Good Job, Brain!

Ready for summer vacation? Load this episode up while you bask under the red hot day-star! Tan your brain with awesome glowing facts: the (kind of gross) history of the icecream cone, weird trivia about daylight saving time, wacky watermelon stories, the inspiration behind the Slip N Slide, and the summer nectar of the gods - Slurpee. Summer jams lyrics quiz. And what makes a movie a "blockbuster"? Why is it even called that? 

ALSO: Tech company animal mascot quiz, "Um...Actually..."

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paging Doctor Feelgood! We need 100cc of trivia facts STAT!!! We explore the trivia-filled world of medicine - specifically, the weird and wacky medical treatments: old-timey snake oil, traveling medicine shows, alcohol, quacks, that wonder drug "calomel", leeches (no, no, they're actually quite nice!), Hollywood "script doctors," and an odd story about... ancient Chinese ingenuity? Yeah...

ALSO: Dog Show facts, XYZ quiz

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you lonesome tonight? Well, these people sure are! We salute and celebrate the ones who tend to do things by themselves: the crazy solo life of the hermit crab (and its nightmare cousin, the coconut crab), the physical and psychological effects of human isolation experiments, the amazing trail-blazing lone wolf game designers of the Atari age, and of course, famous band members who struck it big with their own solo careers. ALSO: marathon mnemonic and factoids, and E.L.V.I.S. music quiz!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yeeeaaaahhhhh! Another quiz-filled tasty entree to satisfy your hunger for weird information. Are you a boardgame expert? Then Dana gotcha covered in her boardgame pieces test. Chris had colors on his mind, and also a very intriguing (and maybe infuriating?) "middle in line" movie quiz. Karen makes everyone play Family Feud, and Colin want us to get into his "domain." MOST IMPORTANTLY- we host our first ever taste test quiz and try to name the wacky flavors of snack Colin brought back from Asia.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shrink ray, pew pew! Toy dogs, woof woof! Mini golf, putt putt! We celebrate the things that come in smaller packages around us. Trivia about the invention of the miniskirt (oo la la) and weird laws around tiny liquor bottles. See if you can name the baby versions of top cartoon shows, and how many movies about shrinking people can you think of?

ALSO: Brainiacs Book Club

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Let's see how many corn puns we can fit in this episode description) Ah shucks! So many kernels of facts in this husky episode about corn. Let's stalk the whereabouts of this golden plant: from car parts to Doritos, from liquor to Beavis & Butthead. Enter the freaky world of corn reproduction and find out the real reason behind corned beef's name. Smile from ear to ear as we explore the corny universe of pick-up lines. ALSO: Fictional language quiz, and Dana's big game debut!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LATHER UP for some amazing quizzes and facts about things that are squeaky clean: famous cleaners on TV, infomercials, marketing deodorant, the rise and fall of a surprising cleaning product... and what exactly IS soap? Learn about the massive undertaking of cleaning the Statue of Liberty, and the after-dark secretsssss of tidying up Disneyland. ALSO: Music Round!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good morning, brains! Love it or hate it, getting up in the morning is something we have to face every single day. Well, unless...you're a nocturnal mole-person. We gab about juicy trivia and silly histories behind some of our favorite and least favorite parts of the morning ritual: Saturday morning cartoons, extremely hyper morning drink quiz, the dreaded hangover, the morning commute, the worst/best invention of the world - the snooze button, and play a round of "ENERGY DRINK?...Or SHOW ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL?" ALSO: bad kids' jokes, and "Element or Drug?"

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE'RE ON SITE! We had a bit of a scheduling conflict this week because we made it to the PUB TRIVIA GRAND FINALS. So please enjoy this little fun-size episode featuring our pal, William Fakespeare... and see if you can identify the lyrics line by line!

(Sadly, we did not win first place. Close, but no cigar. We're sad pandas.)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don't slam that snooze button because it's TRIVIA O'CLOCK. We got a chock-full of quizzical goodness. Dana's got a meaty round of....meats, and an even meatier round of famous sidekicks. Colin's obsessed with secret origins of seemingly plain household iteams, and Karen has a special M-U-S-I-C R-O-U-N-D. ALSO: Pub trivia US States questions, and movie biographies.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bllyyeeechhh....we celebrate the slimey, slithery, and creepy creatures of our world! Crunchy facts about crime-solving bugs, deceptively cute snails, and the guinea worm. Learn the right first aid steps of how to remove a bug stuck inside your ear. And when life gives you toads, you make "toad sausages." ALSO: a quiz about the master of creep - Stephen King, and a sssssssssspecial dedication.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We did The Man Show, and it's the girls' turn this time! Find out how well you'll fare in Chris' epic battle of the sexes challenge. "Electrifying" facts behind fashion, famous firsts, women in song titles, and Karen's....seaweed... shirt? We try to find out why pink is for girls and blue is for boys, and just how high Susan B. Anthony ranks on the Sass-o-Meter. ALSO: Music Round and a special message for Boston.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Impostors! Countefeits! Forgeries! Decoys! Yes, a show all about FAKES. The history of counterfeit money may surprise you, but probably not as much as the shocking secrets of that ol' regular inkjet printer sitting in your house RIGHT NOW! We also talk about stunningly weird (and perhaps, frightening) examples of biomimicry in the animal kingdom. Chris quizzes us on notable fake bands, and Dana shares a crazy-pants story about faking one's own death...for fun.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The human body is truly amazing! We HEAD up the discussion about body gunk, and the mysterious and wonderful world *inside* your belly button. Colin blesses us with tales of mysterious sneezing phenomenon, and Karen ponders why your pee smells weird after eating asparagus. Learn the origin behind the saying "5 o'clock shadow" and just what to watch for if you're a lifeguard. ALSO: Capital Capitals Quiz Part II!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GET. PUMPED. YES. So many quizzes in all shapes and sizes! Get inside Colin's head and see if you can identify some of his favorite instrumental TV theme songs. Karen is totally excited to see if people enjoy her "William Shakespeare Goes to a House Party Quiz." Dana's got an apPEAling and PEAceful word game, and "What Would Keanu Do?" And Chris presents a round of "Last in Line 2: The Overblown Sequel." 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flops, failures, and follies! We dedicate this show to all those who have picked themselves up after falling down. Facts and juicy stories about New Coke, the wobbly Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the dotcom boom, and the biggest financial movie flop in the world. And why "sexy yogurt" should NEVER exist. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bada bing! Keep your eyes open as we head down the dark alley of crime. Learn about the history of the tommy gun, mafia lingo, and the fascinating start of early crime scene investigation. Test your crime IQ with our quizzes about notable real and fictional criminals, and play a round of "Stolen? Or Not Stolen?" about famous (and possibly purloined) prized possessions. ALSO: Listener's Choice Music Round, L&O:GJB

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our first birthday and it's our TRIVIACEPTION show! Believe it or not, amazing facts about the king of amazing facts, Robert Ripley. The business behind bad trivia. We try our luck in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and gush over other TV game shows. Famous riddlers and question-askers throughout literary history, and exactly why is a raven like a writing desk? ALSO: "Initial Here" quiz

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Come one, come all! Behold as we uncover tasty circus and carnival factoids from under the big top: circus lingo, superstitions, and codes for danger. If so many people are scared of clowns, why are they an integral part of the circus? Join in on our elephant parade of pachyderm myths and the story behind Jumbo. And find out how carnival games are rigged and the best ways to beat them. ALSO: International House of Pancakes quiz.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unclog and do some mental plumbing with some extra strength BRAINO. In this rad all quiz episode, Chris celebrates the number 50, and shares classic lateral thinking puzzles & brain teasers. Karen's got a round of science and brings back "Mash It Up!" And IN A LAND... IN A TIME... ONE WOMAN (Dana) quizzes us on blockbuster taglines. Colin's got age on the mind and.... E.L.V.I.S. IS BACK!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prepare to get your funnybone/ulner nerve tickled! We take a closer look at the things that make us laugh: the rich surprise history of "That's What She Said" jokes, the invention of the Laugh Track, how MAD magazine came to be, comedy duos, and what actually makes hyenas laugh so much. ALSO: Wachamacallit Quiz

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPORTS: you either love it or it makes you groan. Fear not! We SERVE up intriguing sports facts that you will lurve... so heads up! We finally learn why football is called "soccer," the hotly contested origin of tennis, and what sport is awesomely known as "flutterguts." Chris bats a home run sports anagram quiz, Colin tells us the nightmarish tale of being a professional sports accountant, and Dana gives us some "English Pleasure." ALSO: DO DOGS REALLY DREAM?, Puzzle Music Round

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warning! Our show on sleep is actually far from a snoozefest! We find out about the eye-popping origin of the word "nightmare," the amazingly INTENSE sleep behavior of hummingbirds, why you feel the falling sensation when drifting to sleep, the fascinating history about beds, and what's actually *in* your bed. ALSO: a special TV theme song Music Round, and awful riddles written by children

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BRR! Whip up a cup of hot chocolate as we gab about things that are cool, cold, and icy. We teach you how to build an igloo, how the ice industry started, what happens to your body when you're stuck in the cold depths of outer space, and why you feel like going to the bathroom a lot more during cold weather. (Yay, pee.) Speaking of hot chocolate, learn about a secret delicious plant that cures sore throats! ALSO: Chris' insane Music Round

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Knead your noggin and noodle with this quiz-filled episode! Awesome segments like "First In Line" and "Metal Band Or Disease?" What exactly is the name and origin of the Michelin Man? Find out who wrote the awesomely titled autobiography "Soulacoaster." Also: Music Round, Shakespeare superlatives, noodles, and company logos. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're resting up our brains this week so enjoy this little fun-size mini episode with the usual segments: Pop Quiz, Hot Shot!, Um...Actually..., and what exactly is the origin of the term "jaywalking"? 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The weirdest, the poopiest, the funniest, and the silliest moments of Good Job, Brain! all in one end-of-year episode. We share are favorite quizzes, facts, and histories. That's right, there ain't no shame in having a clips show! Have a happy and brainy new year!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brown paper packages tied up with string...these are a few of my favorite things! Chris shares his Nintendo expertise and that old box of videogames in your attic might be worth lots of money! Colin quizzes us on his love of typography. Karen's favorite thing is actually extremely poisonous. And Dana schools us on her favorite thing: wordplay. ALSO: how to prepare for a quiz bowl, genetic hybrids (ZORSE!), the trivia-heavy story of Fleetwood Mac, and "Painter? Or Cheese?"

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Put on your stretchy pants and prepare to feast on these holiday food facts: fermented shark from Iceland's midwinter festival, superstitions around Christmas pudding, Jell-O (with cheese?), and the prowess of the Easter hare. ALSO: Country name quiz, 42 & antipodes, and our failed attempts at coming up with alternate names for vegetarian haggis.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unwind with us while we indulge in the guilty pleasure of weird celeb gossip: famous stars with crazy high IQ, why you should not let Prince rent your house, intriguing human body anomalies and the famous people who have them, stage names vs. real names. ALSO: Music Round, eyeball mnemonic, and the BONOBOS SMARTY PANTS LISTENER CHALLENGE!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turn up the Trivia Newton John because your brain's about to get PHYSICAL! Can you name the popular hang-out spots from TV shows? See if you know any of Dana's weird words for weird things segment. Karen's get into character for a round of literature. Chris schools us on video game consoles, and Colin asks, "What's the Difference?" ALSO: military stinkbombs, and Scooby Doo's real name.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, who farted? We sniff out the story behind scents and smells! How our brains associate smells with memories, Smell-o-vision at the movies, bizarre perfume ingredients, the odd world of celebrity fragrances, how stores are manipulating you with scents, anosmia, and can you trademark a smell? ALSO: fantastic old-timey words, "First in Line" quiz.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grrah! Get ready to punch trivia in the face with your MANLINESS because we are celebrating MAN stuff: important moments in beard history, etymology behind BBQ, snacks designed for men only, innovations in urinals, and the classic(?) American folktale of Paul Bunyan. ALSO: Pepsi's new fat-blocking soda, collective nouns, and what exactly does "begging the question" mean?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's have fun fumbling through the English language! Think you know when to use i.e., e.g., [sic], etc.? Misheard lyrics, "eggcorns," finger fumblers, and more! Is there a special profession meaning behind YOUR last name? Drink your can of Bite the Wax Tadpole while Karen quizzes the gang on mind-bogglingly stellar examples of translation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zippadeedoodah! Our mind-blowing offbeat Disney episode: the tale behind early Lucas/Disney collaboration, the secret psychology of waiting in lines in Disney parks, Disney song quiz, Walt Disney's lesser-known roots, Michael Jackson, and.... A REAL-LIFE VIDEOGAME ISLAND?! ALSO: Album art music challenge, CSI: GJB!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's get hopped up on sugar GUYS, GALS, & GILA MONSTERS. Controversy! Intrigue! Hot molten explosions in your face! We dive into the weird world of candy just in time for Halloween. Serving the sweet scoop on Cadbury Creme Eggs, Tootsie Roll Pops, Gobstoppers, and more. ALSO: "Wonka? Or Urban Dictionary?," candy name quiz, a very special comics quiz formulated for extra awesomeness and gamma radiation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get out your sandpaper because this one's for the quiz buffs! So many individual quiz segments. Karen rounded up her favorite film scores for a special Music Round, Chris grills us on burgers, Colin's got travel on the mind, and Dana describes dancing diddies. ALSO: the best punctuation mark, license plates, brain anagram puzzles, and more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's spend a day at the office! We find out how the modern office cubicle came into being, the shockingly old history behind the vending machine, office movie trivia, coffee breaks, and the not-so-nice origin of the Scotch tape. ALSO: secrets to identifying major African nations, science quiz, the world's fastest clown, and a very special listener challenge!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Still remember how to do the Macarena? We reminisce and discuss the origins of Pogs, singing raisins, ridiculous trend diets, Sanrio, and Hello Kitty. If you think modern fads are nuts, we also talk about the ridiculous crazes from the old-timey days like collecting limes, portable marionettes, and the first 3D movie mania. ALSO: bizarre headlines, and we finally caught Carmin San Mateo and got our music quiz back!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roses are red / violets are blue / we can't talk about color / without mentioning poo. We dive into the world of color: weird color names, chameleons, the legitimacy of purple, cheddar cheese vs. flamingos, color character name quiz, Crayola crayon controversy, heterochromia, and why we'd want to take Monet to a rave party. ALSO: animal collective nouns, wine quiz

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWEAT. Flex those Adonis mental muscles because it's another All Quiz Bonanza! Video game trivia, "Belgium or Not Belgium?," Tarantino flicks, famous scientist anagrams, name that X-Men power, rockstar alter egos, and movie trivia GALORE. This episode is dedicated to our superfriend and superlistener Fred G who's our top Kickstarter backer! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prepare for the inevitable robot uprising by learning about...well, robots! Eymology, first appearances in culture, hanging out in the uncanny valley, historical Japanese tea-serving automatons and French duck robots. Inspiration behind C3PO & R2D2, TV + Movie Robot quiz, and of course, our own robot E.L.V.I.S. is back! ALSO: Brainiacs Book Club, and a *VERY AWESOME* music round. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Watch out for those ACME anvils because we're transporting everyone into the world of TV cartoons this week! Brief history of animation, why you have to thank the government for the 80's cartoon explosion, mind-blowing origins behind our favorites, Villains quiz, cartoon bands, how Simpsons was created in a moment of panic, and more! ALSO: "What's in a Name?" quiz

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All aboard! Mind-blowing facts about transportation. We find out what's up with those old-timey bikes with the humongous front wheel, airplane secrets, the Hindenburg, JK Rowling's minor error, and train facts that will make your brain go OOoOooOooOoO! ALSO: "Whose Ride is it Anyways" quiz, and "One Letter Off" word puzzle and new listener challenge.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DO IT, ROCKAPELLA. We celebrate our half-birthday milestone by talking about our favorite world landmarks: Eiffel Tower, Great Wall of China, Giza Pyramids, and Chris reveals his Statue of Liberty obsession. And of course, the gang relives the golden sleuthing days of Carmen Sandiego. ALSO: Our new favorite words, special edition listener challenge, easy trick for memorizing the colors of the eBay and Google logos in order

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational all-quiz show! Dana's got a round of Muppets trivia, Colin's got a geography and mononym celebrity names, Karen mixes things up with a mash-up round, and Chris quizzes us on very MAN-ly superhero names. ALSO: mind-blowing history behind the fortune cookie, the best/worst/sleaziest International Date Line pick-up line ever, and of course, a mini-segment of our favorite animal sex facts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go for the gold with these lesser known Olympics trivia and history tidbits: hot air ballooning, mascot quiz, the weird link between pole vaulting and Donkey Kong, Olympic ring color mnemonic, Fatso the Wombat, and the strange science behind official equipment. ALSO: the cure for jet-lagged hamsters, Oklahoma's state vegetable, "Hey! That Sounds Familiar!" Music Round, and GO BANANAS with our very special announcement!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We invite you to lean back, relax, and indulge in a nice refreshing beverage with us! Quench your thirst with amazing facts about beloved beverages: milkshakes, boba tea, sodas, and hot chocolate. Dana tries to stump us with Snapple lid factoids, and Chris hosts the game "Coke or Pepsi?" ALSO: 80's quiz battle, and a very special round of New York City trivia

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breaking bulletin, boardgame buffs! Facts and origin stories of our favorite classic boardgames: Monopoly, Scrabble, and Trivial Pursuit. Boardgames modification quiz, the importance of Monopoly "house rules", and we venture back into a bit of Star Wars trivia. Also: a VERY special 80's version Pop Quiz, Hot Shot!, how to memorize the Bill of Rights, and we announce the winner of our Singing Robot naming contest.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ironic to describe our plants show as "meaty" but boy oh boy, we cover LOTS of fantastic topics in this episode: poisonous plants, stinky plants, drug plants, and yes, we even named a plant our A-Hole of the Week! Also: plant character quiz, "Whose Ride is it Anyways?," LSD baseball, and a special Encyclopedia Brown tribute.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices