WeWow Summer Week - Day 2: Grow Tunes (7/8/25)

Summary

Wow in the World: WeWow Summer Week - Day 2: Grow Tunes (07/08/25) – Detailed Summary

Released on July 8, 2025

Introduction

In Day 2 of the WeWow Summer Week series, titled "Grow Tunes," hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz embark on a whimsical adventure centered around gardening, pest control, and the fascinating intersection of science and everyday life. This episode blends humor, practical science, and engaging storytelling to explore innovative solutions to common gardening problems.

Guy Raz’s Gardening Woes

The episode kicks off with Guy Raz tending to his vegetable garden. As he waters his cherry tomatoes, his friend Dennis and Reggie join in, playfully poking fun at Guy’s gardening techniques.

• Guy Raz (05:13): “I was just working in my vegetable garden.”
• Dennis (05:23): “Oh, God, no. Tomatoes aren't vegetables. They're fruits, technically.”

Despite the lighthearted banter, it becomes clear that Guy is facing a significant challenge: his vegetable garden is under attack by birds, leading to a "disaster zone" of half-eaten produce.

The Scarecrow Fiasco

In an attempt to protect his crops, Guy installs a scarecrow that resembles himself. However, the results are disappointing as the birds continue to wreak havoc.

• Mindy Thomas (12:30): “So you decided to place a life-sized replica of yourself in your vegetable garden?”
• Guy Raz (12:50): “Well, just take a look around, Mindy. This whole vegetable patch is a disaster zone.”

The ineffective scarecrow prompts Mindy to introduce a more scientifically grounded solution: googly eyes.

Mindy’s Googly Eyes Idea

Drawing inspiration from Birdlife International’s research, Mindy suggests using googly eyes as a deterrent for birds. She explains that researchers attached googly eyes to buoys to mimic predator eyes, successfully reducing bird presence around fishing nets by 20-30%.

• Mindy Thomas (15:01): “According to science, these googly eyes are the best way to keep those pesky birds away.”
• Guy Raz (19:00): “It was an unexpected turn.”

Implementing the Googly Eyes Solution

Excited by the idea, Mindy and Guy set to work modifying the scarecrow by adding oversized googly eyes to its glasses, hoping to replicate the success seen in Birdlife International’s experiments.

• Mindy Thomas (14:04): “I'm just gonna take one extra large googly eye on the right side of the glasses.”

Their experimentation involves hiding and observing the birds’ reactions to the newly adorned scarecrow. Initially skeptical, Guy remains doubtful about the effectiveness of this seemingly whimsical addition.

Real-World Research Insights

Mindy delves deeper into the scientific basis behind the googly eyes' effectiveness. She recounts the study conducted in Estonia, where researchers found that buoys adorned with googly eyes significantly deterred seabirds:

• Mindy Thomas (19:03): “They found that the buoys with the googly eyes on them reduced the number of birds in the area by 20 to 30%.”

This promising statistic underscores the potential of simple, creative solutions in addressing environmental and agricultural challenges.

Experimentation and Success

As Mindy and Guy install the googly-eyed scarecrow in Guy’s garden, they decide to observe the results. Their efforts are soon rewarded when a flock of crows appears hesitant to approach the garden.

• Guy Raz (25:21): “Wow, Mindy, did you see that? They all just…”
• Mindy Thomas (25:37): “It did.”

The successful deterrence not only saves Guy’s vegetables but also reinforces the value of applying scientific research to real-life problems.

Conclusion and Future Implications

The episode wraps up with reflections on the broader implications of using googly eyes in conservation efforts. Building on the success in Estonia, researchers plan to expand their trials to Iceland’s large lumpfish fisheries, aiming to protect both fish stocks and seabird populations.

• Mindy Thomas (24:32): “They're planning on tinkering with the design of these googly eyed buoys and then setting them up at a large lumpfish fishery.”
• Guy Raz (22:28): “Keeping all those fish and birds safe. And all it took was a pair of googly eyes.”

Notable Quotes

• Mindy Thomas (15:01): “According to science, these googly eyes are the best way to keep those pesky birds away.”
• Guy Raz (22:28): “That's pretty incredible, Mindy. Keeping all those fish and birds safe. And all it took was a pair of googly eyes.”
• Mindy Thomas (25:37): “It did.”

Key Takeaways

1. Innovative Solutions: Simple ideas, like adding googly eyes, can have significant impacts when grounded in scientific research.
2. Science in Everyday Life: The episode highlights how scientific principles can be applied to solve common problems, making science accessible and relatable.
3. Community and Collaboration: Collaboration between Mindy, Guy, and their friends showcases the importance of teamwork in overcoming challenges.

Conclusion

"WeWow Summer Week - Day 2: Grow Tunes" is a delightful blend of humor, science, and practical problem-solving. Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz effectively demonstrate how creative, research-backed solutions can address everyday issues, inspiring listeners to think outside the box and embrace the "WOW" in 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 Thomas]

Hey Grown Ups Mindy here. And before we start the show, it's prime time. Oh, sorry. I meant prime day. And you know what that means. Wow in the world toys are 20% off. That's right. From July 8th through July 11th, you can get 20% off. Select wow in the World toys like the everlasting volcano or the ultimate high flying air rocket that toots. And while they may be 20% off for prime days, our toys are 100% full of WoW. Featuring exclusive audio from me and Guy Raz. Plus collectible STEM tools to help your Wowzers keep tinkering after playing, surprise the Wowzers in your world with a wow in the World stem toy today or on their birthday. Or at the unbirth day or a sunny day or a rainy day or maybe a windy day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. They get it. Shop the wow [e-mail] toys that's tinkercast.com toys that's it. And now let's get back to the show.

[Unknown]

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[Dennis]

Hey, yeah, it's summertime no homework, no school. Yeah, it's the hottest season Me and Reggie are keeping it cool.

[Guy Raz]

But Dennis is cooler than Reggie.

[Dennis]

School's out, sun's out. Time for fun Hanging with my friends and everyone. No, I got it. I'm good, I'm good, I'm good. Two, three, four. We will summer Summer forever We will summer Shuff. Yeah, we will summer I don't know what kind of stuff, but we'll figure it out. Hello and welcome to Wee Wow. Summer Week. Summer fun forever and ever. This week, we're taking the show where we've never taken it before. Outside. Isn't this fun, Reggie? With the air and the sun and the birds and the bugs. Ew. Reggie, no. Keep the bugs away from me, please. Okay. Thank you. Now, on today's Wee Wow Summer Week, Summer fun forever and ever. We're gonna go snoop around and find someone in the neighborhood to talk about summer fun. Ready? Okay, let's go. Walk. Walk. Snooping. Snooping. Reggie, walk. Oh, would you look at that? There's Guy Raz tending his garden.

[Guy Raz]

Let's go talk to him when it's fully grown. It's a cute too. Cucumber.

[Dennis]

Hi, Guy Raz. Whatcha doin'?

[Guy Raz]

Oh, hi, Dennis. Hi, Reggie. I'm just working in my vegetable garden.

[Dennis]

Ooh, can we watch?

[Guy Raz]

Sure. I was just about to give my cherry tomatoes a drink. Here you go, my lovelies.

[Dennis]

Oh, God, no. Tomatoes aren't vegetables. They're fruits, textures. Technically, they belong in a fruit garden.

[Guy Raz]

Well, yeah, I suppose that's true.

[Dennis]

Hey, Guy Raz, can I water some of your garden?

[Guy Raz]

Uh, sure. Here.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hooray.

[Dennis]

Okay, garden. Here you go. Spray. Whoops. Sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

[Mindy Thomas]

Dennis, you watered me.

[Dennis]

It was an accident, Guy Raz. Here, take the hose back. You do it.

[Guy Raz]

Okay. I'm just gonna give my herbs a misting.

[Dennis]

Careful, Guy Raz. Not too much. I know, Dennis, but also not. Not too much, Dennis. Just the right amount of not too much. Hey, Guy Raz, what kind of fertilizer do you use? Is it compost? Is it manure? Is it dolomitic? Lime? I recommend compost.

[Guy Raz]

Dennis, stop backseat gardening.

[Dennis]

Oh, and Guy Raz, do you know you have to sing to Your plants?

[Guy Raz]

Oh, actually, I was singing to them, Dennis.

[Dennis]

Well, yeah, but not that song. Plants watch showtunes, Guy. Show tunes?

[Guy Raz]

Oh, boy.

[Dennis]

There's no business like grow. Business like. All right, business.

[Guy Raz]

This is where I draw the line. I will not be told what to sing to my plants in my own garden.

[Dennis]

It's a cucumber.

[Mindy Thomas]

It's a cucumber.

[Guy Raz]

Cucumber. Yes. Look at my cereal.

[Dennis]

Yes. My God will tell you that they love a show. You know, Guy Raz, you don't have to water your garden if it's raining.

[Guy Raz]

Thanks for the tip, Dennis.

[Dennis]

Oh, good idea, Reggie. Guy Raz, can we go inside your house and have tea?

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, I could use some tea.

[Dennis]

Hooray.

[Guy Raz]

What kind of tea do you like, Dennis?

[Dennis]

I like chocolate tea with milk and sugar.

[Guy Raz]

You mean hot chocolate?

[Dennis]

Oh, boy. Hot chocolate. Yeah, let's do that, Dennis. Okay, devoted listeners, Guy Raz and I are gonna go inside and have hot chocolate tea. But in the meantime, we want to hear your summertime wows.

[Guy Raz]

That's right.

[Dennis]

Like maybe a vacation you went on in the past or a summer experience you're having right now.

[Guy Raz]

Like standing in the summer rain.

[Dennis]

Exactly. If you have a wow. Summer memory you'd like to share with us, call us at 1-888-7-WOW. WOW. That's 1-888-7-NWOW WOW.

[Guy Raz]

You might just hear your Summer of Wow moment featured on wow in the World this summer.

[Dennis]

Oh, good idea, Reggie. Let's listen to an episode of wow in the World right now. Well, I was thinking in the spirit of gardening that we'd listen to this one. It's wow in the World, Season 7, Episode 9 called Googly Eyed Guy.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, yeah, that's an episode about me and my garden.

[Dennis]

Right you are, Guy Raz. Okay, here we go. And play.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wee Wow. We'll be right back, Grown ups. This message is for you. That's it. Now back to the show, wow in the World. Okay, Reg, let's just double check that invite that Guy Raz Raz sent us. Let's see here. What does it say? Oh, okay. Dear Mindy and Reggie, please join me for a potluck dinner at my micro house tonight. I will be preparing a kale salad with quinoa. Quinoa sounds delicious. If you could bring a dessert to the dinner, you would be my hero. Okay, fine, he didn't say that last part, but he did say to bring a dessert. And it sounds like my caviar tart pops are just about done opening the toaster. Ooh, hot, hot, hot.

[Dennis]

Hot.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hot. Okay, let me just get all my stuff together here. Adventure, tool kit, dessert, and an open mind. Okay, Reg, all ready to go. Oh. Think you can get the door, Reg? My hands are kind of full. Than. Reggie, I told you. We're going to Guy Raz's house. We're gonna knock on the front door, ring the doorbell seven times, and then let ourselves in without waiting for him to answer. What do you mean he's not in his house? Where is he? Working in his vegetable garden. Oh yeah, there he is. Hey, Guy Razzie. Over here. Huh, that's weird. Maybe he's singing to his tomato plants again and can't hear me. Guy Raz? Razzie, what are you doing out here in your veggie patch? I thought you'd be neck deep in salad prep by now. Guy Raz, are you even listening to me? Guy Raz? Hello?

[Dennis]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

Still ignoring me, huh? Well, two can play at this game, buddy. See how you like it. Come on, Guy Raz, talk to me. Talk to me. Talk to me. Talk to me. Talk to me. Talk to me.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, Mindy?

[Mindy Thomas]

No, I'm fine. Kyrazzie.

[Guy Raz]

Were you just talking to my scarecrow?

[Mindy Thomas]

Scarecrow?

[Dennis]

What?

[Mindy Thomas]

No. Maybe.

[Guy Raz]

Yes. Uh huh.

[Mindy Thomas]

It's not my fault, Guy Raz. Your scarecrow looks just like you.

[Guy Raz]

Well, I had to dress him up in my own clothes and glasses. Cause that's all I had.

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, he sure fooled me.

[Guy Raz]

Well, it's not you I'm trying to fool, Mindy. It's those pesky birds that keep eating all my vegetables.

[Mindy Thomas]

There are other birds besides Reggie?

[Guy Raz]

Well, it all started last week when I came out here to harvest my crops. Oh boy, I can't wait to harvest my crops. I'd spent months planting, watering and singing to these plants to get them ready for eating. But then, just when I came out to pick them.

[Dennis]

My plants. They've been eaten?

[Mindy Thomas]

No.

[Guy Raz]

Some birds had swooped in and eaten all of my vegetables before I had a chance to pick them.

[Mindy Thomas]

So you decided to place a life sized replica of yourself in your vegetable garden?

[Guy Raz]

Well, I know I'm not personally scary, but I thought maybe a scarecrow of me could keep those pesky birds away from my crops.

[Mindy Thomas]

And how's that working out?

[Guy Raz]

Well, just take a look around, Mindy. This whole vegetable patch is a disaster zone.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hmm. Yeah, this vegetable garden's looking like a half eaten salad.

[Guy Raz]

I just don't know what to do.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hold the phone, Guy Raz. I think I might have just the thing.

[Guy Raz]

Really?

[Mindy Thomas]

Uh huh. And I've Got it right here in my adventure tool kit. Oh, here, can you hold my tart pops?

[Guy Raz]

Okay.

[Mindy Thomas]

All right, let's see here. Nope, not that. Not that either.

[Guy Raz]

More cats.

[Mindy Thomas]

Get out of your cats.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, why did you even bring your adventure toolkit in the first place?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, you know, Guy Raz, with the kind of stuff that you eat every dinner's an adventure. Gotta be prepared. Now where did I put those eyes?

[Dennis]

Eyes?

[Mindy Thomas]

Ah, I know I have them in here somewhere. Oh, here they are. Look, they rattle just like mine.

[Guy Raz]

Wait a minute, Mindy, are those googly eyes? Uh huh.

[Mindy Thomas]

And these ones are extra googly. Just what you're gonna need if you want to keep those birds away from your salad garden.

[Guy Raz]

Really?

[Dennis]

Uh huh. How?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, I'll show you. So I'm just gonna take the Guy Razi glasses off your scarecrow. Here. Will you hold onto these please, Guy Raz?

[Guy Raz]

Yes.

[Mindy Thomas]

Now I'm just gonna place one extra large googly eye on the right side of the glasses.

[Guy Raz]

Okay.

[Mindy Thomas]

And one extra large googly eye on the left side of the glasses. Here we go. Now let's put these glasses back on the scarecrow and. Ta da.

[Guy Raz]

I'm not following you here, Mindy. All you've done is make my scarecrow look ridiculous. How is this supposed to keep my crop safe?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, first of all, I've only made your scarecrow look more ridiculous. And second of all, according to science, these googly eyes are the best way to keep those pesky birds away.

[Guy Raz]

These googly eyes?

[Dennis]

How?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, so it's not just your salad garden that has the bird problem. Guy Raz, every single year, fisheries all over the world are just pillaged by pesky seabirds.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, I've read about this. And fisheries are kind of like the farms of the ocean, right?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, exactly. So instead of raising cows or chickens, they raise different kinds of fish.

[Guy Raz]

And these fish keep getting eaten by the seabirds.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh yeah, it's of big problem. And not only that, but a lot of these seabirds also end up getting caught up in the nets that the fisher folk use to herd their fish.

[Dennis]

Huh.

[Guy Raz]

So it sounds like it's not only bad because these birds are eating all the fisher folk's fish, but it's also bad for the birds themselves.

[Mindy Thomas]

You got it. But here's the thing, Guy Raz. You can't exactly just put up a bunch of scarecrows in the middle of the ocean to keep the birds away.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, that would be pretty ridiculous, Mindy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ridiculous. How about redonculous? So here's the Thing. These researchers from a conservation group called Birdlife International, they came up with a different idea. And not just a different idea, but a better idea.

[Guy Raz]

Which was?

[Mindy Thomas]

Googly eyes.

[Guy Raz]

Sorry, Googly eyes?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yep. The idea was that these googly eyes would make the buoys look like terrifying predators and scare the birds away.

[Guy Raz]

And did it work?

[Mindy Thomas]

Did it work? Well, why don't we set up this scarecrow over here and do a little experimenting of our own?

[Guy Raz]

Well, what do you mean?

[Mindy Thomas]

I mean, let's set up this googly eyes scarecrow in your salad garden and then go hide in that bush over there and see if it works.

[Guy Raz]

What about the potluck dinner, Guy Raz?

[Mindy Thomas]

Does a potluck dinner taste as good as a science experiment? No, it doesn't. So come on. Anything for science.

[Guy Raz]

Anything for science.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yes. Okay, let's get this googly eyed Guy Raz Scarecrow stuck in the ground here. Anyone? Can you help me out here? Okay, now come on, let's go hide in that bush over there. Come on, Guy Raz, stop dragging me along.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy.

[Mindy Thomas]

And dive. Mindy. And hide.

[Dennis]

Ow.

[Mindy Thomas]

Mindy.

[Guy Raz]

Owen, this bush is.

[Dennis]

Oh, prickly.

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, stop wiggling around so much.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, fine. Well, how exactly is this supposed to work, Mindy?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, so as I was saying before, when those researchers attached the googly eyes to their buoys in the water, they were hoping that they would mimic the eyes of a predator and scare the birds away. Right.

[Guy Raz]

And I imagine if the birds see large eyes bobbing up and down in the ocean, they think it's a predator and then probably go looking for food somewhere else.

[Mindy Thomas]

Exact oritos.

[Dennis]

Ooh, ooh.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hold on. I think I see one coming.

[Dennis]

Oh, hey, Guy Raz. Whatcha up to?

[Mindy Thomas]

He thinks it's you.

[Dennis]

Are you singing to your tomato plants again?

[Guy Raz]

Seriously? That was just like, one time.

[Dennis]

Huh? Something seems different about you, Guy Raz. Did you get a new haircut or something? No, that's not it. Is it new glasses? Guy Raz, I'm talking to you. Did you get new glasses, Guy? What is wrong with you?

[Mindy Thomas]

He totally fell for it.

[Dennis]

Wait a minute. You're not breathing.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, no.

[Dennis]

You're not breathing. What?

[Mindy Thomas]

Help. Help.

[Dennis]

Medical emergency. Don't worry, Guy Raz. I'll save you by running away and finding someone who knows how to save you. Dennis. Medic. Medic. Does anyone know cpr?

[Guy Raz]

That was unexpected.

[Mindy Thomas]

At least the googly eyes seem to be effective at keeping Dennis away.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, but the real question is, did these googly eyes keep the birds away from those fishing nets?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, so the researchers from Birdlife Conservation, you know the ones that were trying to keep the sea birds from getting caught up in the fisher folks nets.

[Guy Raz]

Uh huh.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah. Well, they attached these massive googly eyes to a handful of buoys in a bay off the coast of Estonia.

[Guy Raz]

And Estonia is a country in Eastern Europe. Right next to Finland and Russia. Right?

[Mindy Thomas]

That's the one.

[Guy Raz]

And what did they find?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, they set them all up and then they basically did what we're doing right now. They, they headed back to shore and started observing what the birds did.

[Guy Raz]

Go on.

[Mindy Thomas]

And after observing these googly eyed buoys for about 250 hours, which if my.

[Guy Raz]

Math serves me right, is about ten and a half days.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah. So after about ten days of observations, they made a startling discovery.

[Guy Raz]

What was it?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, hold on guy. Raz, I think someone else is coming.

[Guy Raz]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

Shh. Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Ross staring at his vegetables again. It's Grandma G force. I said Mr. Ross staring at his vegetables. What in the. Oh, ignore in me.

[Dennis]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well I don't like being a nord. Uh oh. If you're not careful, you're gonna get one of these.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, G Force just head butted my heirloom tomato plants.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ooh, and a body slam to the Brussels sprouts.

[Dennis]

That's cold.

[Mindy Thomas]

I call that one the G Force special. Let that be a lesson to you boy. You don't ignore a three time pepper eating, wrestling. That's my Grandma G Force.

[Guy Raz]

Yikes. Remind me never to ignore grandma G Force.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ah, she's just grumpy cause she hasn't had her afternoon nap yet.

[Guy Raz]

Uh huh.

[Mindy Thomas]

Anywho, where were we? Oh yeah. So these researchers observed these googly eyed buoys for around 10 days. And then they calculated how much of an effect they were having at keeping the sea birds away from the fishing nets.

[Guy Raz]

And what did they find?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, they found that the buoys with the googly eyes on them reduced the number of birds in the area by 20 to 30%. Meaning that the googly eyed buoys were scaring the birds away, therefore protecting the fish.

[Guy Raz]

Wow, that's pretty significant, Mindy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, and not only that, but they found that when the eyes were removed from the buoys that the birds, well, they just flocked right back.

[Guy Raz]

Meaning that it wasn't just an accident and that the googly eyes really were scaring off the birds.

[Mindy Thomas]

You know it.

[Guy Raz]

That's pretty incredible, Mindy. Keeping all those fish and birds safe. And all it took was a pair of googly eyes.

[Mindy Thomas]

Who knew?

[Guy Raz]

Oh hold on, Mindy. Someone else is coming.

[Dennis]

Thomas.

[Reggie]

Oh, hey there, Mr. Rozzy. You scared me. What you doing out here? Oh, I see. Silence. Just contemplating life.

[Mindy Thomas]

Huh? Shh.

[Reggie]

Wow, you are Zen. I wish I were like you. My mind's always clickety clacking away. Yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap. And I'm always like, hey, Mind, be quiet. But it don't ever listen. Huh. I can't put my finger on what's different about you today, Guy Razzy. But I like this new you. It's peaceful. Couldn't have said it better myself. Well, that's about as much silence as I need for one day. See you later. Ha cha cham.

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, looks like Thomas Finkerling is a pretty big fan of googly eyed Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Looks like it. So what's the next step for these googly eyed buoys, Mindy?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, after the successful trial experiment in Estonia, the researchers now want to take these googly eyed sea crows International.

[Guy Raz]

As in they want to see if this experiment can be replicated elsewhere.

[Mindy Thomas]

That's right, a world tour. In fact, the next place that they'll be deploying their googly eyes is in Iceland.

[Guy Raz]

Iceland? You mean that island country way up north that's halfway between America and Europe?

[Mindy Thomas]

That's the one. Iceland is super big into fishing and so they also have a problem with seabirds and fishnets.

[Guy Raz]

And these researchers want to see if it will work on a bigger scale.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, so they're planning on tinkering with the design of these googly eyed buoys and then setting them up at a large lumpfish fishery.

[Guy Raz]

Well, it's good to know that these googly eyes are having an effect on seabirds, but I wish we could find out whether they're also going to keep those pesky birds away from my crops.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, me too.

[Guy Raz]

I mean, all we've learned so far is that these googly eyes seem to make our neighbors very emotional.

[Dennis]

Wait, Guy Raz, over there, look.

[Guy Raz]

What a flock of crows. Actually, Mindy, a group of crows is called a.

[Mindy Thomas]

Look, Guy Raz. They're perching on top of your micro house.

[Guy Raz]

And it looks like they're eyeing up my vegetables again.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wait a minute, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Wow, Mindy, did you see that? They all just.

[Dennis]

Yeah.

[Mindy Thomas]

Looks like that googly idea really did work after all.

[Guy Raz]

Wow.

[Mindy Thomas]

It did.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, thank you so much for helping me out with my pest problem.

[Dennis]

I'm coming, Guy. I'm coming. I'm gonna save you.

[Mindy Thomas]

I think you might have spoken Too soon.

[Dennis]

Guy Raz, I'm back. I couldn't find a doctor, but I did find the next best thing. Tommy, hurry up.

[Reggie]

Ah, don't boss me. Also, what are we doing here?

[Mindy Thomas]

Why are you looking at me? I don't know. Okay, I think the fun's over. Dennis, that's not Guy Raz. Ah.

[Dennis]

What was that? Is that bush talking to us?

[Mindy Thomas]

Dennis?

[Reggie]

Ooh, Better poke it with a stick to be sure it's not.

[Dennis]

Ow.

[Mindy Thomas]

Cool.

[Guy Raz]

It's not the bush, Dennis. It's us.

[Dennis]

Hi, Rajay, Mindy and another Guy Raz.

[Reggie]

Another one?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, I'm seeing double. No, there's not. There's one Guy Raz and one scarecrow. Well, I thought scarecrows were supposed to be scary.

[Dennis]

Yeah, and what are you doing in that bush? Snooping.

[Reggie]

Looks to me like they were sleuthing.

[Dennis]

Sleuthing? That's even worse.

[Guy Raz]

We weren't sleuthing, Dennis. We were observing.

[Dennis]

Oh, that's just a fancy science word for sleuthing.

[Mindy Thomas]

That's not a bad point.

[Guy Raz]

Anyway, Mindy and I were just about to head inside for some dinner, and since you're all here, would any of you like to join us?

[Dennis]

Oh, I'd love to, except I'm still full from all the tomatoes I ate earlier.

[Guy Raz]

Tomatoes? What tomatoes?

[Dennis]

You know, the tomatoes. The free ones from this free garden. They're free?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, no.

[Guy Raz]

Free garden? This is my vegetable patch.

[Mindy Thomas]

And I haven't been able to eat anything ever since I had that bushel of peppers I picked out of here.

[Guy Raz]

My peppers?

[Reggie]

Well, I ain't been eating your vegetables, Mr. Rossi.

[Guy Raz]

Well, that's a relief.

[Reggie]

But I did carve all your pumpkins into Boo Boo Beanie bumpers.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, wait a minute.

[Guy Raz]

So wait a minute. All of you have been the ones ransacking my vegetable garden?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, yeah. Looks like you were worried about the wrong kind of pest, Guy Raz.

[Dennis]

Oh, if I were a pest, I'd be called the Dennis Beetle.

[Reggie]

Ooh, I'd be a stink bug.

[Dennis]

Ew.

[Guy Raz]

Wow. In the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken, with help from me, Guy Raz.

[Mindy Thomas]

Our senior producer, Jed Anderson, brings our show to life with sound design and music editing, and is also in charge of wrangling Dennis Thomas, Fingerling Reggie, and many of the other silly characters you hear.

[Guy Raz]

Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker, and Meredith Halpern Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.

[Mindy Thomas]

Our theme song was composed and performed by three time Grammy nominees, the Pop Ups. Find them at thepopups.com Special thanks to.

[Guy Raz]

The rest of our team of tinkerers including Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger, Henry Moskal and Tyler Thole.

[Mindy Thomas]

To keep the Wows rolling, Visit [e-mail] There you can learn more about becoming an official member of the World Organization of wowzers, learn more about upcoming events, shop our shop and pick up a copy of our new number one New York Times best selling book the how and wow of the Human Body Grown Ups.

[Guy Raz]

You can follow wow in the World on Facebook, instagram and twitter wowintheworld and our email address is helloinkercast.com and if.

[Mindy Thomas]

You'Re a kid with a big WOW to share with us, call us at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of 2 what's and a wow.

[Guy Raz]

Thanks again for listening and until next time, keep on wow.

[Dennis]

Wow in the World wow in the.

[Mindy Thomas]

World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery 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 on Amazon Music.

[Mindy Thomas]

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