Wild Interest

Hey Wildlings! Do you ever wonder about things that go “bump” in the night? Do you love ghost stories? What about murky mysteries of the supernatural? 
In this episode we’ll tickle all your scary bones with a marvelous mashup of Halloween fun! You’ll find out just where Halloween traditions like pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating come from as Nichole and Evan trace the holiday all the way back to its ancient roots. You’ll learn of a peculiar American hometown custom of telling jokes if you want to get your sweet reward. We’ll teach you some spooky jokes, too — just in case you need one or two to get your hands on that sweet candy! 
If you love cryptids, you’re in for a treat, not a trick! Evan presents a who’s who of the weirdest, wackiest, and most hotly contested unverifiable phenomena, from The Barbegazi to La Lechuza! So grab a treat, sit back, and get ready for our haunted, hilarious Halloween episode. Let’s get wild!
Listen now and discover the spookiest creatures around!
Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.
Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Tales from Cryptid Corner 2 Intro
01:19 - The Loch Ness Monster (from Ep. 20 "Red Cards and Redheads")
07:12 - Trading Punchlines for Candy in St.Louis
11:52 - The Bermuda Triangle (from Ep. 19 "The Shortest (and Sweetest!) Month")
16:39 - Costume Ideas with Crow Agency Elementary 5th Graders
18:02 - Haunted Halloween History 
19:43 - La Lechuza (from Ep. 21 "Cataract Canyons & Penpal by Podcast")
22:42 - Jack O'Lanterns
23:27 - Blobs! (from Ep. 23 "Endless Summer")
27:44 - Spooky Joke Time!
28:34 - The Barbegazi (from Ep. 18 "What is a New Year")
30:29 - Dracula (from "Tales from the Cryptid Corner")
34:25 - Conclusion
34:40 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth
35:12 - Bloopers

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Hark, brilliant Wildlings! Gather near, cozy-hearted and curious, to listen to this newest episode of Wild Interest! We set sail to explore the ancient lore of Mythology, stopping first to learn more about Homer, original poet-author of "The Odyssey", before traveling even farther back in time to Ancient Egypt, where audiobook narrator extraordinaire Jim Weiss joins us to perform one of our favorite myths from the Nile River Valley: the story of Osiris and Isis!
Then, we cast our gaze to the shimmering night sky to explore the many myths of the constellations! Do you have a favorite constellation, Wildlings? It may just be part of an ancient story - or three!
Finally, we take counsel with high-hearted participants of American Exchange Project, a special summertime experience where students across the country swap places, stay with host families, and learn a little bit of what it's like to be a kid in someone else's hometown! Sounds mighty brave to us, Wildlings!
Plus, we've got a fearsome Cryptid Corner, a slew of silly jokes, a special Autumnal Favorite Sound, and one DOOZY of a riddle! So grab a snack, tell a friend, stay curious and, as always: keep it WILD!!!
Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.
Timestamps for this episode are available below.
00:00 - Episode 24 Intro
01:27 - The Odyssey, Homer, and Myths
04:17 - Jim Weiss & the Myth of Osiris and Isis
16:28 - Riddle Clue
16:45 - Myths in the Constellations
22:42 - Favorite Sound
23:35 - The Conclusion of the Myth of Osiris and Isis with Jim Weiss
31:47 - Joke Time!
32:44 - Call for Submissions
33:26 - American Exchange Project
47:04 - Cryptid Corner: The Monster of Arzamas
51:22 - Riddle Answer
51:44 - Preview of Halloween Special
51:54 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth
52:26 - Bloopers
To hear more of Jim Weiss's storytelling, head to:
jimweiss.com & welltrainedmind.com

& to learn more about American Exchange Project, head to:

americanexchangeproject.org
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Okay Wildlings, we'll level with you. We tried. We really tried to petition for the extension of summer vacation. 
We gathered our most compelling evidence: the Feeding Ben Stuff crew got together to plumb the depths of the finest pool games in the land, Evan perfected his gnarliest kickflip at Woodward Skate Camp, and, to the delight of teachers everywhere, we had a tête-à-tête to determine the very best and brightest books in the summer reading catalog! 
Alas, we are but a simple kids podcast. Perhaps the real victory was the fun with friends and family that we had along the way? 
One thing's for sure: we've made this Endless Summer Episode for all of you, Wildlings, to commemorate and celebrate the frolicking freedom of the season!
Not to mention some hilarious jokes and one doozy of a riddle. So grab a snack, tell a friend, stay curious and, as always: keep it WILD!!!
Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.
Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 23 Intro
01:20 - Pool Games
09:16 - Riddle Clue
09:38 - Summer Reading
18:02 - Skate Camp
20:00 - Joke Time
20:42 - Call for Submissions
21:09 - Cryptid Corner: Blobs!
25:39 - Riddle Answer
26:01 - Preview of Episode 24
26:12 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth
26:43 - Bloopers

Cryptid Corner includes audio from the single "The Blob", written by Burt Bacharach and Mack David, performed by The Five Blobs, and released by Columbia Records in 1958.
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What do you know, Wildlings? It’s the 22nd episode of Wild Interest! Join us on our quest as we interview quantum physicist Dr. Shohini Ghose about the history of her quark-y field and her own personal journey of discovery along the path! Then, ready your blindfolds and prep your palettes – it’s time for another installment of Feeding Ben Stuff, featuring Louise! Plus, Nichole shares a special report about the 2026 World Cup and all the enchanting soccer cheers from around the globe. Finally, we pay tribute to the late, great Dr. Jeff Meldrum, renowned anthropologist, professor, and lifelong Bigfoot researcher by returning to the very first Cryptid Corner EVER! 
And, we’ve got a super special new segment called “We Made It All Up!”, an improvised storytelling collaboration between three different schools from across the US! Starting the story off are 6th graders from Rocky Heights Middle School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. They passed their part of the story to 8th graders at Rocky Heights, who then sent all their recordings to the 5th graders at St. Veronica Catholic School in Cincinnati, Ohio! Finally, our Penpal by Podcast collaborators, the 5th grade class at Crow Agency Elementary in Crow Agency, Montana, brought the whole made-up journey to an end! 
Not to mention some hilarious jokes and one doozy of a riddle. So grab a snack, tell a friend, stay curious and, as always: keep it WILD!!!
Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.
Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 22 Intro
01:27 - Dr. Shohini Ghose
11:19 - Riddle Clue
11:34 - World Cup Fever!
16:49 - Favorite Sound
18:06 - Call for Submissions!
18:34 - Feeding Ben Stuff: Louise's Turn
28:18 - Joke Time
29:10 - We Made It All Up!
32:56 - Grandparent Stories: Nichole's Grandma
44:05 - Cryptid Corner: Bigfoot with Dr. Jeff Meldrum
53:12 - Riddle Answer
53:30 - Preview of Episode 23
53:42 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth!
54:13 - Bloopers
For more quality content from students at Rocky Heights Middle School and St. Veronica Catholic School, check out 2025 NPR Student Podcast Middle School Honorable Mentions “A Late Start Would Be Smart”, “Are You Smarter Than AI?”, “Mystery Unknown!”, and “The Flaws of School – Should Schools be Improved to Fit Students’ Needs?”
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Welcome to summer, Wildlings! Hit the waves with Nichole as she guides you through the ups and downs of her rafting adventure on the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon! Get nostalgic for the past school year as we listen back to the best moments created by our Penpal by Podcast student podcast groups all the way from Crow Agency, MT, to Brooklyn, New York! Evan elucidates the lore behind La Lechuza in Cryptid Corner - it's a real hoot! Haadiyah from South Africa interviews her grandma, Hunter from California reflects on his favorite sound, and back home on the range (in the studio), there's a funny little Animal Call to be identified!
Not to mention some hilarious jokes and one doozy of a riddle. So grab a snack, tell a friend, stay curious and, as always: keep it WILD!!!
Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.
Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 21 Intro
01:20 - Cataract Canyon
09:26 - Animal Call
10:39 - Joke Time!
11:29 - Penpal by Podcast
20:04 - Riddle Clue
20:26 - Animal Call Reprise
21:23 - Cryptid Corner: La Lechuza
24:34 - Favorite Sound
25:17 - Call for Submissions!
25:44 - Animal Call Reveal
28:00 - Grandparent Stories: Haadiyah's Grandma
33:15 - Riddle Answer
33:56 - Preview of Episode 22
34:25 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth!
34:56 - Bloopers

Archival audio in Animal Call:
Rice, Jeff. Audio file copyright 2010, the Western Soundscape Archive at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library, http://westernsoundscape.org & Public Domain recordings from the National Park Service.
Musical segments performed by Daca (Henry Payne Reeves) include "I'm Ridin' Old Paint" and "Old Chisholm Trail", from the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.

Archival audio in Cryptid Corner:
Snippets from "El Pajaro Gigante de Robe" by Los Campeones de Raul Ruiz, published by Freddie Records, & "El Tecolotito" as performed by Ricardo Archuleta, from the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.

Archival audio in Grandparent Stories:
Snippets of “Mannenberg” by Abdullah Ibrahim, 1974.

wildinterest.com