WeWow on the Weekend (5/17/25)

Hey, Wowzerfams! Mindy and Guy Raz here, and before we start the show, summer break is almost here! And if you're looking for an adventure that the whole family will love, we've teamed up with our friends at Atlas Obscure... Trips designed for families to explore That's right! The first Wow in the World family tour starts at the end of June and there's still a few more spots

So why not join your fellow Wowzer fans on an exploration of the ancient Mayan temples and the pyramids of Tulum in Mexico? Or if you're looking for some Wowz this winter, your family can discover the pyramids of Giza and ride camels in Egypt All of our Wow in the World family tours come with an adventure toolkit, t-shirts, a journal, and posters. And the best part, girl?

The planning is already taken care of. Ah, but I love... planning Mindy, spending hours online, searching for the best locations, the best... I know you do, Guy Raz, but a lot of busy grown-ups don't really have that kind of time these days. So our friends at Atlas Obscura have planned experiences that will wow your family each day of your trip. And we've put together some...

some audio surprises and daily missions for you too. Grownups, if you want to learn more about the Wow in the World family tours, visit Tinkercast.com slash trips. That's Tinkercast.com slash trips. That's it. Now, back to the show.

It is estimated that over four million people have been abducted by alien life forms, but only one of them asked for it. This is Elio of Earth. If any aliens are listening, come and get me. From Disney and Pixar. Yes, it's really happening. Kill. go where no one has gone before welcome to the communiverse this is the most beautiful place i've ever seen this is the bathroom Disney and Pixar's Alio. Rated PG. A rattle guidance suggested. Only in theaters June 20th. Oh wait, no, I said laughing tw-

Hello and welcome to Wee Wow on the Weekend! I'm your host, Dennis! And that's my co-host, Reggie the Giant Pigeon! Hey Reggie, look what I got at one of... machine thingies at the grocery store. Yeah! It's a bouncy ball! But not just any bouncy ball! It's a super bouncy ball! And it goes in the dark! Yeah! Check it out! I know! Isn't it cool? Look, it's just a glowy little ball and it's moving on its own. No, not really. I'm moving it around with my hand. Okay, let's bounce it for real.

One, two, three, bounce! Yay! Ah, it's a monster! I can't stop! Roger, catch it! Roger! Well, I can't- I got it. It hit me in the nose, but I got it. Could you please turn the lights back on, Reggie?

Thank you. And that's my new bouncy ball. Okay, let's get into the Q&A segment. Alright, let's just get the old answering machine pulled up here. Okay, here we go. Hi, you've reached Dennis from WeeWow on the weekend. That's me. Do you have a question? Well, I do too. Lots of them. And who's going to answer all my questions? No, probably not, but I guess I can answer yours. Leave me a message. I am Amber Leak. From New Springs, Ohio. Hi, Amberlynn! Hey! How do you say happy birthday?

And pigeon. Is it someone's birthday? And is that special someone a pigeon named Reggie? Oh, it's not your birthday? Well, whatever then. How do you say happy birthday and pigeon, Reggie? And here's how to say happy birthday in Dennis. Happy birthday to everyone whose birthday it is! Next question! Hi, Finn! How do fishes drink water?

How do fishes drink water? Good question, Finn. I mean, they probably just open their mouths and drink it in, right? Oh, that's how they breathe, huh? Okay, I forgot fishes breathe the water. Well, how do they drink, then? Do they get a glass and drink out of a glass? Do fishes have dishes? A straw, maybe? Would that work? Yeah, probably not. Oh, let's ask Goldiebob, my goldfish. Hey, Goldiebob. How do fishes drink water? Ah, well that makes sense. There you have it, Finn. Next question.

Hi, I'm Atticus from Florida. Hi Atticus. Is there a baby Reggie like baby Dennis? That is a very good question. Do you have a baby Reggie? You do? Well, let's see it. Is that an egg? Or is it your egg? Oh, no, it's just an egg you took from the fridge and you drew a little beak on it. Well, I thought it was going to be some cute old pigeon puppet, not some silly egg you took from the refrigerator. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt baby Reggie's feelings.

Apologize? To the egg? Fine. Sorry, egg. Sorry, baby Reggie egg. Okay, Atticus, to answer your question, yes, there is a baby Reggie. And it's an... Thanks for all your calls, everyone! If you've got a question for me, call and leave me a message. The number is 1-888-7-WOW-WOW. That's 1-888-7-WOW-WOW. I just might answer your question on WeWow on the weekend.

Okay, that takes care of that. Next up, there's a little segment I like to call Inside Tankercast Studios! Ahem! This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows. And today, we're listening to Wow in the World Season 3, Episode 20, called An Unfrogettable... at the museum. Right, I think this is the one where a bunch of frogs go to a museum or something. Well, I don't know why frogs See, I'm Reggie. Maybe frogs like art. Ever think about that?

I like to look at paintings by Frog Monet! Or Vincent van Crouch. Or Edward Hopper. Okay, that was the last frog artist joke. Let's play the episode! Here we go. And play.

We will all be right back! Grown-ups, this message is for you! Hey, grown-ups! It's Mindy and Guy Raz from Wow in the World, and guess what? What's the good news, Mindy? Once Upon a Beat is back with brand new episodes! Oh, I love that podcast. We here at Tinkercast have partnered with our friends at Wondery to bring your family new episodes of Once Upon a Beat. Once Upon a Beat remixes fairy tales.

fables as old as time, giving them a fresh spin with some rhythm and rhyme. This podcast is hosted by the amazing DJ Feud. and features original hip-hop songs from Grammy Award-winning artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. Once Upon a Beat is where hip-hop and fairy tales meet. And you can listen to new episodes right now. Follow Once Upon a Beat on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can listen to Once Upon a Beat early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app in Apple Podcasts. That's it. Now back to the show.

Good morning, friends! I'm so glad you could all join us for Senior Citizen Day at the Museum of WOW! Hey, Mindy. Oh, wait. We invite you here today because humans over 100 years old get in free. And this is the first day of the museum's exciting new amphibian exhibit. Amphibian is the scientific name for a group of animals that begin their lives with

gills and tails in the water, but later grow legs and lungs for a new life on land. In fact, the word amphibian means double life. Like the double life Running from a tadpole into a frog. Yes! process known as metamorphosis. Are you... Are you sleeping? What? No, I wasn't sleeping. I have allergies. Anywho, this is sure to be an unfrog-gettable day.

The museum promises some of the most wow-worthy and riveting new scientific discoveries on all sorts of cold-blooded vertebrates, like toads and newts and celibates. But today, we're going to focus on my personal favorite, frogs! Wait, I never said that frogs are my favorite. Nudes are my favorite. Now, before we begin our day, I just want to take a quick roll call to make sure we're So please wake up and just say present when I call your name. Okay.

Mindy. Help. Reggie. Thomas Fingerling. Presents. Grandma G-Force. Did somebody call me? Gee, Forrest, can't you hear nothing? Okay, okay. Before we go in, I should probably lay down some ground rules. Oh, boy! Crown pools! Woo! Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Best museum ever! High five! What are you saying? Rule number one. We are operating on a buddy system today. Everybody must stick with their partner at all times. Oh, I got... Mindy, that is a... Bald Eagle!

be your buddy, okay? Thomas Fingerling, Grandma G-Force. I'm going to pair the two of you up as well. Oh, I see. Lump all the good-looking athletes together, hey? So, what are we playing? Badminton? Oh, but Garaz, what about Reggie? Reggie's gonna be our chaperone for today. He's the most mature member of our group and...

The only one with a child care degree. So, if anyone gets lost or hurt or needs to take a bathroom break, you be sure to let Reggie know, okay? Oh, I gotta go to the bathroom. I gotta go to the bathroom. Don't do it. gotten into the museum yet! Man, I'll just pee my pants! I'm gonna pee mine even more! I'm wearing a diaper anyway, so... No one! their pants! Just... in the restroom and meet me at the ticket booth in five minutes, okay? Oh boy! Welcome to Senior Citizen Day at the Museum of WOW!

Anyone over the age of 100? It's free admission, so... Looks like today is your lucky day, sir. Oh, me? You can't hear. Yes, you, my friend. All croaks get in free today. Will you be needing any special assistance? museum floor? Oh, well, I think you must be mistaken. I am not an Croak, I'm practically a poliwog. I'm sorry. I guess it's just the suit and the elbow patches just kind of threw me off. My granddad wears the same outfit. from the juniors department. And look, this tie is a clip-off.

¡Ah! Don't tell anyone! We're back! My free toilet paper! bathroom one for you This is a senior citizen and we have another one as well. He's right. Mindy, where is Thomas Fingerling? Ah, look over there. Oh, if you say Thomas Fingerling, Bobby like it's hot. Bobby like it's a fool. Bobby like it's a kid. Thomas Fingerling. Gotta run. Okay, so that'll be two old croaks and two pollywogs.

And a pigeon. He doesn't like to talk about his age. Wait, Mindy, I just remembered. Reggie's family is one of the museum's major donors. They have an entire wing named after them. I wonder why there was a wing sticking out of the side. of the building like Like that? How you gonna fly this... Oh cool! Major donors? Major donors get in free! And so do all of you!

This is a mystery! Have fun, you guys. Okay, so where should we start first? Hmm, well, looking at the map here, I think we should make our first stop at the Hall of Mini Frogs. Mini Frogs? Ah! I told that man there was a frog since the day she was born. I've never seen a baby with such strong back legs. reading about these mini frogs. I mean, mini frogs. In fact, three new species were just discovered on the island of Madagascar. A team of evolutionary biologists were the ones to...

Isn't an evolutionary biologist scientist who studies how all different types of life on Earth evolved from one common ancestor? Exactly right! And isn't a species basically just a group of living things that have so much that they can get together and reproduce or make more of

Yes, for example, we humans belong to the Homo sapien species. Right, and so who were these evolutionary biologists who found these new frog species? Well, there was a whole team of them led by a scientist named Mark Schurz. And he's from Ludwig Maximilian's University in Munich, Germany. So what did Mark Schurz and his team of biologists want with finding a bunch of mini-frogs? I mean...

Sounds like it would be a lot easier to find big frogs, toads even. Well... And just how many are we talking here? Because I haven't even seen them yet, and already I can feel my cute aggression ca- Well, looks like we're at the Hall of Mini Frogs now. for ourselves. Here, you can borrow from my pocketbook. Thank you very much. Um, Guy Raz, I think we've been duped. What? There's a big little aquarium with some plants inside, but I'm not seeing any frogs. Froggy, froggy, froggy, froggy!

Huh, that usually works. Mindy, if we can't find these mini-frogs in a museum aquarium... Just imagine how difficult it must have been for this team of biologists to find them in the wild forests of Madagascar. Well, if they were too tiny to find easily, then how did these scientists even know that they were there? Well, that's a good question. You see, the scientists could hear the different sounds of the mini-frog, so they would try to...

calls. But I bet as soon as the frogs detected the scientists coming up on them, they'd just leap up and hop away. Yeah, it was like an interspecies game of Marco Polo. And that was just the first obstacle. You see, once they were finally able to capture some of these frogs, too tiny to even tell apart. Yeah, so exactly how tiny are we talking here?

Well, Mindy, you might want to take out your magnifying goggles for this one, because the biggest one of the species, who the scientist named Minnie Atcher? The largest minifrog can sit on a human thumbnail? Now I wish I still had human thumbnails. And if you think that's small, you need to meet mini- and Mini-Mum. Hope Phone Guy Ross, are you telling me that these scientists named these new species Mini-Achure? mini-skule and mini-mum? Well, you know, scientists are known for being kind

So if Mini Acher is small enough to fit on a thumbnail, then how small are Mini Skule and Mini Mom? Well, Mini Skule is actually a little small. Mini-atcher. So smaller than a thumbnail. Yup, and Minimum, the smallest of the new species, is as small as a staple or a grain of rice. Mini frog? Smaller than a staple? Let me put on these magnifying goggles. I gotta see these tiny cuties for myself. Even half as cute as a little baby crane of rice. I'm going to burst through this.

what in the oh no is she hey force get out of the frog tank you weirdo she's in the frog tank What is she doing in the... Wow! They're smaller than Bly's guy, Rob! And Minnie's skewle even has teeth in his upper jaw! Can you even imagine how tiny its little braces would have to be? I've just never seen frogs so teeny-weeny. I bet you could fit one of their little frog brains on top of a tiny pin. Mom! Mom! Get out of the aquarium! What do you think you're doing? I'm playing the frog!

Oh my god, I know it! Mindy, Mindy, how did I even get in there? This is a disaster! Let the road down! Stop! Forget the frogs! I'm sorry. You're coming with us. Security? What? No! That's my Grandma Chief Horse! I can't take her away! She climbed into the aquarium and let all the frogs lose by accident! Well, now we need to squeegee the frog water off of her at the security office. She'll be staying there so she can't damage any more existence.

You can pick her up on your way out. Who let the fogs out? singing that song. It's atrocious. Don't worry, Grandma G-Force. You'll be just fine. We'll pick you up at security on our way out. Excuse me, everyone. We're going to need you to move on to the next exhibit.

This one is closed. So where do we go next, Mindy? Well, let me just check the map here. Woo! Paces to the buried treasure. The what? Shiver me timbers. I'll be Captain Jack Russell Terrier, and Mindy can be Orlando Bloom. Where exactly do you think we are right now? Oh! This next exhibit is going to be so wow. The whole thing takes place in the pitch black darkness for added effect. What kind of effect? A napping effect? We did not come here to nap.

The reason it takes place in the pitch black darkness is because it's supposed to help us to see some unusual feature of the frogs featured in it. Okay, I'm intrigued. Let's go check it out. Mindy, do you have a flashlight in your adventure toolkit by any chance? Oh no, Guy Raz. A flashlight would ruin the whole experience. What we'll need is my ultraviolet UV light. Check this baby out. Whoa!

It's like a black light that makes things glow if they're white or fluorescent. Follow me, everyone! To the Atlantic Forest! Eastern Brazil! Eastern Brazil? Mindy, we just got to the museum and we promised your grandma G-Force that we'd be back to get her out of security soon. She'll be fine. G-Force went to Brazil last week.

No, no, you guys. We're not leaving the museum. We're just going to the next exhibit. It's modeled after the Atlantic Forest of Eastern Brazil. Easter in Brazil. My favorite time of year. What kind of amphibian Well, I'll describe it for you. It's smaller than a nickel, bright orange like a pumpkin, and looks like a frog. Because it's a frog. I didn't follow any of that. You need to work on... Destructional clarity mister Okay, I'm looking smaller than a nickel. Bright orange light.

pumpkin and looks like a frog that's right and according to the map found hiding anywhere in this exhibit. not in the museum anymore. Pretty lifelike. That's all part of the experience. Now let's lock our In search of this elf. Link arms? What are we playing, Red Rover? Oh, well, let me put on my Red Rover and shoes. What? Put those away. All right, give me your arms and... and frogs, oh my! Nichols and pumpkins and frogs, oh my!

Where did you come from? Welcome to Senior Day at the Museum of Wow. How many old croaks do we have here today? Well, I'm a pollywog. We're trying to find the nickel-sized pumpkin frog. Ah, yes, you're looking for the pumpkin toadlet. Well, look no further. I happen to have one right now. Oh, goodness! Tiny! Uh, no. Rats. But I can tell you all about it. We're all ears. Well, the pumpkin toadlet is not all ears. In fact, because of its underdeveloped ears...

which means it can't even hear the mating calls of its own species. Well, if it can't hear the mating calls of its own species, then Howard... Toadlet's supposed to find a mate and reproduce to make more pumpkin toast. Yeah, how are the male toadlets supposed to show off for the ladies like other frogs do if the ladies can't even hear their sweet crow? Yeah, explain that one, smarty pants. Well, according to a recent study led by scientist Sandra Goot from NYU Abu Dhabi,

The answer to that question is just under the frog's skin. Under the skin? ultraviolet flashlight you have there what oh yeah sure here thank you okay now watch what happens when I shine this ultraviolet light on the pumpkin toadlets skin They're glowing. Yeah, they seem to be glowing or fluorescing a bright blue color. Those bones are fluorescing right through its bright orange skin. Hey, shine that UV light on me. I want to see if I can get my bones to glow.

Yeah, it almost looks like a blue light is coming from the tiny bony plate in its head and the bones in the back of its legs. Like a fluorescent skeleton. So if the pumpkin toadlet can't hear its own call, much less the calls of other pumpkin toadlets, then do scientists think that maybe it uses its glowing bones to find mates instead?

You know, like, as a way of keeping its love light on? Well, that's one theory as to why these frogs might have glowing bones, but we still don't know for sure if the pumpkin toadlets can see the glow. Well, then, what's the point of having glowing bones if you can't even show them? to your froggy froggy Come here, Mr. Pumpkin Frog. I'm sorry, hold that thought. Sir, sir, do you have a frog? Oh, I can't believe you're... Tastes like pumpkin, little fella.

What are you doing? I mean, I know that some birds have... see fluorescence with eyes and they definitely don't have uv lights You gotta try everything once. That's what I always say. And I also know that birds are natural predators to frogs. So maybe... Mindy! Mindy! He ate it! What? He ate... can total it. It's in his mouth. I can see glowing through his cheeks. Don't worry, I'm gonna pay for it.

Here, let me get my wall. Sir, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, one of the reasons the pumpkin toadlet might glow is to signal to would-be predators that they are... Toxic! Toxic? Fingerling, that pumpkin toadlet is poisonous. Spit it out. This is a disaster. Spit it out. Spit it out. What's this trying to sell me? Pumpkin spice hot frogs!

I want my money back! Uh, what? You know what? We were actually just getting ready to head out. But, before we go, I just want to make sure I got this straight. Okay, so the Pumpkin Totelet is a tiny, toxic frog that cannot hear, has newly discovered glowing And though scientists have a few theories, they are still on a quest to figure out why. Uh, yes. Great. Well, thank you very much for your tour to this amazing eggs ribbit. Yeah, we're really sorry our friend here tried to eat it. Allegedly.

Now, do you think you could point us to the security slammer? I need to pick up my grandma G-Force. She's in for setting all the mini frogs free. That was you, people? Grandma G-Force! I should call security. Oh, boy. G-Force! You busted out! You bet you're sweeping too! Yeah, security? They're here in the pumpkin spy- I mean, the pumpkin toadlet exhibit. Hold on a second. Uh, yes, how can I help you there, Mr. Pigeon?

Oh, you're the chaperone for these people. Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to... Oh, you're Reginald! HA! You know, your family's contributions to the museum have single-handedly funded this new amphibian exhibit. You know what, why don't we just continue on our way? It would be an honor. tour around such a major donor.

Wow! That was so cool! Oh, those teensy-dinesy little froggies! So cute! Reggie, will you take me to see the itty-bitty froggerinis? Yay! Let's go right now! Alright, 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 WeeWOW on the weekend. Okay, should we do the goodbye song? Here we go. Ahem.

Little frogs in the frog museum. Out! Bye! Grownups, if you like WoW in the World, you can listen early and ad-free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Wondery Kids Plus. On Apple Podcasts, Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.