Smash Boom Best: A funny, smart debate show for kids and family

Get ready for a debate worth celebrating! It’s balloons vs candles. One floats festively toward the sky, the other brightens the dark. Both are popular at parties. But which one is the best? We’re about to find out! We’ve got podcast producer Anna Weggel lifting spirits for Team Balloon. And actor and improvisor Alsa Bruno lighting the way for Team Candles. Listen to the debate and then tell us who should’ve won at smashboom.org.Click here to read a transcript of this episode. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate!

I hope you are hungry, because today’s debate is serving up two staples of the dinner table. Grill ‘em, saute ‘em, mix ‘em in salads. They’ll both taste great. But only one can take the trophy. It’s Onions vs Corn. Here to slice and dice for Team Onions is Brian Kvitko. He’s an Associate Professor of Molecular Plant Bacteriology at the University of Georgia and an actual Onion researcher! Sounding the horn for corn is Jason Wallace. He’s also at the University of Georgia where he’s an Associate Professor of quantitative genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, and crop microbiomes. And he is an actual corn researcher! Get ready for a debate as smart as it is tasty. And head to smashboom.org to vote for your favorite dinner time delight.Click here to read a transcript of this episode. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate!

Set out these two playthings on a table and see which one your kid grabs first. Is it the gooey, squishy, surprising slime? Or the springy, wiggly, wonderous slinky? Both are fun, one will triumph! Smooshing the competition for Team Slime, it’s RadioLab host Latif Nasser. And stretching toward victory for Team Slinky, it’s podcast producer Hans Buetow. Listen to see which terrific toy takes the top prize. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite at smashboom.org.Click here to read a transcript of this episode. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate!

Get ready for an ancient throwdown of epic proportions. It’s Tyranosaurus vs Triceratops. One is a meat-eating, mega-predator and the other is a vegetarian with three horns for three times the protection. Dino experts Riley Black and Kallie Moore will duke it out to see which animal is crowned the Smash Boom Best. After the debate, head to smashboom.org to tell us who you think won. You can find Riley's books here and Kallie's books here! Kallie also hosts PBS' Eons. Click here to read a transcript of this episode. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I hope you’re hungry, because we’ve got a heaping plate of debate for you. It’s spaghetti vs ravioli. Chef and cookbook author Julia Turshen is cooking up some arguments for Team Spaghetti. Science communicator and host Niba is boiling a pot of cool facts for Team Ravioli. Which tasty treat will take the crown? Listen to see who our judge picks and then surf over to smashboom.org to tell us who you want to see win.Click here to read a transcript of this episode. Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get ready for magic, wonder, and whimsy! We’re pitting two beloved children’s franchises against each other. Both come from popular books and were made into even more popular movies. But only one will triumph. It’s Wizard of Oz vs Marry Poppins! Casting a spell for Oz is singer, writer, actor, and comedian Andrew Barbato! And floating in on the breeze for Mary Poppins is actor and singer Alex Nader! Which side will win? Listen to see who our judge picks and go to smashboom.org to pick your own winner! Want to support the show? Join Smarty Pass to listen to ad-free episodes or donate! Click here for a transcript of this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're on a little winter break and we're gonna be back with a new smash boom battle on January 8th. Today we have an episode of the other show that Molly hosts: Brains On. This is an episode about something near and dear to every fan of Smash. Boom, best laughter. Laughter is like a language and humans are really good at understanding it. In this episode, Molly and co-host Milla decode different kinds of laughs, from uncontrollable goofy laughter to chuckles that make others feel good. They’ll meet laugh experts Sophie Scott and Adrienne Wood and test their knowledge in three rounds of the game show: Laugh Attack! Plus, a new mystery sound for you to guess Subscribe to Smarty Pass for ad-free feeds, bonus episodes, and ticket discounts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.