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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I got to 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!
Well met.
Dost thou have thine flute?
Pickle?
Uh, what's going on here?
Are you ready to leave my motor pickle or what, Guy Raz?
Wow, you're going to have to get better at your old English if you want to enjoy the Renaissance Fair.
Renaissance Fair?
Mindy, what are you talking about?
Uh, the medieval festival where everyone pretends it's the Middle Ages and does super exciting things like eat turkey legs and shoot bows and arrows.
Richie and I sent you a message about it last week.
Huh.
Last week?
Last week, Mindy.
I don't see any message from you about a renaissance festival.
Well, of course you don't see a message on your phone, Guy Raz.
I sent it to you via Raven.
You know, like they did back in the olden days.
Right.
So, you ready to go?
Well, Mindy, I'm not even dressed properly.
Well, look at you.
You're dressed head to toe in medieval Shakespearean clothing.
And Reggie, well, I'm not exactly sure what Reggie is dressed as.
He's a medieval messenger pigeon guy, Roz.
See?
Look.
He's even got this cute little leather satchel to carry all of his scrolls that he's going to deliver later.
Well, that's just my point, Mindy.
You two look like you're ready to waltz into a 16th century European village, and I'm here just wearing my pajamas.
Yeah, you do look a little ridiculous for a renaissance fair.
I look ridiculous?
Okay, calm down.
I can fix this.
Uh, wait right here.
What in the... I'll be right back!
Where is she going, Reggie?
Is that...
Uh, Mindy?
Huh.
There we go.
Mindy, what is this?
Oh, it's your costume.
Come on, put it on so we can get going.
Where did you get it from?
I don't know.
Some guy.
Some guy?
Oh, yeah.
I just took the Wow Machine back to 16th century England and borrowed some clothes which were new then but would be really old now.
Wait.
You borrowed some clothes?
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
From someone's clothesline.
Mindy!
Don't worry, Guy Raz.
I'm going to return them after the Renaissance Festival.
Now hurry up.
Get dressed.
Ugh.
Okay, but only if you promise to return them afterwards.
I promise to return them afterwards as long as I can remember the year and yard I borrowed them from.
All right, let me just... There we go.
How do I look?
Even more ridiculous than before.
It's perfect.
Oh.
Ready to go?
As I'll ever be.
Let me just lock up here.
We chat the motor pickle.
Hurry it up, Sky Ross.
Your motor pickle awaits.
Coming.
Why is it wet?
Oh, I just had it brined.
Now, here's your watermelon helmet.
Thanks.
Holding on tight, Reg?
Good.
Because here we go.
I need everyone to keep their eyes out for the motorized vegetable parking.
Do you see it anywhere?
Mindy, did you have to drive so fast?
No, not really.
Okay, let's see here.
Parking for motorized gourds and legumes.
Close enough.
Hold on tight!
Whoa!
Peace, buddy?
Uh, barely.
How about you, Reg?
Right.
Okay, well, we can catch up later, Reg.
Where's Reggie off to?
Oh, he said he was going to go catch up with an old college friend at the falconry show.
Huh, he sure does have a lot of feathered friends, doesn't he?
Sure does.
What are we going to do first, Mindy?
Well, there are a few things on my list.
Let's see here.
Whoa, whoa.
And there we go.
Okay, let's see what I have on my list here.
Eat a giant turkey leg.
Dress up like a medieval knight.
See the court jester.
And of course, the main event, jousting.
Jousting?
You mean that medieval sport where two people riding horses try to knock each other off with a long wooden stick?
Yeah, Grandma G-Force taught me how to joust when I was just a wee little mindy.
Only we used wheelie chairs and broomsticks.
Oh, don't you think I'm gonna go easy on you now just because you're a little baby.
Oh, snap.
Uh-huh.
Anywho, this year's jousting event is going to be a little bit different.
Well, what do you mean?
Well, this year, all of the competitors are animals.
Animals?
Yeah, check it out.
It's all on this flyer.
Here.
Let me read that.
Some of the finest jousters in the animal realm.
Wow, Mindy, look at all these animals.
Canadian bighorns, Madagascan long-nosed chameleons...
Yeah, not sure how they're going to do that last one.
And giraffe weevils?
That's the one I'm the most excited for.
What in the wow is a giraffe weevil, Mindy?
So it's this type of bug that lives in New Zealand.
Huh, and why exactly is it competing in a jousting competition at a renaissance fair?
Okay, so these types of giraffe weevils... The ones from New Zealand?
Yeah, they have these incredibly long snouts, kind of like swords.
Uh-huh.
And the males of this species use them to... Joust with each other?
Bingo, Guyron!
And that's not even the wowest thing about them.
Well, what do you mean?
I'll tell you when we get inside.
Look, we're almost at the entrance.
Welcome to Eon Renaissance Fair.
Hop on, come all, and bask in the splendors of ages past.
Hello, excuse me.
Can you tell me where the jousting is?
Um, yeah, sure.
It's just down the road here at the Ye Olde Mega Arena, sponsored by the Knuckle Hut.
Thank you very much.
Not a problem.
So, what's so interesting about these giraffe weevils anyway, Mindy?
Okay, so Umat Somji, an evolutionary biologist from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, started studying these bizarre-looking bugs back in 2019.
Uh-huh.
And one of the most interesting facts he found was that the males of these species come in lots of different sizes.
Huh, what do you mean?
Well, with us humans.
For example, you might have a friend who is 5'5, And then you might also have a friend who is six foot three.
Right, because human beings come in lots of different sizes.
Yes, but with giraffe weevils some of the largest males can be 30 times larger than the smallest ones.
30 times as big?
That's wild, Mindy.
You're telling me.
It would be like having a friend who's twice the size of a giraffe.
And I'm guessing the bigger the weevil, the bigger...
Bigger at snout?
Exact Doritos, Guy Raz.
In fact, in some males, their snout can be just as long as their entire bodies.
Wow, that would be like me having a six-foot-long nose.
I know, and imagine carrying that thing around on your face all day.
Hey, look, Mindy, I think we're here.
Ye old Mega Arena.
Yeah.
I think this is the place.
Hey, check it out.
They've got posters for all of the jousters jousting today.
Oh, yeah.
Look, that one says, Today's Knights of Old.
And look, Mindy, there's the giraffe weevil.
Wow.
That is one long snout.
It looks even more interesting than i imagined.
Yeah, like someone took a stick insect and then stretched out its nose if it had a nose.
Well, this looks like it's gonna be a great show.
Uh, should we try and find some seats?
Oh, good idea.
Who's up next?
Well uh, according to this poster, it looks like it's the um ah, the canadian bighorn rams.
Yes, i love canadian bighorn rams.
Let's go.
Lords and ladies, knights and dames, kings and queens, welcome to Ye Olde Jousting Competition.
Today we are showcasing the finest jousting talent from the animal realm.
So prithee, take a pew, imbibe and drink, and revel in the merriment of yesteryear.
What'd he say?
Eh, he just wants us to sit down.
Right.
Uh, oh, just over there.
I think there's a few spare seats, Mindy.
Oh, I see them.
Great.
Follow me, Guy Raz.
Whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop.
Excuse us.
Excuse me.
Coming through.
Coming through.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Find a drink there.
Five seconds, girl.
I'm just kidding.
It's fine.
Pardon me.
Excuse me.
I'll pardon you.
And here.
Ah.
Nice seats, Guy Raz.
Yeah, we can see everything.
And now acclamation and huzzah.
I present to thee two elite knights from the realm of Alberta, Canada.
Behold, the Big Four Rams!
Whoa!
Yay!
Ready?
Joust!
Mindy, they're going to run straight into each other.
I think that's the point of this guy, Roz.
That looks like it hurt, Mindy.
Why would any animal ever want to do something like that?
Well, same reason any species does anything that bonker balls.
They do it for love.
For love?
You mean like fun?
Finding a mate?
Well, yeah, I guess, if you want to get technical about it.
Huh.
And is that also the reason why these giraffe weevils joust with their snouts?
You know it.
Male giraffe weevils will often fight each other with their long snouts to try and uh impress the females of the species.
Huh.
But that researcher that I was talking about before?
The one from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute?
Yep. there was something else he discovered about these peculiar insects that was very interesting.
Well, what was it?
Well... Prime exultation for our brave and gallant knights, the Bighorn Rams of Canada!
And now, tis the moment you've all been awaiting.
Boards and ladies, Dukes and duchesses, barons and baronesses hark, the giraffe weevil is arriving on the Stop, stop.
What?
We're not ready.
Oh, really?
Yes.
Uh, arriving as soon as we finish setting up the cameras.
I mean, the magical movement capture boxes.
Uh, truthy corrals happily and... Just give us a minute.
Oh, yeah.
So these giraffe weevils might be pretty big for bugs, but to us humans, they're still pretty small.
I mean the biggest giraffe weevils only grow to be about three and a half inches or nine centimeters long.
Right, so they're going to use the cameras to Put the jousting match up on that big jumbotron there.
Oh yeah, wow, I didn't even see that big screen, Mindy.
Yeah, I guess it's not very medieval, is it?
Well, not really.
Anyway, you were telling me that this researcher discovered something else interesting about the giraffe weevils in his study.
Oh yeah, so what this researcher found was that the weevils that were extremely large actually used up less energy for their size than the smaller weevils.
Huh.
So you mean that the larger weevils were more energy efficient?
Well, pretty much.
So, for example, if you were to take 30 small weevils and compared how much energy that they used to a single weevil, that was 30 times bigger.
The 30 smaller weevils would use up more energy than the single big weevil.
Exactoritos.
And why is that?
Well, they found that the larger weevils' snouts and legs had less muscle or the bug equivalent to the smaller weevils.
Meaning that they used up less energy.
Exactly.
Huh.
Are we ready now?
Yeah, I said we were.
Well, I'm just checking.
Because I'm not good at improvising in Middle English, Kevin.
Well, maybe you should get a new job, Travis.
Okay, just turn on the jumbotron.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Lords and ladies, counts and countesses, earls and girls, are you ready for the main event?
Everyone...
Rain your eyes upon the gigantic, magical window of embiggenment!
Look!
Look!
Up on the screen, Mindy!
There they are!
Wow!
Look at the snout on that thing!
Ruckus and roar for your knights in shining armor!
The Giraffe Rebels of New Zealand!
What in the...
Though thine eyes doth not deceive you, though they are of greatly different sizes, these are both giraffe weevils.
Wow!
One of the weevils is more than twice the size of the other!
Ooh!
Ready... and... joust!
And there they go!
The smaller of the weevil knights swiftly ducks under the large one.
Wow, Mindy, those two weevils are really going at it.
Oh, yeah, and they're not holding back.
And it looks like the smaller of the weevils is just too fast.
Can the larger weevil even move that gigantic snout?
Oh, I guess it can.
Wow.
Oh, it can.
The large giraffe weevil with the outrageous snout can, in fact, wield it!
Yes!
Yes!
Oh, and it's over!
He's done it!
The large giraffe weevil is the champion!
Wow!
Yay!
Wow, that's pretty incredible, Mindy.
And that, lords and ladies, concludes our jousting for this evening.
But don't go any hither.
Up next, the comical stylings of Reginald, the court jester!
Reggie?
Mindy, Mindy, what is going on?
Reggie's the court jester guy, Roz!
He's telling jokes!
What did he say, Mindy?
Well... to explain, Guy Raz.
I mean, it doesn't really translate.
You kind of got to speak pidgin.
Of course.
Yes, that is exactly what a medieval peasant would do.
Classic.
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grown-ups.
This message is for you, grown-ups.
It's mindy and guy ross 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 wowser learn about their world through play plus can hear exclusive audio content from me and Guy Raz to help your wowzer discover even more wows.
Grown-ups, 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 tinkercastcom slash toys.
That's tinkercastcom slash toys.
Hi, thanks for calling Wow in the World.
After the beep, get ready to record.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Molly, and I'm from Rochester, New York.
My Wow in the World is bee hummingbirds are lighter than a penny.
Say hi to Reggie for me.
And Static Man.
Hi, my name's Jocelyn, and I'm from Brentwood, Pennsylvania.
And my wow in the world is that the moon's gravity is only about one-sixth of the Earth's gravity.
Thanks.
And don't forget to say hi to Dennis.
Hi.
And Reggie, too.
And I'm a G-horse.
Oh, yeah.
And Palm Singering.
And Mindy.
And Guy Ross.
Hi, my name is Cedar.
I am eight years old and I live on the big island of Hawaii.
And my wow is that horses' ancestors had five toes.
Over time, they fused together to make the hooks.
Two residual toes remain, the chestnut and the ergot.
Say hi to everyone for me.
Bye.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is Aubrey and I am... and live in Fairport, New York.
My wow in the world is that your heart beats around 115,000 times a day.
I want to say hi to Reggie and Grandma G-Force.
Oh, isn't that nice?
Bye!
My name is Brayden.
I'm six years old.
I live in Burnaby, Canada.
And my wow in the world is is horses can sweep standing up.
Isn't it funny?
Tell Reggie to say hi for me.
Hi, my name is Kaysen and I'm from Gilbert Arizona, and my wow in the world is that there are more trees on Earth than stars in the galaxy.
Bye.
Say hi to Grandma G-Force and Reggie.
No!
My name is Oliver, and I'm from Torrance, California.
And my wow in the world is that on Mount Rushmore the first carving of Jefferson's face was blasted off and started all over again.
Bye, Mindy and Guy Ross.
What's up, Mindy and Guy Ross?
I'm Joelle.
And I'm Keisha.
And we're from Georgia.
Yeah.
Our wow in the world is that humans have blood in their bones just like animals.
Now ain't that neat?
Say hi to Dennis.
We love you, Dennis.
Bye-bye.
End of messages.
Grown-ups, if you like Wow in the World, you can listen early and ad-free right now on Wondery+.
Join Wondery+, 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.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me.
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.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Up.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to the rest of our team of tinkerers, including Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger, Henry Moskal and Tyler Thole.
To keep the wows rolling, visit us at tinkercast.com.
There you can learn more about becoming an official member of the World Organization of Wowsers.
Learn more about upcoming events.
Shop our shop and pick up a copy of our new number one New York Times bestselling book the how and wow of the human body.
Grownups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at wowintheworld.
And our email address is hello at tinkercast.com.
And if 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 Two What's and a Wow.
Thanks again for listening.
And until next time...
Keep on wowing!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
