Laughing Squid

LinguistRob WattsofRobWordslooks at the etymological origins behind the names of all 50 states within the United States.

"I Did Not Know That" took a nostalgic look at the game show "The Dating Game", noting how many celebrities appeared before they were famous.

A sweet golden retriever named Aldo works for Parque Dental in Quito, Ecuador providing comfort to children who are afraid of the dentist.

A bale of turtles in a pond worked together to come to the rescue of a desperately flapping turtle who was upside down.

"Listening In" looks at the origin of the poignant W.H. Auden poem "Stop All the Clocks" which was recited in "Four Weddings and a Funeral".

Olly Richards offered very colorful descriptions of each letter in the English alphabet, noting the imagery and origins of each sound.

Gavin HeffernanandHarun Mehmedinoviccaptured stunning timelapse of Joshua Tree National Park going from day to night

BenjaminBar performed a meditative cover of the traditional Middle-Eastern song "Misirlou" on Mulatar, a bespoke string instrument.

A pair of magnetic toy cars cleverly transform into a beautiful unicorn when they crash into each other in just the right way.

Multi-instrumentalist Daniel Swisher performed a musical medley encompassing ten different styles of punk music.

Felix Hell traveled to Atlantic City to play a tribute to JS Bach on the world's largest pipe organ at the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium.

Frozen Planet II shows how how hibernating painted turtles in the Arctic slowly defrost back to life when Spring comes to melt the ice.

Percussionist Ralph Alexander performed a furious cover of the Aphex Twin song Come to Daddy" on drums, which was no easy task.

MoviesBestBits put together a hilarious compilation of bloopers with Robin Williams from the 1998semi-biographical film "Patch Adams".

A devoted kitten named Ruby was rescued off the streets of Cyprus by Rico, a compassionate man who had never had animals before.

Seb Skellyperformed a smoothly arrangedcover of the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy" on five different brass horns.

There I Ruined It reimagined the Simon & Garfunkel song "The Sound of Silence" with lyrics from Sir Mix-A-Lot'sBaby Got Back."

Oxford Sparks explained why walking backward with your hand in a claw grip over a coffee mug will reduce sloshing and accidental spills.

An eclectus parrot who was sitting on a man's shoulder was so startled by the new doorbell that he tried to take off while still attached.

Thetalentedtrio ofFoggy Mountain Spaceshipperformed a folksy banjo cover of The Police song "Walking on the Moon".

Glenn Fleishman is raising funds through Kickstarter to publish his book "How Comics Were Made: a Visual History of Printing Cartoons".

A robotic spy pig byJohn Downernavigated the warm waters of The Bahamas, swimming with the famous swimming pigs of the Exumas.

Doc Pop spoke with Laughing Squid partner John Law about his unique office in the upper annex of the seminal Oakland Tribune Tower.

LetThemTalkTVexplains whyEnglish became the global common language despite the fact that it almost died in the 12th Century.

Chris Makes Stuff shared each step involved with building a hubless, motorized Penny Farthing bicycle that doesn't need much pedaling.

Adventurers Jess and Benny captured adorable footage of a baby wombat in Tasmania rubbing their little butt against Jess' hiking pole.

A very cheerful, if not cheeky, cockatiel named Kiki flawlessly whistled the iconic Earth Wind and Fire song "September" at 7 AM.

Filmmaker John Torres created The Soup", a heartwarming 3D animated short film about a robotic farmer who makes a bowl of soup.

Kiko Miyares makes detailed, hand-carved wooden cars with long, solid headlight beams that spotlight what's on the horizon.

Guitarist Alexandr Misko and harpist performed a gorgeous string duet of The Cranberries' song "Zombie' in memory of Alexei Navalny.

Sadiel Gomez created the touching short film "Ollie" in which a dog narrates his daily life with his beloved human until COVID-19 struck.

A little three-banded armadillo who lives at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend rolled around the floor in pursuit of his favorite plush toy.

Melissa Stanley, the executive director of Richmond Wildlife Center, wore a red fox face mask while feeding an orphaned baby fox.

Rob Delaney read aloud a deliciously clever letter from attorney Pliny the Younger to his friend Septicius Clarus who stood him up.

A timid pit bull named Prince Kuhio was afraid to climb the stairs at Hanai Kennels because a scary cat was waiting for him at the top.

As The Beatles were writing "Let It Be", John Lennon found that using the first letters of the alphabet was a good way to to sound it out.

Strange Brain Parts shared all 13 episodes of the 1975 Fantastic Four radio show with Stan Lee as narrator and Bill Murray as Human Torch.

Sam Edelston sat inside a padded room with "The Scream" on his tie and played the plaintive Pink Floyd song "Brain Damage" on dulcimer.

A very affectionate Scottish goose named Glenn seems to think that his human Shirley is actually his bonded partner and wife.

Animator Andy Bailey shared how he created the world's tiniest flipbook animation under a high-powered microscope.

In "A Real Bug's Life", a jumping spider, praying mantis, and cockroach each reveal what nighttime in the city is like from their own POV.

Henry ReichofMinutePhysics explained how a solar eclipse is a rare and beautiful thing that is going to become far more rare in the future.

Nature photographer Martijn Nugteren captured wonderfully candid footage of various birds enjoying a small waterpool in the forest.

Bill McClintockbrilliantly combined Judas Priest's "You Got Another Thing Coming" with Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean".

AsapSCIENCE creatorMitchell Moffit performed a helpful song that makes it easier to memorize 200 digits of Pi.

The Miracle Aligner collaborated with bardcore musician Stantough to perform the Nirvana song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in classical Latin.

A little crow named Russell made his rescuers a part of his flock, particularly their young son Otto, who he doesn't like to be away from.

An adventure group made a daring descent down the Kalavantin Durg, an incredibly steep set of mountain stairs in the Western Ghats of India.

Food artist Sumu Fan created a wonderfully detailed model of the village and the pixelated characters from "Minecraft" out of chocolate.

Jack Coyne of Public Opinion walked the length of Manhattan, looking at the multitude of street signs around him and what they had to say.