02x09 - Elements

[bunniefuu]

[all] Ta-da!

[eyebrows squeak]

[hydraulics whirring]

-[beeping]
-[rock music plays]

-♪ Answer Time, Answer Time ♪
-♪ Answer Time! Answer Time! ♪

-♪ It's StoryBots: Answer Time ♪
-♪ Answer Time! ♪

♪ They live in your computer
And they got a job to do ♪

♪ They're all about learning
They make it fun too ♪

♪ When you have a question
They answer it for you ♪

♪ It's StoryBots: Answer Time ♪

♪ Answer Time! ♪

[clock ticking]

[beeps and rings]

-[all speaking]
-[Bang] What's shaking?

Hey, Bing.
What is the longest stairs in the world?

-[keyboard clacks]
-Hmm.

The Niesen Stairway in Switzerland.

How many steps is it?

I'll find out.

[running]

[sighs, pants]

[breathlessly] The Niesen Stairway
has , steps.

[sighs, crashes]

[laughs]

Hi, Bo.
Can you say "hippopotamus" backwards?

Oh, I think I can. [chuckles] Let me try.

Uh, su-ma, su-ma-to…

Su-ma-to-po-po-pu-po-po-pip.

How was that?

[chime]

[keyboard clacks]

[roars]

Oh, come on, Hub and Bub.
I'm not falling for that one again.

Huh?

Hub? Bub?

-[roaring]
-[screams]

[chuckling]

[alarm beeping]

Boop! Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

StoryBots, thank goodness I got through.
I could really use your help.

Whoa, it's Socradamus, the all-knowing!

[all] Whoa.

Wait, who's Socradamus, the all-knowing?

-No idea.
-[/i]Me neither.

[scoffs] Really, StoryBots?[/i]
You've never heard of Socradamus?[/i]

#NumberOneMountaintopGuruInfluencer,
#KnowledgeIsCool, #ClimbTheMountain?

I've got, like, three million followers
on social media.

Boop, Boop, Boop?

Well, I've been called many things
through the ages, Boop.

Sage, thinker, seer…

-[pone pings]
-Oh. [/i][chuckles]

But my task is always the same.

And what is that task,
Mr. Sage, Thinker, Seer?

To answer any questions sought by those
brave enough to climb to the very top

-[heavenly music playing]
-…of the Mountain of Knowledge.[/i]

Or just DM me on social media.
That works too.

But if you already know everything,
Mr. Socradamus, why are you calling us?

I thought I knew everything, Beep.

But a visitor just arrived
with a question that totally blew my mind.

[chuckles] Yeah,
happens to me all the time, dude.

If I can't answer, they might call me
Socradamus the Mostly Knowing,

or Socradamus, the guy
who knows a lot but not everything.

Look, StoryBots.

I really need your help.
This could be really bad for my brand.

So, like, what's the question?

The question, Bing, is,
"What is stuff made of?"

Stuff?

Yeah. You know, stuff.

Like everything around us.
The air, the sea, this mountain.

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.
Boop, Boop, Boop.

That's right. We've encountered
this question a gazillion times!

Stuff is made of atoms,
the building blocks of the universe.

[Bo] Yeah! We did it!

-[Bang] That was easy! [laughs]
-Boop.

Well, I know that, [/i]StoryBots,
but if all stuff is made of atoms, then…

Why is some stuff, like a rock,
different from other stuff,

like a tree or a cloud
or a block of cheese?

Whoa.

Uh-oh. I think Bang's broken again.

Boop. Boop, Boop, Boop.

Oh, great idea, Boop. The Archive
Department's chock-full of stuff.

Yeah. Maybe we can find the answer there.

[Beep] All right! The Archive Department's
got a lot of stuff.

Please hurry.
My visitor started live-streaming

and the longer it takes me to answer,
the more followers I lose.

-[phone beeps]
-[gasps, whispers] There goes another one.[/i]

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

[whirring and suctioning]

-♪ Answer Time! ♪
-[whirring][/i]

Hi, StoryBots.

-What's an animal you really like?
- [whirring][/i]

-[spooky music playing]
-[wolf howling]

At last, I have created
the world's strangest living thing.

Witness the shocking combination
of a groundhog…

[laughs]

…and a cactus!

A cactus?

Meet Groundhog-ious Cactus-sus-sus-sus.

What's up?

Ah, you mean a porcupine.

A what now?

A porcupine.

It's a mammal that has cactus-like quills
on its back to protect it from predators.

[shouts] No!

Yeah. But it can't actually
throw its quills like many believe.

No, no, no!

I am the mad scientist!

I'm supposed to make the weird creatures,
not nature!

[thunder rumbling]

[scientist] Oh,
why does this keep happening?!

-[thunder rumbling]
-[whirring]

Hi, StoryBots.
What's in the news these days?

[whirring]

[announcer] You're watching StoryBots News[/i]
on channel and /, WBOT,[/i]

with your hosts
Story Storyberg and Bot Botson.

Traffic report, there's a clog at
Junction in the main tube interchange.

Emergency crews are on the scene.

[muffled yelling]

-[whistles]
-Help! Help--

[whirring and suctioning]

[StoryBot, muffled] Thank you!

[whirring]

Hey, StoryBots. How do you make animation?

-[whirring]
-[upbeat piano music playing]

-Hey, how are you moving around like that?
-Who, me?

-I'm not moving around.
-[stick figure] What do you mean?

I can see you moving.

No, no. I'm a series of still images that,
when viewed quickly one after the other,

create the illusion of movement.

Whoa! Let me try.

Huh? Huh? Huh?

Ha-ha! Look at me! I'm smooth like butter!

We're animated at drawings per second.

That means in one minute, which is
seconds, there are , drawings,

and in a -minute animated movie,
there are over , drawings.

That's too many drawings.
Too many drawings!

-[crashes]
-[stick figure grunting]

I don't think I wanna be animated anymore.

[yelling] Boop!

[announcer] Next stop,[/i]
the Archive Department.[/i]

[continues yelling] Boop! Boop. Boop.

-[Goob chuckles] On guard!
-[clanging]

Boop?

-[chuckles] Whoa! [laughs]
-[chuckles] Touché. [laughs]

-Don't make me use my cat on you.
-[meows]

-Uh-uh.
-[sheep bleats]

Lightning bolt!
Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt!

[all grunting]

I totally smited you, Goob.

-Nuh-uh.
-Yuh-huh.

Boop, Boop?

Oh, hey, Boop.
I mean, greetings, Sir Boop.

Dost thou want to play
medieval fantasy with us too?

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

You need to find the answer
to what stuff is made of?

'Tis soundeth like a quest!

Let us find out what stuff is made of.

[all] Huzzah!

[adventurous music playing]

[cat meows]

-[dinosaurs roaring]
-[StoryBots screaming]

[panting]

Wow.

That was the fastest epic montage
I've ever seen.

We've probably searched
the entire archive by now.

Impossible. The archives are too infinite
to ever be explored completely.

[buzz]

-[all] Oh.
-[Boop] Boop.

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop?

[raven croaking]

Uh, you wanna check the Mysterious
and Potentially Dangerous Objects section?

Oh, well, look at the time.

[Goob] Got that work thing
we gotta get back to.

-[all speaking]
-[Goob] See you, Boop. Bye!

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop!

[growling in the distance]

[scary mystical music playing]

Boop?

[intrigued] Boop?

-[reading] Boop, boop, boop, boop--
-[narrator] Once upon a time…[/i]

Oh, sorry to startle you.
I'm the narrator.

Boop?

[narrator] You know, that cliché[/i]
where someone reads a book[/i]

and the audience can hear
the story they're reading?

Boop.

[narrator] Exactly. Just go with it[/i]
and you'll get your answer.[/i]

-You're doing a great job.
-Boop, Boop.[/i]

-[narrator] You're welcome.[/i]
-Boop , [/i]Boop, Boop…

[narrator] Once upon a time[/i]
in the land of Stuff-A-Lot,[/i]

there was a knight named Sir Boop…

-[grunts]
-[narrator] …who was in a great hurry.[/i]

-[neighs]
-Boop!

[narrator] He needed to find the answer[/i]
to what stuff is made of,[/i]

and he soon found himself
gazing upon Castle Stuff-A-Lot…

[Sir Boop yells] Boop!

-Boop!
-[guards] Huh?

[Sir Boop grunts]

[narrator] …where our hero[/i]
found himself confronted by angry members[/i]

of the Royal Guard.

[guard ] Who dares disturb
Castle Stuff-A-Lot?

[guard ] On the day of a joyous feast,
no less.

[guard ] The king will know what to do
with the likes of you.

Boop! Boop, Boop, Boop! Boop!

[narrator] Sorry, Sir Boop.[/i]
Can't help you here.[/i]

-[slam]
-[Boop screams]

[whirring]

Hi, StoryBots.

-Why do frogs croak?
-[whirring][/i]

-[upbeat whistled music playing]
-Story Scouts! Fall in!

[all] Yes, Ranger Dot.

Listen closely, Scouts.
Can you identify those sounds?

[croaking]

Those are croaks, Ranger Dot.

From the class Amphibia.

More commonly known as frogs.

Oh, well, yes.

Yes. [laughs]

Tonight, we're gonna learn
why frogs croak.

Uh, Ranger Dot,
we already know why frogs croak.

Frogs croak to communicate.

These frogs are actually male frogs trying
to sound attractive to female frogs.

They're trying to get dates.

Aw, don't be silly, Story Scouts.

I happen to speak perfect Frog.

[frog croaking]

Oh, that one asked
if we wanna play checkers.

Hold on a sec.

[shouting] Croak! Croak, croak, croak!

Maybe later. Ribbit, ribbit. Croak!

-[pattering]
-[Ranger Dot] Croak, croak. Croak!

Um, Ranger Dot?

Frogs also croak
to warn intruders off their territories.

[chuckles] Oh, nonsense.
Watch this, Scouts.

[inhales sharply]

Croak! Croak, croak, croak!

Would you quiet down, lady?

I'm trying to ask a girl out on a date,
and you're making this awful noise!

Oh, hello, my froggy friends.

Oh, I'm sorry.
I mean, croak, croak, croak!

-Croak! Croak, croak.
-That's it! Come on, boys!

-[screams]
-[frog ] Get her! Get her! Come on!

-[Ranger Dot screaming]
-[angry frogs yelling in commotion]

[upbeat music plays, then ends]

♪ Cro-co-co-croak, credeep, credeep ♪

♪ We rumble and ribbit
We warble and cheep ♪

[cheeping]

♪ Which of us croak?
It's a curious tale ♪

-♪ In most of our species ♪
-♪ It's only the males ♪

♪ By croaking, we hope to attract a mate ♪

♪ Credeep, would you like
To go on a date? ♪

♪ I've chosen my guy
For the sweet way he talks ♪

-♪ Ribbit, gribbit! Gro-woks, co-woks! ♪
-♪ Aw, same to you, sweetie! ♪

[frogs] ♪ In case an intruder comes[/i]
Nosing around ♪[/i]

♪ We may warn 'em off
With a threatening sound ♪

♪ Ribbity cr*ck!
Hey, this isn't your place! ♪

♪ Get back! You're invadin' my space! ♪

♪ Sorry, my bad! ♪

♪ But mostly
We're just lovey-dovey frogs ♪

♪ Surrounding our ponds
And marshes and bogs ♪

♪ Hopin' our croakin'
Will bring a chance ♪

♪ To light the spark of a froggy romance ♪

♪ Cro-co-co-croak, scribbity, scribbit ♪

♪ Cro-co-co-croak ♪

-♪ Shh, you had me at "ribbit" ♪
-[croaks][/i]

[song ends]

[announcer] Next stop,[/i]
inside some science-y book[/i]

Boop found in the Archive Department.

[narrator] And so we return to our hero[/i]
and his precarious situation.[/i]

[mysterious music plays]

[guard ] King Hydrogen, Your Hydro-ness,
see here, the troublemaker.

Who are you?

And why have you
brought trouble to Castle Stuff-A-Lot?

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

Sir Boop?

On a quest to find the answer to
"What is stuff made of?"

Boop?

-[joyous music playing]
-What a serendipitous occasion.

You've found yourself in the presence
of the elements of the periodic table.

[elements] Huzzah!

Boop, Boop?

What is an element? Why, we are elements.

The known substances
that make up everything in the universe.

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop?

[all laugh]

Of course there are more than
kinds of stuff in the world.

That's because when we elements combine,
we make all kinds of different new stuff.

Boop, Boop?

[chuckles] Oh, so many questions.

Ah, here's an idea.

Sit back, Sir Boop,

and let us deliver your answer
through song.

Lady Beryllium.

Please grace our guest here
with the ballad of the elements.

Graciously, Your Majesty. [clears throat]

♪ I'll sing you now a ballad
To unlock a mystery ♪

♪ Everything is made of atoms
That are far too small to see ♪

♪ They're made of tiny particles
As scientists have found ♪

♪ There are protons, neutrons
And electrons moving 'round ♪

[elements] ♪ Hey, nonny, nonny[/i]
We're electrons movin' 'round ♪[/i]

♪ You may ask, "What kind of matter
can a single atom be?" ♪

♪ The number of its protons
In the center is the key ♪

♪ If , then it's zinc, I'm told
make precious gold ♪

-♪ If there's only one, it's hydrogen ♪
-♪ That's me! ♪

[elements] Huzzah! All hail King Hydrogen.

♪ A substance made of atoms
That are all of just one kind ♪

♪ Is an element
The simplest stuff you'll ever find ♪

♪ We organize these elements
And tell them all apart ♪

♪ With the periodic table ♪

- ♪ A supremely useful chart ♪[/i]
-[elements] ♪ Hey! ♪[/i]

♪ Hey, nonny, nonny
I'm a very useful chart ♪

The periodic table gives every element
a letter code and atomic number.

-That's the number of protons in its atom.
-Boop.

[Lady Beryllium] ♪ Atoms often join[/i]
To make up molecules like so ♪[/i]

-♪ Hydrogen and oxygen make water ♪
-♪ H! ♪

♪ A compound's made of molecules
That form in just this way ♪

♪ Like water, sugar, even sulfur
Bubbles you can blow ♪

[elements] ♪ Hey, nonny, nonny[/i]
Making bubbles you can blow ♪[/i]

♪ And compounds can combine
To make all kinds of different stuff ♪

♪ From wood to wax to cheesy snacks
And sweet marshmallow fluff ♪

♪ Yes, atoms make up all the earth
The stars, the moon, the sun ♪

♪ I hope you've got your answer
For my ballad now is done ♪

[elements] ♪ Hey, nonny, nonny-o[/i]
Her ballad now is done ♪[/i]

-What fun!
-[/i]Boop!

-[elements] Huzzah!
-[song ends]

[narrator] And so our hero returned home[/i]
with his answer to…[/i]

Hey, wait! What are you doing?
Don't close the book!

I have more stories we can read. Come on!

[muffled speaking and yelling]

-[whirring]
-[school bell ringing]

Welcome, class.

To answer the question
"What is stuff made out of?",

we must start with atoms,

which are the tiny building blocks
that make up everything in the universe.

Inside atoms are
even tinier particles called protons.

The number of protons in an atom

determines what kind of stuff
something is.

To illustrate this further,
me and my assistant, Gopher,

will use my atomic element generator.

[Gopher] Hmm.

For example, an atom with one proton
is hydrogen.

-[blasts]
-[coughing]

And an atom with protons is gold.

-[clangs]
-[Gopher grunts]

The number of protons in an atom
is its atomic number,

and each atomic number leads to
a completely different kind of substance.

Like uranium…

[Gopher whimpering]

-…lead…
-[screams]

-…or mercury.
-[gasps]

When stuff is made of atoms
that have the same atomic number,

it's called an element,

and when stuff is made of two or more
elements, that's called a compound.

It is the combining of elements
into compounds

that makes the beautiful and endless array
of stuff there is in the world.

[expl*si*n blasts]

[professor grunting]

[weakly] And that's
what stuff is made out of.

-[professor grunting]
-[sighs]

Boop, Boop? Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

Boop, thank goodness you're back.

My visitor is still waiting and
my follower count's dropping like a rock.

Did you find out
what stuff is made of yet?

Boop. Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

I know that. Atoms are the building blocks
of the universe,

but I need to know what makes some stuff
different from other stuff.

Boop, Boop. Boop.

Each atom has
a different number of protons?

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

And the number of protons
determines what kind of stuff it is?

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

Oh, so stuff made of only one type of atom
is an element?

Boop.

And stuff made of two or more
different elements is a compound?

Boop, Boop!

So it's the nearly endless combination
of elements and compounds

that make up
all the stuff in the universe!

Boop, Boop, Boop, Boop.

Oh, Boop. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now I won't have to rebrand
as Socradamus the Mostly Knowing.

-[phone pings]
-Oh. [/i][chuckles]

And I get to keep my status
as the No. Mountaintop Guru Influencer.

Boop, Boop, Boop.

Well, Boop, I better get this answer
back to my visitor

before they figure out
I haven't been meditating this whole time.

#KnowledgeIsCool!

-[static crackles]
-[theme music playing]