Today’s debate playdate decides the fate of two terrific toys. It’s Frisbees vs. Yo-yos! Actor, writer and improviser Lauren Anderson is ready to soar for team frisbee, while comedian Comrade Tripp is jumping up and down for team yo-yos! Who will win? Fabulous frisbees or the oh-so-fun yo-yos?
Vote below for the team YOU think won!
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As an added bonus, your Smarty Pass will grant you access to a super special debate starring Sanden and Molly!
Audio Transcript
Download transcript (PDF)
SUBJECT 1: From the Brains behind Brains On, it's Smash, Boom, Best.
MAE: The show for people with big opinions.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, I'm Molly Bloom. And this is Smash, Boom, Best. The show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Today's debate playdate decides the fate of two terrific toys. It's frisbees versus yo-yos.
In one corner, we've got actor, writer, instructor, and improv maven Lauren Anderson ready to soar for team frisbee.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, team frisbee's the way to be. Wee.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: And in the other, it's Comrade Tripp, whipping string for team yo-yos.
COMRADE TRIPP: Yeah, I'm ready to talk about how this is an inthreadable toy.
MOLLY BLOOM: Ah, inthreadable. And here to judge it all is May from Northfield, Minnesota. May is a math whiz and a super skilled swimmer who made it onto her school's varsity swim team at the age of 13. She absolutely loves Lord of the Rings. And her nicknames are almost all longer than her actual name. Welcome to the show, May.
MAE: Thanks for having me.
MOLLY BLOOM: So May, I hear some of your nicknames include Maisy Daisy and Maelstrom. Do your family and friends have other nicknames for you?
MAE: There's plenty of nicknames, and they just keep coming. Just Maisy without the Daisy. Some people have started calling me Mayth, Mayory.
LAUREN ANDERSON: How about Mayday Parade?
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh.
MAE: That'd be a good one.
MOLLY BLOOM: Do you like to have nicknames, or are you like why don't you guys just call me May?
MAE: I don't mind them. I think that it's just people having fun. And I'll let them have their fun.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's very kind of you.
MAE: Yeah.
MOLLY BLOOM: What do you think it is about your name that inspires so much creativity?
MAE: It's very short, and it fits into a lot of words like amazing, which is one of my personal favorites.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's a good one. Well, I'm so glad the amazing May is here today. Will May flip for frisbees or yearn for yo-yos. There's no telling. May, are you ready to judge today's debate?
MAE: I've never been readier.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh yes. Well, before we dive in, let's review the rules of the game. Every debate consists of four rounds of argumentation. The declaration of greatness, the micro around, the sneak attack, and the final six. After each round, our judge May will award points to the team that impresses her the most. But she'll keep her decisions top secret until the end of the debate.
Listeners, we want you to judge too. Mark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website smashboom.org and vote for whichever team you think won. All right, Lauren, Comrade, are you ready?
COMRADE TRIPP: Oh, boy.
LAUREN ANDERSON: I was born ready. Let's do this. Woo.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Then it's time for the--
WOMAN: Declaration of greatness.
MOLLY BLOOM: In this round, our debaters will present a well crafted immersive argument in favor of their side. Then they'll each have 30s to rebut their opponent's statements. We flipped a coin, and Lauren, you're up first. Tell us what makes frisbees the fris best.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
LAUREN ANDERSON: There is a toy so perfect, so popular, and so portable. It's like poetry in motion. In fact, it's been described as the perfect marriage between man's greatest tool, his hand, and his greatest dream, to fly.
MOLLY BLOOM: But what could it be? What kind of toy could bring that much joy?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
LAUREN ANDERSON: Why, the mighty frisbee, of course. Flat and round, smooth and bright, heavy enough to sail through the air but light enough to take flight.
SUBJECT 2: Dude, frisbee changed my life. OK, so like, when I started college, I didn't know anybody. So like, I took out my Frisbee and, boom, within a mere memento, I had like 50 friends playing frisbee with me. Now every weekend I'm out frisbee golfing, a.k.a. frolfing. Thanks, frisbee.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, love to hear from a frisbee fan. And this dude is not the only one. People have been throwing any disk they could get their hands on before frisbees were even invented. In fact, in the 1920s the frisbee pie company Connecticut sold pies to college kids who realized they could toss the empty pie tins to each other as a game.
Meanwhile, in a totally separate series of events, an inventor in California named Fred Morrison discovered how much fun it was to toss around old popcorn container lids and cake pans on the beaches of Los Angeles. He later invented the first plastic disk in 1948 and eventually called it the Pluto Platter.
SUBJECT 2: Dude, no wonder I get hungry every time I play frisbee. It's got to be the pie, the cake, and the popcorn.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Morrison later sold the Pluto Platter to Wham-o Toys where it was renamed the Frisbee, and boy, did it take off. Over the years, Wham-o perfected the Frisbee by adding ridges to the edges, making it fly faster and farther. Then in the 1960s, they made Frisbee a household name by marketing it as a new sport.
SUBJECT 2: Eh. Hold the phone, Mon Frere. I think you mean two new sports. Ultimate frisbee, yeah, sure. But one cannot forget about the frolf, frisbee golf, my man. Respect the frolf.
LAUREN ANDERSON: So frisbee was seen as not just another toy but a new sport.
SUBJECT 2: Sports. Sports, as in plural, two, deuces, double Zs.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Right. Of course. So by the 70s, Frisbee had become so popular that there were frisbee groupies, and they call themselves froupies.
SUBJECT 2: Oh yeah, totally. Like not only do I frolf, but I'm also a bona fide frolf froupie.
LAUREN ANDERSON: And it's not just sports. You can do so much with a frisbee. It's flat, lightweight, easy to pack and hard to forget. And it's so useful. You know, when I was little, we'd bring it camping, take it on hikes, and even bring it in the water. And come dinner time, we'd flip it over and use it as a plate to eat baked beans. I mean, can you do that with a yo-yo? I don't think so, so.
And not only can you play frisbee solo, but you can also play with like a hundred of your closest friends. Now that's a party. Ever tried to share a yo-yo? That's a no-no. Unless you want a totally tangled mess.
Plus frisbees get you moving. I mean, sure, you can do tricks with the yo-yo. But the only thing you'll get moving is people away from you, so they don't get hit in the face. I mean, why be a yo-yo puppet on a string when you can be a real joy with frisbee? Why dangle on a string when you can fly through the air?
And I'm not the only one who thinks so. These delightful disks are so popular that ultimate frisbee might even become an Olympic sport.
SUBJECT 2: The next step after that frolf.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, sure, maybe. So there you have it, folks. The fabulous frisbee is fun for everyone. They're multi-purpose movement makers with a history as rich as the pie they're named after. Let's not dilly dally with the ding dang fruth. That's short for Frisbee truth. Become a froupie today, and let's fly with frisbee.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. Fruth, frolf, froupies. What a soaring declaration of greatness there. May, what stood out to you about Lauren's argument?
MAE: I think that it was fascinating all the different types of containers from pie tins to popcorn and cake tins that people used as early frisbees. I can't imagine throwing a cake tin. It wouldn't get very far. They have such high sides. So people were really, really creative before the modern frisbee was created. I think that was really cool.
MOLLY BLOOM: Innovation.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, they just really wanted to chuck some lids around, I guess.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
LAUREN ANDERSON: It's like, I have to throw this. I've eaten all this cake. Now what?
MOLLY BLOOM: Now I throw it. All right. Comrade, it is time for your rebuttal. Send Lauren's declaration around the world. You've got 30s. And your time starts now.
COMRADE TRIPP: Yeah, the Frisbie Pie Company provided schools with food. And like most school food, it was probably terrible. That's probably the impetus that made them throw-- they're probably throwing the pies in the pie tins with it just out of disgust. That's where all good creativity comes from, pain.
Yeah, ultimate frisbee is just football. But most people already know what football is. Same with frisbee golf is just golf and people time prefer golf.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, wonderful. All right, Comrade, I know you have more to say. You're just aching to talk about yo-yos. So please tell us why yo-yos are so-so supreme.
COMRADE TRIPP: Let me take you back to 1998. My second was at an assembly. We were sitting on the gymnasium floor, half listening to boy scout leader Tanner talk about the wonders of the outdoors.
[YAWNS]
I personally have never wondered about the outdoors. It's just there. But then from his knapsack, he produced a yo-yo. And he told us it would be ours if we join the boy scouts.
[YAWNS]
I hate the outdoors. I hate nature. I've never been a happy camper. But I needed that yo-yo. And I was willing to change my identity entirely to have it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Yo, it's the toy so nice, they named it twice. In the late 1920s, Filipino immigrant Pedro Flores popularized the toy in the US. He named it the yo-yo, which means come-come in a native language of the Philippines.
But the yo-yo has been around for a long time. There's artwork and records of yo-yo being yo-yoed more than 2,500 years ago. World leaders such as King George IV, King Louis 17th, and Richard Nixon were all fond of the yo-yo. I even saw a cartoon of the Marquis de Lafayette playing with a yo-yo. He was a French military officer and more importantly, a character in the musical Hamilton.
LAFAYETTE: (SINGING) I'm Lafayette, and I'm here to say the yo-yo is my favorite toy to play with.
COMRADE TRIPP: The essence of the yo-yo is the trick. There are countless unique yo-yo tricks with even more unique names. Purple gorilla, skin the gerbil, gray poupon, furikake, rancid milk, Daniel Day Lewis. Frisbee tricks on the other hand, have names like tap and twirl, not a lot of imagination there.
But what really cements the security of yo-yo for me is that I can play with a yo-yo by myself. I'm usually by myself. You ever try to play with a frisbee alone? It's a lot of walking.
LAFAYETTE: Hey, yo, frisbee solo is a no no, but with a yo-yo, ah, for sure bro.
COMRADE TRIPP: Sorry, I am not yo-yoing away my shot. Did I mention that yo-yos are literally out of this world. In 1985, the yo-yo was one of the first toys to go to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Astronauts did around the world around the world. They did not bring a frisbee.
And here comes Mr yo-yo. I've had a lot of discussions with physicists friends of mine about whether the yo-yo was going to work. And it worked fabulous. You could do it fast. You could do it slow. You could do it to the ceiling. That's the famous oy-oy.
COMRADE TRIPP: If you throw a frisbee in space it would be lost forever, but you probably wouldn't miss it.
SUBJECT 3: Go long. Oh. That was a little too long.
COMRADE TRIPP: I've thrown many frisbees on Earth, and I've lost them all on rooftops over fences and lakes. You can't lose a yo-yo. It's attached to you. It always comes back. Remember boy scout leader Tanner's yo-yo? Well, I never got my hands on it. I didn't join the boy scouts. I've still never been outside. And unlike a yo-yo, there's no going back for me.
But I still hear it. The siren song of the yo-yo calls to us all, which is why I am doing this debate. I want to make sure that the next generation gets the opportunities I never had. I believe in you. Please try to be cooler than me and get yourself a yo-yo.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
May, what stood out to you about Conrad's declaration of greatness?
MAE: I thought that it was really cool that there are all sorts of different yo-yo tricks and that they all have names. They have really, really creative names.
SUBJECT All right, Lauren, it's time for your rebuttal. Hurl comrades arguments out of the park. You have 30 seconds. And your time starts now.
LAUREN ANDERSON: OK, you know, yo-yo may translate to come-come, but I think it should go-go because seriously, you may have a lot of fancy tricks. But the most famous trick is like, why should I be impressed with a toy whose most famous trick is literally walking the dog? Like, I could go do that at home. In fact, I did that before I came here.
And like, it was Richard Nixon's favorite toy. He was a terrible president who like got impeached, right? And he was famous for saying I'm not a crook. And I think that means yo-yo is not a good toy.
COMRADE TRIPP: That's all fair points. I want to make clear that I do not agree with Richard Nixon's political . views. Yes, walking the dog is a popular trick. Another popular trick is called sleeping, which is who doesn't love sleeping. In no other skill set is sleeping impressive.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: OK, May, please give one point to the declaration of greatness you liked best and one point to the rebuttal that won you over. You get to decide what makes a winning argument. Have you awarded them?
MAE: I have.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Lauren and Comrade, how are you two feeling so far?
LAUREN ANDERSON: I feel good. I'm learning some things about the yo-yo. But I still think frisbee is better. I mean, you could debate that they both come in a lot of colors. That I think both of us have, we both have that going for us, which is fun.
MOLLY BLOOM: It's a colorful debate. Comrade, how are you feeling?
COMRADE TRIPP: About the same. No, frisbees are cool, but yo-yos are definitely more important in every way.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right. We have a lot to go over in the next rounds. But first, it's time to take a break, stretch, work out the knots in your frisbee throwing arms or your yo-yo strings.
MAE: And we'll be right back with more Smash, Boom, Best.
SUBJECT 1: You're listening to State of Debate, home to rage and rhetoric and awe inspiring argumentation.
TODD: I'm Todd Dudley Douglas, and I'm joined by Taylor the twinkling Lincoln.
TAYLOR: Psst, Todd, come here.
LAUREN ANDERSON: But Taylor, we've got a show to--
TAYLOR: There's a show happening right outside our window, a fallacy spectacular, you know, fallacies, flaws, and debate logic? And this one is too good to pass up.
TODD: Taylor?
TAYLOR: Truly. The pigeons on our windowsill are getting real peckish. Listen.
PAVEL: I just have a strange feeling about that Mary Poppins woman.
PETUNIA: The woman who's always singing--
(SINGING) Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down, medicine go down.
PAVEL: Yes, exactly. I'm just like, what kind of medicine are you trying to feed us?
PETUNIA: She feeds us stale bread, not medicine.
PAVEL: I don't know. She gives me weird vibes.
PETUNIA: So you think Mary Poppins is evil?
PAVEL: No, I'm just like, what's the deal, Mary, like why that song? And she always looks so cheerful.
PETUNIA: So you think every time a human smiles at us they're up to no good?
PAVEL: Well, that's not what I--
PETUNIA: You think every human who feeds us is actually plotting against us? That's absurd.
[BUZZER]
TODD: Wow. Pavel the pigeon had some strange feelings about Mary Poppins.
TAYLOR: Yes, but Petunia pigeon used the straw man fallacy to exaggerate what Pavel had to say.
TODD: True. She turned his opinion about Mary Poppins into a statement about all human beings. Come on, Petunia, you can do better.
TAYLOR: Oof, that's a real fallacy fumble.
TODD: Hey, Tay-Tay, care for a spoonful of sugar?
TAYLOR: Wait, are you trying to trick me into taking my medicine?
TODD: Me trick you? Never.
TAYLOR: Todd?
TODD: Bet you can't catch me. This has been State of Debate.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SUBJECT 4: Best.
SUBJECT 5: Boom.
SUBJECT 6: Smash. Smash.
SUBJECT 5: Boom.
SUBJECT 4: Best.
MOLLY BLOOM: You're listening to Smash, Boom, Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom.
MAE: And I'm your judge May.
MOLLY BLOOM: And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners. Take a listen to this debate from Paul in North Carolina.
PAUL: My debate idea is walking versus running.
MOLLY BLOOM: We'll check back with Paul at the end of this episode to see which side he thinks should win.
MAE: And now it's back to today's debate, frisbees versus yo-yos.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's right. And it's time for round two, the--
SUBJECT 1: Micro round.
MOLLY BLOOM: For the micro round challenge, each team has prepared a creative response to a prompt they received in advance. For Lauren and Comrade, this prompt was top of the hour. For this challenge, we asked you to pretend to be a local news anchor. Fill us in on your breaking news, politics, arts, and culture, or maybe even a tear jerking human interest story about your side. Lauren went first last time. So Comrade, you're up. Give us the latest breaking updates on yo-yos.
COMRADE TRIPP: All right. Actually, we spoke with John Ditoy Naram who is a real person. He's-- I know real people.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. Real news.
COMRADE TRIPP: Real.
MOLLY BLOOM: Amazing.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
COMRADE TRIPP: You're watching the sports channel with me Tommy Touchdown. Today, I'm talking to John Ditoy Naram, yo-yo world champion stand up comedian and sales engineer, the trifecta of cool. Hello, John.
JOHN DITOY NARAM: Hello, Tommy Touchdown.
COMRADE TRIPP: So John, you've been yo-yoing since you were four years old. You've appeared on stage and on TV. And you even hold a yo-yo world record.
JOHN DITOY NARAM: Yeah, when I was 11, I was the youngest world yo-yo champion.
COMRADE TRIPP: That's a yo-woah of an achievement, John. What inspired you to start throwing the yo?
JOHN DITOY NARAM: I thought Yo yoing was so cool as a kid because, number one, I saw another kid do it. Most things that I wanted to do, I only saw adults doing at a really high level. So seeing a kid being able to do really cool yo-yo tricks, you put this idea in your mind that it's actually possible. And that just motivated me.
COMRADE TRIPP: It's true, kids can yo-yo too. Why do you think it's such an awesome toy?
JOHN DITOY NARAM: You can do it anywhere. You don't have to be in a gym. I do it when I'm waiting in line for a movie or a restaurant or a show. I do it on my 15 minute breaks at work. It's just-- it's a stress reliever as well as a competitive activity for me.
COMRADE TRIPP: Inspiring. Go with the yo, yo. Any last thoughts?
JOHN DITOY NARAM: I didn't know where this could take me. But you can see what I've done. Imagine what you can do with it given everything you have in front of you, which is all these websites, all these contests, all these clubs, and all these great people here to help you. So just give it a try.
COMRADE TRIPP: Good. And I'll throw my first yo right after this show. Thanks for joining, John. Next we'll be talking about boomerangs, which are like frisbees but cool.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, an interesting interview there. All right, Lauren, now it's your turn. Convince us that Frisbees are newsworthy.
LAUREN ANDERSON: All right. But before we do this, I just want to say that this micro round is based on a real story about a dog named Sailor who caught a 109 yard throw from her human Frisbee Rob. And they hold the world record.
[CHEERING]
[DOG BARKS]
Good afternoon, pups and pooches. Welcome to Calgary stadium. I'm your favorite dog announcer and golden retriever, Buster Wigglebottom. Joining me is former frisbee fetch champion expert commentator and a very good boy, Hank the Tank Pickle Pants. Hank, great to have you here.
HANK: Yup.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Now rumor has it that Sailor the dog and her human are going to attempt to break the record for the longest frisbee catch. Do you think she'll be able to do it?
HANK: Yup.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Couldn't have said it better myself. Looks like the dynamic duo are making their way onto the field as we speak. Hank, what goes through an athlete's head at a moment like this?
HANK: Catch frisbee.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Oh yeah, so insightful. And now Sailor's human winds up to throw. And off she goes. The frisbee crosses the 50 yard, now the 75, and the 100. Holy chihuahua. Sailor just made an unbelievable 109 yard catch. Ooh hell doggie. That breaks the world record.
[HOWLING]
Phew. Hank, did you think she could do it?
HANK: Yup.
LAUREN ANDERSON: And there you have it my furry friends. Let's hear it for Sailor and her new world record. Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl? After an accomplishment like that you've got to feel like you have a new lease on life. Wow. This has been one hot dog of a day.
HANK: Hot dog, where?
LAUREN ANDERSON: No, no, Hank, I meant-- hot dog. He found one, folks. Oh. And he scores. This has been one hot diggity dog gone disk of a day.
MOLLY BLOOM: Definitely the number one news program for pups. Well, they're such good boys and girls. OK, May, what did you like about Lauren and Comrade's micro rounds?
MAE: I liked how comrade had a whole like a real actual person on his. That was cool. We got to hear about his experience with yo-yos and how he was a champion at age 11. I also liked how Lauren showed the dog's point of view about frisbees.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, May, it is time to award a point but don't tell us who it's going to. Again, the criteria are completely up to you. Who taught you something? Who made you think? Who made a news program that you would tune into night after night? Have you made your decision?
MAE: I most certainly have.
MOLLY BLOOM: Fantastic. Then it's time for our third around, the super stealthy--
SUBJECT 6: Ha-ha, hoo-ha.
SUBJECT 1: Sneak attack.
MOLLY BLOOM: This is our improv round where debaters have to respond to a challenge on the spot. Today's sneak attack is called rhyme time. Lauren and Comrade, in the next 30 seconds, we want you to come up with words or phrases that rhyme with your side. So come up with as many as you can and be expressive about it.
For example, if my side was bear, I might say hair, fluffy chair, play that snare. Hey there, over where? Nowhere. I don't care. Beware the deadly stare. Does this make sense?
LAUREN ANDERSON: Hmm-mhm.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. All right. Lauren, let's hear your rocking rhymes for frisbees.
LAUREN ANDERSON: All right. Frisbee rhymes with knee, tree, bee, key, see, lee, squee, wee, free. gee, key. I said that already.
MOLLY BLOOM: Keep going. Only a few seconds left.
LAUREN ANDERSON: And D, D, D.
MOLLY BLOOM: And time.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Tea. I need some tea.
MOLLY BLOOM: I need some tea.
LAUREN ANDERSON: I need some tea to relax.
MOLLY BLOOM: Ooh. Nicely, nicely done. All right, Comrade, it's your turn. I'm putting 30 seconds on the clock. Put on a rhyming yo-yo show. And your time starts now.
COMRADE TRIPP: Well, I'm here to talk about yo-yos, so thank you for having me on this show-show. This is my first time being here solo. And I was feeling a lot of whoa-whoa. Oh no, but then someone gave me some Oreo, yo, which looked like yo-yos kind of as well, so.
MOLLY BLOOM: Keep going.
COMRADE TRIPP: Heave ho. Here we go.
MOLLY BLOOM: Keep going.
COMRADE TRIPP: Oh no. I don't know. I never know, yo.
MOLLY BLOOM: And time. Nicely done both of you. Ooh, May, another tough decision to make. But it's time for you to do it. Which side impressed you the most? Have you made your decision?
MAE: I have.
MOLLY BLOOM: Perfect. Then it's time for our final around.
SUBJECT 1: The final six.
MOLLY BLOOM: In this round, each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their sides. All right. Comrade, let's hear your six words for why a yo-yo always does the trick.
COMRADE TRIPP: Both toys spin, only one wins.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, another rhyme two on top of it. Nicely done. OK, Lauren, it's your turn.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Frisbee delivers and takes the cake.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh delicious. Oh, May, it is time to award a final point for this final six. Which team impressed you the most? You can use whatever criteria you want to make your decision, totally subjective, totally up to you. Let us know when you're ready. Have you made that final decision?
MAE: I have made my final decision.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, please tally up those points. And let me know when you're ready to crown one side a winner.
MAE: I'm ready.
MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Drum roll, please. And the winner is--
MAE: Yo-yos.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Oh.
COMRADE TRIPP: The dream lives on.
MAE: They were both really, really close and both excellent.
MOLLY BLOOM: So what was the moment that really swayed you to yo-yo? Like what was that thing that pushed it over the edge?
MAE: Wow, well, it was probably the rhyming. It was really-- well, well--
LAUREN ANDERSON: He told a story and I gave a list. I hear you. I just want to say for the record, he had more time than I did.
MAE: That's true. Lauren, you had more words, that's for sure. But I think he is kind of an easier ending to the word.
MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent judging today, May. Thank you so much for your wise judging.
COMRADE TRIPP: So wise. Lauren, you're so confident and so kind. This is my first time here, and you're so welcoming. I learned so much about frisbees. I didn't even think about the dogs, animals, even animals could play with a frisbee.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Well, thank you, Comrade. You made me laugh a bunch today. I too loved your sneak attack challenge. I like that you put it in context and told us the story. And I learned a lot about yo-yos today. I didn't realize they were that old of a toy.
MOLLY BLOOM: Well, that's it for today's debate battle. May crowned yo-yos the Smash, Boom, Best. But what about you?
MAE: Head to smashboom.org and vote to tell us who you think won.
MOLLY BLOOM: Smash, Boom, Best is brought to you by Brains On and APM Studios.
LAUREN ANDERSON: It's produced by Molly Bloom, Rosie DuPont, Ruby Guthrie, and Aron Woldeslassie.
MOLLY BLOOM: We had engineering help from Jess Berg, with sound design by Rachel Brees.
COMRADE TRIPP: Our editors are Shahla Farzan and Sanden Totten.
LAUREN ANDERSON: And we had production help from Anna Goldfield, Marc Sanchez, Anna Weggel, and Nico Gonzalez Wisler.
MOLLY BLOOM: Our executive producer is Beth Perlman. And the APM Studios executives in charge are Chandra Kavati, Alex Schaffert, and Joanne Griffith. Our announcer is Marley Feuerwerker-Otto. And we want to give a special thanks to Austin Cross and Taylor Coffman. Lauren, is there anyone you'd like to give a shout-out to today?
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, I would. Speaking of dogs, I would like to shout-out my dog Miss Vera because when I was researching Frisbee, I actually bought her a Frisbee. And we had a ton of fun with it. So she did good with her new toy.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yay, Miss Vera. How about you, Comrade? Any special shout-outs today?
COMRADE TRIPP: Yeah, especially John Detoi Nurem, for answering my phone call. That's rare for me. And also my niece and nephew, Dylan and Malayla. I hope they listen to podcasts.
MOLLY BLOOM: They have to listen to this one, if nothing else. May, do you want to give any special thanks?
MAE: Just to everyone here who had me back. It was fun to be back. I really enjoyed it the first time. And I'm here again. So that's nice.
MOLLY BLOOM: You did a great, great job. Before we go, let's check in with Paul and see who he thinks should win his walking versus running debate.
PAUL: I think running should win because you can cover more ground in a shorter amount of time.
MOLLY BLOOM: Do you have an idea for a knockdown drag-out debate? Head to smashboom.org and tell us about it. We'll be back with a new debate battle next week.
ALL: See you.
MOLLY BLOOM: Later, Alligators.
(SINGING) Smash boom best. Ooh, put you through the test. Ooh, you're the smash boom best. Ooh, better than the rest. It's a smash boom best. It's a smash boom best.
LAUREN ANDERSON: They don't put pockets in skirts. I don't know why.
MOLLY BLOOM: Especially Frisbee-sized pockets.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Exactly.
COMRADE TRIPP: Patriarchy is the real winner.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah. [LAUGHING]
MAE: The show for people with big opinions.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: Hi, I'm Molly Bloom. And this is Smash, Boom, Best. The show where we take two things, smash them together, and ask you to decide which one is best. Today's debate playdate decides the fate of two terrific toys. It's frisbees versus yo-yos.
In one corner, we've got actor, writer, instructor, and improv maven Lauren Anderson ready to soar for team frisbee.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, team frisbee's the way to be. Wee.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: And in the other, it's Comrade Tripp, whipping string for team yo-yos.
COMRADE TRIPP: Yeah, I'm ready to talk about how this is an inthreadable toy.
MOLLY BLOOM: Ah, inthreadable. And here to judge it all is May from Northfield, Minnesota. May is a math whiz and a super skilled swimmer who made it onto her school's varsity swim team at the age of 13. She absolutely loves Lord of the Rings. And her nicknames are almost all longer than her actual name. Welcome to the show, May.
MAE: Thanks for having me.
MOLLY BLOOM: So May, I hear some of your nicknames include Maisy Daisy and Maelstrom. Do your family and friends have other nicknames for you?
MAE: There's plenty of nicknames, and they just keep coming. Just Maisy without the Daisy. Some people have started calling me Mayth, Mayory.
LAUREN ANDERSON: How about Mayday Parade?
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh.
MAE: That'd be a good one.
MOLLY BLOOM: Do you like to have nicknames, or are you like why don't you guys just call me May?
MAE: I don't mind them. I think that it's just people having fun. And I'll let them have their fun.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's very kind of you.
MAE: Yeah.
MOLLY BLOOM: What do you think it is about your name that inspires so much creativity?
MAE: It's very short, and it fits into a lot of words like amazing, which is one of my personal favorites.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's a good one. Well, I'm so glad the amazing May is here today. Will May flip for frisbees or yearn for yo-yos. There's no telling. May, are you ready to judge today's debate?
MAE: I've never been readier.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh yes. Well, before we dive in, let's review the rules of the game. Every debate consists of four rounds of argumentation. The declaration of greatness, the micro around, the sneak attack, and the final six. After each round, our judge May will award points to the team that impresses her the most. But she'll keep her decisions top secret until the end of the debate.
Listeners, we want you to judge too. Mark down your points as you listen. At the end of the show, head to our website smashboom.org and vote for whichever team you think won. All right, Lauren, Comrade, are you ready?
COMRADE TRIPP: Oh, boy.
LAUREN ANDERSON: I was born ready. Let's do this. Woo.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Then it's time for the--
WOMAN: Declaration of greatness.
MOLLY BLOOM: In this round, our debaters will present a well crafted immersive argument in favor of their side. Then they'll each have 30s to rebut their opponent's statements. We flipped a coin, and Lauren, you're up first. Tell us what makes frisbees the fris best.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
LAUREN ANDERSON: There is a toy so perfect, so popular, and so portable. It's like poetry in motion. In fact, it's been described as the perfect marriage between man's greatest tool, his hand, and his greatest dream, to fly.
MOLLY BLOOM: But what could it be? What kind of toy could bring that much joy?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
LAUREN ANDERSON: Why, the mighty frisbee, of course. Flat and round, smooth and bright, heavy enough to sail through the air but light enough to take flight.
SUBJECT 2: Dude, frisbee changed my life. OK, so like, when I started college, I didn't know anybody. So like, I took out my Frisbee and, boom, within a mere memento, I had like 50 friends playing frisbee with me. Now every weekend I'm out frisbee golfing, a.k.a. frolfing. Thanks, frisbee.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, love to hear from a frisbee fan. And this dude is not the only one. People have been throwing any disk they could get their hands on before frisbees were even invented. In fact, in the 1920s the frisbee pie company Connecticut sold pies to college kids who realized they could toss the empty pie tins to each other as a game.
Meanwhile, in a totally separate series of events, an inventor in California named Fred Morrison discovered how much fun it was to toss around old popcorn container lids and cake pans on the beaches of Los Angeles. He later invented the first plastic disk in 1948 and eventually called it the Pluto Platter.
SUBJECT 2: Dude, no wonder I get hungry every time I play frisbee. It's got to be the pie, the cake, and the popcorn.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Morrison later sold the Pluto Platter to Wham-o Toys where it was renamed the Frisbee, and boy, did it take off. Over the years, Wham-o perfected the Frisbee by adding ridges to the edges, making it fly faster and farther. Then in the 1960s, they made Frisbee a household name by marketing it as a new sport.
SUBJECT 2: Eh. Hold the phone, Mon Frere. I think you mean two new sports. Ultimate frisbee, yeah, sure. But one cannot forget about the frolf, frisbee golf, my man. Respect the frolf.
LAUREN ANDERSON: So frisbee was seen as not just another toy but a new sport.
SUBJECT 2: Sports. Sports, as in plural, two, deuces, double Zs.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Right. Of course. So by the 70s, Frisbee had become so popular that there were frisbee groupies, and they call themselves froupies.
SUBJECT 2: Oh yeah, totally. Like not only do I frolf, but I'm also a bona fide frolf froupie.
LAUREN ANDERSON: And it's not just sports. You can do so much with a frisbee. It's flat, lightweight, easy to pack and hard to forget. And it's so useful. You know, when I was little, we'd bring it camping, take it on hikes, and even bring it in the water. And come dinner time, we'd flip it over and use it as a plate to eat baked beans. I mean, can you do that with a yo-yo? I don't think so, so.
And not only can you play frisbee solo, but you can also play with like a hundred of your closest friends. Now that's a party. Ever tried to share a yo-yo? That's a no-no. Unless you want a totally tangled mess.
Plus frisbees get you moving. I mean, sure, you can do tricks with the yo-yo. But the only thing you'll get moving is people away from you, so they don't get hit in the face. I mean, why be a yo-yo puppet on a string when you can be a real joy with frisbee? Why dangle on a string when you can fly through the air?
And I'm not the only one who thinks so. These delightful disks are so popular that ultimate frisbee might even become an Olympic sport.
SUBJECT 2: The next step after that frolf.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, sure, maybe. So there you have it, folks. The fabulous frisbee is fun for everyone. They're multi-purpose movement makers with a history as rich as the pie they're named after. Let's not dilly dally with the ding dang fruth. That's short for Frisbee truth. Become a froupie today, and let's fly with frisbee.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. Fruth, frolf, froupies. What a soaring declaration of greatness there. May, what stood out to you about Lauren's argument?
MAE: I think that it was fascinating all the different types of containers from pie tins to popcorn and cake tins that people used as early frisbees. I can't imagine throwing a cake tin. It wouldn't get very far. They have such high sides. So people were really, really creative before the modern frisbee was created. I think that was really cool.
MOLLY BLOOM: Innovation.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, they just really wanted to chuck some lids around, I guess.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
LAUREN ANDERSON: It's like, I have to throw this. I've eaten all this cake. Now what?
MOLLY BLOOM: Now I throw it. All right. Comrade, it is time for your rebuttal. Send Lauren's declaration around the world. You've got 30s. And your time starts now.
COMRADE TRIPP: Yeah, the Frisbie Pie Company provided schools with food. And like most school food, it was probably terrible. That's probably the impetus that made them throw-- they're probably throwing the pies in the pie tins with it just out of disgust. That's where all good creativity comes from, pain.
Yeah, ultimate frisbee is just football. But most people already know what football is. Same with frisbee golf is just golf and people time prefer golf.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, wonderful. All right, Comrade, I know you have more to say. You're just aching to talk about yo-yos. So please tell us why yo-yos are so-so supreme.
COMRADE TRIPP: Let me take you back to 1998. My second was at an assembly. We were sitting on the gymnasium floor, half listening to boy scout leader Tanner talk about the wonders of the outdoors.
[YAWNS]
I personally have never wondered about the outdoors. It's just there. But then from his knapsack, he produced a yo-yo. And he told us it would be ours if we join the boy scouts.
[YAWNS]
I hate the outdoors. I hate nature. I've never been a happy camper. But I needed that yo-yo. And I was willing to change my identity entirely to have it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Yo, it's the toy so nice, they named it twice. In the late 1920s, Filipino immigrant Pedro Flores popularized the toy in the US. He named it the yo-yo, which means come-come in a native language of the Philippines.
But the yo-yo has been around for a long time. There's artwork and records of yo-yo being yo-yoed more than 2,500 years ago. World leaders such as King George IV, King Louis 17th, and Richard Nixon were all fond of the yo-yo. I even saw a cartoon of the Marquis de Lafayette playing with a yo-yo. He was a French military officer and more importantly, a character in the musical Hamilton.
LAFAYETTE: (SINGING) I'm Lafayette, and I'm here to say the yo-yo is my favorite toy to play with.
COMRADE TRIPP: The essence of the yo-yo is the trick. There are countless unique yo-yo tricks with even more unique names. Purple gorilla, skin the gerbil, gray poupon, furikake, rancid milk, Daniel Day Lewis. Frisbee tricks on the other hand, have names like tap and twirl, not a lot of imagination there.
But what really cements the security of yo-yo for me is that I can play with a yo-yo by myself. I'm usually by myself. You ever try to play with a frisbee alone? It's a lot of walking.
LAFAYETTE: Hey, yo, frisbee solo is a no no, but with a yo-yo, ah, for sure bro.
COMRADE TRIPP: Sorry, I am not yo-yoing away my shot. Did I mention that yo-yos are literally out of this world. In 1985, the yo-yo was one of the first toys to go to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Astronauts did around the world around the world. They did not bring a frisbee.
And here comes Mr yo-yo. I've had a lot of discussions with physicists friends of mine about whether the yo-yo was going to work. And it worked fabulous. You could do it fast. You could do it slow. You could do it to the ceiling. That's the famous oy-oy.
COMRADE TRIPP: If you throw a frisbee in space it would be lost forever, but you probably wouldn't miss it.
SUBJECT 3: Go long. Oh. That was a little too long.
COMRADE TRIPP: I've thrown many frisbees on Earth, and I've lost them all on rooftops over fences and lakes. You can't lose a yo-yo. It's attached to you. It always comes back. Remember boy scout leader Tanner's yo-yo? Well, I never got my hands on it. I didn't join the boy scouts. I've still never been outside. And unlike a yo-yo, there's no going back for me.
But I still hear it. The siren song of the yo-yo calls to us all, which is why I am doing this debate. I want to make sure that the next generation gets the opportunities I never had. I believe in you. Please try to be cooler than me and get yourself a yo-yo.
MOLLY BLOOM: [LAUGHS]
May, what stood out to you about Conrad's declaration of greatness?
MAE: I thought that it was really cool that there are all sorts of different yo-yo tricks and that they all have names. They have really, really creative names.
SUBJECT All right, Lauren, it's time for your rebuttal. Hurl comrades arguments out of the park. You have 30 seconds. And your time starts now.
LAUREN ANDERSON: OK, you know, yo-yo may translate to come-come, but I think it should go-go because seriously, you may have a lot of fancy tricks. But the most famous trick is like, why should I be impressed with a toy whose most famous trick is literally walking the dog? Like, I could go do that at home. In fact, I did that before I came here.
And like, it was Richard Nixon's favorite toy. He was a terrible president who like got impeached, right? And he was famous for saying I'm not a crook. And I think that means yo-yo is not a good toy.
COMRADE TRIPP: That's all fair points. I want to make clear that I do not agree with Richard Nixon's political . views. Yes, walking the dog is a popular trick. Another popular trick is called sleeping, which is who doesn't love sleeping. In no other skill set is sleeping impressive.
[LAUGHTER]
MOLLY BLOOM: OK, May, please give one point to the declaration of greatness you liked best and one point to the rebuttal that won you over. You get to decide what makes a winning argument. Have you awarded them?
MAE: I have.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. Lauren and Comrade, how are you two feeling so far?
LAUREN ANDERSON: I feel good. I'm learning some things about the yo-yo. But I still think frisbee is better. I mean, you could debate that they both come in a lot of colors. That I think both of us have, we both have that going for us, which is fun.
MOLLY BLOOM: It's a colorful debate. Comrade, how are you feeling?
COMRADE TRIPP: About the same. No, frisbees are cool, but yo-yos are definitely more important in every way.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right. We have a lot to go over in the next rounds. But first, it's time to take a break, stretch, work out the knots in your frisbee throwing arms or your yo-yo strings.
MAE: And we'll be right back with more Smash, Boom, Best.
SUBJECT 1: You're listening to State of Debate, home to rage and rhetoric and awe inspiring argumentation.
TODD: I'm Todd Dudley Douglas, and I'm joined by Taylor the twinkling Lincoln.
TAYLOR: Psst, Todd, come here.
LAUREN ANDERSON: But Taylor, we've got a show to--
TAYLOR: There's a show happening right outside our window, a fallacy spectacular, you know, fallacies, flaws, and debate logic? And this one is too good to pass up.
TODD: Taylor?
TAYLOR: Truly. The pigeons on our windowsill are getting real peckish. Listen.
PAVEL: I just have a strange feeling about that Mary Poppins woman.
PETUNIA: The woman who's always singing--
(SINGING) Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine go down, medicine go down.
PAVEL: Yes, exactly. I'm just like, what kind of medicine are you trying to feed us?
PETUNIA: She feeds us stale bread, not medicine.
PAVEL: I don't know. She gives me weird vibes.
PETUNIA: So you think Mary Poppins is evil?
PAVEL: No, I'm just like, what's the deal, Mary, like why that song? And she always looks so cheerful.
PETUNIA: So you think every time a human smiles at us they're up to no good?
PAVEL: Well, that's not what I--
PETUNIA: You think every human who feeds us is actually plotting against us? That's absurd.
[BUZZER]
TODD: Wow. Pavel the pigeon had some strange feelings about Mary Poppins.
TAYLOR: Yes, but Petunia pigeon used the straw man fallacy to exaggerate what Pavel had to say.
TODD: True. She turned his opinion about Mary Poppins into a statement about all human beings. Come on, Petunia, you can do better.
TAYLOR: Oof, that's a real fallacy fumble.
TODD: Hey, Tay-Tay, care for a spoonful of sugar?
TAYLOR: Wait, are you trying to trick me into taking my medicine?
TODD: Me trick you? Never.
TAYLOR: Todd?
TODD: Bet you can't catch me. This has been State of Debate.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SUBJECT 4: Best.
SUBJECT 5: Boom.
SUBJECT 6: Smash. Smash.
SUBJECT 5: Boom.
SUBJECT 4: Best.
MOLLY BLOOM: You're listening to Smash, Boom, Best. I'm your host, Molly Bloom.
MAE: And I'm your judge May.
MOLLY BLOOM: And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners. Take a listen to this debate from Paul in North Carolina.
PAUL: My debate idea is walking versus running.
MOLLY BLOOM: We'll check back with Paul at the end of this episode to see which side he thinks should win.
MAE: And now it's back to today's debate, frisbees versus yo-yos.
MOLLY BLOOM: That's right. And it's time for round two, the--
SUBJECT 1: Micro round.
MOLLY BLOOM: For the micro round challenge, each team has prepared a creative response to a prompt they received in advance. For Lauren and Comrade, this prompt was top of the hour. For this challenge, we asked you to pretend to be a local news anchor. Fill us in on your breaking news, politics, arts, and culture, or maybe even a tear jerking human interest story about your side. Lauren went first last time. So Comrade, you're up. Give us the latest breaking updates on yo-yos.
COMRADE TRIPP: All right. Actually, we spoke with John Ditoy Naram who is a real person. He's-- I know real people.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wow. Real news.
COMRADE TRIPP: Real.
MOLLY BLOOM: Amazing.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
COMRADE TRIPP: You're watching the sports channel with me Tommy Touchdown. Today, I'm talking to John Ditoy Naram, yo-yo world champion stand up comedian and sales engineer, the trifecta of cool. Hello, John.
JOHN DITOY NARAM: Hello, Tommy Touchdown.
COMRADE TRIPP: So John, you've been yo-yoing since you were four years old. You've appeared on stage and on TV. And you even hold a yo-yo world record.
JOHN DITOY NARAM: Yeah, when I was 11, I was the youngest world yo-yo champion.
COMRADE TRIPP: That's a yo-woah of an achievement, John. What inspired you to start throwing the yo?
JOHN DITOY NARAM: I thought Yo yoing was so cool as a kid because, number one, I saw another kid do it. Most things that I wanted to do, I only saw adults doing at a really high level. So seeing a kid being able to do really cool yo-yo tricks, you put this idea in your mind that it's actually possible. And that just motivated me.
COMRADE TRIPP: It's true, kids can yo-yo too. Why do you think it's such an awesome toy?
JOHN DITOY NARAM: You can do it anywhere. You don't have to be in a gym. I do it when I'm waiting in line for a movie or a restaurant or a show. I do it on my 15 minute breaks at work. It's just-- it's a stress reliever as well as a competitive activity for me.
COMRADE TRIPP: Inspiring. Go with the yo, yo. Any last thoughts?
JOHN DITOY NARAM: I didn't know where this could take me. But you can see what I've done. Imagine what you can do with it given everything you have in front of you, which is all these websites, all these contests, all these clubs, and all these great people here to help you. So just give it a try.
COMRADE TRIPP: Good. And I'll throw my first yo right after this show. Thanks for joining, John. Next we'll be talking about boomerangs, which are like frisbees but cool.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, an interesting interview there. All right, Lauren, now it's your turn. Convince us that Frisbees are newsworthy.
LAUREN ANDERSON: All right. But before we do this, I just want to say that this micro round is based on a real story about a dog named Sailor who caught a 109 yard throw from her human Frisbee Rob. And they hold the world record.
[CHEERING]
[DOG BARKS]
Good afternoon, pups and pooches. Welcome to Calgary stadium. I'm your favorite dog announcer and golden retriever, Buster Wigglebottom. Joining me is former frisbee fetch champion expert commentator and a very good boy, Hank the Tank Pickle Pants. Hank, great to have you here.
HANK: Yup.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Now rumor has it that Sailor the dog and her human are going to attempt to break the record for the longest frisbee catch. Do you think she'll be able to do it?
HANK: Yup.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Couldn't have said it better myself. Looks like the dynamic duo are making their way onto the field as we speak. Hank, what goes through an athlete's head at a moment like this?
HANK: Catch frisbee.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Oh yeah, so insightful. And now Sailor's human winds up to throw. And off she goes. The frisbee crosses the 50 yard, now the 75, and the 100. Holy chihuahua. Sailor just made an unbelievable 109 yard catch. Ooh hell doggie. That breaks the world record.
[HOWLING]
Phew. Hank, did you think she could do it?
HANK: Yup.
LAUREN ANDERSON: And there you have it my furry friends. Let's hear it for Sailor and her new world record. Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl? After an accomplishment like that you've got to feel like you have a new lease on life. Wow. This has been one hot dog of a day.
HANK: Hot dog, where?
LAUREN ANDERSON: No, no, Hank, I meant-- hot dog. He found one, folks. Oh. And he scores. This has been one hot diggity dog gone disk of a day.
MOLLY BLOOM: Definitely the number one news program for pups. Well, they're such good boys and girls. OK, May, what did you like about Lauren and Comrade's micro rounds?
MAE: I liked how comrade had a whole like a real actual person on his. That was cool. We got to hear about his experience with yo-yos and how he was a champion at age 11. I also liked how Lauren showed the dog's point of view about frisbees.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, May, it is time to award a point but don't tell us who it's going to. Again, the criteria are completely up to you. Who taught you something? Who made you think? Who made a news program that you would tune into night after night? Have you made your decision?
MAE: I most certainly have.
MOLLY BLOOM: Fantastic. Then it's time for our third around, the super stealthy--
SUBJECT 6: Ha-ha, hoo-ha.
SUBJECT 1: Sneak attack.
MOLLY BLOOM: This is our improv round where debaters have to respond to a challenge on the spot. Today's sneak attack is called rhyme time. Lauren and Comrade, in the next 30 seconds, we want you to come up with words or phrases that rhyme with your side. So come up with as many as you can and be expressive about it.
For example, if my side was bear, I might say hair, fluffy chair, play that snare. Hey there, over where? Nowhere. I don't care. Beware the deadly stare. Does this make sense?
LAUREN ANDERSON: Hmm-mhm.
MOLLY BLOOM: Wonderful. All right. Lauren, let's hear your rocking rhymes for frisbees.
LAUREN ANDERSON: All right. Frisbee rhymes with knee, tree, bee, key, see, lee, squee, wee, free. gee, key. I said that already.
MOLLY BLOOM: Keep going. Only a few seconds left.
LAUREN ANDERSON: And D, D, D.
MOLLY BLOOM: And time.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Tea. I need some tea.
MOLLY BLOOM: I need some tea.
LAUREN ANDERSON: I need some tea to relax.
MOLLY BLOOM: Ooh. Nicely, nicely done. All right, Comrade, it's your turn. I'm putting 30 seconds on the clock. Put on a rhyming yo-yo show. And your time starts now.
COMRADE TRIPP: Well, I'm here to talk about yo-yos, so thank you for having me on this show-show. This is my first time being here solo. And I was feeling a lot of whoa-whoa. Oh no, but then someone gave me some Oreo, yo, which looked like yo-yos kind of as well, so.
MOLLY BLOOM: Keep going.
COMRADE TRIPP: Heave ho. Here we go.
MOLLY BLOOM: Keep going.
COMRADE TRIPP: Oh no. I don't know. I never know, yo.
MOLLY BLOOM: And time. Nicely done both of you. Ooh, May, another tough decision to make. But it's time for you to do it. Which side impressed you the most? Have you made your decision?
MAE: I have.
MOLLY BLOOM: Perfect. Then it's time for our final around.
SUBJECT 1: The final six.
MOLLY BLOOM: In this round, each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their sides. All right. Comrade, let's hear your six words for why a yo-yo always does the trick.
COMRADE TRIPP: Both toys spin, only one wins.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh, another rhyme two on top of it. Nicely done. OK, Lauren, it's your turn.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Frisbee delivers and takes the cake.
MOLLY BLOOM: Oh delicious. Oh, May, it is time to award a final point for this final six. Which team impressed you the most? You can use whatever criteria you want to make your decision, totally subjective, totally up to you. Let us know when you're ready. Have you made that final decision?
MAE: I have made my final decision.
MOLLY BLOOM: All right, please tally up those points. And let me know when you're ready to crown one side a winner.
MAE: I'm ready.
MOLLY BLOOM: OK. Drum roll, please. And the winner is--
MAE: Yo-yos.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Oh.
COMRADE TRIPP: The dream lives on.
MAE: They were both really, really close and both excellent.
MOLLY BLOOM: So what was the moment that really swayed you to yo-yo? Like what was that thing that pushed it over the edge?
MAE: Wow, well, it was probably the rhyming. It was really-- well, well--
LAUREN ANDERSON: He told a story and I gave a list. I hear you. I just want to say for the record, he had more time than I did.
MAE: That's true. Lauren, you had more words, that's for sure. But I think he is kind of an easier ending to the word.
MOLLY BLOOM: Excellent judging today, May. Thank you so much for your wise judging.
COMRADE TRIPP: So wise. Lauren, you're so confident and so kind. This is my first time here, and you're so welcoming. I learned so much about frisbees. I didn't even think about the dogs, animals, even animals could play with a frisbee.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Well, thank you, Comrade. You made me laugh a bunch today. I too loved your sneak attack challenge. I like that you put it in context and told us the story. And I learned a lot about yo-yos today. I didn't realize they were that old of a toy.
MOLLY BLOOM: Well, that's it for today's debate battle. May crowned yo-yos the Smash, Boom, Best. But what about you?
MAE: Head to smashboom.org and vote to tell us who you think won.
MOLLY BLOOM: Smash, Boom, Best is brought to you by Brains On and APM Studios.
LAUREN ANDERSON: It's produced by Molly Bloom, Rosie DuPont, Ruby Guthrie, and Aron Woldeslassie.
MOLLY BLOOM: We had engineering help from Jess Berg, with sound design by Rachel Brees.
COMRADE TRIPP: Our editors are Shahla Farzan and Sanden Totten.
LAUREN ANDERSON: And we had production help from Anna Goldfield, Marc Sanchez, Anna Weggel, and Nico Gonzalez Wisler.
MOLLY BLOOM: Our executive producer is Beth Perlman. And the APM Studios executives in charge are Chandra Kavati, Alex Schaffert, and Joanne Griffith. Our announcer is Marley Feuerwerker-Otto. And we want to give a special thanks to Austin Cross and Taylor Coffman. Lauren, is there anyone you'd like to give a shout-out to today?
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah, I would. Speaking of dogs, I would like to shout-out my dog Miss Vera because when I was researching Frisbee, I actually bought her a Frisbee. And we had a ton of fun with it. So she did good with her new toy.
MOLLY BLOOM: Yay, Miss Vera. How about you, Comrade? Any special shout-outs today?
COMRADE TRIPP: Yeah, especially John Detoi Nurem, for answering my phone call. That's rare for me. And also my niece and nephew, Dylan and Malayla. I hope they listen to podcasts.
MOLLY BLOOM: They have to listen to this one, if nothing else. May, do you want to give any special thanks?
MAE: Just to everyone here who had me back. It was fun to be back. I really enjoyed it the first time. And I'm here again. So that's nice.
MOLLY BLOOM: You did a great, great job. Before we go, let's check in with Paul and see who he thinks should win his walking versus running debate.
PAUL: I think running should win because you can cover more ground in a shorter amount of time.
MOLLY BLOOM: Do you have an idea for a knockdown drag-out debate? Head to smashboom.org and tell us about it. We'll be back with a new debate battle next week.
ALL: See you.
MOLLY BLOOM: Later, Alligators.
(SINGING) Smash boom best. Ooh, put you through the test. Ooh, you're the smash boom best. Ooh, better than the rest. It's a smash boom best. It's a smash boom best.
LAUREN ANDERSON: They don't put pockets in skirts. I don't know why.
MOLLY BLOOM: Especially Frisbee-sized pockets.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Exactly.
COMRADE TRIPP: Patriarchy is the real winner.
LAUREN ANDERSON: Yeah. [LAUGHING]
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