Sure, you probably know what sound a chicken makes, but do you know what a quokka sounds like? Or a lynx? (Hint: it’s not “meow.”) Or a piranha? (Yes, they make sounds.) It’s time to find out, and in the process learn some extremely cool facts about these animals. Each episode of What Sound Does A ____ Make? challenges a celebrity to identify an animal sound. Once they exhaust their three guesses, an expert in that animal teaches the celebrity guest a few cool facts about the creature in question. And that’s it! That’s the show. It’s short! And sweet. And loud.
Host: Tracy Clayton
Executive Producer: Rose Eveleth
Comps: Yes, Yes, No meets 10 Things That Scare Me meets Metro Pets with Marc Morrone.
Sample Episode 1: Idris Elba meets Teddy the porcupine. After Idris tries to guess what sound this is, he meets Allison Blankenship, who runs something called Zooniversity and handles Teddy the porcupine. Did you know that porcupines are the third largest rodents in the world? Or that it’s actually a myth that they can “throw” their quills? Or that porcupine mating involves something called “urinary ejaculation?” Me neither!
Sample Episode 2: Kristen Bell meets a farting snake. After trying to guess what animal makes that sound, Kristen talks to Bruce Young, who has spent his scientific career recording the various sounds snakes make. (And he notes to Mental Floss, in the recordings, “You can sometimes hear bumps as I try to dodge an angry snake.”) Did you know snakes could growl? How do you actually record a snake fart? And do they smell?
Audience: People who like weird animal facts and/or celebrities. The Taylor Swift stans will show up for their queen no matter what animal she’s listening to. The animal stans will show up for animals even if they don’t know who Taylor Swift is. Basically the same audience that watches Carpool Karaoke or Hot Ones. But with animals.
These podcast ideas are for fun. Hosts and guests have not signed on in any way. I’m making stuff up here! If you like an idea enough to be tempted to steal it, don't do that. Be cool. Send me an email: rose@roseveleth.com.
Long live independent podcasts. Long live bad ideas.
