It’s a time-honored Valentine’s Day tradition to hand out conversation hearts - those candies with phrases like “be mine” and “love always” written on them. In this episode, we learn a little about the history Cupid and play a game where contestants come up with conversation candies for made up holidays.
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NARRATOR: Now entering Brains On headquarters.
[ELECTRONIC WHIRRING]
[RUSTLING]
JOY DOLO: Phew, that's it. I have finally opened up all my Valentine's Day cards. So much love, and for moi? Oh, look. This one from Molly has a picture of a heart-shaped bagel. Oh and here's a handwritten note from my sweetie, Graham. And wow, Nico gave me this box of candy? Yum.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Did somebody say candy?
JOY DOLO: Sanden, wow. Where were you? How did you--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Joy, I've spent years training my ears to focus on any sugar-related words and finding the source. These days, it's pretty much the only thing I hear at Brains On headquarters.
JOY DOLO: Oh, that explains a lot.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Why, yes. I would love a piece of that chocolate bar.
JOY DOLO: OK, then. Luckily, I love sharing. I'll just put the rest in this cabinet here though, because I don't love sharing that much.
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh sorry, Joy. Cabinet's taken.
JOY DOLO: Anna?
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah, this is my cabinet hour. I'm always here in this cabinet, from 12:00 to 1:00, listening t-- I mean meditating. Everybody knows that, right Sanden?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Sure, I'll take that marshmallow. Thanks.
JOY DOLO: Well, now that Valentine's Day is over, I feel kind of let down. What happens when we work our way through all this heart shaped candy?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Buy regular-shaped candy, huh, and share it with me.
JOY DOLO: Why does Valentine's Day get all the love anyway? What if there are other holidays that deserve some hearts too, like, I don't know, International Yogurt Day.
ANNA WEGGEL: Hmm, well my favorite Valentine's Day candies are the little conversation hearts. You know, The. Ones with the little phrases printed on them.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Surely International Yogurt Day could never have such cute sayings on such cute hearts.
JOY DOLO: That's where you're wrong. I can think of a million of them. You're the cream of the crop.
ANNA WEGGEL: I'm Greeking out over you.
SANDEN TOTTEN: You're my parfaivorite.
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] Yes, yes, yes! OK, since you're both eating my candy, I'm going to come up with some holidays, and you two can help me brainstorm the sayings we could put on there candy hearts. Are you ready?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Mhm.
ANNA WEGGEL: Born ready.
SANDEN TOTTEN: You had me at candy.
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] All right, the first one. First holiday is two different socks day.
ANNA WEGGEL: Two different socks day?
JOY DOLO: It's where you celebrate wearing two different socks.
ANNA WEGGEL: Wow.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, so like, laundry day.
[LAUGHTER]
JOY DOLO: We could call it laundry day.
ANNA WEGGEL: Fold-- fold it-- fold you up in my love.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Mmm.
ANNA WEGGEL: Or I find your presence heel-ing.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, or boy, aren't your eyes be-argyling.
ANNA WEGGEL: What?
[LAUGHTER]
It's like--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Argyle socks.
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, beguiling. OK, OK.
JOY DOLO: Be-argyling, yeah, I get it.
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Here's one, here's one, here's one. I got one. Darn it, I'm holey in love with you.
ANNA WEGGEL: There it is.
JOY DOLO: Aww.
ANNA WEGGEL: We found it. We found it.
[LAUGHTER]
JOY DOLO: Darn it, I'm wholly in love with you.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, I'll take that one.
JOY DOLO: That's cute. You hear that, Graham?
[LAUGHTER]
OK, I have another one. I have another one. OK, how about happy roller skate Monday?
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, where you roller skate on Mondays.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I demand this day off so I can celebrate officially, every Monday. We're wheely good together.
ANNA WEGGEL: It's fun to roller derby in love with you.
JOY DOLO: Roller skate whee!
SANDEN TOTTEN: I got one.
ANNA WEGGEL: So clever.
SANDEN TOTTEN: If you liked it, then you should have put a rink on it.
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, wow
JOY DOLO: Yes. Sanden, that's two for two.
ANNA WEGGEL: Wow.
JOY DOLO: You are killing the game
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: OK, OK, OK, OK. I can see that this is very important, but I have a final holiday for you. OK? Are you ready?
ANNA WEGGEL: Mhm.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Mhm.
JOY DOLO: OK, this is one that's personal and close to my heart, something that I've thought about since I was a child. This one is called National Penguin Day.
ANNA WEGGEL: OK. Waddle I do without you? I'm flipper for you.
[LAUGHTER]
SANDEN TOTTEN: Don't go beaking my heart.
ANNA WEGGEL: Mm, mhm.
JOY DOLO: My love isn't all black and white.
[LAUGHTER]
SANDEN TOTTEN: I'm in my best tux for you. I'd krill to be your Valentine.
JOY DOLO: Oh, Yeah. That's a good one.
ANNA WEGGEL: It's o-fish-al, I love you.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I don't get it.
ANNA WEGGEL: Because they-- because they eat fish.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, fish.
JOY DOLO: O-fish, a yeah.
ANNA WEGGEL: It's o-fish-al.
ANNA WEGGEL: I mean, if I--
SANDEN TOTTEN: I was hanging on the O. I was like, does penguin have an O in it?
ANNA WEGGEL: I'm sorry, I did not put the right emphasis on the right syllable.
JOY DOLO: Syllable?
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: You've done it again. Great wordsmithing!
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, OK, I'm late for the daddy longlegs-- I gotta go. Sanden, you can have my candy. Bye!
SANDEN TOTTEN: Yes, I win.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was made by [INAUDIBLE], Anna Weggel, and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Perlman, and the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Covatti, Joann Griffith, and Alex Schaffert. Brains On is a non-profit, public radio program. Thanks, Smarty Pass friends.
ANNA WEGGEL: Bye, pals.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Candy candy.
[AUDIO LOGO]
[ELECTRONIC WHIRRING]
[RUSTLING]
JOY DOLO: Phew, that's it. I have finally opened up all my Valentine's Day cards. So much love, and for moi? Oh, look. This one from Molly has a picture of a heart-shaped bagel. Oh and here's a handwritten note from my sweetie, Graham. And wow, Nico gave me this box of candy? Yum.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Did somebody say candy?
JOY DOLO: Sanden, wow. Where were you? How did you--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Joy, I've spent years training my ears to focus on any sugar-related words and finding the source. These days, it's pretty much the only thing I hear at Brains On headquarters.
JOY DOLO: Oh, that explains a lot.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Why, yes. I would love a piece of that chocolate bar.
JOY DOLO: OK, then. Luckily, I love sharing. I'll just put the rest in this cabinet here though, because I don't love sharing that much.
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh sorry, Joy. Cabinet's taken.
JOY DOLO: Anna?
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah, this is my cabinet hour. I'm always here in this cabinet, from 12:00 to 1:00, listening t-- I mean meditating. Everybody knows that, right Sanden?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Sure, I'll take that marshmallow. Thanks.
JOY DOLO: Well, now that Valentine's Day is over, I feel kind of let down. What happens when we work our way through all this heart shaped candy?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Buy regular-shaped candy, huh, and share it with me.
JOY DOLO: Why does Valentine's Day get all the love anyway? What if there are other holidays that deserve some hearts too, like, I don't know, International Yogurt Day.
ANNA WEGGEL: Hmm, well my favorite Valentine's Day candies are the little conversation hearts. You know, The. Ones with the little phrases printed on them.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Surely International Yogurt Day could never have such cute sayings on such cute hearts.
JOY DOLO: That's where you're wrong. I can think of a million of them. You're the cream of the crop.
ANNA WEGGEL: I'm Greeking out over you.
SANDEN TOTTEN: You're my parfaivorite.
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] Yes, yes, yes! OK, since you're both eating my candy, I'm going to come up with some holidays, and you two can help me brainstorm the sayings we could put on there candy hearts. Are you ready?
SANDEN TOTTEN: Mhm.
ANNA WEGGEL: Born ready.
SANDEN TOTTEN: You had me at candy.
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] All right, the first one. First holiday is two different socks day.
ANNA WEGGEL: Two different socks day?
JOY DOLO: It's where you celebrate wearing two different socks.
ANNA WEGGEL: Wow.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, so like, laundry day.
[LAUGHTER]
JOY DOLO: We could call it laundry day.
ANNA WEGGEL: Fold-- fold it-- fold you up in my love.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Mmm.
ANNA WEGGEL: Or I find your presence heel-ing.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, or boy, aren't your eyes be-argyling.
ANNA WEGGEL: What?
[LAUGHTER]
It's like--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Argyle socks.
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, beguiling. OK, OK.
JOY DOLO: Be-argyling, yeah, I get it.
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Here's one, here's one, here's one. I got one. Darn it, I'm holey in love with you.
ANNA WEGGEL: There it is.
JOY DOLO: Aww.
ANNA WEGGEL: We found it. We found it.
[LAUGHTER]
JOY DOLO: Darn it, I'm wholly in love with you.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, I'll take that one.
JOY DOLO: That's cute. You hear that, Graham?
[LAUGHTER]
OK, I have another one. I have another one. OK, how about happy roller skate Monday?
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, where you roller skate on Mondays.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I demand this day off so I can celebrate officially, every Monday. We're wheely good together.
ANNA WEGGEL: It's fun to roller derby in love with you.
JOY DOLO: Roller skate whee!
SANDEN TOTTEN: I got one.
ANNA WEGGEL: So clever.
SANDEN TOTTEN: If you liked it, then you should have put a rink on it.
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, wow
JOY DOLO: Yes. Sanden, that's two for two.
ANNA WEGGEL: Wow.
JOY DOLO: You are killing the game
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: OK, OK, OK, OK. I can see that this is very important, but I have a final holiday for you. OK? Are you ready?
ANNA WEGGEL: Mhm.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Mhm.
JOY DOLO: OK, this is one that's personal and close to my heart, something that I've thought about since I was a child. This one is called National Penguin Day.
ANNA WEGGEL: OK. Waddle I do without you? I'm flipper for you.
[LAUGHTER]
SANDEN TOTTEN: Don't go beaking my heart.
ANNA WEGGEL: Mm, mhm.
JOY DOLO: My love isn't all black and white.
[LAUGHTER]
SANDEN TOTTEN: I'm in my best tux for you. I'd krill to be your Valentine.
JOY DOLO: Oh, Yeah. That's a good one.
ANNA WEGGEL: It's o-fish-al, I love you.
SANDEN TOTTEN: I don't get it.
ANNA WEGGEL: Because they-- because they eat fish.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Oh, fish.
JOY DOLO: O-fish, a yeah.
ANNA WEGGEL: It's o-fish-al.
ANNA WEGGEL: I mean, if I--
SANDEN TOTTEN: I was hanging on the O. I was like, does penguin have an O in it?
ANNA WEGGEL: I'm sorry, I did not put the right emphasis on the right syllable.
JOY DOLO: Syllable?
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: You've done it again. Great wordsmithing!
ANNA WEGGEL: Oh, OK, I'm late for the daddy longlegs-- I gotta go. Sanden, you can have my candy. Bye!
SANDEN TOTTEN: Yes, I win.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was made by [INAUDIBLE], Anna Weggel, and Anna Goldfield. Our executive producer is Beth Perlman, and the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Covatti, Joann Griffith, and Alex Schaffert. Brains On is a non-profit, public radio program. Thanks, Smarty Pass friends.
ANNA WEGGEL: Bye, pals.
SANDEN TOTTEN: Candy candy.
[AUDIO LOGO]
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