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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I gotta let you know that this November, with a special new episode featuring our friends at Circle Round and Terrestrials on Radiolab for Kids,
And don't miss when Elmo from Sesame Street stops by Wow in the World to make us all belly laugh on November 24th.
Oh, but that's not all, Reg.
On December 1st, we are sharing our 250th episode of Wow in the World with all of you.
We think this one is going to be music to your ears.
Literally.
Did I mention it's a musical?
And if you're a member of the World Organization of Wowzers...
Oh boy, do I have a surprise for you.
You can listen to our 250th episode early with me and other members from around the world on Saturday, November 22nd, at 7 pm.
Eastern.
That's right, we are throwing another listening party.
Join us as we dance along to our new songs.
React to the episode with other members in the chat and more.
Grownups.
If you want your wowzer to join this members-only listening party, you can sign up to become a member today at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
Already a member?
Well, you can find the link and password to join the event when you sign in at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
That's it.
It's going to be a November to remember.
But for now, let's get on with the show.
Woo!
Reggie.
Let's see what we got so far.
Read it back to me.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
What?
No!
Papaya is the third best fruit.
I told you because the little black seeds inside freak me out.
First is blueberry.
Second is pineapple.
Oh, hi, Mindy.
Hi, guys.
Dennis!
Oh, hey, Dennis.
We got your invite.
It says here you're throwing a Rankivus party.
What is Rankivus?
Oh!
I'm so glad you asked.
Rank of Us is the best day of the year.
Okay.
Firstly, because I created it.
Secondly, because it centers around my favorite activity, judgment.
Judgment?
Yeah.
I sit down with Reggie and we rank things.
Like what?
Oh, all sorts of stuff.
Other people's cooking, Reggie's bands from back in high school.
Uh, oh, once we ranked the best numbers, which, um, I guess did get a little confusing.
I see.
But this year, I invited the two of you to help us spread the rank of a spirit.
So, did you both bring sticks of judgment?
Uh, no, but I do have an idea for something we could rank.
Oh, like the biodynamic free-range menus at our local restaurants?
Uh, maybe?
Or...
Since we got really into a couple of podcasts this year, I was thinking we could write our favorite podcast episodes.
What a great idea.
You know, I can't stop listening to Who Went Wow.
Rebecca Shear is the host, and she shares these incredible stories of history's unsung heroes like Louis Latimer and Shirley Chisholm.
Oh, I love that podcast.
One of my favorites was the episode with Annie Londonderry.
And in this episode we learned about this amazing lady who defied all the odds and rode her bike around the world.
Or at least she said she did.
That was such a great one.
And I also loved the episode about Madam C.J.
Walker.
It was the story of how she built her hair care company into one of the biggest in the world.
Tell me about it.
And what about the Harry Houdini episode?
That one was pretty magical, if you ask me.
Ha ha.
I get it.
Oh, yes.
And you know Mindy, I think my other favorite podcast from this year would have to be Flip and Mosey's Guide to How to Be an Earthling.
Oh, yeah.
The one about the two aliens, Flip and Mosey, who crash land on Earth and embark on a musical adventure where they meet some of Earth's cutest and most amazing creatures.
And the songs, they're so catchy.
I can't get them out of my head.
That's because they come over to your house and sing them to you while you're sleeping.
Wait, what?
I think my favorite episode of Flip and Mosey has to be the snow monkey episode.
You can almost feel the heat from those Japanese hot springs.
And my favorite episode so far has to be the camel episode.
Flip and Mosey go to the Sahara.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
No spoilers.
I haven't heard that one yet.
Well, I have it right here on my Zoodle phone.
Should we give it a listen?
Let's do it.
And here we go!
What?
Where are you going?
Ha!
Dennis!
Oh, it's just like a thing you say.
Okay, never mind.
I got it.
Hey, Flip.
Hey, Mosey.
What you doing?
Working.
That sounds boring.
Can I help?
Sure.
I need someone to set the Pragmation Impulse Triangulator to the appropriate redundancy parameters so that I can reconfigure the dorsal cone holophonic generator to match it.
Isn't there something else I can help with?
Like what?
I don't know.
There's got to be something I can do.
I want to be part of the process.
Hmm.
Well, the proton accelerator in the ship's hard drive is decaying at an alarming rate.
We need someone... No, no, no.
None of that.
I have no idea what you just said to me.
Give me something else.
Well, I am thirsty.
You could get me a liquid beverage.
Oh, so I'm a waiter now?
No.
I was just trying to find a way you could assist me with this work.
Well, I'm tired of working.
But you haven't done any work yet, Mosey.
I am the one working.
Right.
What I mean is I'm tired of you working.
Let's go somewhere.
Let's take a trip.
Excellent idea.
We could go back down to Earth and do more research for how to be an Earthling.
I was thinking more like the beaches of Venus.
I can't wait to bask in those 8,000 degree temperatures and bury my appendages in the hot sand.
But, Mosey, you know we can't go to Venus.
Our ship has broken down and the tow truck won't be here for another 3,000 years.
We can only take the escape pod to and from Earth.
Yeah, I know.
Venus reminds me of our home planets.
Remember the giant puddles of slop that we used to take baths in?
Yes, I loved those.
And the soft drizzle of sticky pudding falling from the autumn sky.
And the beaches with all the sand and the squids and the five suns.
I love those suns.
Yeah, but the only place we can visit is Earth, and they have only one sun.
But they do have beaches.
What?
Yeah, with billions and billions of incredibly tiny rock granules that cover the ground all the way to the water's edge.
You mean sand?
Right.
There are many sunny and sandy places on Earth.
Well, let's go.
What are we waiting for?
Come on, Flip.
Let's pack up the escape pod and head to the sandiest place on the planet Earth.
We crashed down on the nearest planet and waited for a tow truck.
It would only take 3000 years.
So we thought we'd look around and learn about this planet from the creatures that we found.
And when they speak, they always sing.
So we learn from all the animals how to be an earthling.
It's Mindy and Guy Raz here from Wow in the World.
Mindy and I have some brand new Wow in the World toys out in the world just in time for the holidays.
Made for the kids who love science and for the ones who don't yet.
From our 100 experiments, that Wow kit to the telescope and astronomy kit.
Our Wow in the World toys help your Wowzer learn about their world through play.
What?
You can hear exclusive audio content from me and Guy Raz to help your wowzer discover even more wows.
Grownups.
Give the gift of wow and wonder this holiday season with our latest Wow in the World toys designed with your curious wowzer in mind.
You can shop our Wow in the World toys at Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's Tinkercast.com slash toys. is a beach, Flip.
Feel that sun.
Look at all this sand.
Woo!
It's a lot bigger than it looked from up in the sky.
How you doing with that cooler, Flip?
Fine, I guess.
It's very bulky.
And, you know, you're a lot larger than I am.
And you have a lot of arms.
That's very true.
I hear what you're saying, Flip.
I should make sure I put on extra solar protection cream.
That Do we really need to bring this cooler?
It's so heavy.
Hey, you never know what you'll need at the beach.
Besides, there's gotta be some lounge chairs around here somewhere.
Oh, maybe over that sand dune.
That's what you said at the last sand dune.
And the one before that.
What's the name of this beach again?
The map display says Sahara.
The Sahara Beach Club.
Well, I sure hope they have a snack bar.
And maybe those drinks with the little umbrellas in them.
And shouldn't there be a large body of moving liquid or something?
One of those giant fish toilets?
You mean an ocean.
Right.
That.
And who knew this one little sun could get so hot?
Man, I hope I didn't miss any of my important nooks when I put on sunblock.
Well.
I told you to wear the one-piece, Mosey.
What's the point of having an octokini if you never wear it?
I look good.
That's all I care about.
I am hot.
Look!
Is that a lounge chair?
Where?
Way over there, on the top of that sand dune.
No, Flip.
I think all of your eyes are playing tricks on you.
That's not a lounge chair.
That's a swimming pool!
Man, it's so hard to move and sand, but we made it.
Last one in is a rotten embryo.
Cannonball!
Oh, man.
What happened?
Where did it go?
There was a pool here.
I saw it.
Somebody replaced it with another pile of sand.
I think maybe you were mistaken, Mosey.
Your eye may have been playing a trick on you.
I find that highly unlikely.
Sometimes, in very hot climates, heat waves can distort images in the distance.
On this planet, they call that a mirage.
You probably only thought you saw a pool.
And you didn't think to mention this before we ran all the way over here, Captain Lounge Chair.
It's so hot.
This cooler is so heavy.
Flip, you're panting.
Sorry.
There's no ocean in sight, Anne.
There's not a spot of grassland.
This place is like a wasteland.
This climate is extreme.
There's only sand and sunbeams.
I know, Flip, it's a long trip, and our spaceship said it might be nice here.
But it's looking rough.
It's hot stuff.
There's not enough water to support any life here.
That's true. in the mood for another mirage.
No.
Look right there.
It's an earthling.
See?
Oh, I see it.
But I'm not falling for another one of those mirage things.
There's no way that's real.
What is that thing?
It's a mirage.
But, but, but, Mosey.
That cannot be real, Flip.
I mean, look at it.
It's got a long neck, big eyes, weird hair, and a giant curved hump on its back.
That is definitely a mirage.
Yikes!
It spits!
A mirage is supposed to spit.
It's not a mirage, Mosey.
It's real!
I did not spit.
Uh, well, my towel is kind of wet here.
Technically, that's vomit.
Okay, that doesn't really help.
I do that sometimes when I get startled or surprised.
We didn't mean to startle you.
We've just never seen a creature like you before.
Well, I am a camel, and I'd love to know what you two are supposed to be.
We're, um, not from around here.
Anywhere around here.
Like, at all.
Say, I love your swimsuit there.
Lovely color.
Thank you!
I picked it out.
Really brings out your eye.
I thought so too.
This is Mosey.
We're very interested in getting to know the local residents and learn about this amazing Sahara Beach Club.
Beach club?
Man, are you in the wrong zip code.
What?
There aren't any beaches here.
But there's all this sand and sun.
Sure, there's just no ocean.
It's about 3,000 miles that way.
Is that far?
Well, it would take us approximately 41 days of nonstop walking to get there.
Okay, that's far.
60 if we take the cooler.
So no fish toilet?
He means ocean.
Uh, nope.
Almost no liquid water at all, to tell the truth.
That's what makes it a desert.
Well, that's disappointing.
But you know what?
At least we're still at the beach.
Now, if you could just tell us where we could find the snack bar or a bistro or any place that serves spicy grundle wings or nachos.
Mosey, I don't think they have spicy grundle wings on Earth.
Nope.
Never heard of a grundle wing.
What about nachos?
Oh, sure.
Everybody loves nachos.
See, Flip?
I told you nachos were a universal snack.
Wow.
Yeah, but we don't have nachos here.
Wait, what?
We don't have hardly any food here or any water.
So does this mean I'm not getting a drink with an umbrella in it?
This is a desert.
The Sahara Desert.
Not much lives here, you know.
Okay, skip the umbrella.
Just a drink with some ice.
But you live here.
Yeah, I do, but I can get by without water for more than a week.
I am so disappointed.
Okay.
Come on, Flip, let's go.
Don't forget the cooler.
Wait, Mosey, where are we going?
To the space dinghy and then back to our ship.
There's no beach, no snack bar, no fun.
Earth is a complicated planet.
I don't think we'll ever belong here.
But we can still learn things.
Maybe we can find a way to belong.
Well, I like to think there's something on Earth for everyone, but this part of the planet is the desert, Miss.
It's...
Hard for anything to belong here.
Don't you?
Oh, well, I don't belong so much as get along.
Camels have adapted and changed so we can survive in this crazy climate.
Well, perhaps we could find a way to adapt also.
Come on, Mosey.
Okay, okay, I get it, Flip.
I'll carry the cooler.
Happy now?
Can we go?
But, Mosey, we have just met another animal.
Perhaps we can learn from him.
Like, what is the function of your hump?
Yeah.
Do you store water in there?
Hump?
What hump?
The thing with your back.
It's kind of... You have a protrusion that seems like a small hill.
Okay, I'm just going to be honest with you here.
There's no water in there.
That's just fat.
Fat?
Yeah.
Awkward.
Well, it's not bad.
Now there's all sorts of nutrients in there that keep me fed and hydrated for days when I can't get to food or water.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
Your strange-shaped hump is actually an advantage.
Is it weird that I kind of want one now?
Well, actually, my cousin Larissa has two humps.
She's a Bactrian camel, and she lives in Asia.
I'm just a dromedary, so I only have one hump.
Two humps.
Yeah, that's incredible.
What else?
Hey, hey, scorpions.
You believe these guys have never met a camel before?
I think I better tell them a little bit about myself.
Actually, there's quite a bit to say.
I weigh 1,000 pounds.
I love tan backgrounds.
I also love taking a nap and sitting around.
But I would lug your stuff, whether rocks or fluff, of weights of up to even over 200 pounds.
Oh, you feel that when there is a high wind and all the sand is whipping around just doing your eyes in, i'm good.
I got an extra hood over my eyes, eyelashes extra fluffy size, you see, they keep out the sand and that's the plan.
And for my nose, my nostrils, can goes all the way in, so there ain't no sand that can mess with my face.
The desert is actually a comfortable place when you're a camel.
Oh good gravy, i'm a camel, and there's more now.
If you can't already tell, i am especially adapted to these desert conditions in a land that's so arid where foraging for any food is scared.
I eat thorns, dry twigs, almost any plant.
And then I store it all up in one place.
You're looking at my hump.
Well, pay attention to my face.
I'm just kidding.
It's that hump on my back.
It's like that cooler of yours.
It's where I store my snacks.
Well, it's more like stored fat, you see.
On a long, thirsty walk, it's much better to be a camel.
It's sand-tastic.
Now I've been used in the military, used as a commissary.
Bacterial dromedary carried many dignitaries of almost every shape and size.
That's because I do good when the desert gets dry, which is all the time.
I never dehydrate.
A week without drinking I can tolerate.
And I can pee one-fifth of what is usually required.
And my poop is so dry they use it to make fires.
I don't ever sweat, and I hardly get wet.
That's because there's no water.
It's all part of the mindset of a camel.
Hot cactus, I'm a camel.
And I will be your beast of burden.
Now you might be wondering how a creature this large doesn't sink in the sand like a capsized barge.
Right on the spot where my feet meet the land, I got a big wide pack so I don't sink in the sand.
It spreads out my weight on each here foot, so I'm the creature of choice for the caravan route.
Wherever you go on this silk road, you can rest assured your heavy load is borne by a camel.
Oh, sweet sunshine.
I'm a camel.
I testify, scorpions.
That's right.
Like a hurricane.
All right.
That about sums it up.
How incredible.
You are the perfect Earthling for this miserable, harsh, and desolate part of the planet.
Thank you.
I think.
Flip and Mosey will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
That's it.
Back to Earth.
Today we met an amazing earthling called a camel on our way to the beach.
I'm glad you dropped in to visit.
Well, it's been great meeting you and all, but it's getting late and we are obviously not going to get any nachos or Grunder wings around here, so I think we should just go back.
This is nothing like the beaches on our home planet.
Now, where do we park the space dinghy?
I think we landed over there, by that ominous dark wall of clouds.
Oh, you can't go that way.
Why not?
Well, that dark wall of clouds is a sandstorm.
What's a sandstorm?
I'm guessing it's a storm that has a lot of sand.
Basically, yeah, just a lot of wind and a whole lot of flying sand.
Looks like it's coming this way, too.
Come on, come on.
I'll take you someplace safe.
Climb up on my back.
Will we squish your fat lump thing?
You can call it a hump.
And don't worry about my back.
I can carry hundreds of pounds of stuff.
Just hurry up.
What about the cooler?
We can't leave the cooler.
If you can get it up here, I can haul it.
Come on.
It's too heavy.
I can't lift it.
Tick? just dump out some of the sand.
Wait, there was sand in there?
Yeah, of course!
I've been dragging a cooler full of sand through the desert this whole time!
Well, you never know what you're gonna need at the beach Flip, and you know how I feel about my sand.
I gotta have my sand, you know that!
You know, maybe we could talk about this another time.
I think it's best if we get a move on.
Come on, Mosey!
Let's go!
Uh, we got a skedaddle.
Move over!
Stop hogging the hog!
I'm just trying to see!
Hey, Camel!
How do you know where you're going?
With all of this sand in the air, I'm having a hard time keeping any of my eyes open!
Extra eyelids and eyelashes.
I got a third eyelid and a whole other row of eyelashes.
Really comes in handy when the sand blows around.
It's safe to open any of my eyes yet?
Yeah, I think we're through the worst of it now.
We were lucky we were able to outrun that sandstorm.
Both of my butts are so swollen.
Ow!
I have sand in my octokini.
But, Mosey, it was my understanding that you loved sand.
In fact, didn't we bring a cooler full of sand to the?
Hey, why don't you two hop down and stretch all of your leg things for a bit?
We're just headed over that sand dune.
I've heard that before.
Oh, really?
Trust me.
Oh, I do.
I think you're truly an amazing Earthling.
You are large and strong and incredibly durable, and you have many unique abilities that make you special.
Yeah, you are one tricked out Earthling.
That's for sure.
Why, thank you.
And your extra eyelashes are on point.
Flip, what did I tell you about using that expression?
I apologize for my friend.
She means your extra eyelashes are on fleek.
I am so sorry.
Thanks again?
You're welcome.
Camels are definitely impressive.
It's like you were made for this place.
Me?
I just feel out of place here and everywhere on this planet.
Well, if it seems like I was made for this place, it's because I was.
Well, you know, that didn't happen overnight.
It took thousands, even millions of years for camels and other creatures like us to evolve and learn to adapt.
I mean, I'm right at home here in the Sahara, but there's plenty of spots where I would be very out of place.
For example, this camel would not fit into one of the slop baths on our home planet.
No, he wouldn't, but it'd be funny to see him try.
And his fur is very impressive, but I don't the sticky pudding rain season.
Definitely not, especially not on Butterscotch Day.
Yeah, that would hold up about as well as your octocutie did in that earthling sandstorm.
That's not funny.
I see what you're getting at, Flip.
You can thrive and be happy anywhere if you learn how to get along.
Especially if you have friends to help.
Correct.
And that's exactly why we make our travel guide.
Earthlings are amazing, but we are too.
Well, here we are.
What is this place?
Is this one of those mirage thingies?
No, I don't think it is.
This is what we call an oasis.
A little slice of heaven in the middle of the desert.
There's a watering hole and trees and green grass and... Hey, wait for me!
Well, what do you know?
This place has an oasis.
It just goes to show you can't know what a place is until you've been there a moment and you try to get to know it.
This desert is a place to fit in.
I know! adventure with an earthling called a camel.
Some earthlings living on that part of the planet have over 100 different names for the camel.
They ride them so often, it is sometimes called the ship of the desert.
It didn't feel like a ship to me.
But the camel earthling is truly special.
It has many special adaptations that have allowed it to survive and thrive for millennia at what is, without a doubt, the worst beach club in the galaxy.
The Sahara is a desert, Mosey, not a beach.
Well, they both have sand.
We learned that much.
We've also learned that it's okay to feel out of place when you go someplace new.
But if you believe in yourself, you can find your own ways to adapt and get along.
Especially if you have friends to help you out.
And carry the cooler.
What?
Nothing.
And that's all for this time.
Check in again with us soon for another opportunity to learn... How to be an Earthling!
Well, thank you, Earthlings, for joining us for this guide to how to be an Earthling.
We hope we helped you discover something new about your incredible home planet.
And if there's one thing we've discovered, it's that your planet is big.
You got land, sky, and ocean.
That is way too much for any two intergalactic travel guides to cover on our own.
So that is where you come in.
We need your help.
We can't do this on our own.
I need me time.
What Mosey is trying to say is that we need your contributions to our Earth Guide.
If you happen to notice or learn something interesting or unusual about an Earthling species on your planet, please share it with us.
You can call us on the Selly Telly Ring-a-Ding Dingy at 1-833-4-FLIPMO.
That's 1-833-4-FLIPMO.
Write that down.
Your field reports may be used on an upcoming Earthlings travel pod.
That's 1-833-4FLIPMO.
Just like our names!
Flip and Mosey's guide to How to Be an Earthling is a Tinkercast original production.
And all of the original songs you heard in this episode were written and arranged by Jason Rabinowitz and the Pop-Ups.
How to Be an Earthling is written by Kenny Curtis and Thomas Van Kalken.
Written by... What does that mean?
That means they put the words in our mouths, Mosey.
Ah!
Oh, okay.
Our masterminds of original sound design are Jason Rabinowitz, Ed Rosenberg III, Rob Hahn, with help from our senior production director, Jed Anderson.
Our show is edited by Jacob Stein with additional production assistance from Henry Moskal.
Our executive producers are Guy Raz, Mindy Thomas, and Meredith Halpern-Ranzer.
A tip of the tentacles to the rest of the Earthling team, including Jessica Bode, Natasha Crandall, Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Leifer and Joaquin Friedman.
And special thanks to the actors you heard in this episode, including... Someone named Kenny Curtis.
And our Earthling alter egos, Courtney Shaw... And David Ryan Smith.
I ate him.
And his voice comes through me.
Grown-up Earthlings, you can follow us online at EarthlingPod.
Our email address is hello at Tinkercast.com.
And finally, thanks to you for listening.
Without you and your planet, we'd probably be in some remote galaxy, screaming into the void of a black hole.
But now we're screaming in your ears.
And might I say, those are very oddly shaped appendages.
Mosey!
Until next time.
Mosey's guide to how to be an earthling was made by tinkercast and sent to you by wondry grown-ups.
If you like wow in the world, you can listen early and ad free right now on wondry plus, join wondry plus in the wondry app or on wondry kids plus.
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