World Series of Spitting

Summary

Wow in the World – "World Series of Spitting"

Podcast: Wow in the World
Hosts: Mindy Thomas & Guy Raz
Date: February 23, 2026
Episode theme: A hilarious, science-packed deep dive into the animal kingdom’s most amazing spitters, told through a wacky adventure at the (fictional) World Spitting Championships.

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Overview

The episode brings listeners ringside to the World Spitting Championships—a science-y, laugh-out-loud competition featuring some of the animal world’s most expert spitters! Alongside favorite characters like Mindy, Guy Raz, Dennis, and Grandma G Force, kids and grownups learn the “what,” “how,” and “why” of animal spitting. This episode blends live commentary from the event, animal facts, and playful banter, culminating in a wow-worthy celebration of curiosity and nature's surprises.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Arriving at the Championship

• Mindy is on a snack quest and disappointed there’s no caviar:
  • “Can you believe that none of these snack shacks have any caviar?” (Mindy, 03:46)
• Dennis heroically secures front-row seats:
  • “I know, and I only had to get here five hours early.” (Dennis, 05:24)

2. Meet the (Unusual) Competitors

• The spitting contest is not between humans, but remarkable animals, including:
  • The archerfish
  • A camel
  • A spitting snake
  • Gracie the gray seal
  • Grandma G Force (representing humans)
• “These spitting competitors are all animals.” (Mindy Thomas, 05:50)
• New science fact: Gray seals were only recently discovered to spit at predators (06:08; 13:27)

3. Animal Spitting Superpowers

Archerfish

• Uses spit to hunt insects up to 5 feet above water.
  • “He uses his spitting for hunting purposes.” (Guy Raz, 10:30)
  • “He’s super accurate, too.” (Guy Raz, 10:49)
• Result: Nearly perfect round with 4/5 targets hit. (11:11)

Camel

• Notorious for spitting as a defense; in this competition, spits in the announcer’s face and is immediately disqualified!
  • “You just spit in my face. Disqualified!” (Announcer, 11:32)

Spitting Snake

• Spits venom for self-defense, not hunting, reaching up to 7 feet.
  • “She uses it for self defense.” (Guy Raz, 12:16)
• Fun science tidbit: “Spitting” snakes protect themselves by aiming at attackers’ eyes.
• Result: 3/5, eliminated.

Gracie the Gray Seal

• Recently observed spitting at sea eagles to scare them from her food.
  • “She was first observed spitting in the wild back in 2022.” (Mindy, 13:27)
  • “Scientists think she was spitting at the eagle to try and scare it away from the fish.” (Mindy, 14:00)
• Achieves 4/5 and ties the archerfish.

Grandma G Force (Human)

• Needs a perfect score to win; coached by the eccentric Thomas Fingerling.
  • “Now remember what I said, GeForce: become one with the phlegm.” (Announcer, 15:56)
  • Grandma’s advice for aspiring spitters: “My shoes will not fit you. I got unusually wide feet.” (Mindy as Grandma G Force, 17:52)
• Scores a perfect 5/5; wins the championship!

4. Wrapping Up & Silly Science Takeaways

• The Announcer awards the prize: “Our world champion will leave with a lifetime supply of Francis Ohanigan’s mouthwash. Just swirl and spit!” (18:28)
• Dennis laments Gracie’s loss: “Gracie the gray seal could have really used that mouthwash. She has a raw fish diet. Think how bad her breath is.” (Dennis, 19:05)
• Conversation ends with classic curiosity:
  • “Who knew so many animals knew how to spit and for so many different reasons?” (Mindy, 19:22)
  • “We only learned about seals being able to spit a few years ago. Who knows how many other animals out there have extraordinary animal spitting abilities?” (Mindy, 19:28)
• Teaser for the next event: “I gotta stay for that world Splashing Competition.” (Mindy, 19:57)

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Notable Quotes & Fun Moments (with Timestamps)

• “These spitting competitors are all animals.” — Mindy Thomas (05:50)
• “He uses his spitting for hunting purposes.” — Guy Raz on archerfish (10:30)
• “Disqualified! Get out of here, camel.” — Announcer (11:32)
• “That kind of snake can protect itself by spitting venom almost 7 feet.” — Mindy Thomas (12:22)
• “She was first observed spitting in the wild back in 2022.” — Mindy Thomas on Gracie the gray seal (13:27)
• “Now remember what I said, GeForce: become one with the phlegm.” — Announcer (15:56)
• “My shoes will not fit you. I got unusually wide feet.” — Grandma G Force (17:52)
• “Our world champion will leave with a lifetime supply of Francis Ohanigan’s mouthwash. Just swirl and spit!” — Announcer (18:28)
• “Who knew so many animals knew how to spit and for so many different reasons?” — Mindy Thomas (19:24)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:29 – Show theme and arrival at the stadium
• 04:23 – Introduction to the World Spitting Championships
• 05:45 – Animal competitors revealed
• 07:19 – Competitor introductions begin
• 10:12 – Spitting round begins: Animals take their turns
• 13:09 – Gray Seal’s story & turn
• 15:07 – Grandma G Force prepares to compete
• 16:09 – Grandma G Force’s perfect round
• 17:38 – Winner announcement and closing words
• 19:05 – Fun final thoughts and wrap-up

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Listener "Wow in the World" Messages (20:28–23:22)

Kids share fascinating facts, including:

• Roly Polys are actually crustaceans with gills.
• Bamboo can grow 1.5 inches in an hour.
• Starfish can regrow arms.
• Bananas are berries.
• A day on Venus equals 243 Earth days.

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Tone, Style, & Approach

The episode maintains a playful, joke-filled, science-packed tone, with lively sound effects and in-character banter. Scientific facts are woven into the fun, encouraging curiosity and wonder in listeners of all ages.

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Key Takeaways

• Spitting is an unusual but important animal behavior, used for hunting and defense.
• Archerfish, camels, spitting snakes, and even gray seals have evolved expert spitting strategies.
• New discoveries in animal science are still being made, like the spitting behavior of seals.
• Curiosity drives both science and silliness—there’s always something new to be wowed by!

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A perfect episode for curious kids and their grownups: you’ll laugh, learn, and maybe think differently about animals—and their spit!

Transcript

[Meredith Halperin Ranzer]

Hey, grownups. I'm Meredith Halperin Ranzer, the chief executive Tinkerer and co founder of Tinkercast. You may have heard my name at the end of the credits. As they say, I power the wow, but I don't do it alone. I've had the absolute pleasure of steering this ship with the most talented crew of tinkers you can imagine. This team of writers, producers, musicians, educators, parents, former children not only embody the spirit of play, curiosity and innovation, but they've made it their life's work to create content that inspires play, curiosity and innovation. Right now, we need your help to keep the wind in our sails and keep us wowing. This is our final week of our fund drive, and we're so grateful for those of you that have already contributed. Truly, it means the world to us to know how much you value what we do, but we're not even close to meeting our goal. Whatever you're able to give helps. And for those of you with means to help significantly, we really need you now. When we started up Tinkercast nine years ago, many of us were parents just like you. And as parents, we wanted our kids to look up, have conversations, feel agency in their world. As media makers, we wanted to tell stories that could connect laughter to learning and kids to the real amazing wows in their world. Since then, we've built the company we've always wanted to work at with the Dream Team. We wanted to play Tinker and grow with. And grow we did. In fact, our audience, that's you, is still growing every month. We're so honored you welcome our shows into your homes, your cars, your ears, your imaginations, and your worlds. Every week we hear from you that we bring your family joy and laughter and a shared experience that brings you closer together. And we want to keep doing that for your family and for those families that are just discovering our shows now. Again, this is our last week of asking our audience directly for financial support. We still have a long way to go to meet our goal. Please visit tinkercast.com support and give what you can. You can also choose from a handful of different thank you gifts for your different levels of giving. We're talking personal shout outs from your favorite characters, special audio and video messages just for your wowzers, a chance to go behind the scenes of a show recording, and more. Once again, that's Tinkercast.com support. As chief executive Tinkerer, along with my co founders, Guy and Mindy, and our unbelievably talented team of Tinkerers, we Thank you. Now, on with the show.

[Announcer]

Proceeded. 3, 2, 1. Mission.

[Children Callers]

Get ready for an adventure of magnificent proportion.

[Dennis]

I don't know what you've been told but we're in a golden age. So many discoveries that are jumping off the page. While in the world Woe to the world Wild in the world While in the world Wild in the. How in the world, how in the world.

[Announcer]

A better way.

[Mindy Thomas]

Houston, I don't know what you've been doing in a gobany.

[Announcer]

Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The World Spinning Championships are about to begin.

[Meredith Halperin Ranzer]

Hello, ma'.

[Dennis]

Am.

[Mindy Thomas]

What can I get for you? Let's see here. I'll have the curly fries, two ham hock sliders, and a large pretzel with extra caviar.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, sorry, we're all out of caviar.

[Dennis]

Oh, man.

[Guy Raz]

Anything else?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, and an extra large chocolate milk on the rocks. You got it, Hudgy.

[Dennis]

Mindy. Guy Razi.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, where have you been? I thought you were just going to get snacks. That was an hour ago.

[Mindy Thomas]

I am getting snacks. Can you believe that none of these snack shacks have any caviar?

[Guy Raz]

Shocking.

[Mindy Thomas]

Excuse me, ma'.

[Dennis]

Am.

[Mindy Thomas]

Don't worry about it. I brought my own tart pops anyway. Um, okay. Wait. May I use your toaster in there, please?

[Meredith Halperin Ranzer]

Ooh, yeah, sorry, it's broken. I was trying to, like, toast the caviar.

[Guy Raz]

Just forget it. Mindy, let's go. Dennis is saving us. Front row seats.

[Mindy Thomas]

Front row seats.

[Dennis]

Wow.

[Mindy Thomas]

Way to go, Dennis.

[Guy Raz]

But the show's about to start.

[Mindy Thomas]

We gotta move.

[Dennis]

I'm coming.

[Mindy Thomas]

I'll follow you, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Okay.

[Announcer]

Welcome, everyone, to the World Spinning Championships, sponsored by Francis Ohanigan's Mouthwash.

[Dennis]

Come on.

[Guy Raz]

This is the door to our seats.

[Mindy Thomas]

This place is packed.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, well, it is the World Series of Spitting. Mindy, look. Dennis is down in the front there.

[Dennis]

Guy Ra. It's Mindy over here. Dennis, for safety sake, hurry or someone else is gonna. Hey. No.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, boy, he better get down.

[Mindy Thomas]

I can't believe we're here. Guy Raz. I have been trying to get tickets to the World Spitting Championships for years.

[Guy Raz]

Well, I guess it does help that Grandma GeForce is a competitor this year.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, all those years of practice are really paying off.

[Dennis]

Guy Raz. Mindy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hear, hear, hear. We see you, Dennis. Stop yelling.

[Dennis]

Hey, we're sitting together. All together.

[Guy Raz]

Hey, these are really nice. Great job, Dennis.

[Dennis]

I know, and I only had to get here five hours early. What?

[Mindy Thomas]

All right, got us a couple of programs while I was out scouting for caviar. Here, catch. And a program for you, Dennis. Thank you, Reggie. Hold out your wing. All right, now let's scope out the competition. Let's see, what do we have here? We've got a camel. Wait, what?

[Dennis]

Look, there's a snake competing, too.

[Guy Raz]

And an. Oh, archerfish guy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Raz, these spitting competitors are all animals.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, this looks like an interspecies competition.

[Mindy Thomas]

I didn't even know that other animals could spit.

[Guy Raz]

Well, it is a very rare animal behavior, but there are a handful of creatures in the wild that do do it.

[Mindy Thomas]

Even seals.

[Dennis]

What?

[Mindy Thomas]

Here, look on page nine. A gray seal.

[Dennis]

A spitting seal.

[Mindy Thomas]

A spitting seal. According to her bio here, it says that she was observed spitting at a sea eag off the coast of England.

[Dennis]

Wow.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ooh.

[Dennis]

Wow.

[Announcer]

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's World Spinning Championships, brought to you by Francis Ohanigan's Mouthwash.

[Dennis]

Let's go.

[Announcer]

Aaloofi Tonight we have five competitors from every corner of the animal kingdom competing in a sharpshooting challenge of daring expectoration.

[Dennis]

Ooh, a shooting sharpshooting challenge. Like they have to hit targets or something with their spit.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly.

[Dennis]

Cool.

[Announcer]

Now please welcome to the stage your competitors. From the brackish waters of South Asia, weighing in at one and a half pounds and measuring just under six inches long, it's the archerfish.

[Dennis]

Oh, would you like that?

[Guy Raz]

Oh, I've heard about this fish. Accurate with his spitting.

[Announcer]

Next up, from the deepest deserts of the Australian outback, this dromedary requires no commentary. Give it up for the camel. And now, slithering in at 3ft, 3 inches long, from the savannas of subtropical Africa, it's the reptile with the venomous projectile, the spinning snake. And representing Homo sapiens from all over the world, standing at 4ft 10 inches, it's the loogie legend, the little spittle. It's Grandma J Fo.

[Mindy Thomas]

You know what, Brett?

[Children Callers]

You can't touch.

[Announcer]

And her coach, Thomas Fingerling. All right, let's let this firecracker.

[Dennis]

Yeah, I know those two. They're my friends. Hey, go friends.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, Mindy, why is Thomas Fingerling there again?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, he's Grandma G force's coach. He actually used to be a pretty big deal in the spitting world back in the day.

[Guy Raz]

Really? Yeah.

[Mindy Thomas]

They used to call him the saliva survivor, but then he switched to competitive knuckle cracking.

[Announcer]

And now our final contender. From the Isle of Wight off the coast of England, weighing in at 370 pounds, she's feared by every eagle, hawk and falcon from here to Nova Scotia, it's Gracie the gray seal.

[Dennis]

Ooh, I like her. I want her to win. Go, Gracie.

[Guy Raz]

Dennis, we're here to support Grandma G Force.

[Dennis]

Yeah, but Gracie wants it more. Just listen to her.

[Announcer]

Competitors, are you ready?

[Dennis]

Press.

[Mindy Thomas]

Press now.

[Announcer]

Yes, you are G Force. We were born ready, Mr. Announcer Man. And let's get ready to spit.

[Mindy Thomas]

I'm so nervous.

[Dennis]

I'm so nervous. I'm so nervous.

[Guy Raz]

What are they doing, Mindy?

[Mindy Thomas]

Ooh, it looks like they're bringing out the spitting targets for round one.

[Announcer]

Competitors, you have five attempts to hit all five of the targets you see in front of you. May the most exceptional expectorator win.

[Dennis]

They keep saying that word, expectorator. What is that?

[Guy Raz]

Oh, it's just a fancy scientific way of saying spitting.

[Dennis]

Ah.

[Announcer]

First at the spitting line, the archerfish.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wow, the crowd really loves that archerfish.

[Guy Raz]

Well, it appears he is the favorite here, Mindy. He's probably one of the most well known animal spitters in the world.

[Mindy Thomas]

Really?

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, he uses his spitting for hunting purposes. What?

[Dennis]

How?

[Guy Raz]

Well, where he lives in the jungle, he mainly eats insects. Insects that hang off the branches above the water. So how does he get them to fall into the water where he can eat them?

[Mindy Thomas]

He spits at them.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly. And he's super accurate, too. He's able to hit bugs up to five feet above the water surface.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wait, with his is spit.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah. Check it out. He's about to go.

[Announcer]

On your mark, get set. Spit.

[Dennis]

Wow.

[Guy Raz]

Fastest spit in the west.

[Announcer]

Oh, four out of five and almost perfect score.

[Dennis]

Oh, wow. So cool.

[Announcer]

Next up to the line, it's the camel.

[Guy Raz]

I've heard about this one too, Mindy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, what do you know?

[Guy Raz]

Well, apparently she has a. A real problem with authority.

[Announcer]

Okay, now, camo. Easy now. On your mark, get set. Spit. You just spit in my face. Disqualified. You are disqualified from the tournament. Can someone give me a napkin, please? Oh, yeah, disqualified. Get out of here, camel.

[Dennis]

Yikes.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah.

[Announcer]

Okay, next up, the snake.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ooh, I like her. She's got a sassy attitude. Look at that slither.

[Dennis]

Oh, yeah, she's got moves, guy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Raz, does she also use her spitting for hunting?

[Guy Raz]

Not exactly, Mindy. According to the program here, it says she uses it for self defense.

[Mindy Thomas]

Let me see that program. Huh? So it says here that when backed into a corner, this kind of snake can protect itself by spitting its venom almost 7ft towards its attacker.

[Dennis]

Whoa. I'm gonna keep my social distance from that thing.

[Mindy Thomas]

Sounds like solid advice for anyone.

[Announcer]

Okay, snake. On your mark, get set, spin. Only three out of five. Unfortunately, Mr. Snake, that means that you are eliminated. Eliminated.

[Dennis]

Poor little venomous snakey.

[Announcer]

Next up to the line, this year's newest addition, Gracie the gray seal.

[Dennis]

Yay. So, Gracie, the gray seal's my favorite.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, we know, Dennis.

[Guy Raz]

So, Mindy, what's the story with this seal?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, according to the program here, she's actually new to the spitting world. It says here that she was first observed spitting in the wild back in 2022.

[Dennis]

Huh. Spitting in the wild, eh?

[Mindy Thomas]

Apparently she was caught on camera spitting at sea eagles. Here, look at this photo.

[Guy Raz]

That eagle does not look happ, Gracie.

[Mindy Thomas]

I mean, would you be happy if a seal just spit in your face?

[Guy Raz]

I wouldn't be happy if anyone spat in my face, Mindy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Exactly.

[Guy Raz]

So what was the reason for her spitting? Protection? Hunting?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, neither. It says here that scientists think that she was spitting at that eagle to try and scare it away from the fish.

[Guy Raz]

She was trying to protect the fish?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, not exactly. She was actually trying to eat the fish.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, I get it. Fewer eagles swooping in and eating our fish means more food for the seal.

[Announcer]

Gray seal, are you ready? On your mark, get set, sprint. And four out of five, we have a tie for first place.

[Dennis]

Way to go, Grayson. I'm your biggest fan, Dennis.

[Mindy Thomas]

Remember, we're here for Grandma G Force.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, I have to say, Mindy, for someone who's relatively new to the spitting game, this gray seal is pretty talented.

[Dennis]

Yeah.

[Mindy Thomas]

Guess there's a reason she made it all the way to the world championships.

[Announcer]

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for. The lean, mean, clean spitting machine herself. It's Grandma G Force.

[Mindy Thomas]

That's me. Go me. I'm the best.

[Announcer]

Go get em, Grandmama.

[Dennis]

Go, Grandma GeForce. Go.

[Mindy Thomas]

You got this, Grandma GeForce.

[Dennis]

Go. We love Gracie.

[Mindy Thomas]

Janice.

[Dennis]

What?

[Announcer]

As our final competitor, Grandma GeForce will need a perfect score in order to win and take home the title of world spitting champion. Now remember what I said. GeForce become one with the flam.

[Children Callers]

I am the flam.

[Announcer]

That's right, you are G force. Are you ready now?

[Mindy Thomas]

I mean, yeah.

[Announcer]

On your mark. Get set. Spit. Oh, snap. She's taken out the first four targets. Can she do it?

[Dennis]

Oh, wow.

[Announcer]

That's it, little spittle. Be the flam.

[Dennis]

Okay.

[Guy Raz]

What is she doing, Mindy?

[Dennis]

I don't know.

[Mindy Thomas]

I guess this is part of her technique or something. What in the.

[Dennis]

Wow. Guy. Raz, she did it. Amazing. Way to go, Rev. On G Force.

[Announcer]

And there it is, folks. A perfect score.

[Dennis]

That's the winner. Yes. A Bowie.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah. I win.

[Children Callers]

I'm the best.

[Announcer]

Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for this year's World Spinning Champion, Grandma G Force.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh yeah.

[Announcer]

Go me. I knew you could do it. Now GeForce, do you have any words to all the little boys and girls out there who one day want to be in your shoes?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, I do. My shoes will not fit you. I got unusually wide feet.

[Dennis]

What?

[Mindy Thomas]

You heard me.

[Announcer]

Okay, and your coach here, Thomas Fingerling. How do you feel seeing your protege follow in your footsteps? Oh, I am over the moon. I can't believe I finally won America's Funniest Home makeovers. Uh, no, Mr. Fingerling, this isn't America's Funniest Home Makeovers. It ain't? No, it's the World Spitting Championships.

[Dennis]

Oh.

[Announcer]

Well, do I still get the $10,000? No. Ah, rats. Who do I win? Oh, I'm so glad you asked. Tonight our world champion will leave with a lifetime supply of Francis Ohanigan's mouthwash. Just swirl and spit.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, boogie.

[Announcer]

Well, it's just what I always wanted. Thank you all for attending tonight's event. Um, you can all leave now.

[Dennis]

Aw, Gracie, the gray seal could have really used that mouthwash.

[Mindy Thomas]

What?

[Dennis]

She has a raw fish diet. Mindy, think how bad she her breath is. Probably.

[Announcer]

Uh huh.

[Dennis]

There she is leaving the stage. I'm gonna go get her autograph. Gracie, Gracie, wait up. I'm your biggest fan.

[Guy Raz]

Well, that certainly was an eye opening event.

[Children Callers]

Yeah.

[Mindy Thomas]

Who knew so many animals knew how

[Guy Raz]

to spit and for so many different reasons.

[Mindy Thomas]

And we only learned about seals being able to spit a few years ago. I mean, who knows how many other animals out there have extraordinary animals spitting abilities and they're just hiding them from us.

[Guy Raz]

That's true, Mindy. I guess we'll just have to come back next year.

[Mindy Thomas]

I can hardly wait.

[Announcer]

Okay folks, moving on outta here. I gotta pack up all these chairs.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, sorry, sorry.

[Announcer]

Don't worry about it, just keep moving. We got the end of species world Splashing competition here in like 20 minutes.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ooh, world Splashing Competition. I gotta stay save for that bindi. But first I gotta go find some caviar to put on this pretzel. Wow in the World. We'll be right back, grown ups. This message is for you. That's it, back to the show.

[Dennis]

Wow in the World.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hi, thanks for calling wow in the World. After the beep, get ready to record.

[Children Callers]

Hello, my name is Theo and I live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I'm nine years old and my wow in the world is that Roly Polys are Actually crustaceans and they have gills. Say hi to Reggie and Dennis.

[Dennis]

Hi.

[Children Callers]

Bye. Love your show. Hello. My name is Brennan, I am from North Carolina. My wow in the world is bamboo can grow one and a half inches in just one hour. Goodbye. Hi, my name is Lily and I'm from the port, Indiana. And my wow in the world is that starfish can regrow arms. Hi, Mindy. And guide rolls. My name is Daisy, I live in Burlington, Vermont. And my wow in the world that about 10,000 cells in your body could fit on the head of. Say hi to Dennis. Reggie Thomas Fingerling, Grandma G Force and the sleigh catch for me.

[Dennis]

Howdy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah.

[Children Callers]

Hi, my name is Cleo and I live in Dunstable, Massachusetts. And my wow in the world is that chickens eat little small vogue to help them digest food. That's my wow in the world. My name is Sophia and I live in China Spring, Texas. And my wow is that scorpions are arachnids. Hi, I'm Chichi and I'm eight years old and I live in Chicago. My wow in the world is that there's a type of snake called the pit viper. It has heat vision and it's really cool. Hi, my name is Clementine. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina and I'm six years old. My wow in the world is that bananas are actually berries. Say hi to grandma Devore.

[Dennis]

Woo.

[Children Callers]

Mama's Fingerling, Reggie. Dennis.

[Dennis]

Hi there.

[Children Callers]

And the sleigh cats. Hi, Mindy and guys. I'm Claire. And I'm Wyatt and we're from Cincinnati, Ohio. Our wow in the world is that one day on Venus is equal to 243 Earth days. They had a very, very annoying dentist for me.

[Dennis]

Ahoy there.

[Children Callers]

And grandma decoys.

[Dennis]

Boo. Yay.

[Children Callers]

Bye.

[Announcer]

End of messages.

[Guy Raz]

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

[Mindy Thomas]

Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thole with help from our supervising producer, Jed Anders. You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis, Thomas, Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters that you hear on our show. And Lizzie Froehlich can also be heard as some of the silly characters on our show.

[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.

[Guy Raz]

Find [e-mail] Special thanks to Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall Kenny Curtis, Kristin Yang, Thuy Mack, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jody Nussbaum, Ali Paxima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.

[Mindy Thomas]

And to keep the wow rolling after you finish this episode, visit [e-mail] There you can become a member of the World Organization of wowzers to get year round mailings and weekly activities. Shop our wow. Shop, get tickets for upcoming events, find our best selling books and learn about some of the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast 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

[Mindy Thomas]

if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1-888-7wow-www for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of 2 what's in a wow?

[Guy Raz]

Thanks again for listening. We're here every Monday or you can check out two what's in a wow Every Friday right here in the wow in the World podcast feed.

[Mindy Thomas]

And don't forget we WOW on the weekend with Dennis Saturday and Sunday. Keep on wowing. Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.