What a Weird Week Halloween Special: Oct 25, 2024 Weird-O-Ween!

What a Weird Week gets you caught up on the weird news of the week.  https://www. 
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Hi friends, I'm Scott and this is What a Weird Week, a show about the weird stuff in the news. See below for a transcript of the podcast episode. To subscribe to the podcast or for social media and more links, you can get everything at www.shownotes.page. These are the shownotes for Season 5, Ep 43 first published on Friday Oct 25th 2024. Here are this week's stories...
 
From study finds, Consensus Picks for the Top 5 Best Halloween Candies
https://studyfinds.org/best-halloween-candy/ 


 
5 Best Cat Halloween Costumes for a Spooktacular Feline Transformation
https://studyfinds.org/best-cat-halloween-costumes/
 

 
5 Best U.S. Cities for an Unforgettable Halloween Experience
https://youtu.be/NF9oZ5HHb1k?si=mXUkB4p6OV8_siCk and also https://studyfinds.org/best-u-s-cities-for-halloween

 

 
America's Fascination with Horror Movies: Childhood Scares to Adult Thrills
https://studyfinds.org/your-halloween-personality/
 

 
5 Best Halloween Couple Costumes for 2024: From Barbie and Ken to Mario and Princess Peach
https://studyfinds.org/best-halloween-couple-costumes/
 

 
5 Easy and Creative Halloween Costume Ideas for Last-Minute Partygoers
https://studyfinds.org/best-easy-halloween-costumes/
 

5 Best Dog Halloween Costumes That Pet Parents Love
https://studyfinds.org/best-dog-halloween-costumes/

How to do everything episode about Peanut Butter Cups - the Halloween ones taste better according to 14 year old math-e-magician
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/22/1256914737/pumpkins-spiders-and-henry-winkler
 
 
    giant peanut butter cups!
 
Halloween: not as scary as climate change 
 
Transcript below...





Transcript ... 
00:00
from the What a Weird Week show. It's our Weird Halloween special. This is Weird-o-ween.

00:10
Everybody is weird. This is like crazy New York really. Weird. 10. Wow, we got a great show for you. It was so wonderful. 10. 7. Hi friends, I'm Scott and this is Weird-O-Ween from the What a Weird Week show. Usually we're about the weird news of the week, but here are some Halloween stories for our Halloween special, All Hallows Eve 2024. 10. Okay, let's get right into the controversial top.

00:37
Halloween treats. This is not based on my opinion. Please don't at me. This is all based on the scientific research of the folks at Study Finds. Study Finds is a website where they break down the science and they are constantly sifting through data and different surveys and studies. They help us better understand the world around us through their good work at Study Finds. Now, their team has compiled the list of the top five Halloween candies.

01:06
I'm gonna say it's not without controversy. Number five on the list is Starburst. And according to their research, the fact that Starburst makes the list is due largely to the pink ones. The pink Starburst, which they say is considered a valuable trading commodity during Halloween. The pink one. You've got M&Ms on the list. They are delicious. Here in Canada, we have M&Ms. We also have our Smarties. In the United States, your Smarties candy is

01:35
a sour candy, but here in East Coast Canada, Smarties are candy coated chocolate that is different tasting than M&M's and maybe an acquired taste, certainly delicious. You have Twix bars on the list. They make the top three because basically the folks at Study Finds say, you know what you're getting with the Twix? Consistency. Cookie layer, caramel, milk chocolate. They avoid excessive flavor variations. Twix. And that is appreciated by the...

02:03
researchers that study finds. Then you have Snickers bars and the number one Halloween treat. I think it makes it a list every year because it is the top seller and also it is a highly rated in Halloween trick-or-treating satisfaction. It is the Reese Peanut Butter Cup, the top Halloween treat. Later on we're going to get into another podcast's results when they applied mathematics, critical thinking to what makes a Reese Peanut Butter Cup pumpkin shape.

02:33
So much more delicious than all the other shapes. And it's scientifically proven now, you guys, if you suspected that it's true. Later on in this show, get into that. If you're looking for a Halloween getaway, here are the top destinations for spooky fun according to the research team at Study Finds. First one is Sleepy Hollow, New York, famous for the Headless Horseman story. And next is New Orleans, Louisiana. It's basically teaming with ghosts. So incredibly haunted.

03:01
Anoka, Minnesota, that is where they have the big, we talked about this a couple episodes ago, the big pumpkin festival. They have a classic car show there as well. The pumpkin festival, largest pumpkin in the world was won again by the same farmer from California. He grew a very large pumpkin.

03:18
How Anoka became the Halloween capital of the world. Way back in 1920, we had a lot of kid issues, tipping over cows, they were taking apart wagons, and the town came together to create this diversion of naughty behavior into what we now have, 100 plus years festival. That's from a video about how Anoka became the Halloween capital of the world. We'll link to that in the show notes, or click shownotes.

03:48
I'll stop there on that scary list of destinations, but there are more on the list and we will link to that in the Spooky Spooky Show Loads. Okay, next is horror movies. What you like in a scary movie may say a lot about your personality. Perhaps you're a weirdo. We'll get into that next. Yes, who is it? Special delivery! Special delivery? Why, that's one of the best kinds of delivery. I wonder what it could be?

04:17
Oh, it's a lovely pumpkin. Oh, there's a message carved into it. Why, it's a Halloween pumpkin. Let's see, what's it say? Dear Larry, we are over. Last night was a horrible mistake. Oh, there's more. I hope we never see each other again, but if we do...

04:42
I will be carrying a sock full of butter, which I will swing at your kneecaps. Signed Sharon. Oh, it's from Sharon. Scotty brand Dumpkins. A fun Halloween pumpkin that also tells that certain someone it's over. They are dumped. That this pumpkin is the only one who'll be around to listen to your nose whistle from now on, Larry. Dumpkins. Available in orange, white, and new for this season, smelly.

05:10
This is what a weird week. Usually we're a show about the weird things that happened that were in the news this week. But today we're doing Weirdo Weem. Here's number eight. The study about... Can we do something with the... There we go. Number eight is the study about scary movies and what they say about you. According to this study, children love scary movies. And then as we get older, we love them even more. That would be my summation.

05:38
But what kind of scary movie do you like? Supernatural and paranormal movies, or the number one scary movie on the list, and then psychological thrillers, a close second, slasher films, third place. If you wanna do a deep dive on this one, this survey got into different, like, you know, what personality type are you? What is your Halloween profile? You could be a gore hound, which that doesn't sound good at all. But that is if you're the type who enjoys maximum horror.

06:08
You could be a Ghostbuster. That means you like the paranormal scary movies. You could be a kitschy classic Carl. That means B-movies. We're family friendly friends. Something you can watch with the whole family. You also have scaredy cats in there, which may be strawberry shortcake and that's as scary as it gets. My little pony and then that's it. Even then, it's pushing it. We'll link to that whole study if you click.

06:35
the show notes or go show notes dot page. Show notes dot page. From the Halloween scientists at study finds, here are the best couple costumes for 2024. So hopefully you're hearing this. The episode drops before Halloween 2024, but if you're catching this episode after Halloween, you may still want to try these couple costumes out. Just take them for a spin downtown and see how they play.

07:03
All linked to the whole shoot and match, basically Barbie and Ken still a thing. This is nice because you can be whichever Barbie you want to be, whichever Ken you want to be. Perhaps tuxedo Ken, perhaps Hawaiian shirt Ken. There's some flexibility there. Mario and Princess Peach also on the list and Bob Ross and his happy little tree. If you're unfamiliar with who Bob Ross is, perhaps not popular where you're tuned in or perhaps you're at a certain age where you're like, what now? Ross who?

07:32
Bob Ross was a pop culture icon who painted many nature scenes on television and taught people how to paint happy little trees. Somebody at your costume party would appreciate that costume and think it was hilarious. You don't have to take my word for it. The science has spoken. Right up next, some spooky, no easy Halloween costumes. If you're in a last minute costume situation and you're starting to panic, perhaps you have a party.

08:01
Maybe you're going to rob a bank or something, whatever scenario, and you need a last minute costume, the Brilliant Minds and Study Finds are on it. And by the way, Study Finds, that should be your slogan. Brilliant Minds, Study Finds. Last Minute Costumes, next.

08:22
you

08:25
This is What a Weird Week. Usually, every week, we cover the weird news that happened. This time around, it's our Halloween special. Our Halloween's Weirdo. What's it called again? Weirdo Ween. 6. Easy and creative Halloween costume ideas if you're a last minute person or in a last minute situation. One easy one, they say, is also one of the most popular we talked about before. Barbie.

08:55
because you can throw on a tuxedo in your ken. You can also just wear jeans and an Oxford and now you're laid back ken. Barbie can have a sweatband. I'm workout Barbie. It's quite flexible. I'm gonna add another one here on the list that the study finds people didn't point this out. Quite frankly, I'm shocked. The painter costume. Let me tell you the story. One year I was in a situation where I wanted candy as a young fella and I still hadn't decided what should my Halloween costume be

09:25
It was Halloween afternoon and my father said, go get a paintbrush from down in the workshop. And he tied it to his shoelace and I wore it around my neck. And he gave me a white hat and said, tell everyone you're a painter. And I did. I told everyone I was a painter because everyone asked what is going on with the paintbrush and the hat on sideways. But you know what? End of the day, got my candy. Sure, it was a little bit phoned in. No offense, dad. Halloween for dogs. The best.

09:54
Halloween dog costumes dogs and Halloween I don't know how it happened, but it has happened and we need to accept it and here according to study finds the Halloween Scientists they don't refer to themselves that way. These are some of the best Halloween costumes for dogs Your dog as a murderous doll from the Chucky movies Also, they have Superman on the list. I would amend that list to say super dog I mean your dog can be Superman superwoman

10:24
or whatever, but also, couldn't your dog just be SuperDog? Wait, wait,

10:53
You don't want to get arrested on Halloween because, you know, copyright infringement. Hang on, next we have a pretty cool Halloween news item about a young fella whose costume got so much attention, something great happened.

11:32
From what a weird week, this is Weirdo Ween for Halloween Special 2024. Honorable Mention! Just before we get to the award-winning 11-year-old costume, this headline came across our desk as we were researching, Halloween is very scary this year. No make-believe monsters as frightening as climate change. That was one you know I'm looking for. What's the top-selling Halloween treat? And I come across that article.

12:01
climate change is scarier than Halloween. It was a lot, you guys. All right, now. For number four, 11 year old kid's viral Taylor Swift costume earns him era's tour tickets. A fellow named Henry from Kentucky went viral on TikTok or whatever you call it nowadays. He shared a TikTok of a costume inspired by a Taylor Swift backup dancer named Cameron and Henry's Halloween costume of Cameron the backup dancer.

12:28
Got the attention of Taylor Swift's people, and Henry got tickets to the era's tour. The Taylor Swift Tour. The biggest tour in all of the universe because of that creative Halloween costume. Someday Henry, you'll be telling that story to your great grandkids and they'll be like, you mean President Swift used to be a singer? I don't know. Maybe not. Free. All right, if you stuck around this long, thank you very much for that. We promised a story about how delicious Reese's peanut butter cup.

12:57
Pumpkins are and what is the science behind it? So I got all this information from a podcast that went away for quite a while And now is back. It's the how to do everything podcast from NPR It's one of the greatest podcasts in the history of podcasting podcasting so this week when I'm researching all about the number one Halloween treat which scientifically has proven its Reese peanut butter cups

13:21
They did an episode, they talked to a 14 year old mathematician about the science and the mathematics behind why the pumpkin shaped Reese peanut butter cup is the most delicious of all the cups. Here's a clip. After finding the volume of the inner frustum of the peanut butter and the whole frustum of the peanut butter cup, I got that the regular is about 30% peanut butter. So just the regular shape is 30%. Wow. And so where does the pumpkin fall?

13:49
So the pumpkin, I had to measure it in a different way because the pumpkin is like an ellipse. So the regular pumpkin rices had 38% peanut butter. So it beat out all the other rices. Wow. So that was a rebroadcast this week of the How to Do Everything podcast. They're back. I will link to how to do everything in the show notes. They get the answers. They've got the budget for it, the sweet, sweet NPR dollars, and they get the answers, you guys.

14:18
Now please enjoy this brief Halloween message. And now this message from vampires. Hello friends, my name is Vlad the Impulsor. I am the Terror of the East Coast of Canada, Secretary Treasurer of the East Coast Canadian Vampire Association. This Halloween season, please remember that vampires need minions. If you're able to donate just a little bit of time to do the beating of a vampire,

14:47
It is greatly appreciated. Perhaps you are wondering... But, Vled! I am just a puny human! How can I help? Well, number one, blood. You know, give your blood to a vampire. But also, vampires need running around. It's hard for us to get out in the daylight. So, dry cleaning...

15:10
Getting the ingredients for a nice meal when the boss is coming over and the vampire is hoping to get a promotion. Things like that. In closing, let me just say, you will be my minion. You will be my minion. You will do my bidding. Bidding. This is Bled, the Imposer, wishing you a happy and safe Halloween.

15:38
from the What a Weird Week Show, this is Weirdo-ween. Our Halloween special. Honorable mention, mention. I just got a press release from the Death Clock, folks. Death Clock, the app that tells you when you're going to die, which I've seen this movie. It doesn't end well. Isn't this really a movie, a Blumhouse movie? I'm pretty sure. Death Clock, the app. Honorable mention for sending out press releases just before Halloween.

16:08
Good lord, I don't know, I... You tell them all your stuff, what you're eating, how much you exercise, how you're doing mental health-wise, and then they tell you you're going to die at some point. Now, I haven't tested it out because I'm scared of it. Because of that Blumhouse movie, the aforementioned Blumhouse movie where the app takes over and pretty soon it's nothing but carnage. So, I can't endorse this.

16:33
From the Toronto Star, here's the headline. It's in the food and drink section. It's an opinion piece. Here's what to drink with all the Halloween treats you'll swipe from your kids this year. And it gets into, you know what, booze to pair with different treats. Some of these treats, because this is a Toronto publication, some of these are uniquely Canadian, I wanna say. Well, perhaps not just Canadian, but arrow bars. Do you have arrow bars where you're at? If not.

16:58
It is a chocolate bar with air bubbles in it. Perhaps you can improvise. They recommend the Liqueur Amaro with aerobars. They also get into salt and vinegar chips. What do you have with salt and vinegar chips? Vinho Verde, which of course we all know what that is. That is, what is Vinho Verde? Delicious wine, of course we knew that, because we are classy.

17:24
Right, you guys? One. A final story this week for the Halloween special, the mystery of the five pound note. Uh, uh, uh. The lady who, now this is, we get the story from Ladd Bible. They wrote it up from TikTok, where a lady shared the story of getting home and finding a five pound note at her house. Somebody put it through her mail slot. And no explanation, just the money. It's a mystery. Who would have done that?

17:52
Later on the lady goes to walk her dog and when she gets home she figures it out. Mystery solved! Her son had put up some Halloween decorations, some homemade drawings and artwork, and one of the things the son wrote, If I scared you, please leave five pounds. And somebody did. Hey, what a great story to wrap things up. A fun Halloween story. Nothing about an app that predicts your death. Just a nice...

18:21
Wholesome Halloween story and it involves free money. Somebody got some free money out of it. So that's gonna do it for our Halloween special I appreciate your listening if you're new here, we're back to the normal format next week every Friday We do a top 10 of the weirdest news stories of the week You can get everything about our podcasts and all the links we talked about and our social media links everything if you go to Show notes that page just remember show notes that page

18:48
Also, you can find a link there to Funhaus Radio. Every weekend, we're part of the broadcasting on Funhaus Radio. So we'll catch you next weekend with more weird news. Weird news. On what a weird week. Happy Halloween. Ha ha ha ha.







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