02x06 - What Is Electricity?

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "Ask the StoryBots". Aired: August 12, 2016 – August 2, 2019.*
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StoryBots are curious little robots who live beneath our screens.
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02x06 - What Is Electricity?

Post by bunniefuu »

[laughing]

Aah!

[laughing]

-[whirring]
-Come on, guys, let's go!

-Yeah! Whoo-hoo!
-Yeah, dude!

[laughing]

Boop.

♪ StoryBots ♪

♪ Living inside computer parts ♪

-♪ The StoryBots ♪
-[yelling]

♪ Helping kids get super smart ♪

-♪ They love to learn ♪
-♪ Love to learn ♪

-♪ And adore adventure ♪
-Whoo-hoo!

♪ And answering questions
Is their business and pleasure ♪

♪ There's a whole department
Whose only task ♪

♪ Is to answer anything we ask ♪

♪ So lets see if team B
Can solve another mystery ♪

-♪ The StoryBots ♪
-[all whooping]

♪ Meet Beep and Bing, Bang, Boop, and Bo ♪

♪ Just ask them what you wanna know ♪

♪ Just ask the StoryBots ♪

♪ And when they get a stumper
That demands investigation ♪

♪ It's to the outer world
On a hunt for information ♪

♪ StoryBots ♪

♪ Got a question? Got lots? ♪

♪ If something's got you baffled
Worry not ♪

♪ Just ask the StoryBots ♪

♪ Just ask the StoryBots ♪

Boop.

[whirring]

[phones ringing]

[growls]
Butternut squash. Snowman. Marmalade.

Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Mm-hm.

Nailed it, yes.

-So... many... questions. [shrieks]
-[buzzing]

Who am I gonna get to answer that?

Um, guys, did any of you add extra cheese
to the macaroni?

I may have added a slice or two.

Or three.

Or a hundred.

-Boop.
-I like cheese.

Enough hanging around, StoryBots. Huh?

[groans]

We've got work to do.

Answer Team B reporting for duty, sir.

Good, 'cause I got a kid with a question,
and it's a real humdinger.

Hi, StoryBots. My name is Pierce.

-Pierce.
-Hi, buddy, how are you?

-Good to see you.
-What's happening, Pierce?

-I have a question for you.
-What do you wanna know?

Where does electricity come from?

Electricity?

What's that?

I think electricity is the stuff

that, um, like, powers the stuff
that needs it.

Whoa.

The stuff that powers the stuff
that needs it.

That's pretty out there, man.

Hmm. Where does electricity come from?

Oh, I got it.
I know where we can find the answer.

[horn honks]

StoryBots, prepare for transport.

Let's find out
where electricity comes from.

[all] Outer world, here we come.

[whirring, sputtering]

Ah.

Cheese.

[all screaming]

[Muzak playing]

-[all screaming]
-[glass squeaking]

Oh, man.

-Where are we?
-We need to find out

where electricity comes from, right?

Who better to ask than someone
who works at an electronics store?

-[man with Italian accent] Hey, StoryBots.
-[all] Huh?

Uh, who are you?

Who am I?

I'm Gary.

Gary's Discount Electronics.
It's the store you're standing in.

I don't know Gary.

Come on. You tell me
you haven't seen my commercial?

They run all over town.
You can't miss it.

Uh-- All right, look, I show you.

You making me look bad.

Okay, yeah? Hi, this is Gary
from Gary's Discount Electronics.

You ever want a bread maker
but you don't have enough dough?

How about a drill
that won't put a hole in your wallet?

[whirring]

Or maybe you want some family fun
that won't cost an arm and a leg.

-[electricity buzzing]
-Unplug it. Please unplug it.

If so, then come down
to Gary's Discount Gadgets.

You won't get a great product
for a great price,

but every item sold
gets lifetime satisfaction, Gary-antee.

[announcer] Intentionally misspelled
and will not hold up in court.

So, come on down
to Gary's Discount Gadgets,

because, remember, if it works
like a charm, you didn't get it at Gary's.

Wait.

Huh? Great? Yeah? So, what are you
StoryBots interested in today?

I got a toaster oven, I got a microwave.
You want cell phone?

I got smartphone, I got dumb phone.

Actually, we're trying to answer
a question for a boy named Pierce.

Pierce. Pierce. Yeah, I know Pierce.

[Beep] You know Pierce?

I don't know Pierce.
But I like the name Pierce.

[stammers] What Pierce want to know?

He wants to know
where electricity comes from.

Electricity? That's so easy.

-[crashing]
-[cat screeches]

Okay, you see, you take the plug.

You find the outlet.

You put the plug into the outlet.

And then the electricity comes
from the outlet, through the wire,

to the device.

[Gary] And it comes on.

[all] Whoa!

Cool. That's amazing. Hey, I wanna see.

[Gary] Hey! Slow down, you move too fast.

Now, listen, Gary's gonna tell you
something important.

Electricity, it may be great
for turning things on,

but also, it can be very dangerous.

What do you mean, Mr. Gary?

Plugs and outlets,
they're for grown-ups only.

If you get too close to one of these,

it can hurt you, end up
in the hospital, or even worse.

Oh, um...

Maybe I'll step back a little bit.

Yeah, that's a good idea, man.

So, if the electricity in devices
comes from the outlet,

then where does the electricity
in the outlet come from?

Uh, the electricity in the outlet,
it comes from the wiring in the wall.

And where does that come from?

Uh...

[stammers] The power lines.

I think they come to the building,
to the wall, to the device.

And where does that come from?

I don't know, okay?

I don't know.

Now, guys, I love you.
You gonna buy something or what?

Oh, I'm sorry, Gary.
We don't actually have any money.

[door bell jingling]

-Huh. I guess Gary's closing early today?
-Guys, I've got it.

If the electricity in the outlet comes
from the wires on those poles,

all we have to do is follow them back
to the source.

-Yeah, guys, let's go follow the lines.
-Great idea, Beep.

Come on, guys,
let's follow those power lines.

[whirring]

Huh? [chuckling]

[screams]

[both chuckling]

Light bulbs.

♪ Thomas Edison ♪

♪ One gloomy night in Menlo Park
Tom Edison said, "Gee, it's dark" ♪

♪ But then he had a brilliant thought
"Electric lights would help a lot" ♪

♪ Now, others too had tried their best
To build a bulb that passed the test ♪

♪ And yet their light would never last
The glowing part b*rned out too fast ♪

♪ Thomas Edison ♪

♪ "I see," said Tom, "I must invent
A better, stronger filament" ♪

♪ At first he tried some metal wire
Which melted, broke, or caught on fire ♪

♪ So, next he tested strips of wood
And every single plant he could ♪

♪ He had to char them first, he learned
To make them glow but not get b*rned ♪

♪ Thomas Edison ♪

♪ Grasses, reeds, and weeds galore
He tried , kinds and more ♪

♪ He had some luck with cotton thread
But then he tried bamboo instead ♪

♪ It filled the room with dazzling rays
What's more, it lasted days, wow ♪

♪ And now, the light bulb's golden glare
Is seen in houses everywhere ♪

♪ New York and London, France, Brazil
The bulbs keep getting better still ♪

♪ They light the night when day is done
All thanks to Thomas Edison ♪

[whirring]

So, how long until we get
to the power plant?

-Don't know, Bing.
-Another hour?

-Just said I don't know.
-Two hours?

I don't know, Bing.

Hey, are we there yet?
Are we there yet?

Are we there yet? Hey, Beep.

Bing!

We will get there when we get there.

Uh, hey, guys,
is that what we're looking for?

[all] Whoa.

-Look at all the pretty lights.
-What are we waiting for? Let's go.

-Yeah, dude.
-That's definitely a good idea.

[door creaking]

[echoing] Hello?

Hello?

Is anybody here?

-Huh?
-Huh?

Ooh.

[Bang] Whoa.

That's big, man.

Yeah, but what is it?

Huh?

It is a generator, my little friends.

Who are you?

My name is Tony.

Tony Mousetana.

Well, Mr. Mousetana,
we're trying to find out

where electricity comes from
for a boy named Pierce.

You've come to the right place, StoryBots.

'Cause when you talk to me,
you talk with the best.

Follow me.

[Tony] There are many ways
to make the power.

Hydro-electric starts with the water.

Wind power starts with the wind.

Solar power starts with the sun.

But this is a thermal plant.

We burn the fossil fuels.

Why do you have to burn anything
to make electricity?

First, you burn the fuel,
then you get the steam,

then you get the power.

Okay? Okay.

You guys, come with me.

Whoa, what is all this stuff?

You see, inside of the generator
is a giant magnet surrounded by wire.

They gotta spin this thing around
really fast to generate electricity.

But it is way too big for people to turn,
so, they made this.

This here is a turbine.

-It looks like a giant fan.
-That is because it is a giant fan.

The burning fuel boils the water,
which builds up the steam.

The pressure from the steam
spins the turbine.

The turbine spins the magnet.

And voilà.

That, my little friends,
is where electricity comes from.

You are welcome.

But, like, how does the spinning magnet
make electricity?

How am I supposed to know?
I'm just a mouse.

[all] Huh?

-Uh...
-All right, guys.

I bet it has something to do
with those wires.

Maybe if we could get inside the wires,
we could find our answer.

-Great idea, man.
-Great idea.

-Bye, Tony.
-Take care, Mr. Mouse.

-Thank you. Bye.
-[Bang] Thanks so much.

Adios, StoryBots. Be well.

[whirring]

[screaming] Help me! Help me!

[laughing]

I'm just a little mouse!

[screams]

[chuckling]

[growls]

[roars]

[screeches]

[all chuckling]

Mouse.

[mice cheering]

-♪ Calling all mice ♪
-♪ Calling all mice ♪

♪ It's a mouse party ♪

-♪ Calling all mice ♪
-♪ Calling all mice ♪

♪ Come on and get it started ♪

-♪ Calling all mice ♪
-♪ Calling all mice ♪

♪ Hurry up and don't be tardy ♪

♪ Calling all you mice
It's a mouse party, party, party ♪

♪ Everybody on the dance floor ♪

-♪ I wanna hear you squeak ♪
-♪ Squeak, squeak ♪

♪ You gotta shimmy your whiskers
And move your feet ♪

♪ Squeak, squeak ♪

♪ Yeah, all you little mice now
Come out of your holes ♪

-♪ Squeak, squeak ♪
-♪ We got a big sound system ♪

Whoo-hoo!

-♪ And a laser show ♪
-♪ Squeak, squeak ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

-♪ Calling all mice ♪
-♪ Calling all mice ♪

♪ It's a mouse party ♪

-♪ Calling all mice ♪
-♪ Calling all mice ♪

♪ Come on and get it started ♪

Whoo!

♪ Everybody, do what you please ♪

♪ We're gonna party down
And eat some cheese ♪

♪ Calling all you mice
It's a mouse party, party, party ♪

Whoo!

[whirring]

Here we are, guys. I don't think
we can get any smaller than this.

Yeah. We're really,
really far inside the wire.

Oh, yeah. [laughs]

[Bang] We're like mega, mega microscopic.

So, what are we looking for, Beep?

We're waiting to see what happens

when the magnet in the generator
starts to spin.

Never have I ever seen
someone who is the worst...

[mumbling]

Every time, every time,
I'm so sick of it...

Um, that was strange.

Yeah, but maybe he can help us answer
Pierce's question. Come on, let's go.

[elevator music playing]

Whoa. What is this place?

-[low chattering]
-[Beep] I don't know.

There's only one way to find out.

Every atom is the same,
just walking around.

Excuse me, could I trouble you--?

Hi, we were hoping maybe you--

Excuse me? We're trying to answer
a question for a kid named Pierce. Ugh!

Why are they so negative?

Boop.

Maybe those guys can help.

Don't you just love life?
I mean, there's just so much to love.

OMG.
It's just like totes the best, you know?

Hey, guys, guys, do you know what I love?

What?

Everything.

[all laughing]

What is going on here?

I can tell you what's going on here.

Whoa! Who are you?

I'm Ned the Neutron.

It's a pleasure to meet you, StoryBots.

So, what is this place, Mr. Ned?

It's an atom, man, you know?

Atom? What's an atom?

It's only the smallest building block
in the universe.

Think of them like little bricks.

Billions and billions
of these super-tiny atoms snap together

to make everything you can see and touch.

You, a car, the sun,

all made out of atoms, man.

Whoa.

If this is an atom, then who are they?

[Ned] Those super-positive guys
in the middle, they're protons.

And the negative guys circling around,
you probably noticed them,

they're electrons.

Me and my buddies, we're neutrons.

We're not positive or negative.

As long as we have an equal number
of protons and electrons,

this here atom stays in balance.

But what happens if one of them leaves?

That's it! This is the worst atom ever!

I'm out of here!

-[heavy metal music playing]
-Whoa!

The protons have outnumbered
the electrons, StoryBots.

This atom is unstable, man.

[screaming]

[heavy metal music stops]

[elevator music playing]

I sure hope this atom
is better than my last one.

[gasps] A new friend.

[protons laugh]

And balance is restored, man.

I mean, was restored.

What's happening now?

Oh. Remember that magnet in the generator?
When it starts spinning,

the electrons never stop moving.

Come on, StoryBots. I'll show you.

-Wow.
-Whoa.

Ah.

The flow of electrons.

Quite a sight, ain't it, StoryBots?

Well, it really is beautiful and all,

but I'm not sure I understand
what it has to do with electricity.

[chuckles]

Well, Beep,
the flow of all of those electrons moving

from atom to atom is electricity.

Whoa!

-Awesome.
-How'd you do that?

-That's amazing.
-Wow.

It looks like we got our answer, guys.

-Thanks, Mr. Ned. Nice to meet you.
-You're so cool.

-Thanks so much, Mr. Ned.
-See you. Bye.

-[Bo] See you, Mr. Ned.
-[Bang] Bye.

Hey, thanks for the visit, StoryBots.
I'll see you around.

[whirring]

[computer] StoryBot fun fact
number ,,.

Did you know that squash
is one of the oldest food crops?

It was first grown over , years ago.

Look, me grow squash.

Why you call it squash?

[laughs]

Squash.

[laughs] Squash.

-Squash. Squash.
-Squash. Squash.

-Squash--
-Squash--

Squash.

[laughing]

Squash.

[laughing]

Squash.

[yelling] Squash!

[h*nky tonk music playing]

Squash! Squash!

Yeah, squash.

Squash it all on, now.

Squash.

Squash to the left, squash to the right.
Squash to the left, squash to the right.

[singing in harmony] ♪ Squash ♪

Squash.

Squash.

[all] Squash.

[whirring]

-[phones ringing]
-[muttering]

Locks and levees. Fabric softener.
Pizza bagel.

-[loud clattering]
-What the...?

[grunting]

-Whoo!
-Boop.

[all grunt]

What are you doing here? I told you
to get an answer, not dillydally.

We got the answer, boss.

We know where electricity comes from.

Yeah. You see,
everything in the universe is made up

of these teeny, tiny things called atoms.

Yeah. Everything. Trees, people, houses,
ice cream. Everything. All atoms.

And the atoms are made up
of three even smaller pieces.

-There are protons.
-They're positive.

-Electrons.
-They're negative.

And neutrons.

They're not positive or negative.

They just sort of hang around, man.
You know?

I don't have time to hang around,
so get to the answer.

Atoms always try to stay in balance

by keeping an equal number
of protons and electrons.

But sometimes electrons get really excited
and jump from one atom to another.

And when all those electrons
start moving...

[all] ...that's where electricity
comes from!

Just-- Just give me that tape.

Here we go. All right.

♪ Neutrons, protons and electrons
Are an atom's basic parts ♪

♪ And when an electron jumps
From atom to atom ♪

♪ That's how electricity starts ♪

♪ The journey of electricity
Starts from an atom ♪

♪ Which are too small to see individually
Yet you're always looking right at 'em ♪

♪ In fact, you can't look away from them
'Cause everything is made from them ♪

♪ But what makes up an atom
You might ask? ♪

♪ You might ask ♪

♪ Protons and neutrons clumped together
Surrounded by electrons moving fast ♪

♪ A proton's charge is positive
An electron's charge is negative ♪

♪ And remember
Most atoms have the same number of each ♪

♪ But not always forever ♪

♪ 'Cause sometimes electrons
Make a break for it ♪

♪ And succeed in busting free ♪

-♪ That, my friends is-- ♪
-♪ Wait for it ♪

♪ Electricity ♪

♪ Neutrons, protons and electrons
Are an atom's basic parts ♪

♪ And when an electron jumps
From atom to atom ♪

♪ That's how electricity starts ♪

♪ That's how electricity starts ♪

Whoa. That was surprisingly informative.

Oh, Boop,
I think he just said something nice.

-Boop?
-[TV turns on]

Look, everyone. It's Pierce.

-[Bo] Hi, Pierce.
-[Bang] Pierce, how you doing, man?

-We got answers, bro.
-Hello.

So, Pierce, did that
answer your question, man?

I had no idea electricity came from
electrons moving all around.

It's so neat, right?

StoryBots, you guys are awesome.

You think we're awesome? Seriously?

-Seriously.
-Aw.

We think you're seriously awesome, too.

Thanks. Bye.

-We did it, guys, way to go!
-See you later!

-We did it!
-All right, we did it!

What are you waiting for?
These questions won't answer themselves.

Get to it. Let's go. Go. Move. Now. Go.

-Go. Go. Move. Now. Go. Go. Work.
-Bye, boss.

♪ StoryBots ♪

♪ Living inside computer parts ♪

♪ The StoryBots ♪

♪ Helping kids get super smart ♪

-♪ They love to learn ♪
-♪ Love to learn ♪

♪ And adore adventure ♪

♪ And answering questions
Is their business and pleasure ♪

♪ There's a whole department
Whose only task ♪

♪ Is to answer anything we ask ♪

♪ So lets see if team B
Can solve another mystery ♪

♪ The StoryBots ♪

♪ Meet Beep and Bing, Bang, Boop, and Bo ♪

♪ Just ask them what you wanna know ♪

♪ Just ask the StoryBots ♪

Boop.
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