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Hey, Wowzer fams, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I got to let you know that this November is about to get a lot more wow.
Join us each week for the rest of the month for special episodes of Wow in the World, starting this week with a brand new episode on Mars with special guest Emily the Space Gal Calendrelli.
Next week.
Grab a plate and join us for a slice of turducken, 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.
We wow on the weekend.
We wow on the weekend.
We wow on the weekend.
Because this is what we do on the weekend.
And then we, oh wait, no, I said laughing twice.
Uh, whatever.
We wow on the weekend.
Yeah!
We wow on the weekend.
Clap, clap!
We wow on the weekend.
Cause this is what we do on the weekend.
Hello and welcome to Wee Wow on the Weekend.
I'm your host, Dennis.
And this is my co-host, Reggie the Giant Pigeon.
This is the show where we chit-chat and listen to Tinkercast podcasts and sometimes have very special events.
That's right, Reggie.
I said special events because today...
Today's the day.
Talent show day.
Yay.
The talent show, Reggie.
The talent show.
Our devoted listeners have been calling in with their amazing talents for like months and months.
And now we're going to put them all together in one big show.
That's right.
The glitz of the glamour!
The dazzle of the dazzle!
The hocus of the hocus!
The talenty talentness of talent!
Woohoo!
Talents galore.
We've got so much in store.
They're dancing and singing, and juggling chainsaws, And the chainsaws are on fire and the fire's full of chainsaws.
Who let these kids have so many chainsaws?
I don't know!
Welcome, everyone, to the Wee Wow Talent Show.
Up first is a special performance from someone very close to my heart.
Me.
D-E-N-S.
Reggie, what?
I'm in the middle of my song.
Okay, fine.
Let's do the wowsers talents first.
Okay, here we go.
And talents.
Hi, Dennis.
This is Natalie.
Hi, Natalie.
I have a special talent I can do.
I can play the piano.
Ta-da!
Yay!
That was so good, Natalie!
Next up, we have Melian.
Take it away!
Hi, I'm Melian, and I live in Massachusetts.
I can play piano.
I'm going to play a classic dance.
Thank you.
Bye.
I love your show.
Next up is Vera.
Take it away, Vera.
Hi, Dennis.
So, I heard you're doing a talent show.
Yeah.
So, here's my intro for the talent show.
I can animate.
And, yeah.
I can animate and I can draw pretty well.
No way!
That's awesome!
Thank you, Vera!
Next talent.
Next up, we have an anonymous comedian.
Let's hear it, anonymous.
Hi, Dennis.
Hi.
I have a talent.
I...
I have three jokes and I'm gonna try to make you laugh.
Oh wait, not yet.
Today, a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards the local swimming pool.
I gave him a glass of water.
Second joke.
When I get to work, I first hide because a good worker is hard to find.
The last one is...
Working in a bank is a very ungrateful job.
A lady asked me to check her balance, so I pushed her over.
They fired me.
That was good.
Okay, next talent.
Hi, Dennis.
It's Ellie and Lila.
Hi, Ellie and Lila.
I'm nine years old.
I'm seven years old and we're from Racine, Wisconsin and we have a song for the talent show.
First up is me with my mango song.
Mango, mango, they're juicy and they're sweet.
Mango, mango, I love to eat.
Mango, mango, they grow on trees.
Mango, mango, they're good for me.
See ya!
Ryla is next with her armadillo song.
We like to sing.
We like to dance.
We like to jump.
We like to play.
We roll, roll, roll to the end of the pool.
That's why water armadillos are super cool.
Oh, yeah.
Bye.
Wow, thank you, Ellie and Lila.
Next talent, please.
Hi, my name is Kai, and I live in Homework Park, Chicago, and I'm five.
And so buddy, you know, when I was not around, you know, I took away and he'd say he was having a funny show with me and the funny way he was staring at me.
And that was a year later, when he was a figure, and he threw his lightsaber at me.
Okay.
I totally understood that rendition of the macaroni song.
Next talent, please.
Hi, Dennis.
My name is Abby, and this is my entrance for the talent show.
I'm going to be singing free.
Take it away, Abby!
I try to hide, but something broke.
I try to sing, couldn't if the notes was catching in my throat.
I try to smile.
I'm suffocating.
No, but here with you, I can finally breathe.
You say you're no good, but you're good for me.
I've been hoping to change.
Now I know it can change, but I won't if you're not by my side.
So why does it feel like every time I let you in, why does it feel like I can't tell you anything?
All the secrets that keep me in chains and all the damage that might make me dangerous.
You got a dark side, guess you're not the only one.
What if we both try finding what we're running from?
We can't fix it if we never face it.
What if we find a way to escape it?
We can be P-E-E-V-E.
Wow!
That was so good!
Next talent!
Hi, Mr. Dennis.
My name's Brantley, and I have the talent for the talent show.
I can say wee-wow on the weekend in dinosaur.
Ooh, let's hear it, Brantley.
Thank you, Brantley.
Next talent.
Hi there, and this is...
Rowan, I'm eight years old.
And this is me.
I'm four years old.
And this is our song, Sister Time, and we're sisters.
Drums!
I love you!
You love me like we're gonna be.
We're going up, up, up into the morning.
We love each other.
We love each other.
We love each other.
We love each other.
Oh, Mr. Tyson.
We love each other.
We love each other.
Oh, that's so cute.
Okay, next talent.
Next talent, please.
What happened?
Next talent, Reggie.
Oh, we ran out of time?
Well, can we do the rest tomorrow?
Yay!
The number is 1-888-7-WOW-WOW.
That's 1-888-7-WOW-WOW.
I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the weekend.
Okay, that takes care of that.
Let's move on to a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios.
Ahem.
Inside Tinkercast Studios!
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 9, called So Cute I Can't Even.
I love cute stuff!
Yeah, like miniature versions of regular-sized desserts.
Or babies dressed like grown-ups.
Or me when I look in the mirror and think, ooh, who's that cutie patoot?
Reggie, it's me.
I'm the cutie patoot.
Now let's listen to this cute episode.
Okay, here we go.
And play.
WeeWow will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
Hey, grownups.
Mindy here from Wow in the World, the number one podcast for curious kids and their grownups.
That's you.
And we are so excited to bring the wows of the world to your home with our brand new Wow in the World stem toys from Wondery Kids and Thames and Cosmos.
Channel your inner astronomer with our wow in the world telescope kit or zoom in on the tiny wows of nature with our wow in the world microscope and biology kit.
You can even tinker like real scientists with our 100 experiments that wow kit and with Every Wow in the World STEM toy.
You unlock access to exclusive audio content from me and my buddy Guy Raz.
There are so many ways to wow, so whether you're shopping for a kid who loves science or one who doesn't, just yet our Wow in the World STEM toys are the perfect gift for your curious kids.
Grownups, visit Tinkercast.com slash toys to shop the wow now.
That's it.
Now back to the show.
Wow in the world.
Oh, it's 4 o'clock.
Time for me to sit back, relax, throw up my feet, and watch the Bruni Soto Show.
We are back.
Today on the Brutie Soto Show, we're talking with victims of cuteness people and animals who are too cute for their own safety.
First up, we'd like to welcome seven-year-old Graham, who says he's so cute he can hardly walk down the street without a grandma threatening to eat him.
Please give it up for Graham.
Now, Graham, can you tell us what it's like to go through life in fear of your own cuteness?
Well, it started out when I was a baby.
My mom would invite friends over, and then they'd say, Oh, he's so cute.
I just want to pinch his cheeks.
And then they actually did.
When I was seven months old, I had to learn how to run so I could get away from them.
Stop it!
All right, all right, okay.
Settle down, Audie.
Shh.
Now, Graham.
Is it true that just last week you were so cute that a grandma tried to eat you?
Yes, it's true.
Maybe it's my rosy cheeks.
Maybe it's my freckles.
Maybe it's my teeny nose.
I don't know what it is.
But whenever Grandpa and Grandpa come over, they just say, I just want to eat you up.
Graham, did that really happen?
Yeah, this one grandma started chasing me, screaming, you look like a porcelain doll.
Oh, no.
Graham, have you ever actually been eaten by a grandma?
No, I keep my teddy bear with me for protection.
And the cutometer just broke, ladies and gentlemen.
Graham, I'm sorry to tell you that you are cute enough to eat.
Coming up.
Next we'll hear from a baby hedgehog, who is so cute that it makes people want to poke their own eyes out.
But first, these messages.
Oh, hey, Mindy.
What are you watching in here?
Just my favorite daytime talk show, the Bruni Soto Show.
The what?
Today, she's featuring people and animals who are too cute for their own safety.
Uh, I'm not sure that's a thing.
Oh, sure it is.
Haven't you ever seen something so cute you just wanted to barf all over it?
Uh, no, I can't say that I have.
Well, what about that one time that Reggie got a hold of the shrink wand and accidentally shrunk himself down to a tiny, thumb-sized piece?
Oh, yeah, that was pretty cute.
Pretty cute?
You got so overwhelmed by his cuteness that you threatened to turn him into a keychain, Guy Raz.
Well, I... Hey, Jed, can you cue the flashback?
Sure.
Reggie, no!
That's my shrink wand!
Reggie, stop!
My wow.
He's so adorable.
Reggie, you're so cute.
I could just squeeze the guts out of you and then turn you into a keychain.
Chain.
Chain.
Well, I guess I did get a little overwhelmed by the pocket-sized Reggie, but it's not like I was actually going to squeeze his guts out and turn him into a keychain Mindy.
I would never do anything to hurt him.
Of course you wouldn't, Guy Raz.
I know that.
You know that.
Reggie knows that.
But what you may not know is that in that moment, you were experiencing what scientists refer to as cute aggression.
Cute aggression?
Mindy, I'm not an aggressive person.
Guy Raz.
Cute aggression is what this behavioral scientist named Catherine Stravopoulos from the University of California Riverside describes as the desire to squeeze, crush or bite cute things, but without ever meaning to hurt or harm.
Huh?
So you're saying that there's actually a scientific explanation for this?
You know it.
Oh, they're back from a commercial break.
Wait, you were just about to give a scientific explanation.
And we are back.
Joining us on the Bruni Soto Show.
We invite a baby hedgehog to share his story and his struggles with extreme cuteness.
Helping to translate is his animal language interpreter.
One day I was on display at an elementary school.
It was a Meet the Animals exhibit.
A child came up to my habitat and shrieked, and I quote this hedgehog is so cute, I'm going to poke my own eyes out.
And did this child, in fact, poke his own eyes out?
No, but it was a super duper weird thing to say.
And it's always happening.
Like, look at its little paws.
I just want to eat them right up.
Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom.
Or, OMG, it just yawned.
I think I'm going to die.
Frankly, it's disturbing and a burden.
But a burden I must bear.
Speaking of bears coming up next a teddy bear so cute you'll want to kick down the door and run away screaming.
I do that every day.
So, Mindy, you were just saying that there's actually a scientific explanation for cute aggression?
Oh, yeah.
So, like I said, this was all part of a research study done by this behavioral scientist from the University of California Riverside named Catherine Stravopoulos.
And Professor Stravopoulos wanted to figure out what in the world is happening inside our brains when we experience something so cute.
We can't even
Can't even what?
Uh, that's it.
You just can't even.
Oh.
You got it?
It's like, oh, it's so cute.
I can't even.
Yeah.
So does she have an idea of what might be happening inside the brain when we think something is so cute we want to pinch it or squeeze it, or even eat it?
Well, she doesn't. did have a little hunch, or hypothesis, rather.
And just to be clear a hypothesis is an educated idea or explanation that can be tested through study and experimentation.
Right.
So her hypothesis was that maybe it could have something to do with the part of our brain that's in charge of rewards.
Meaning like the part that gets activated when we experience pleasure or the feeling of wanting something.
Exact Doritos.
So what did Professor Stravopoulos do to find out if this hypothesis was correct?
Well, she decided to conduct an experiment.
An experiment?
Like an investigation.
Yep.
And so the first thing she did was gather 54 willing human participants and shoved them all into one tiny laboratory.
I'm sorry.
Shoved them into a tiny laboratory?
Okay, that part I made up.
They probably just invited them to like a medium-sized lab or something.
And as far as these human participants go, are we talking older humans, younger humans males, females.
We're talking a trail mix of grownups between the ages of 18 and 40 years old.
20 of them were men and 34 of them were women.
So total mixed bag.
Human trail mix.
Huh.
Yeah, remind me to patent that idea.
And so what did she do with all these people?
Well, she had them all put on these strange little swim cap looking things called electro caps.
And then she hooked these caps up to her computer to measure the electrical signals, or zaps, between their neurons.
And by neurons you mean the teeny, tiny cells in our brains that send and receive and hold information.
You can say that again.
And by neurons, you mean the teeny tiny cells in our...
Ahem.
Sorry.
Neurons are super important when it comes to helping the brain do its job, which is basically to control everything we say and do to stay alive.
Got it.
And then she did something pretty unusual.
What did she do?
So after getting them all hooked up to their special brain signal measuring equipment, she started to Oh back on.
I'll tell you during the next commercial break.
What?
What?
Our next guest is a yoga instructor who came across a stuffed teddy bear so cute that after one look he kicked down the door of his yoga studio and ran away screaming.
Please welcome.
Now Bradley, tell us what happened when you first laid eyes on this stuff-a-bear teddy.
Well, it was Valentine's Day and someone had sent a valentine to one of our other instructors a bouquet of red roses and a teddy.
A teddy so small that it fit inside of a novelty coffee cup.
It had an itsy-bitsy nose the size of a lentil and watery anime eyes that looked right into my soul.
Oh, I'm sorry.
It's okay, Bradley.
It had a tiny t-shirt.
It said I hurt you very much.
You're safe now.
Tell us what happened next.
I just couldn't handle it.
I fell out of my inverted eagle pose, busted through the door of the studio and ran.
I ran and I screamed.
I didn't come back for three months.
Well, Bradley, we have a surprise for you.
For me?
Come on out, Teddy!
Ah!
I can't even!
I can't even!
Oh, look at it!
Ah!
Coming up next, a voice so cute that we have to disguise it.
But first, a quick break.
Personally, I did not find that teddy bear all that cute.
Huh.
What?
It's not that cute.
Now a duckling and a baby fox who are best friends?
Now that is cute.
Huh.
Wait, what are we talking about?
Where am I?
You were just starting to tell me what Professor Stravopoulos did after hooking everyone up to those electrocaps to measure the electric signals in their brains.
Yes, yes, yes.
Okay.
So after getting them all hooked up to their special brain signal measuring equipment, she started to show them photos.
Photos of what?
Photos of cute things.
You know, like baby animals and less cute adult versions of these animals.
She also showed them photos of cute babies, and then photos of cute babies that had been changed to make the babies look even cuter than cute.
And then what?
Well, she asked the people a bunch of questions like are you overwhelmed by how cute this baby animal is?
Are you dying to take care of this cute little baby?
Does this picture make you want to barf from all the cuteness?
She asked that?
Well, maybe not in those words exactly, but she wanted to get an idea of the level of cute aggression that the person felt when they looked at the pictures.
And what did she discover?
Oh, hang on a sec.
The show's back from its commercial break.
Me!
Welcome back to the Bruni Soto Show.
Our final guest has a voice so cute that we've had to disguise it to protect them from the danger of being so cute.
Please give it up for Peanut!
That is a pretty cute name.
I know, right?
Kind of makes me want to pie you in the face, Guy Raz.
Now Peanut, tell us what it's like to live with the world's cutest voice coming out of your cute little mouth.
One time I was performing the Star Spangled Banner at a football game and someone from the crowd shouted I just want to squeeze the guts out of that cute little verse and toss it over the 50-yard line.
People think it's easy having the words cute as flowers, but really some days I wish I sounded like a gargoyle.
Oh, sweet and petite baby peanut, we sympathize, we do.
But I think I speak for everyone in this studio audience when I say we just want to hear your real voice.
Right, audience?
Are you sure?
That's pretty cute.
Producers, go ahead and remove the voice changer.
Gina, we'd like you to sing the Star Spangled Banner for us.
Okay, here goes.
I'll sing, can you? time we have for today's program.
Tomorrow on the Bruni Soto Show, we'll meet a dog who is a professional human catcher.
Wow, I did not see that coming.
Okay, back to what Professor Stravopolis discovered after showing the people these pictures of cute babies and animals.
Oh, right.
So turns out that when she looked at the results of the electro swim cap situation, she discovered that her original hunch or hypothesis was right on.
Wow.
When she looked at the results of this experiment, she noticed that whenever the people showed signs of being overwhelmed with cute aggression, the parts of their brains that had to do with the reward system lit up like a disco ball.
That's incredible.
But that's not all.
There's more?
Guy Raz.
Not only did the reward part of their brains light up, But so did the part that deals with the emotion system in the brain.
So the part of our brain that deals with our emotions.
You got it.
But why?
Why?
Yeah, why is it that when we see something cute, we have the sudden urge to pinch it or squeeze it or pet it or scream or bust through a door?
Well, Guy Raz, Professor Stravopoulos still doesn't quite know for sure.
But she suspects that maybe over time, cuteness aggression in humans is something that's evolved in us as a way to help keep us from completely falling apart whenever we're overcome with something that's too cute to handle.
Huh.
So it's almost like the negative emotions, like wanting to smush something that's really cute kind of helps to balance out the positive feelings before they get out of control and you can't move.
It's almost like trying to balance a scale in your head.
Exactly.
So here's basically how it works.
Okay.
First, you see an overwhelmingly cute baby.
And then the reward system in our brain goes berserk and you feel like you can't handle its cuteness.
And at that point your aggressive emotions kick in and balance you out, before you completely go off the rails and that scale in your head topples over to one side.
And I suppose that by balancing the reward part of your brain with the emotion part of your brain, you find your brain in better condition to care for that baby.
Exact Doritos, Guy Raz.
Pretty wow, huh?
Yeah.
You know, Mindy, this reminds me of something.
There have been lots of studies over the past 75 or so years where scientists set out to find out once and for all what makes something or someone cute.
Like a checklist to see if something is cute or not?
Well, yeah, sort of.
In fact, one Austrian biologist named Konrad Lorenz.
He came up with something called kinder schema, which is just a fancy word to describe the features or the details that we humans find adorable and cute.
Oh, yeah?
So what were they?
Well, for starters, a large round head, especially compared to the size of the body.
Hey, my head's about the same size as a basketball.
Number two would be a large forehead.
Uh, check.
Sometimes, Guy Raz, when I'm pinched for cash, I use my forehead as a billboard and sell ad space.
Do what?
Next on the list.
Uh, well, the next thing would be really big eyes and kind of set low on the face.
Wait.
My eyes are big, and they always look like they're sliding down my face.
OK.
Well, the next one would be these rounded, big cheeks.
A butt or face?
Face, Mindy.
Check.
And then a round body shape.
I do tend to roll whenever I fall down the stairs.
And finally, a really soft and kind of elastic body.
I don't know what that means, but I can do this.
Okay, Mindy, stop.
Are you feeling it, Guy Raz?
Feeling what?
The cuteness aggression takeover.
Guy Raz, I checked off every box on the old cute list.
Oh.
Are you feeling like you just can't handle it?
Uh... Do I make you want to growl and barf from all the cuteness?
No.
Well, that's cool.
Catherine Stravopoulos also discovered that not everyone experiences cute aggression.
It's perfectly normal to not want to freak out and punch something when you're overcome by its cuteness.
Mindy, I think this list applies more to human babies and young animals than it does to grown humans like you or me.
Wait.
What?
I just hatched an idea.
Oh, no.
We're going to try a cute little scientific experiment of our own, Guy Raz.
I'm listening.
Now close your eyes and don't go anywhere.
I got to go grab something.
Be right back.
Run, run, run.
In the... Put this on.
A panda suit?
No, not the whole suit, just the body.
Anything for science.
Now stay still so I can attach this fuzzy bunny tail.
Ouch.
And these puppy paws.
Why are they so sweaty inside, Mindy?
And this kitten head.
Ugh.
Well, don't forget the whiskers.
And last but not least, the baby diaper.
The what?
Now turn around and take a look in that full-length mirror.
Mindy, this is ridiculous.
I hardly recognize myself.
I'm so cute.
Hmm.
But we're going to have to do something about your voice and your size.
Uh.
Oh, I know.
Hey, Reg.
Can you hand me that shrink wand?
Thanks, buddy.
Alakabuki!
Suki no snaz!
Use this shrink wand to shrink Guy Raz!
Shrink wand, activate!
Mindy!
Mindy, no!
I know, Reg.
He's so cute.
I could just toss him into a bowl of cereal and eat him with a spatula.
It's an experiment to see if I can turn you into the most aggressively cute human animal that ever existed, Guy Raz.
Anything for science?
Anything for science.
Now, let's take you outside and see how the world reacts to your cuteness.
Come on, hop into this little basket.
Mindy, you're not going to parade me around the neighborhood looking like this, are you?
Now let me just open the front door to the world.
Hey!
Hi, Mindy.
How's it going?
Oh, is that the elusive miniature panda puppy bunny butt kitty face?
Pretty cute, huh, Dennis?
It's so adorable, I might die.
I'm just kidding.
I won't die.
Dennis, it's me, Sky Roz.
Nice try.
That's exactly what a panda puppy bunny butt kitty face would want me to think.
Ah, it's so cute it makes me want to rub sand in my eyes.
Mindy, look what you've done.
I can't believe it.
My experiment worked.
Cuteness aggression in action.
Mindy, let's take pictures of it.
We can sell cute little calendars and make millions.
I'll come over.
Just hold still while I climb this fence.
I'm not very athletic, so this might take a minute.
Run, run, run, run.
Where are you going?
Stay there.
Wait, Guy Razzi, you can't run away.
You're too tiny.
Someone will step on you.
I'll save you, little buddy.
That was so cute.
Babies and hedgehogs and teddy bears.
Oh, my.
And hey, whatever happened to that elusive miniature panda puppy bunny butt kitty face anyway?
What?
That was not Guy Raz in an elusive miniature panda puppy bunny butt kitty face costume.
I think I know if it was Guy Raz in an elusive miniature panda puppy, bunny butt, kitty face costume Reggie.
Okay, well, let's go look for other cute stuff and resist the urge to go mad with cute aggression.
All right, 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 WeWOW on the weekend.
Okay, should we do the goodbye song?
Here we go.
That's the end of the show.
I need to go and look at cute stuff and not squeeze it even though I really, really want to.
But I'll do another show tomorrow.
But for now, that's the end of the show.
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.
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