Smarty pants, smarty parents, trusty here, and I've got something kind of emotional to share with you.
So many of you have asked how you can start your own podcast, and we've been thinking hard about how to help you do that.
So we created the first ever Who Smarted podcast camp.
This is the kind of program that I wish someone had given me as a kid or honestly, even as an adult, because it would have made everything so much easier.
Parents, here's what you need to know.
This is designed for kids age 6 to 11, and your kids can do this on their own.
You don't need any special equipment, just whatever you already have.
And, by the end, your kid will have actually made a real podcast, something their friends will love, something their grandparents will love.
And smarty pants.
If you've ever had ideas or stories in your head that you wish other people could hear, this is how you make that happen.
Plus, you'll learn how to tell better stories and think more clearly, which honestly helps with everything.
It's a self-paced camp with lessons dropping starting March 1st, and we've got your back anytime you get stuck or need some advice.
Oh, and you know how so many of you have asked for a trusty narrator face reveal?
Well, you're going to get it, because I'll be on camera personally teaching the video lessons.
We're announcing this to the world next week, but we wanted to give you guys our Who Smarted family first crack at a very special early bird price of just 78.
That's more than 50% off the regular price, but it's only good through February 18th.
Head to whosmarted.com and click on Podcast Camp and check out all the details.
I cannot wait to see what you guys create.
But don't wait, because when this family discount goes away on the 18th, it's gone.
That's whosmarted.com and click Podcast Camp.
Good morning, Smarty Pants.
I'm feeling great today.
First of all, it's Friday, which means tomorrow's the weekend.
Do you love Friday too, Smarty Pants?
I heard a lot of yeses.
Yep, the sun is shining.
The birds are chirping.
It's going to be a great day.
I'll just quickly check my calendar to see what I've scheduled today, besides recording Who Smarted, of course.
Oh, oh no.
Um, Smarty Pants, it seems today is not just any Friday.
It's a special Friday that some people consider bad luck.
Smarty Pants, do you know what Friday today is?
Is it not so good Friday?
Gotta go to the dentist Friday?
Or Friday the 13th.
That's right.
Today is Friday the 13th.
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.
Maybe I should just get back into bed and wait until Saturday.
Or maybe you just need to relax.
Um, is my calendar suddenly talking to me?
That's right.
I'm the number 13.
And I'm Friday.
And even though the two of us together have long been associated with bad things, trust us, trusty narrator.
You don't have any reason to be scared of us.
Smarty Pants, what do you think?
Should I trust them?
I mean, on one hand, Friday the 13th is just a day like any other.
But on the other hand, everyone knows Friday the 13th is bad luck, right?
So is Friday the 13th really a bad luck day?
Why are so many people afraid of Friday the 13th?
And how did the number 13 come to be considered an unlucky number?
It's a bad rap, I tell ya.
It's time for another whiff of science and history on... Who Smarted?
Who Smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it science?
Or history?
Listen up, everyone!
We make smarting lots of fun on Who Smarted?
Okay, Smarty Pants, I'm trying to stay calm here, but not only is today Friday the 13th, somehow both the number 13 and the day Friday on my calendar are talking to me.
Of course, as the narrator of Who Smarted, I'm used to weird things talking to me, but it's still mildly unnerving.
Relax, narrator.
You've got nothing to worry about.
Yes, Friday, you keep saying that, but I don't know if I should believe you.
Smarty Pants, does Friday the 13th make you a little nervous?
Raise your hand if it does.
Uh-huh.
Yeah, I see some hands up.
Trust me, you're not alone.
Did you know?
Many people, including adults, cancel travel plans, reschedule doctor or dental appointments or even miss work due to a fear of Friday the 13th?
Whoa.
So why is that?
Well, speaking for myself, I've been considered bad luck for a really long time.
That's true, 13.
So what gave you such a bad reputation?
There's many different ideas about it, but some people trace it to a Norwegian myth about 12 gods at a dinner party.
A 13th guest, who wasn't invited, I might add, showed up to crash the party and Ooh, let's see if the smarty pants can guess what happened next.
Was there a...
No problems at all.
B, not enough dessert for everyone.
Or C, a huge fight among the gods that caused the entire world to fall into darkness.
Yep, it was C. I'm also sometimes considered a curse number because I come after 12.
Many people see 12 as a number that completes things.
So I make them uncomfortable because I'm the unknown.
Makes sense, since there's so many things that come in 12, like months in a year, inches in a foot, pairs of ribs in the human body, the 12 labors of Hercules and, of course, the 12 days of Christmas.
Ho, ho, ho!
But sometimes, when you buy donuts or bagels, you get a baker's dozen with an extra.
In that case...
13 is suddenly lucky.
But most times, 13 just makes people scared.
Smarty Pants, have you ever been in a really tall building or skyscraper?
If so, did you notice if the elevator had a 13th floor button?
Chances are, it didn't.
As many as 85% of the world's skyscrapers do not have a 13th floor.
Whoa.
I mean, there is a 13th floor, but the numbers just skip from the 12th floor to the 14th.
And many airplanes don't have a 13th row.
Thank you for flying Lucky Airlines.
We guarantee a safe trip because there's no unlucky 13th row.
Also, we're out of pretzels.
Some street addresses skip the number 13, too.
And some restaurants don't have a 13th table.
How crazy is that?
You think that's crazy?
In Paris a couturisium French for 14th is a paid 14th dinner guest who is hired to keep a party safe if there are only 13 guests for dinner.
I'm getting paid to have dinner.
This is very lucky for me.
Wow.
What about you, Friday?
Why are you considered bad luck?
It's not fair.
You'd think I'd be super popular because I'm the day before the weekend.
Absolutely.
I love Fridays.
Unfortunately, many cultures consider Friday an unlucky day.
For a long time, sailors believed it's bad luck to start a voyage on a Friday.
Ah, great.
We're sinking.
I told you not to leave on Friday.
Question, smarty pants.
What helped Freaky Friday and Unlucky 13 here team up to become the ultimate bad luck day?
Was it A, a movie, B, a book, or C... If you said a book, you're right.
In 1907, Thomas W. Lawson wrote a novel called Friday the 13th.
It became a bestseller, and along with its popularity came the belief that Friday the 13th was an unlucky day.
Wait, everyone hates us because of one book?
Possibly.
So, Smarty Pants, are bad things more likely to happen on Friday the 13th than on other days?
I can answer that.
No.
It's just a superstition.
Ah, good word, Thirteen.
Smarty Pants, do you know what a superstition is?
Is it A the belief that something bad or good will happen, even if there's no real reason to think it will?
B, a tradition that goes back a really long time?
Or C, a very powerful stition?
A superstition is not a powerful stition.
The answer is A, a belief that something bad or good will happen, even if there's no real reason to think it will.
Classic bad superstitions include a broken mirror bringing seven years of bad luck, or the fear of black cats.
The truth is.
In the United States, Friday the 13th is believed to be an unlucky day because of superstition.
Are you saying that only people in the United States believe in an unlucky day?
No, I'm saying it's mostly people in the USA that believe Friday the 13th is unlucky.
Huh?
In Spain, Tuesday the 13th is the bad luck day.
Which makes more sense.
Tuesday seems much unluckier than the day right before the weekend, right?
In Italy, the 17th day of any month is a bad luck day.
The 17th?
What's wrong with the 17th?
The Roman numeral for 17 can be rearranged to spell V-I-X-I.
That means my life is over in Latin.
Yikes!
Smarty Pants.
Should we all be worried about the 17th day of any month, or Tuesday the 13th instead of Friday the 13th?
The answer is no.
While some people worry about those dates on the calendar, there's zero proof or evidence that more bad things happen on any of those days.
Exactly!
Tell them, trusty.
Bye!
That probably won't stop people from blaming Friday, the 13th, if something unlucky happens on that day.
Smarty Pants, how many times a year does a Friday the 13th occur?
Is it A, once, B, up to two times, or C, up to three times?
If you said C, up to three times, good job.
Friday the 13th happens up to three times a year, which isn't good news for people who believe it's bad luck.
That means up to three times a year.
Some people will avoid doing certain things based on their fear of bad luck on that day.
But Friday the 13th is no more unlucky than any other day.
It might seem a little silly, but there are definitely some people who are really, really afraid of Friday the 13th.
They have a condition called Triskaidekaphobia.
Thirteen, care to explain?
Sure.
Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of me, the number 13.
The word comes from ancient Greek and translate to exactly what it says.
Fear of the number 13.
But honestly, I'm not trying to scare anyone.
I'm just a number the same as any other number.
You don't have to skip over me when you count or anything.
The problem is the Friday the 13th superstition has been around for such a long time and so many people love to bring it up, whether out of fear or just having fun, that it's probably not going anywhere.
Oh, great.
Well, at least people like the other 48 to 49 Fridays a year.
And some people even like me, the number 13.
In the late 19th century Captain William Fowler started a society called the 13 Club to help cure people's bad feelings about the number 13.
Wow, that club sounds pretty cool.
I wonder if anyone famous belonged to that club.
We'll find out right after this quick break.
Hey there, homeschool parents.
Trusty here, and wow, February.
Oof, am I right?
The days are short, the calendar is packed and you want to keep learning consistent and moving towards spring goals without more stress for you or your kids.
That is where IXL comes in.
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Hey, smarty friends, Trusty here.
Are you looking for another kids and family podcast that combines humor with learning in a way that captivates?
Then check out Welcome to Hope Springs.
It is the newest audio drama from the Augustan Institute, the award-winning team behind the adventures of Nick and Sam and the trials of St
Patrick.
Set in the fictional mountain town of Oak Springs, the story follows a close group of friends who spend their days at the Old Depot, a newly restored train station, until an innocent prank sparks a mystery that stretches across the entire town.
Created by award-winning writer Paul McCusker, it's packed with humor, adventure and really thoughtful moments of friendship, courage and faith.
It's the kind of show that sparks imagination without screens.
And it's perfect for listening together in the car or at home.
Don't miss out.
Follow Welcome to Hope Springs on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.
Let's do this.
From the artists that made K-pop Demon Hunters and Spider-Verse.
I'm Will Harris.
And I'm the first small to play professional roar ball with the fiercest animals in the most dangerous stadiums.
And producer Stephen Curry.
You don't belong here.
You're too small.
Want to bet?
You're never too small.
Let me show you what I got.
To dream big.
We'll just go.
Night, night.
Goat.
I need to hear it.
You goats are weird.
I like you.
Rated PG.
Parental guidance suggested.
Now playing exclusively in theaters.
Now back to Who Smarted?
The number 13 has long been considered unlucky, but my new friend 13, is about to tell us about a special club from the late 19th century called the 13 Club.
The 13 Club tried to get people to stop being afraid of me.
After all, I'm just a number.
They would have a 13-course dinner on the 13th day of every month.
Smarty Pants, would you love the number 13 if it meant eating your 13 top favorite foods?
I know I would.
They ate this special dinner in room 13 of the Knickerbocker Cottage, which was owned by the club's founder, Captain William Fowler.
And would you believe four U.S. presidents were members of the 13 club?
Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, and Theodore Roosevelt were all members.
Teddy Roosevelt?
Nice!
Unfortunately, his distant cousin, President Franklin D Roosevelt, or FDR, was so terrified of me he wouldn't travel on the 13th day of any month or host a dinner with 13 guests.
Wow.
I wonder if any celebrities consider 13 a lucky number.
I can think of one, and she's one of the biggest stars on the planet.
Really?
Smarty pants.
Any ideas which super famous person loves the number 13?
Here's a hint.
Yeah.
One of my biggest fans is Taylor Swift.
Since her birthday is December 13th, she considers 13th her lucky number.
Oh, and a study from 2008 showed there are actually fewer fires, crimes and car accidents on Friday, the 13th.
Although that might be because people are more cautious and afraid to travel on that day.
Smarty Pants.
We just want you to know that you don't have to be afraid of the number 13th or Friday, whether we're separate or together.
Exactly.
Superstitions are not real and you don't need to worry.
But just in case, I think I'll wear my lucky Who Smarted shirt and put on some Taylor Swift.
A lucky shout out to Joshua, Tanner, and Camden in Orem, Utah.
No matter the drive, long or short, the first thing you say is, can you play Who Smarted?
I'm so glad you love the show, and I'm sure your adults enjoy an argument-free car ride.
Thanks, Smarty Pants.
This episode, Friday the 13th, was written by Sarah Superstition Sweetick and voiced by Kim Black.
Cat Davis added Pat the Plain Davis, Max Broken, Mirror Kamaski and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Nakonwodahan.
Who Smarted? is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Salt Over the Shoulder Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis.
Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Colbert.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
