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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!
Then I was like, if no one else is going to invent a banana straightener, then why not me?
Uh-huh.
But every time I test it, the bananas break, and who wants to eat a broken banana?
Well, I do.
I love bananas.
I love that they come with their own little packaging.
Kairos, did you know that you could carve a secret code in a banana peel for someone to find later?
Did you know that your head makes a good banana peel holder?
Oh, look, Mindy, we're finally in our neighborhood.
Almost home.
Wait, what's that blocking the entrance to our neighborhood?
Is that...
A gate?
Come on, Guy Raz.
Let's get closer to make sure the gate's a gate.
Okay.
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run.
Okay.
Why would someone put a gate in our neighborhood?
Does this mean that we're rich?
Are we celebrities?
No, it means that one of our neighbors is up to something.
One of our neighbors?
But who could it be?
Who goes there?
Ah! in the... Dennis?
I'm not Dennis.
I'm the guardian of the gate.
Are you in the doorbell, Dennis?
Dennis, what's going on here?
Please state your business.
Why do you wish to enter this community?
Okay, well, first of all, our friends are in there and my pigeon is in there too and...
And it's full of my happiest memories, like that one time that we painted eyeballs on cow butts.
Remember that, Guy Raz?
And we live here.
Now, Dennis, please let us in so we can get to our homes.
Now, first you have to ring the doorbell.
What?
The doorbell?
Yes, the doorbell.
The thing my voice is coming out of.
Oh, it's one of those camera doorbells.
Dennis, why would you put a doorbell on our neighborhood.
I put a doorbell and a gate, Guy Raz because, as president of the Neighborhood Snooping Association, it is my duty to know everything that's going on, including all who enter here.
We have a Neighborhood Snooping Association?
Oh yeah, you didn't know that, Guy Raz?
Dennis is the president and I'm the treasurer.
That's right, the NSA, where your business I came up with the tagline.
Okay, let's just ring the doorbell so Dennis opens up the gate.
Fine.
Here we go.
Ringing the doorbell.
Ding dong, the witch is dead.
Witch, old witch.
The wicked witch.
What in the... Okay, Dennis, we rang the doorbell.
You can open the gate now and let us in.
No!
Dennis!
Dennis!
Now, I need you to give me...
What?
A compliment, Guy.
Just one.
He needs a compliment, Guy Raz.
It's how he's powered.
You want to handle this one?
A compliment?
Sure.
You always smell a little like fish.
Guy Raz!
Oh, Guy, stop.
You don't really mean that.
No, really, I do.
Like anchovies?
No, it's more of a sardine. smell.
Sardines?
Stop!
You're making me blush.
I am so confused.
Okay, okay, now can you please open the gate and let us in now?
Now.
Dennis, I rang the doorbell.
I complimented you on smelling like a fish.
If you don't get out of that doorbell and open the gate right this minute... Wait a minute, Guy Raz.
What?
I just realized something.
Man, what's that?
Fish doorbell.
Uh... Fish doorbell.
Now that was my name back in high school.
Grandma G-Force!
And me, her sidekick, Old Tommy Fivefingers.
Huh?
Old Tommy Fivefingers was my name back in high school.
Now who put a gate in the middle of the road?
I want to get home to my diaper house.
I did, Granny G.
Ah, doorbell.
I want to hear from something with a mouth.
Yeah.
What?
It's me, Dennis.
I have a mouth.
That's weird.
Mindy, can we get back to your fish doorbell aha moment?
Oh, right.
So where was I?
Well, uh... Forgot where you were, huh?
Well, let's all review the tape, shall we?
Review the tape?
Yeah.
I've been recording this entire conversation for security and training purposes.
Oh.
Good idea.
Okay, just give me a second here.
Rewind, rewind, rewind.
And play.
Dennis, I rang the doorbell.
I complimented you on smelling like a fish.
If you don't get out of that doorbell and open the gate right this minute... Wait a minute, Guy Raz.
What?
I just realized something.
Man, what's that?
Fish doorbell.
Uh... Fish doorbell.
Now that one...
Uh-huh.
What's a fish doorbell?
This is just like this story that I read about this amazing invention to solve a problem of fish migration in the Netherlands.
And am I the doorbell?
And we're the fish?
Well, yeah, sort of.
Go on, Mindy.
Yeah, go on, Mindy.
Tell us the tale of the fish doorbell.
Well, if I tell you the tale of the fish doorbell, Dennis, will you open up the gate and let us in?
Hmm, maybe.
Is it a good story?
Oh, it's a fascinating story.
Oh, boy!
Are there gonna be fish in the story?
Oh, yeah.
There are lots of fish in the story.
And lots of doorbells?
Can we just let Mindy tell the story, please?
So Doorbell Dennis here will finally open the gate?
I really need to get home.
I have things to do.
Oh, okay.
Go on, Mandy.
Tell your story.
I'm listening.
Okay, everyone.
Have a seat on the ground.
Even me?
No, Dennis.
You're a doorbell.
All right.
All right, everyone.
Story time.
Hooray!
Hooray!
Our story begins in the Dutch city of Utrecht in the Netherlands, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, known for its abundant locks and canals.
And just to be clear, locks and canals are kind of like giant water elevators that help Boats go up and down hills and rivers and waterways.
That's right.
A lock in a canal works kind of like a giant bathtub with doors that fill up or drain water to lift or lower boats, depending on the direction of the hill they're moving through.
So every spring catfish travel up the Rhine River southeast of Amsterdam to the Krom River in Utrecht.
Come on, fellow fishies.
Let's swim upstream.
It's migration time.
I'm coming, I'm coming.
Why?
Because once we make it upstream to more shallow waters, we'll be able to meet up with the other fish just like us.
Well, why should I care?
Gee, fish, don't you know nothing?
If we make it to the other fish, that means we can spawn and make more fish.
Oh?
And then we can take over the world with our army of fishes?
Uh, yeah, sure.
Oh.
So the fish kept swimming.
Swim, swim, swim, swim, swim.
I don't like swimming.
I want to walk.
But once the fish got to a lock you know one of the bathtub doors blocking them from moving forward in the canal, they had to stop.
Who in the world wide web put this wall here?
It's blocking the way!
Oh no!
What are we gonna do?
We're trapped here!
How would these fish ever migrate and reproduce or make more fish if these locks were always blocking them and getting in their way?
There's gotta be a better way!
Please, someone help us open up this gate!
Yeah!
And that's when a sort of superhero came along.
Was it Static Man?
No.
Then the story's bad and I'm not interested.
This superhero was a human scientist, an ecologist by the name of Mark Van Hoekelo.
Oh, wait.
I am interested.
I want to be him.
Okay, you can be him, Dennis.
Hooray!
I'm a superhero scientist.
One day, Mr. Vanhooglem met with the lock manager, the guardian of the gate.
He started telling him about the challenges that fish face every spring when they're migrating or trying to swim upstream to meet other fish.
And one of the biggest challenges was the lock itself, blocking the fish from moving on.
Listen, Mr. Guardian of the Gate.
I demand you open the lock this instant and let the fish swim upstream.
Yeah!
The lock manager said he'd be happy to open up the lock.
But first he needed to know when there were fish waiting at the lock, since he couldn't see the fish underwater.
And that's when the future fish superhero, Mr. Van Hookalum, hatched an idea.
Aha!
I just hatched an idea.
And it's, uh, it's...
Uh, Mindy, what's my idea?
The idea was a simple one.
In order for the lock manager to know when there were fish at the gate, he would need a fish doorbell.
Fish doorbell.
That was my nickname in high school.
Really?
The fish doorbell would be an underwater web camera that could be monitored or watched 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Behold!
A web camera!
The ultimate underwater snooping device!
Now, somebody put this down in the river.
I don't want to get all wet.
But there was a problem.
Oh, no!
I thought of another problem!
And it's, uh... Um... Psst!
What's my problem, Mindy?
The problem was that there was no way for one person to monitor the camera all on their own.
People have to sleep!
Oh, yeah, that's a problem.
And that's when he hatched another idea.
Okay, everyone calm down.
I've got another idea.
The idea would be to attach a doorbell system to the webcam and then invite members of the public you know regular people like you and me from all over the world to watch this webcam looking for fish to appear at the lock or the underwater gate in the ultimate group action project.
Hooray, i'm a genius.
Quit bragging and help us, help help.
We're at the gate, hold your seahorses.
We're hooking up a doorbell.
Why are you doing that?
Because um, then we can.
Uh, mindy what happens when we've got the doorbell.
When the fish arrived at the lock, someone watching it on the webcam would ring the doorbell to let the lock manager know that it was time to open it.
Oh!
You think anyone's going to want to do that?
At first, Mr. Van Hooklem wasn't sure if anyone would bite on to this idea.
Wake up, lock manager!
The doorbell's ringing!
To his shock and surprise, in the first spring season in March of 2021, The fish doorbell was rung more than 100000 times by people from all over the world.
Wow, I can't believe it.
My plan worked.
I really am a genius.
And now I can just kick back and relax while everyone else rings the fish doorbell and helps all the fish migrate.
Not only did this invention solve the problem of fish migration for this area, but the web camera feature helped to show what kinds of fish were swimming in these canals.
And that could help the people in charge make them better and safer places for the fish.
Cool!
And let's not forget, but it also allowed people from all over the world to take part.
And when you're a human, it can feel pretty good to work together to help solve a problem.
So, Mindy, what's next for the fish doorbell?
Oh. question, Dennis.
So after three spring seasons, people are still monitoring and ringing this fish doorbell.
There's a plan now to have it automated so that anytime fish appear at the lock, the doorbell will automatically open.
Automation.
Well, that's it, I guess.
Everybody out of their job.
Well, it doesn't look like people are going to get bored with the fish doorbell anytime soon.
So for now, we could just consider this automation sort of a backup option.
So Dennis, speaking of doorbells, any chance you'd be willing to finally open up the gate to our neighborhood here so we can get to our homes.
Hmm... Now... Dennis!
First you have to say the magic words.
Is it please?
Now... Is it abracadabra doodle-doo?
Now...
Oh, I know.
It's Tabernacle.
Huh?
Is it?
Open this gate, boy, or you're gonna be sorry.
Hooray!
That's it!
Yay!
Lyley, good job, G-Force.
You did it.
I'm the best at this.
Great!
Now, open the gate!
Boy, you are getting on my last nerve.
Because you've taken too long.
Now you have to ring the doorbell again.
Sairaz, would you like to do the honors?
It would be my pleasure, Mindy.
And here we... Doorbell!
Get the doorbell!
Oh!
Wow.
Okay.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
Just goes to show, when you give a person a fish, you can feed them for a day.
But when you give them a fish doorbell, you can solve a big problem with your friends.
I did not know there was going to be a moral at the end of this story.
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
Hey, grown-ups, 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.
Plus, 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. name is Brennan.
I am from North Carolina.
My wow in the world is bamboo can grow one and a half inches in just one hour.
Goodbye.
Hi, Mindy.
Hi, Guy Raz.
My name's Caitlin.
I'm from Indianapolis.
And my wow in the world is that camels can survive without water for days.
Say hi to Reggie for me.
Bye.
Hi, I'm TJ.
And I'm eight years old, and I live in Chicago.
My wow in the world is that there's a type of snake called the pit viper.
It has heat vision, and it's really cool.
Bye!
Hi, my name is Julian, and I'm from Boston, Massachusetts.
My wow in the world is Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is Grace, and I'm seven years old, and I live in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.
My wow in the world is that a mayfly only lives for 24 hours.
I love your show, and I love you, Dennis, G-Force, and Reggie, and Thomas Angerling.
Oh, wow.
Bye.
Hello, my name is Sean.
From Saratoga Springs, New York.
My wow in the world.
Is that a shrimp's heart.
Is located in its head.
Hello Reggie and Grandma G first.
And the annoying Dennis.
We're going to say something.
Oh I'm going to eat everything.
Hi.
My name is Evelyn.
And my name is Margo.
Our wow.
We're from Bellingham.
We're from Bellingham, Washington.
Our wow is that.
Used for mention.
Here, Mom.
Here's some ketchup.
Bye.
Bye, Reggie.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz.
Original sound design and music editing is done by our supervising producer, Jed Anderson.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters that you hear on our show.
And Lizzie Freilich can also be heard as some of the silly characters on our show.
Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker.
And Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristen Yang Twee Mack, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski, Tyler Tholl and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
And to keep the wow rolling after you finish this episode, visit us at Tinkercast.com.
There you can become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers to get year-round mailings and weekly activities.
Shop our Wow Shop.
Get tickets for upcoming events, find our best-selling books and learn about some of the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Grown-ups.
You can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at Wow in the World, and our email address is hello at Tinkercastcom.
And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, Call us at 1-888-7WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of Two.
What's in a Wow?
Thanks again for listening.
We're here every Monday or you can check out Two What's in a Wow every Friday right here in the Wow in the World podcast feed.
And don't forget, we wow on the weekend with Dennis Saturday and Sunday.
Keep on wowing!
The world was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
