What a Weird Week Jan 30, 2026: Plucky Cat and Crying Horse

Scotty

What a Weird Week gets you caught up on the odd, interesting, strange, fun, and weird news that happened this week. Ten stories in 15 minutes!
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Hi friends, I'm Scott and this is What a Weird Week, a look at the  odd, interesting, strange, fun and weird stories that made news this week. See bottom of shownotes page for a transcript of the podcast episode.  To Subscribe/ get in touch/ other/ see www.shownotes.page.
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These are the shownotes for Season 7, Ep 5 first published Jan 30, 2026.  
 
10 Are Rhode Island lawmakers gonna stop having Mr. Potato Head license plates. "When I read that, I had to give my eyes a shake," - Mr. Potato Head. (So long, Spuds: Rhode Island may ditch Mr. Potato Head license plates after Hasbro moves to Boston | News, Sports, Jobs - Altoona Mirror).
 
 
 
The three bikes on a log: no one knows who put them there or why. (Watch: Montana town perplexed by mystery of three bikes on a log - UPI.com).
 
 

 

8 A French couple's cat that went missing during a trip to SPAIN was found five months later near their home in FRANCE! The microchipped cat somehow traveled 250 km (more than 150 miles!) (The story of the cat that has amazed the world: Lost in Spain, travels 250 km to return to its owners' home in France after 5 months).

https://www.voxnews.al/english/lifestyle/historia-e-maces-qe-ka-mahnitur-boten-humbi-ne-spanje-udheton-250-km-p-i108716

Pin (Does this seem like a super cat to you?) https://pin.it/4dmGWRRD0

 

 

 

Survey says: jazz fans are most likely to cheat. Metal fans are most faithful. (Metal Fans Unlikely To Cheat, Jazz Fans Are Boning Everyone According To A Study - Metal Injection).

*PG13 Link https://metalinjection.net/news/metal-science/metal-fans-unlikely-to-cheat-jazz-fans-are-boning-everyone-according-to-a-study


 

Article from Popular Science showcases the Dronebrella* (not actual name) flying umbrella. (We may not have flying cars, but we have flying umbrellas | Popular Science). 

https://www.popsci.com/diy/drone-umbrella/ 

pin https://www.popsci.com/diy/drone-umbrella/

 

 

 

5 It's official, the fast wieners are back this May. The Wienie 500

https://apnews.com/article/indianapolis-500-wienermobile-race-aaf5de7fdd08d8fc4e4d9be09f350de5 

 


 

4 BBC Article about how enthusiasts of a certain mushroom tend to get the same hallucination involving little people on their plate. The mushroom commonly eaten in China's Yunnan province, Lanmaoa asiatica, can cause vivid "lilliputian hallucinations" of tiny, elf-like people if it is not cooked thoroughly. Researchers are now trying to identify the unknown, non-psilocybin compound responsible for these uniquely consistent visions. ('They saw them on their dishes when eating': The mushroom making people hallucinate dozens of tiny humans).

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people 

 


 

 

3 Sweethearts candy is adding some new phrases for modern day love to their conversation hearts. From their "Love in This Economy" collection you can now choose from "SPLIT RENT", "CAR POOL", and "SHARE LOGN". Love on, sweet lovers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DUBDCUqjYgj/?hl=en 

 


 

Crying horse toys are taking off/ going viral in China. This plush horse started showing up for sale in honor of the Year of the Horse. The horse mouth was put on upside down, so the horse looks sad. People like it though. 

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/26/world/video/video-crying-horse-toy-lunar-new-year-viral-china-hnk-digvid 


 

A toddler in England, Jude Owens, has set two Guinness World Records, becoming the youngest person to make a snooker double pot and a pool bank shot before his third birthday. His father, who spotted his talent early, called the achievements a "pinnacle moment" for the young prodigy (Watch: British 2-year-old breaks two world records playing pool and snooker - UPI.com). 

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/01/28/Guinness-World-Records-toddler-pool-snooker/1551769621785/ 

 

 

 

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Transcription COMINIG SOON!  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rhode Island to stop Mr. Potato Head license plates? "I had to give my eyes a shake," - Mr. Potato Head. 
https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/national/2026/01/rhodeisland-mrpotatohead-may-ditch-license-plates/ 

The three bikes on a log mystery
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/01/23/three-bikes-log-Great-Falls-Montana/6081769193934/ 

Is this a supercat or what? 
https://www.voxnews.al/english/lifestyle/historia-e-maces-qe-ka-mahnitur-boten-humbi-ne-spanje-udheton-250-km-p-i108716

Hey Jazz Fans, please explain #affairs
https://metalinjection.net/news/metal-science/metal-fans-unlikely-to-cheat-jazz-fans-are-boning-everyone-according-to-a-study

Article from Popular Science showcases the Dronebrella* (not actual name) flying umbrella. 
https://www.popsci.com/diy/drone-umbrella/ 

It's official, the Giant Rolling Wiener race is coming back this May. Six Wienermobiles will compete at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for The Wienie 500. 
https://apnews.com/article/indianapolis-500-wienermobile-race-aaf5de7fdd08d8fc4e4d9be09f350de5 
  
BBC Article describes how all these mushroom enthusiasts saw the same weird vision. Apparently it's somthing that happens regularly?? 
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people   
Sweethearts candy is adding some new phrases for modern day love to their conversation hearts. From their "Love in This Economy" collection you can now choose from "SPLIT RENT", "CAR POOL", and "SHARE LOGN". Love on, sweet lovers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DUBDCUqjYgj/?hl=en 
 
Crying horse toys are taking off/ going viral in China. This plush horse started showing up for sale in honor of the Year of the Horse. The horse mouth was sewn onto the horse upside down, so the horse looks sad. People liked it and kablammy, Crying Horse is a hit!
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/26/world/video/video-crying-horse-toy-lunar-new-year-viral-china-hnk-digvid 
 
Toddler in England sets snooker world record. Kids these days! 
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/01/28/Guinness-World-Records-toddler-pool-snooker/1551769621785/  
 

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