Psst. Hey, Wowser -Fams!
Mindy here. And before we start the show, I got some big news for you.
Seattle, it's time to make it wow!
That's right! This June, me and my friends, Carly Q, Dennis, Grandma G -Force, and Thomas Fingerling are headed to Seattle for our live Bonker Balls competition game show where kids turn their wildest and weirdest ideas into jaw -dropping inventions live on stage.
Tickets are on sale now.
Visit Tinkercast .com slash events to get your tickets to make it wow near you.
Once again, that's Tinkercast .com slash events.
We can't wait to see you soon.
But for now, let's get back to the show.
talking, laughing, me and Reggie singing, laughing, and then we, oh wait no I said laughing twice.
Uh, whatever, We wow on the weekend, yeah, We wow on the weekend, yeah.
on the weekend. Me wow, on the weekend because this is what we do on the weekend.
Hello, and welcome to We Wow On the Weekend.
I'm your host, Dennis.
Brr -brr -brr -brr -brr.
And that's Reggie, the giant pigeon, my co -host. Brr -brr -brr -brr.
This is the show where we hang out and chit chat and sometimes have special guests on the show.
Brr -brr -brr -brr -brr.
And today, we have a special guest on the show.
Everyone, please welcome...
Hey, fella, am I on yet?
Not yet, Tommy, I need to introduce you.
Oh, okay. Do you need to know to spell my name?
No. Well, how much longer is this gonna take?
I have to do the song first. Oh, that sounds fun.
Do that. Play me a diddy.
You got it, okay. Guess segment, the segment with the guest. A guest comes on the show.
And just like the title suggests, We bring them out and then we sit.
Two, two. Now that's a good song.
I like that one. Oh, thank you, Tommy.
Devoted listeners, help me welcome Thomas Fingerling to We Wow on the weekend.
Welcome. We Wow -ed on who now?
We Wow on the weekend.
You know, the podcast I invited you to be on.
Podcast? Are people still making those?
Yes, Tommy, they are.
Oh. And you're on We Wow on the weekend, my podcast. Aw, and Reggie's.
Hey there, pigeon. Well, let's get to podcasting or wee weeing on the weekend or whatever you're doing here.
Perfect. Let's start off with a Q &A segment.
Ahem. The Q &A segment.
Neat, what's the Q &A segment?
The Q &A segment is where we get out our answering machine and listen to questions from our devoted listeners.
And then what? And then we answer them.
Ooh, Melilie, is this an advice show?
Like, Dear Abby... Umm...
no. Rats. Alright. Let's just get the old answering machine pulled up here.
Okay, here we go. Hi, you've reached Dennis from Wee Wow on the Weekend.
That's me. Do you have a question?
Well, I do too. Lots of them.
And who's gonna answer all my questions?
You? Probably not. But I guess I can answer yours.
Leave me a message.
Brrr. Hi, my name is Ada.
I'm 11 years old and living in Seattle, Washington.
Hi, Ada. Hello there.
I wanted to ask if you knew how many knuckles humans have on each hand.
Ooh, let me guess, let me guess, let me guess.
Is it three? Brrr. No. Is it 86?
Brrr. No. How about 36 and 1 2?
Oh, Fowler, let me answer this.
OK, Tommy, go ahead.
The answer, Ada, is 14 knuckles per hand.
Oh wow. That's three on every finger and two on each thumb.
And when you pop them, it sounds like this.
Ha -cha -cha -cha. Ew.
Thanks, Thomas Fingirling.
And thank you, Ada.
Next question. Hello, Dennis.
Um, why do your fingers get so wrinkly in the bathtub?
100 out of 10 stars.
Yay, 100 stars. Oh, that's a lot.
Rrrrrrr. OK, Tommy.
We got another hand question.
What a coincidence.
I know. So why do fingers get so wrinkly in the bathtub?
OK, now this might get a little complicated.
All right. Let's hear it.
Now, our skin is covered in something called sebum.
See what? Bum. Sebum is the natural oil that covers your skin and keeps it a little extra waterproof.
Neat. But the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet don't get much sebum.
Those areas, our fingers and toes and such, can quickly get waterlogged.
Waterlogged? Like they soak up a little water and then they get pruney?
Yep. Okay, but why oh, I don't know some think it's so we can have better grip when we're dealing with wet and slippery conditions Wow Okay, let's do one more question, Okeydoke Hi, Dennis.
My question for you is what's the grossest thing that you see Thomas fingerling do while snooping on him?
What? You been snooping on me, feller?
No, not that much. You sure?
You ain't been sneaking around, watching me pick at my toenails?
No, I didn't see that.
Well, did you see me eating a potpie yesterday and then spilling all over my shirt?
See? Here's the stain, right here.
Uh, you didn't change your shirt today?
Well, I really hope you didn't catch me Pluckin' my ear hairs of various lengths and textures.
Eww, no! Well, good.
Havin' everybody know that stuff would be very embarrassing for me.
Well, that's enough voicemails for today.
Listeners, if you've got a question for me.
Or me, Thomas Fingerling.
Call and leave me a message.
The number is 1 -888 -7 -Wow -Wow.
I just might answer your question on WeWow on the weekend!
Okay, now what? Next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios.
Ahem. Inside Tinkercast Studios.
Oh, fancy. This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows.
Ooh! Today, I thought it would be fun to listen to the very first episode of Wow in the World that you appeared in, Thomas Fingerling.
Oh, boy. My big debut.
So today, we're listening to Wow in the World, season two, episode 27 called Oh, Knock Crackers.
I can't wait. OK, here we go.
And play. WeeWow will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
That's it. Now back to the show.
We're in the world.
Breathe deeply in and out.
Now, float away upon that breath.
Up, up, up. Gently twirling amongst the moonbeams. Oh, look.
The moon waves to you knowingly like an old neighbor.
Wave back now. Hello, moon.
Hello. I'm up. I'm awake.
Hop out of bed, run to the bathroom, brush my teeth.
Vv -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v -v.
Wack! Time to get dressed!
Call my buddy, Guy -Roz, to make sure he's awake.
Dial! Dial! Dial! Dial!
Dial! Hello? Good morning, Guy -Roz!!!
Mindy... it's the middle of the night.
You call it the middle of the night.
I call it 3 o 'clock in the morning!
Uhh... And you know what day it is!
Um... I don't know.
Is it your birthday?
Nope! Is it my birthday?
Nope! Oh no, isn't Reggie's Tae Kwon Do and tap -dancing recital, is that today?
What? No! That's not even until next month!
Uh... Oh, by the way, I signed you up to be the stage mom!
But I'm not even - Skyrozz, today is Thumb Wars Day at the Knuckle Hut!
Skyrozz, you there?
Did I lose you? What?
Mindy, I'm going back to bed.
What? No! There's no time!
We need to get there early if we want good seats.
Grandma G -force is competing.
Wait, Grandma G -force is a professional thumb wrestler?
Among other things, yes.
Well, I guess I gotta see this.
What time are we leaving, Mindy?
Oh, well, I'm ready now.
Of course you are, alright, well I still need to brush my teeth, do my calisthenics routine, the five tibetans, my juice cleanse, my morning meditation, I've got to get dressed...
Wait! Don't get dressed.
What?! I've got something perfect picked out for you to wear.
Mindy, I'm not... Be right over!
I'm coming! I'm coming!
Ta da! What are you wearing?
I made us thumbwork costumes out of foam.
You're dressed as a giant foam hand?
Well, a giant foam right hand.
You're going to be the giant foam left hand.
Here. Oh, no, no, no way.
I am not. Now, let me just pull it over your head here.
Nippy? Hold your breath.
Would you stop wiggling so much?
Stay still. I'm going to.
Here we go. Ah! There.
Aw, don't you look cute.
Ah. Where's my full -length mirror?
Mindy, I have no peripheral vision in this thing.
Ooh, be careful when you turn around and walk.
You might knock everything over.
Oh, hey, you know Mindy, now that I see myself in the mirror, I don't look half bad.
Guy Raz, you look like a high five.
Ooh! Ah! Did you just body slam me?
What was that for? I gave you a full -body hand -suit to hand -suit high -five.
Why do I feel like this is going to be the longest day of my life?
Oh, well, probably because it's going to be the longest day of your life.
Oh, right, starting at 3 AM.
Oh, ready to go? No. Reggie!
Reggie, did you swoop in here wearing a sleeping mask?
Oh no. Oh, he's been doing that a lot lately.
Doing what? Sleep sailing through the air.
Is that safe? Yes, of course it's not safe, Guy -Roz.
Now just gently tickle him awake, OK?
OK, uh, wake up, Reggie.
Early bird gets the worm.
Good morning, Reg. We need you to give us a quick ride to the knuckle hut.
Yes, you can make a pit stop at the seed shack once you drop us off.
Brr. What on Earth are we wearing?
Brr. Oh, these were just giant foam hand suits that I made for us.
I made them for Grandma G -Force's thumb -ward today.
Brr. A high five? Brr.
Oh, no. Sure. Guy Roz loves a good high five.
Brr. Ah. Wow, Guy Roz, you must be as light as a feather.
Oh, it just knocked me over with his talent.
Brr. Brr. Oh, Reggie says high five.
Brr. Let's just go, Mindy.
After you? Hey, Guy Raz, give me a boost, and then I'll turn around and pull you up.
It's hard to move in this giant foam hand suit.
OK. Oh. Oh, thanks, buddy.
OK, your turn. Oh. OK, all set?
No. Did you say go?
No. Okey -doke. Here we go.
Ahh! Ahh! Thanks, Reg.
You want to stick around?
Oh. Early bird special at the seed shack.
OK, just head back over here when you're finished.
Wait. The knuckle hut is a diner?
Yeah, it's been here since the 1950s.
And what's that creepy hand statue coming out of the ground?
Oh, so that's a giant sculpture modeled after the left hand of the original owner, Thomas Fingerling.
In fact, it's an exact replica, insides and all.
Some say that when he cracked his knuckles, you could hear it from 40 miles away.
Sheesh! Wanna go inside?
The diner? Whew. Yeah, I'm starving.
I wonder if they've got some fermented mung beans.
We'll get to the diner later.
First, I think we need to find out what's going on inside that hand.
Do you wanna go inside that giant hand?
Uh -huh. Dressed like giant hands?
Yes. But don't you wanna at least say hi to your grandma G -force first?
No. But she's your grandma?
Guy -Raz, Grandma G -force isn't even gonna get here until 14 hours from now.
The thumb war starts at like 8pm.
Indy, you dragged me here at 3am?
Follow me, Guy -Raz.
Waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle.
Is it just you, Guy Raz, or am I sweaty?
You know, you'd think foam would be a little more breathable than this.
OK, brace yourself, Guy Raz, because I'm going to open the door on this giant creepy hand.
Hello? Anyone in this hand?
Mindy, why is it so dark inside here?
Are those real bones?
27 bones to be exact.
What? Who said that?
Ooh. My name, young lady, is Thomas Fingerling.
Welcome to my hand.
Yeah, you're still alive?
More or less. I see you two are dressed in the traditional hand suit.
Whoo. Is this some sort of high -density open cell polyurethane?
Thank you for noticing.
I made them myself.
See, my name is Mindy, and this here is my little buddy, Guy Raz.
And we came out this way to see my grandma, G -Force, compete in the Knuckleheads annual thumb war.
But then we couldn't help but notice this giant hand replica sculpture thingy, and we thought we'd stop in to check it out.
Well, that's right, curious of you.
I don't get too many visitors around these days, Not since the invention of the internet superhighway.
Ugh, the interwebs, am I right?
Wait, what? Long ago, knuckle -cracking enthusiasts from around the globe would come to witness my signature popping nuk -chuk performance.
Your what? He said his signature popping nuk -chuk.
I heard what he said, Guy Raz.
So, Thomas Fingerling, what happened exactly?
Well, like I said, once the internet came along with their WWW's and their Netscape Navigators, people moved on to other forms of so -called entertainment.
You're saying that people used to come here to watch you crack your knuckles for entertainment?
Don't sass me young lady, and yes!
But all these yahoos and dot -com bubbles came along and took my audience.
Now it's all MewTube videos of cats and hamburger buns or what have you.
Oh yeah, did you see the one where the cat was wearing a little blueberry pancake beret and roller skating past the Eiffel Tower in Paris?
You gotta see this, here I'll pull it up on my phone, you are not gonna believe this, it is so cute!
So let me get this straight, what you're saying Mr. Fingerling, is that knuckle cracking isn't drawing the same crowds that it was back in the 1950's?
Yeah so no one is super impressed by knuckle cracking anymore!?
I'm afraid not, young lady.
Hey, who are you calling a lady?
Well, Mr. Fingerling, we're here now, maybe you can show us around your giant hand replica and we can talk knuckles for a while.
Yeah, that's a great idea!
And maybe for the grand finale, you can perform your signature popping -knuck check for us.
Well, I suppose I still got a little pop left in the old knucks.
That would be amazing!
Whoohoo! Yay! This is gonna be awesome!
Alright, alright. Let's see here.
We got two tickets to the tour, plus the IMAX video, a refillable sippy cup, and the nook -chuck performance.
That'll be $75 .92! Oh hey!
92. That's my age. I'm sorry.
Did you say? 92 years young, buy gum?
No. I mean the price of tickets, 75.
I got this guy, Roz.
Hey, where'd you get my wallet?
Yeah, this little sleight of hand trick I've been working on.
Twenty, forty, sixty, seventy five dollars.
Here you go Thomas Fingerling, two tickets please.
Thank you for your business and, well gosh, I'm just so happy.
No one stopped by here in over thirty years.
Between you and me, people tend to find this place a little bit creepy.
So, where do we begin?
Well, I suppose wherever you want.
Feel free to have a look around.
I'll just be napping up in the thumb over there.
Napping? What about the tour?
God's, what do you think this is?
A haberdashery? It's self -guided.
Now you two kids have fun.
Self -guided? 75 bucks?
Don't worry, Guy Raz.
I got this. The last time you said that, you stole my wallet, Mindy.
No, really. Half the reason I even wanted to visit the inside of this weird hand sculpture, anyway, is because I just read this new research on knuckles and I wanted to get a close -up experience what it's like when we crack them.
You dragged me all the way out here for— So, to begin the tour, Guy -Raz, I'd like for you to pull my finger.
...Ohhh no. Pull my finger, Guy -Raz.
No. Pull it. Ugh, fine.
Whoops! Mindy! Sorry, wrong finger.
Here, try this one.
Mindy, I'm not… Okay, I'll do it.
Watch and learn. Ahhh, did you snap it off, Mindy?
Nope, that was the sound of me cracking my knuckle!
Here, want me to do it again?
No, I... Okay! Mindy, I'm not sure it's supposed to sound like that.
So, you might be wondering to yourself, Mindy, what makes our knuckles crack like that?
Hmmm? Ugh, Mindy, what makes our knuckles crack like that?
Walk with me, Guy Raz, as we climb that super tall ladder over there to the pointer finger.
And there, we will find the answer.
Are you sure that ladder is safe to climb?
Yes, of course I'm not sure it's safe to climb, Guy Raz.
You go first. Climb, climb, climb, climb, climb, climb.
Climb! Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
Look at that, Mindy.
Look where the bones of the finger meet the rest of the hand.
That's the knuckle.
And there's a little lake inside of it.
Oh, yeah. That's the Lake of synovial fluid.
Want to take a dip?
I don't think that's a good idea, Mindy.
There's a sign here that says this lake is full of gas.
Yep. This Lake of synovial fluid is full of tiny gas bubbles, mostly made up of carbon dioxide.
But what's the purpose of the fluid in the first place?
Well, why don't you press that button over there and see what happens?
I don't know. Guy Raz, the sign says press me and see what happens.
OK. Whoa. Whoa. The finger's moving, Mindy, and we're moving with it.
Guy Raz, check it out.
The synovial lake of fluid is keeping the finger bones from grinding on each other.
Wow! Now let's see what this lever does.
Ah! Maybe the finger bones are pulling away from each other.
Stop cranking! Stop cranking!
OK, now watch that pressure gauge to your right.
It appears that when the bones pull away from each other, there's a sudden drop in pressure in the middle of the knuckle or joint.
Yeah, and look. With the pressure drop, the gases are coming together and making new bubbles.
Mindy, Mindy, could the popping of these bubbles be what's causing the popping sound in our knuckles?
Well, that's what some scientists thought for a long time.
What? But other scientists were like, no dice.
Clearly, the pop comes from the way the bubbles are formed.
And then they went back and forth on this for like 100 years.
And you know, Mindy, I once read that some of the earliest research on knuckle cracking dating back to the 1900s showed that not all joints were crackable.
Oh yeah. And that once you pop, you can't stop until you wait for at least 20 minutes first. You can't pop the same knuckle more than once in a 20 minute period.
See for yourself. See what I mean?
So Mindy, earlier you'd mentioned some new research on knuckle cracking.
Oh, yeah. So this pair of researchers from the Eco Polytechnique in France, they made a mathematical model to find out the truth of what's been causing the pop.
A mathematical model?
Yeah, so basically they made this math video game that simulated what happens when our knuckles crack.
A mathematical video game?
That's my kind of video game.
And in this video game, they had a model of a knuckle with a bubble in it.
and then they cracked it, over and over and over and over again.
Listening carefully to the sound it made and how loud that sound was.
And then I'm guessing they compared that sound with the sound of actual people cracking their knuckles.
You got it. They compared the sounds in this mathematical video game knuckle with the sounds of their own knuckles and the knuckles of a bunch of volunteers.
That must've sounded like a knuckle popping party.
Whoa! That's the way I imagine it, and if I'm wrong, I don't wanna be right.
So what did they find?
Well, what they found is that when they popped the bubbles on the video game, the bubbles made pretty much the same sounds as the popping knuckles make in real life.
So it is the popping of the bubbles after all!
Well, not so fast. See, they also found that when the bubbles only started to collapse, like less than halfway but not pop completely, they still made the same sound.
So, what does that mean?
So what this means is that the popping could have something to do with the way the bubbles are formed after all.
So I guess it's back to the knuckle hut for these researchers.
Whoo! Speaking of knuckle -hot, it's probably about time for Grandma G -Force's thumb war to begin.
I thought that wasn't for another 14 hours or so.
Guess time flies when you're popping these guys.
Aah... Mindy stop! You're gonna give yourself arthritis.
fake news What? Who said that?
Carrozz Thomas Fingerling is right.
Huh? Arthritis is a disease that keeps people's joints from working in the way they're supposed to.
And people with arthritis in their hands can have swelling, or pain, or stiffness.
in their joints of knuckles.
Yes, but? But no studies have been able to show any connections between arthritis and knuckle cracking.
Which means, it's finger popping time!
It's what? Let's head over to the thumb war at the knuckle hut.
I've been preparing a grand finale you'll never forget.
Your signature popping nook -chuck!
Oh boy. After you, Mr. Fingerling.
Oh, aye, thank you kind sir.
Hey, who are you calling, sir?
Just keep on moving, Mindy.
Calling me Siramalaby.
Whoa! This is thum -believable.
This is a diner. By the way, do you think we have time for me to order an einkorn and quinoa salad?
No time for that, Guy Raz.
Look! Grandma G -Force and her competitor are already in the ring.
Mindy, that's a corner booth in the diner.
I'm going to go put our names in for that table once they're finished with this whole thumb war thing.
Grandma G -Force! Hi!
Hi, Grandma G -Force!
It's me, Mindy! Your granddaughter Mindy!
Hi! Grandma G -Force!
Look over here! Over here, Grandma G -Force!
I'm cracking knuckles!
Take your names! Uh, I don't think she can hear you, Mindy.
She looks like she's really in the zone.
Say, where did thumb wrestling come from anyway?
Oh, glad you asked.
As the legend would have it, It all started in the year 1936, when a young lad who went by the name Julian Koenig got bored one day at summer camp.
And? And that's it.
That's the legend. Huh.
Our contestants for this round of thumb wars are Gramma G -Force and Thumbelina versus Sir Alexander Curley and The Fumbertaker.
Wait. Why are there four contestants?
Oh, that's because the thumbs have their own wrestling names.
And faces, and tiny hats.
What? The rules for this match are as follows.
Number one, elbows must be kept on the table at all times.
And number two, fingernails must be trimmed to tiny nubs.
Yikes! 60 Seconds are on the clock.
It's time for the Wild Thumb War show now to grow down.
One, two, three, four.
I've been planned to fall.
Go grandma G -force, go Thumb -erlina.
You can do it! Come on grandma G -force.
Make me proud. Show them what our G -s are made of.
Go! Oooh! I think she's got a mini hug.
Oh, Christmas. One, two, three, four, five!
Half this. Um, four, No!
I'm all fucked. Oh, yeah!
Oh, my banger! Flist!
Runs in the family.
Grandma, Deefers and Dumble -Inna have won in a Bumble -lievable upset.
Whoa, what's that, Mindy?
Oh, is that what I think it is?
Look up there on the bar.
It's... Tom and Fingerling!
Wow, talk about a grand finale!
Just listen to him crack those knocks!
Thumbs up, Mr. Fingerling!
You still got it in you!
Wow! That was so cool!
Thomas Fingirling, you sounded a lot younger in that episode.
Well, I was younger.
This show's been going on for like a million years.
And ever since Mr. Rozzy and Mandy wandered into my giant hand house in the middle of the night, they've been dragging me into their shenanigans, and it just wears me right out.
Aw! You don't like all the shenanigans?
Well, it's fun and all but...
then I need a nap. Like right now.
And he fell asleep.
Well, this looks like a good time to wrap up the show.
Thanks to all you listeners out there for tuning in to WeWow 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 Wee Wow on the weekend!
I'm up, I'm up... Uh...
where am I? You're in my basement, Tommy.
What? Still? Yeah. Well, I better get going.
I gotta meet G -Force at her exploding Mahjong Club!
COWAL! Can we come too?
I don't see why not.
Yay! Ma -jeong! Ma -jeong!
Ma -jeong! It's exploding, Ma -jeong!
And you have to bring your own fire extinguisher.
Okay, I could do that.
And wear flameproof undergarments.
I could do that, too.
And you have to bring fizzy water for everybody.
What? Nuh -uh. Yeah, huh?
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.
Thanks for joining us for this edition of WeWOW on the Weekend.
Our show is written by Ruth Morrison and Jed Anderson.
The role of baby Dennis is played by Jed Anderson.
Oh, well then, who plays the role of Big Dennis?
Never you mind. Original sound design and production is done by Henry Moskal with contributions from Jed Anderson and Tyler Thol.
Original music for WE WOW is composed and performed by Tyler Thol.
Special thanks to Jessica Bodie, Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Lizzie Fralick, Kristen Yang, Meredith Halpin -Ranzer, Twi Mak, Erika Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodi Nussbaum, Alice Paxima, Guy Raz, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Mindy Thomas, Johanna Weber, Anna Zagorski and all of the other Tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
Be sure to visit tinkercast .com where you can become an official member of the World organization of Wowsers.
Learn about upcoming events.
Shop our Wow Shop, find our best selling books, and learn about all the other amazing podcasts from Tinker Cast. Thanks again for hanging out in the basement this weekend.
Be sure to check out episodes of Wow in the World every Monday.
And remember, who wows?
I wow! No baby Dennis, we wow!
Alright, we wow! Wow.
Wow in the world, wow in the world, Wow in the world, wow in the world, wow in the world, Wow in the world.
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Lendry.
