Intro

This week, we’re bringing you an episode from our friends at Weirdly Helpful, a podcast we love. And we’re talking about… shenanigans! High-spirited, mischievous activities, as defined by Miriam-Webster. As many of us are gearing up for a season of family gatherings, which are sometimes filled with long car trips, long travel delays, and long multicourse dinners, we thought we’d inject this time with some… FUN! Some pranks! Some shenanigans!

First, Lulu wonders if animals engage in shenanigans: why do chimps tickle each other? Why do octopuses shoot bubbles across the water? Why do dolphins balance seaweed on their snouts for no reason? Are these shenanigans?

Then, host Zak Rosen and artist Rebecca Garza-Bortman share the family shenanigans their listeners called in with, rating each one on a scale from “shenanigan” to “shenananananagan.” You’ll hear about a family that pretends to be squirrels at bedtime, a couple who dance every time the egg timer goes off, and a family that mispronounces words on purpose, forever. Who knows, you might just get some silly ideas to try out at home!

Lulu was also on Weirdly Helpful! Listen to her episode here. 

Listen to Megan Stielstra’s episode about screaming at trains here!

If you want to read more about animal shenanigans, read Animals at Play by Marc Bekoff. 

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