Hey, Wowzer fams, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, Happy New Year!
Thank you for helping to make our 2025 so full of wow.
This year we celebrated our 10th season of Wow in the World with our 250th episode, special guests, a new book, New toys, out into the world.
Live events listening parties.
Oh my, so many things.
Whether you shared our podcast with a friend or teacher, joined our WOW membership called our WOW hotline, wrote a review on Apple or Spotify, watched us on WOWtube or just tuned into an episode.
This year would not have been possible without your support.
So thank you for wowing with us in 2025.
And here's to even more in 2026.
That's it.
And now let's get back to the show.
Happy New Year!
Nature.
Lush rainforests teeming with life.
Ocean depths filled with mystery.
Barren tundras where something happens.
Probably.
The natural world is fascinating, with so much to uncover.
This week, we will be exploring none of that.
Instead, we will venture inside the dwelling of nosy neighbor Dennis.
Oh, it's so cozy-wozy in here.
We'll snoop on Earth's greatest snooper in hopes of learning more about him and perhaps more about ourselves.
I'm Stan Pellegrino, and this is WeWow.
The Great Indoors.
Dish it up on a dish.
Take a bite.
That's delish.
The winter weather is cold.
Calories are important for survival.
Today, Dennis prepares a nutritious meal.
Today on Dishing It Up with Dennis, we're making...
Well, perhaps more of a treat.
Cookies, cookies, I'm going to make some cookies.
Dennis has gathered all the ingredients, and now it's time to bake.
Let's see.
Sugar, spice, and everything nice.
Um, is this one salt or baking soda?
Uh, whatever.
Into the bowl.
Sometimes in the great indoors, you need a cookie.
But unwholesome as they may be, even cookies have eggs.
Okay, time for the eggs.
Oh, whoops, I dropped one.
Whoops, dropped another one.
Whoops, dropped one again.
Whoops, dropped one.
Careful, Dennis.
Whoops, dropped one.
Oh, no, I'm out of eggs.
What am I going to do?
Oh, dear, a complication.
But not to worry.
Dennis is an experienced improviser.
Okay, let's see.
What to use instead of eggs?
How about eggplant?
That's like an egg, right?
It's not.
Okay, just going to chop up this eggplant real quick.
And into the bowl.
Dennis may not know how eggs work, but at least his improvisations are nourishing.
Okay, let's just put this on the stand mixer.
And...
Oh heavens, what a mess.
Yuck!
Cookie batter everywhere!
Sometimes, in the great indoors, things get messy.
But no matter, you just roll up your sleeves and get to cleaning.
But sometimes, when you are a Dennis, you must turn tail and run.
This has been another exciting episode of WeWow, The Great Indoors.
Join us again tomorrow.
Up next, an episode of Wow in the World from Season 8.
It's Episode 2 titled, Cookie Court, False Memories on Trial.
But first, a word from our sponsors.
WeWow!
The Great Indoors is brought to you in part by a grant from the Don't Be a Dentist Foundation.
Respect your environment.
Clean up your messes.
Don't be a dentist.
WeWow!
We'll be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
That's it.
Now back to the show.
Okay, so Thomas Fingerling wants another glass of milk.
Anyone else need anything?
Tart pops?
Baked beans?
Loose packets of sugar, anyone?
All good.
Nothing for me, thanks.
Stop asking me that.
Thank you, Mandy.
Okay, I'll be right back.
Okay, one glass of milk for Thomas Fingerling.
And I think it's about time for my world famous triple chocolate chip cricket powder infused exploding ant centered cookies.
They're gone!
Someone ate my cookies!
You are about to enter the courtroom of Judge Guy Raz.
The people are real, kind of.
The cases are real.
Actually, no, they're not, JK.
But the rulings are final.
This is Judge Razzie.
Order, order.
Everyone settle down.
There will be no quarreling in my courtroom.
Wow, Mr. Razzie is really taking this court thing seriously, huh?
Yeah, a little too seriously, if you ask me.
Quiet, please.
Sorry.
Now, as you all know, we are here today to look at the case of Mindy versus the Cookie Klepto.
Me neither.
I just wanted a glass of milk.
Order!
Order!
Order what?
Lunch?
Oh, I want sandwiches.
Can we order sandwiches?
No.
Well, later, maybe.
But no, it's not lunchtime.
Ah, rats.
I am the Honorable Judge Guy Raz, and I will be presiding over this case.
Yay!
God damn it.
Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.
And to my right here is the honorable Reggie.
Reggie will be my stenographer.
What's that?
Genographer?
No, Mr. Fingerling.
He said stenographer.
It means that Reggie's going to be taking notes as we talk.
Oh, well, then who's this gen everyone's talking about?
Oh.
I now call on the prosecution, Mindy, to open the case.
Thank you, Your Honor, and thank you for wearing your fanciest black bathrobe and funny wig.
Mindy, this isn't a bathrobe.
It's a... Okay, I will now proceed with my case.
Hmm.
It was a cold summer night.
Your Honor and I had gathered my nearest and dearest friends over to my gingerbread mansion for my fifth unbirthday party of the season.
It was a real busy summer.
I'll say, so many unbirthdays.
Everything was going swimmingly.
The guests were mingling, the music was playing, but then...
Something horrible happened.
Oh my goodness!
What was it?
You were there.
You already know what it was.
Yeah, but I forget now.
She's just getting to the good part.
As I returned to my gingerbread kitchen to get Mr Thomas Fingerling a fresh glass of milk, I noticed that someone had eaten all of my world-famous cookies.
Oh, right.
Now I remember what happened.
Now, people of the court, the question that lies before us today is who ate those cookies?
I bet it was Tommy.
Who, me?
Yes, you.
Couldn't be.
Then who?
Don't look at me.
I'm on a seafood diet.
Order!
Now, we know that one of these people before us here today is guilty of eating all my cookies.
And I am determined to find out exactly Who that is.
I'm innocent, I tell ya.
Me too.
I wasn't even in the room.
So Mindy, how exactly do you intend to prove your case if all these suspects think they're innocent?
Are you saying that one of them is a liar?
Objection!
Don't you dare besmirch the good name of Rinker Lane!
I will have order in this court!
Oh, snap.
So, as I was inquiring, Mindy, is someone here lying?
Not necessarily, Your Honor.
Are you familiar with the concept of false memories?
I think I am, Counselor.
False memories are memories that we have in our head, that we're convinced are real but might not have ever actually happened to us.
Exact Doritos, Guy Raz.
These false memories are often created by our imaginations, based on stories that were told by others.
So let me get this straight, Mindy.
These memories are created not by us actually living through those events, but by having someone explain an event to us and then our brains tricking us into believing that it actually happened to us.
That is correct, Your Honor.
And you believe that one of these suspects is suffering from one of these false memories?
That would be a yes, Your Honor.
And how do you intend to prove this hypothesis or scientific guess?
Well, I'll do it with a little help from science.
Science?
That's right, Judge Guy Raz.
Exhibit A A recent study from researchers at the University of Portsmouth in the UK and the Universities of Hagen and Mainz in Germany believe that they've come up with a technique to help identify and then reverse false memories.
You mean a way for someone to tell whether what they're remembering is a true memory or a false memory?
Exact Doritos.
Now, Your Honor, I would like to call my first witness to the stand.
One Mr. Thomas Fingerling.
I said, I call Mr. Thomas Fingerling to the stand.
Oh.
Wake up.
They're shouting for your name.
You're up, boy.
Get up there.
Oh, sure.
Mr Fingerling, if you may, could you please recall the events that transpired on that fateful night?
Huh?
What exactly is a fateful night? birthday party fingerling?
Oh, okay, sure.
I remember it very well.
It was the first time I got to try out my new toot-trapping underwear.
Wow, Tommy, you're right.
I can hardly smell that.
I know, and they got choo-choo trains on them, see?
Oh, that's great.
It's almost as interesting as my new bedtime routine.
Uh, that sounds boring.
Yeah, it does.
Well, it's not.
First, I lay out all my... Oh, Reggie, that's hilarious.
Tell Guy Raz the karate joke you told me earlier, and I'll be right back.
Hey, everyone, just going to the kitchen.
Can I get anyone anything?
Tart pop, baked beans, loose packets of sugar?
Oh, I'll take another glass of milk.
Oop, pardon me.
You got it, Mr. Fingerling.
And may I just say, those are some very stylish underwear.
Oh, thank you.
I'll be right back.
So as I was saying... My cookies!
No!
What the?
Did she just drop my milk?
And that's exactly what happened.
Well, I don't remember it like that.
Me neither.
Yes, you do.
Oh, okay.
Mindy, could this be the result of a false memory?
Perhaps.
See.
False memories are often introduced when a story is told to the subject repeatedly by one or more authority figures.
What do you mean?
Well, in that study I was telling you about before, The ones from those universities in the UK and Germany.
Yes.
Yeah, in that study, researchers were able to create these false memories into their subjects' imaginations by having two authority figures recall to them four memories from their childhoods.
Huh.
But only two of those four memories were real.
The other two memories were completely made up.
Oh, sneaky!
So what happened?
Well, Your Honor, it worked.
Almost all of those subjects recalled all four memories when asked later by researchers, and they all swore that those things really happened to them.
Wow, even though two of those memories never actually happened.
Yeah, their imaginations just took what their parents had said and filled in the blanks.
That's incredible.
I know.
So how...
How are we able to tell whether a memory is real or something that our imaginations have just dreamt up?
An excellent question, Your Honor.
It's exactly what I would like to explore with my second witness, Grandma Glenda Forswyn.
Wait, what?
That's Grandma G-Force's real name?
Yes, of course that's not her real name, Your Honor.
Grandma G-Force's real name is Grandma G-Force. but you just... Objection, Your Honor!
To what?
I rest my case.
You do?
No!
I call my next witness, Grandma G-Force, to the stand.
Can we just get started?
This seat is making my butt itch.
Ms.
G-Force, if that is your real name... It's not.
Could Please recall for us what happened at that unbirthday party.
And may I remind you, you are under oath.
Under oath?
I am?
Oh, man, we forgot to do the oath.
Uh, whatever.
Just tell us what happened at the unbirthday party.
Okay, now here's how it all went down.
Excuse me.
Quit it, Fingerling.
This ain't no party party.
Well, maybe it should be.
Who wants to hear about my new nighttime routine?
Oh, Mr. Fingerling, cool choo-choo train underwear.
Thank you.
I call them my party pants.
I like it.
They're for trapping his toots.
I don't like it.
Oh, Reg, that is hilarious.
Hey, tell Guy Raz the taekwondo joke you told me earlier.
I'll be right back.
Hey, gang, I'm just going to the kitchen.
Can I get anyone anything?
Tart pop?
Baked beans?
Loose packets of sugar?
I'll take another glass of milk.
Uh, I think you've had enough.
Don't worry, Cindy.
I'm wearing my party pants.
Oh, okay then.
I'll be right back.
Well, anyways, after this, I was thinking we should go get milkshakes at the... My cookies!
No!
And that is exactly how it happened.
Pretty much, I think.
Well, thank you, Miss G-Force.
You may step down.
Well, it's about time.
My butt fell asleep from that boring old story.
So remind me again, Mindy, how are we able to tell if either of these are false memories?
Well, the researchers from the UK and Germany came up with two psychological approaches to identify and undo false memories.
And psychology is the study of the human mind and how it functions, correct?
That is correct, Your Honor.
And so what are these two approaches?
Well, they both involve asking the person very specific questions.
What kind of questions?
Well, Your Honor, I could tell you... Yes?
But I'd rather show you.
Hmm.
I'll allow it.
Yes!
Okay.
I call to the stand my third and final witness, David.
Dennis.
Oh, yay, my turn.
Let me just do some vocal warm-ups real quick.
Any noise annoys an oyster.
Any noise annoys an oyster.
Dennis.
I'm a little kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.
Dennis.
What?
It's cramped in this witness stand.
Dennis could please tell us exactly what happened at my unbirthday party.
Of course i can see it now clear as crystal.
Wow, tell us again about your new nighttime routine.
Yes, i am very interested in that.
Well, first i lay out all my outfits for the next day, then i put on whale sounds, which i recorded myself to help me sleep.
Ooh, you are so cool.
Yeah, you're so cool I forgot all about these choo-choo train underwear I'm wearing.
You two are such great listeners.
Oh, Reg, that is hilarious.
Hey, tell Guy Raz the judo joke you told me earlier.
I'll be right back.
Hey, everyone.
I was just going to the kitchen.
Can I get anyone anything?
Tart pop?
Baked beans?
Loose packets of sugar?
Quiet, Mandy.
We're trying to listen to Dennis' super cool new bedtime routine.
You flatter me, Mr. Fingerling.
And no, Mindy, I don't need anything at the moment.
Thank you, though.
Oh, actually, I could go for another glass of milk.
You got it.
Oh, and by the way, Dennis, you're my best friend.
Aw, gee, Mindy, that's so sweet.
I'll be right back.
Anyway, where was I?
Uh, whale sounds.
Yes, whale sounds.
Okay, so as I was saying... My cookies!
No!
And that is 100% exactly what happened.
No way!
What?
It was!
Are you certain that's what happened, Dennis?
Yes, ma'am.
100%.
Then you wouldn't mind if I asked you a couple of questions, would you?
Okay!
Objection!
Badgering the witness!
Overruled.
Okay, fine.
Ask your questions, Mindy.
Your Honor.
As I was saying, these researchers came up with two psychological ways to find and get rid of false memories.
Go on.
First way is to remind the subject that false memories can be created from stories that people tell us.
You know, that not all of our memories come from experiences that we actually had.
Yes, Mindy, you explained this earlier.
What is your question?
All right, Dennis.
The question is quite simple.
What is the source of your memory of my party?
The source?
What do you mean?
I mean, do you actually remember living it?
Or do you first remember hearing about it from someone else?
Well, it's like I said, Mindy.
Fingerling, G-Force, and me were all at the party talking about how cool my bedtime routine was.
Oh, that is not what we said.
Yeah, we were talking about how snazzy my toot-trapping undies look.
Uh-uh.
Okay, but Dennis, do you actually remember living that event?
Or do you just remember Grandma G-Force and Thomas Fingerling telling you about it?
No, I remember because I was there talking with, um, them because just that they said I was...
This is very interesting, Mindy.
And what's the second way to undo false memories?
The second approach is to remind people that being pressured to recall or remember something multiple times can create false memories.
So you're saying if someone keeps repeating a false story, it can eventually solidify as a truthful memory?
That is correct, Your Honor.
So, how do you want to do it?
Well, you do this.
Ahem.
Now, Dennis.
Yes?
Were you told to recall or remember last night's events before this moment?
Well, yeah.
G-Force Fingerling and I went over what happened before we came in here.
Huh.
Interesting.
You know Dennis, being told by Grandma G-Force and Thomas Fingerling to remember that event over and over and over again could have created a false memory in your head about what happened at my unbirthday party.
I don't think so, Mindy.
I have a very excellent memory.
Okay well, in that case Dennis, I would like you to remember that memory of my unbirthday party again.
But this time I really want you to concentrate on what you remember, not just what you heard from Grandma G-Force and Thomas Fingerling.
Okay, let me think here.
You can do it, Dennis.
Go back just as you arrived at the party before you were with Grandma G-Force and Thomas Fingerling.
Okay, I can see it in my mind.
I'm walking over to your house.
Okay, good, good, good.
Now try to remember.
I'm walking.
I'm walking.
I'm late.
I'm late.
That's right.
Because of my new nighttime routine, I had to exfoliate and then wash my face and then re-moisturize, and I was late getting to the party.
Knock, knock, knock.
Mindy, let me in.
No one could hear me knocking.
Mindy, answer your door.
Fine, I'll just go through the back.
So I decided to go through the back door.
Through the back?
You mean through the kitchen?
Yes.
Wait.
I remember now!
I went through the back door into the kitchen and I smelled the delicious cookies and I OMG Mindy, it was me.
I ate your cookies!
Aha!
The defense rests. in my courtroom!
Thank you, Judge Rozzy.
I don't understand, Mindy.
What is happening?
Did I lie?
I hate lying!
I don't think you did, Dennis.
Well, not really, anyway.
I think you were just the victim of... false memories.
Well, it looks like this case is closed.
And now for the punishment.
Uh-oh, I forgot about that.
I, Judge Guy Raz, sentence the accused Dennis... to two hours of re-baking the cookies with Mindy.
Oh, boy!
What?
No!
Why am I the one being punished?
I want chocolate chip!
No, wait!
Chocolate chunk!
No, wait!
Chocolate brick!
Two hours of baking with Dennis?
Hey!
Can we make it three, Your Honor?
Oh, boy, Mindy!
Can I lick the beaters?
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 senior producer Jed Anderson and Tyler Thull.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters you hear 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 the rest of our team of tinkerers, including Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger and Henry Moskal.
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, be fun wowing!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
