotta get this. Okay, which way does the mic go? This way? Yeah, probably. Okay. There we go. Hello and welcome to. Wait, how do I put the background music on? Is it this button? Creepy crawly wings?
B
No.
C
Woke up this morning. No, not that one. Welcome to the Super Secret Dentist and Mindy. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. There we go. Hello, and welcome to Wee Wow on the Weekend. I'm your host, Dennis, and I would introduce my co host, except he's not here right now, and I guess I have to do the whole podcast Thing by myself and Reggie, there you are. Why are you so late? I had to do the technology stuff all on my own. You lost track of time? How could you? For shame, Reggie. What? Nuh, I never lose track of time because, Reggie, I have clocks everywhere. Look, there's a clock on the wall which says 1035. And look here, I have a watch which confirms that it's 3:52. Wait, no, hold on. One of these clocks is wrong. Well, then let's just check the clock on the microwave, which I have under the desk. It says 7:08. What? But what about the VCR? It says it's 12 o', clock, blinking over and over. Okay, whatever. It doesn't matter what any of the clocks say because we know it's podcast time. Right, Reggie? It's podcast time.
D
Yeah.
C
And now that we're all here, let's move into the first segment, reading reviewsies.
D
Ahem.
C
I'm reading reviewsies for me and for uzies. We've got us some doozies. So let's read reviews.
D
Z's.
C
This is the part where people leave us a bunch of comments on Apple podcasts or Spotify or whatever, and I print a bunch off and I read them aloud.
B
Ahem.
C
This first reviewsy comes to us from username 290-888-8888. The subject says, from Ryan. Oh, hi, Ryan. And the message says, I love your show. And I have a question. Who invented the toilet? Also, I give you 10 billion stars. Wow, Reggie, that's a lot of stars. And okay, who invented the toilet? You know what? I'll tell you who invented the toilet. A genius. A stone cold genius. A hero who thought, hey, I'm done pooping in a hole in the ground. And no, I will not do my nasty business in a chamber pot or behind a tree in the woods. From now on, I will use a porcelain throne with water in it that goes. And it makes all the potty go away. A real hero, Reggie. That's who invented the toilet. A real hero. Next reviewsy. This next reviewsy comes from username abs.itunes. the title says, hi, Reggie, you're the best. Bird emoji. Bird emoji. And the message says, just wondering, how old is Reggie? Bird emoji. Emoji. Okay, Reggie, how old are you? What?
B
You are not well.
C
Let me see your driver's license. Okay. Huh, I guess you are that old. Well, good for you. Next reviewsy. This last reviewzi comes from username wowiswow in the world. And the message says, Great show. Do more guest segments. Five galaxies. More guest segments. That's a great idea. Let's do one right now. Guest segment. The segment with the guest. A guest comes on the show and just like the title suggests, we bring
B
them out and we.
C
Reggie. What? Oh, right. We don't have a guest to do a guest segment with. Um, well, what if we interview the fish? What do you mean? What fish? The goldfish. Oh, yeah, you're right. The fish needs a name first. Then we can interview it. Well, at least we got to do the guest segment song. I think it's one of our best. Thanks for all your reviewsies everyone. Keep em coming. If you leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, I just might read it on Wee Wow on the weeknd. Make sure you give us five stars or more because Reggie, five stars is great and everything, but Wee Wow is more than great. It's the most gray, right? Greatest est. We wow is the most gray. Greatest est. Oh, and let us know if you have any ideas for what to name the fish. Okay, next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios.
D
Ahem.
C
Inside Tinkercast Studios. This is the part where we listen to an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast podcasts. And today we're listening to wow in the World, Season two, episode one called hey Onion, you're making me cry.
B
I know.
C
I hate when onions make me cry. What? Cutting onions? No, I'm talking about when I eat a fried onion ring and it's too hot and steamy and then I'm all like, my tongue is burning. And then I'm all like, why onion rings? Why you betrayed me? Anyway, let's listen. Okay, here we go. And play.
A
Wee wow will be right back. Grown Ups, this message is for you.
E
Hey grownups. Spring is right around the corner. And as schedules fill up with activities and travel, let IXL help you stay on top of your child's learning. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling. It offers interactive practice in math, language arts, science and social studies for grades Pre K through 12th. IXL offers personalized learning for every child and gives parents clear insight into their progress. At Tinkercast, making learning fun is our bread and butter. So we love that IXL has games, awards and celebrations to keep students motivated and engaged. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and WOW and the world. Listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com wow. Visit ixl.com wow. To get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
A
That's it. Now back to the show.
B
What in the world?
D
Hello?
A
Uh, Guy Raz, are you crying? Guy Raz, are you okay? Speak to me.
B
Speak to me.
C
It's so painful.
A
What in the.
C
It's so, so painful.
B
Painful?
A
Guy Raz, whatever it is, I'm here to help you get through it, little buddy. You want to talk about it?
C
It's just so painful.
A
Well, whatever it is, so, so, so painful. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll pass. And you know what? That's what you've got friends like me for. To help you through the tough times.
D
No, it'll pass, Mindy. I just need to plow through.
A
Well, maybe there's something I can do to help.
D
No, we can't both be crying.
B
What?
D
I mean, you gotta stay strong, Mindy.
A
Wrong.
B
You know, I don't know what's.
A
What's going on over there, Guy Raz, but I'm coming over. Sounds like you need a hug. Guy Raz, where are ya? I'm here. And I got fistful of hugs. Where do I start? Why are you so sad, anyway?
D
Oh, oh, I'm not sad. I'm just finishing up chopping this pile of onions here.
A
Oh, wait a minute.
D
And now, finally, the last one is done.
B
Phew.
A
You're telling me that this whole time you were crying because you were chopping onions?
D
Oh, yeah, Right, right. Well, you see, I'm making tofu hot dogs for lunch, and I thought I'd chop up some onions for toppings, but when I started chopping the onions, well, I.
A
You started to cry?
D
Well, I always cry when I chop
A
onions, and I always toot when I cut the cheese.
D
What?
B
What?
A
Look, next time, just borrow Reggie's flight goggles. That'll keep the onion fumes away from your eyes.
D
Hey, I didn't think that's a great idea, Mindy, Because I do know that if you wear goggles, like swim goggles or even a scuba mask while you chop onions, it can actually help keep the tears to a minimum.
A
And that's probably because by wearing goggles over your eyes when you chop onions, it blocks some of the natural chemicals from the onion that irritates your eyes.
D
I believe you're referring to the natural chemical known as the lacrimatory factor. Or for short, lf.
A
Yeah, yeah, Lf. That's exactly what I was thinking.
D
Lf is the chemical that makes your eyes water when you chop onions? And that was the chemical irritating my eyes that caused all those tears. And that's why you thought I was crying?
A
Yeah, but when I cut up a potato or carrots or an apple, none of those things make me cry. So why do onions?
D
Well, from what I understand, Mindy, it's the way an onion protects itself from. From its enemies.
A
Enemies?
D
Come on.
A
What kind of predator would want to hurt an itty bitty, teeny, weeny little baby onion?
D
Uh, well, for starters, us.
B
Us?
A
What are you talking about, Guy Raz? Why would we want to herd an onion?
D
What I mean is that the onion plant does everything it can to keep away any and all pests to prevent them from eating it up.
A
So the onion plant has its own defense system?
D
Yes, yes. Here, let's go to the vegetable garden to check it out.
A
Okay, but only if I can stick a straw on one of those tomatoes you've got growing back there. I like to suck out the juice.
D
No problemo. Mindy, come on, let's go.
B
Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.
D
Ah, the fresh air. Don't you just love nature, Mindy? I mean, look at. Look at all of this beautiful produce growing right here. We've got some kale and some Swiss chard and some mustard greens and some.
A
Hey, where's my donut tree? No, I planted that Cheerio around here somewhere. It was just a few months ago. It should have grown by now. Mindy, this is my donut tree.
D
You know that Cheerios don't actually grow into donut trees, don't you?
B
Well, yeah.
A
I mean, objectively, I know that, but I also know that it rains diamonds on Neptune. Honestly, Guy Raz, if it rains diamonds on Neptune, then there has to at least be a small sliver of a chance that a tiny Cheerios Seed can grow up to be a big donut.
D
Anyway, this is actually what I wanted to show you. Here. Here, look.
A
These long, thick blades of grass.
D
Not just grass, Mindy. These are onion plants.
A
Well, where's the onion?
D
Well, the. The onion is right at the bottom here. See? It's the bulb of this plant. It's the part of the onion that we eat.
A
Oh, yeah, now I see. It doesn't look too scary to me.
D
Well, it's not supposed to look scary, but it is supposed to make it hard for us to eat.
A
Yeah, but I'm not crying.
D
Well, let's take this thing into the kitchen and slice it up and see what happens.
A
Okay, but this time I'm not going to feel sorry for you if you start crying like a baby.
D
Okay? Okay, Mindy. So we have this onion, and if I take a big bite out of it, like an apple.
A
Wait, timeout, Guy Raz. Before you do that, a quick public service announcement.
C
The experiment you are about to hear was conducted by trained professionals. Do not try this at home except under the direct supervision of a grown up. Eating large quantities of onion may result in tears, Extreme onion breath, oniony fingers, more tears, runny nose, temporary loss of friends. Teeth brushing is highly recommended, as is the use of rubber gloves. Now, back to the program.
D
Okay, so can I take a bite?
A
Knock yourself out, big guy Raz.
D
Whoo. That's spicy. And, oh, no, here comes the tears. And.
A
Oh, man, those onion fumes are stinging my eyeballs out. Throw that thing into that sink of water.
B
Okay.
D
Phew. Much better. Whew.
A
Man, you just bit into that onion and it basically bit back. Those fumes really stung.
D
Yeah. In fact, Mindy, scientists Josie Silveroli and Marcin Goldczak at Case Western University in Ohio have been trying to understand exactly why onions release these invisible gases that, you know, make our eyes sting when we cut or bite into them.
A
And what did they find out?
D
Well, they found out that when the sulfenic acid precursor floating in the cytoplasm in the onion cell mixes with the eliniase, it creates the chemical we fondly know as lacrimatory factor. Or in simple language, lf.
A
Yeah, I have no idea what you just said.
D
Actually, neither do I, really. Maybe it would help if we went and saw it, you know, with our own eyes.
A
Wait, so like, actually go inside an onion?
D
Not just an onion, Mindy. An onion cell.
A
You mean those teeny, tiny little pockets that kind of look like windows?
D
Exactly. If you look at a piece of onion under a microscope, you'll see onion cells. And that's where you've got to go to see why onions make us cry.
A
Okay, but where are you gonna be?
D
Well, I'm gonna be looking through my microscope at you inside the cell, and I'll do the play by play. You know, I'll try to see if I can explain what, but are you
A
sure you don't want to join me? I mean, I can shrink you with my shrink wand.
D
I think I'll take a pass this time, Mindy. I'm still recovering from that time you shrunk me when you wanted to go visit that flea market run by real fleas.
B
Get your rugs. Rugs for sale. Rugs for sale.
A
Great place to start a flea family. Who Needs a rug, Mindy. And you. You, over there, Come over here. Oh, yeah, that's. That place was awesome. I got such a good deal from that one fleabag who sold me a VCR and his entire collection of Disney videotapes.
D
And I have to admit, the band was pretty good.
A
Omg. Do you remember that one flea on the base? Man, everyone was buzzing about that one.
D
Well, anyway, I left that flea market with a terrible case of fleas, and it took me, like, four flea baths to stop the itching. So I think I'm gonna pass on being shrunk down again.
A
Okay, suit yourself, but I'm going in. Okay, now if I could just find my shrink wand. Where is it? No, that's.
B
Oh.
A
Oh, I got it. I got it. All right, now let me turn this baby on.
B
And Mindy, over here, little buddy. Mindy, down here. Kale chomper. Oh.
C
Oh, hey.
D
You're so tiny. I never get to see what you look like all shrunken down. Oh, you're so cute.
B
All right, enough with the baby talk. I need to climb into that onion slice and get inside one of those cells.
D
All right, but don't forget your scuba gear.
B
Already got it on, Professor.
D
Okay. Okay, well, go ahead and climb inside this slice right here, Mindy, and I'll carefully place you and the onion slice on this glass slide so I can see you under my microscope.
B
Okay, I'm in.
D
Now, Mindy, tell me what it feels like where you are.
B
Whoa. It feels like I'm floating in an aquarium. Okay, great.
D
That liquid around you is called cytoplasm.
B
Oh. And over there is a bubble with something inside. Ooh. And now I see some other little bubbles with stuff inside.
D
Okay, great. Yes. So some of the things you see floating around are called the sulfenic acid precursors. And then some of those bubbles you see are filled with something else called alienates.
B
Yep, got it.
D
Perfect. So now those bubbles, they aren't touching, right?
B
No, it seems like they're just floating around in this cytoplasm.
D
Okay, great. Now, Mindy, I'm gonna cut into the cell that you are floating in, but please brace yourself, because all of that cytoplasm is gonna gush out. Okay, you ready?
B
Of course I'm not ready.
D
Okay, here goes.
A
And.
B
I'm good. I'm good. Hey, where did those bubbles go?
D
This is it, Mindy. This is where the magic happens. Look to your left. Do you see it?
B
Yeah, I think so. I think I must be witnessing.
D
Yes, you got it. The sulfenic acid Precursor and the alienase protein bubbles are mixing together and forming that oniony gas. The gas that makes our eyes tear up in water. Mindy, we've just witnessed the formation of the lacrimatory factor or lf.
B
Oh, my stinging eyes. My stinging eyes.
D
Mindy, this is magical. Magical, I say. Okay, okay, hold on, partner. Let me unshrink you. Just give me a quick sec to grab the shrink wand. It's. It's somewhere here. Oh, okay.
B
I got it.
C
Got it.
D
Are you ready, Mindy?
B
I was ready 10 minutes ago.
C
Okay.
D
Mindy, wasn't that amazing? I mean, we witnessed a true chemical reaction in nature.
A
I know. And to think of all the trouble we humans go through just to eat onions.
D
I mean, can you imagine the first humans who tried them at all? I mean, that was a pretty brave thing to do.
A
Yeah, or the first human to try a Bloomin onion. I don't even think they had spicy dipping sauce back then.
D
Hey, do you know that in Japan, scientists actually engineered a new type of onion that doesn't make you cry when you chop it up?
A
A tearless onion?
D
Yeah.
A
Whoa. That's even better than no tear shampoo. And I bet it tastes better too.
D
You would think so, right?
A
Not that I would know. I mean, a tearless onion that takes all of the pain out of the process.
D
Except one problem.
A
Problem?
D
Well, the Japanese scientists didn't just take out the tears. They also took out the flavor. Because it's possible that the same chemical that causes tears is the same chemical that gives onions its special oniony deliciousness.
A
So I guess that. Yep, our days of crying into our bloomin onion batter are far from over.
D
Speaking of which, let's slice the rest of these onions up.
B
No.
A
I can't take it anymore. I'm through with you, onions.
D
Mindy? Mindy, you okay?
B
Fine.
C
Wow, that was so cool. I like the part where Mindy shrank down and went inside of an onion cell. Yeah. What food would you go inside if you were all itty bitty small Reggie? Ooh, corn on the cob.
D
Me?
C
Oh, I would go inside butter. That way someone could put the butter on top of the corn on the cob and we can hang out together. Alright, then we'd probably get eaten right after that. Never mind. But I bet there's other small, fun stuff we could do. We should go see if Mindy will shrink us down. Oh, yeah. Let's wrap up the show first. Thanks to all you listeners out there for tuning in to 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- wow Wow. I just might answer your question on on the weekend. Okay, let's go. I wonder if Mindy can shrink us down and then put us inside toy cars so we could, like, ride around in them. Reggie, I don't have to know how to drive the toy cars. Go on that plastic track, remember? Yeah. And we could do loop de loops and cool jumps and go through the little toy car wash. And. Thanks for joining us for this edition of We Wow. Our show is written by Ruth Morrison and Jed Anderson. The role of Baby Dennis is played by Jed Anderson.
B
Well, then, who plays the role of Big Dennis?
C
Never your mind.
B
Tee hee.
C
Original sound design and production is done by Henry Moskal with contributions from Jed Anderson and Tyler Thal. Original music for wewow is composed and performed by Tyler Thole. Special thanks to Jessica Bode, Rebecca Kaban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristin Yang, Meredith Helpern, Ranzer Thuy Mac, Jody Nussbaum, Ali Paxima, Guy Raz, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Mindy Thomas, Anna Zagorski, and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ. Be sure to visit tinkercast.com where you can become an official member of the world organization of Wowzers. Learn about upcoming events, shop our wow Shop, find our best selling books and learn about all the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast. Thanks again for thinking, tinkering, experimenting and exploring with me this week. Be sure to check out episodes of wow in the world on Monday 2 what's in a wow On Fridays and We Wow on the weekend with Dennis on the weekends. And remember who Wows We Wow. Oh, Baby Dennis. We wow.
B
All right.
C
We wow.
B
Wow. Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
Podcast: Wow in the World (Tinkercast)
Episode Title: WeWow on the Weekend
Date: March 8, 2026
Hosts: Dennis, Reggie (the pigeon), Mindy Thomas, Guy Raz
This lively episode of “WeWow on the Weekend” brings together silly fun, kid-submitted questions, review readings, and an interactive “cartoon for the ear” exploration into the science of why onions make us cry. Host Dennis, with help from Reggie the pigeon, kicks things off solo before launching into a relisten of the Wow in the World classic “Hey Onion, You’re Making Me Cry” with Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz. Science meets humor as listeners find out about onion cells, chemical reactions, and even real-life tearless onions—all wrapped in the show’s trademark blend of jokes, imagination, and playful banter.
[00:00-01:50]
[01:50-04:12]
[04:12–07:41]
[07:41–23:14]
[23:14–26:16]
“A hero who thought, hey, I’m done pooping in a hole in the ground… From now on, I will use a porcelain throne with water in it that goes ‘whoosh!’”
— Dennis, explaining the invention of the toilet [05:08]
“LF is the chemical that makes your eyes water when you chop onions? And that was the chemical irritating my eyes that caused all those tears.”
— Guy Raz [12:22]
“If you wear goggles, like swim goggles or even a scuba mask while you chop onions, it can actually help keep the tears to a minimum.”
— Guy Raz [11:48]
“I also know that it rains diamonds on Neptune. Honestly, Guy Raz, if it rains diamonds on Neptune, then there has to at least be a small sliver of a chance that a tiny Cheerio seed can grow up to be a big donut.”
— Mindy Thomas [14:04]
“The sulfenic acid Precursor and the alliinase protein bubbles are mixing together and forming that oniony gas—the gas that makes our eyes tear up.”
— Guy Raz [20:48]
“Not just the tears—they also took out the flavor! Because it’s possible that the same chemical that causes tears is the same chemical that gives onions their special oniony deliciousness.”
— Guy Raz [22:28]
For more episodes, activities, and exclusive content, visit the Tinkercast website. Wowzers can join the community for extra perks, and everyone is encouraged to send in questions or ideas for future episodes!