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All statements about Willy

126 statements about Willy in 73 videos, by upload date.

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2008

  • 2008-01-08 · The Return of Question Tuesdays — John: Asked whether he'd rather have an elephant-sized puppy or a puppy-sized elephant, John picks the puppy-sized elephant and writes a letter asking Evolution to make him one. (joke) — 00:00:00
  • 2008-01-20 (said on 2008-01-18, implied) · John and Hank on NPR Today! — announcement: Hank previews coming videos: lots of puppy-sized elephants, more from the Detroit Auto Show, the contents of the tri-tube, and more from Denver International Airport (with an Isengard clip). — 00:01:58
  • 2008-01-21 · A Short History of the PUPPY SIZED ELEPHANT — John: Since Evolution may take millions of years to answer his letter asking for a puppy-sized elephant, John shows the puppy-sized elephants nerdfighters made for him instead. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2008-01-21 · A Short History of the PUPPY SIZED ELEPHANT — John says several nerdfighters pointed out right after his last video that evolution had in fact made puppy-sized elephants, thousands of years ago. — 00:01:06
  • 2008-01-21 · A Short History of the PUPPY SIZED ELEPHANT — John imagines Evolution's reply: it made him a puppy-sized elephant, but humans killed it; you're welcome for your thumbs. (joke) — 00:01:59
  • 2008-02-26 · Best Wishes! — John: A couple of days ago (February 2008) John had an important phone call he can't name the other party of; nervous as always on the phone, he ended it by saying 'Best wishes!'. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2008-05-16 · Hank's Punishment (ugh...I don't believe uploading this...) — ask: Hank invites viewers to wish Katherine a happy birthday in their own way, ideally in YouTube videos, sent to her YouTube channel or by email. — 00:02:53
  • 2008-05-18 · A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! — John: The real reason for the absence: John and the Yeti have made an extraordinary, unbelievably time-consuming acquisition, a puppy. — 00:00:46
  • 2008-05-18 · A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! — John wanted to name the puppy 'Bubbles the Nerdfighting Puppy', but the Yeti said a boy named Bubbles would be weird to explain; John adds people would ask if Nerdfighters are for or against nerds. (playful) — 00:00:54
  • 2008-05-18 · A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! — John: They call him Willy; his full name, Fireball Wilson Roberts, refers to the first sentence of James Crumley's novel The Last Good Kiss, which John reads aloud. — 00:01:14
  • 2008-05-18 · A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! — John jokes that Willy is most adorable on video, where you can't smell that he always smells a little like his own pee. (playful) — 00:01:36
  • 2008-05-18 · A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! — recommendation: John's message to Nerdfighters considering a puppy: it is so hard; Willy needs constant attention. — 00:01:45
  • 2008-05-18 · A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! — John: Willy makes a many-noted noise when ignored and fakes needing to pee; John gets frustrated but forgives him when he tilts his head; a bundle of joy and of work. (playful) — 00:01:58
  • 2008-05-18 · A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! — John and Willy wish Katherine a happy birthday; John claims Willy is a talking dog. (playful) — 00:03:10
  • 2008-05-22 · Adorable Puppy Injury!!!! — Hank explains John spent most of the day at the dog hospital: Willy is okay but has a broken foot, which is why John is excused. — 00:01:19
  • 2008-05-22 · Adorable Puppy Injury!!!! — ask: Hank asks John to give the 'peg-legged' puppy an eyepatch, and maybe a parrot, for tomorrow's video; though on Team Ninja, he'd love a pirate puppy. (playful) — 00:01:37
  • 2008-05-30 · The Dread Pirate Fireball Roberts! (And Housekeeping) — John: Willy has learned a new trick: sitting on command. — 00:00:48
  • 2008-05-30 · The Dread Pirate Fireball Roberts! (And Housekeeping) — John: Willy needed a new cast after eating the old one; the new one has a heart on it, which John finds unfit for a dread pirate, hoping for a skull and crossbones next. (playful) — 00:01:49
  • 2008-06-26 · Don't Suck on That Bone — John shows Willy, 'the Nerdfighting Puppy', getting his cast off; Willy still walks with a limp, which John jokingly says is because he thinks he still has the cast. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2008-06-26 · Don't Suck on That Bone — Sarah Urist Green: Sarah says she is pretty excited, calling it a really big day for Willy. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2008-06-26 · Don't Suck on That Bone — John frames the video as doing ten things the Nerdfighters asked of him; the first two were to see more of Willy and more of the Yeti (Sarah). — 00:00:00
  • 2008-07-08 (said on 2008-07-07, implied) · Hank Tried to Kill Me With a Hammer — John jokes his own books are the best inspiration, then says that once you finish a book 'they' want the pale basement-dwelling writer to become a selling machine, though he only wants to stay home, make videos, eat Peeps and hang out with Willy. (playful) — 00:01:11
  • 2008-07-13 · Willy's Elusive Head Turn — John tells Hank that Willy is four months old today and has learned down, stay and sit, though he only sort of retrieves. — 00:00:06
  • 2008-07-13 · Willy's Elusive Head Turn — John says that for someone with a brain the size of a baby fist, Willy is kind of a genius. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:44
  • 2008-07-13 · Willy's Elusive Head Turn — John says the skill they most want Willy to master is turning his head to the side, which he does whenever he hears sounds he's never heard before. — 00:00:44
  • 2008-07-13 · Willy's Elusive Head Turn — John says it was easy in the first month, but now he has had to search his vocal cords for new sounds. (playful) — 00:01:13
  • 2008-07-13 · Willy's Elusive Head Turn — John and the Yeti try on camera to get Willy to do the head turn with new noises, without quite succeeding. (playful) — 00:01:13
  • 2008-07-13 · Willy's Elusive Head Turn — John says that as far as they can tell the sound has to be a human voice making sounds Willy's never heard, and they are out of such sounds. (hedged) — 00:02:13
  • 2008-07-13 · Willy's Elusive Head Turn — ask: John asks anyone who wants to make a video response with a sound they think Willy has never heard before. — 00:02:13
  • 2008-07-22 · OMFG CATCHER IN THE RYE!!! — ask: John thanks Nerdfighters for their Willy sounds, says many of their videos made Willy turn his head, and asks them to email the sounds for a compilation video. — 00:03:12
  • 2008-08-12 · PEANUT BUTTER FACE (while discussing the Georgia-Russia War) — John ends by showing Hank Willy, "the happiest dog in the world", for exactly five seconds. (playful) — 00:03:26
  • 2008-08-17 · Stockholm Sweden — announcement: The description announces that the clue has been found and links to a Nerdfighter Ning forum thread to discuss it. — video description
  • 2008-08-18 · This Video Comes in Threven Parts — announcement: Hank says John started a new, European scavenger hunt; the first clue, in Sweden, has been found and deciphered, giving the letter B, whose meaning is unknown. — 00:03:32
  • 2008-08-20 · Scavenger Hunting — announcement: The description announces that the scavenger-hunt clue has been found and links to a Nerdfighter Ning forum thread for discussion. — video description
  • 2008-08-20 · Scavenger Hunting — ask: The description invites viewers who want to follow the scavenger hunt, with its (existent) prizes, to subscribe to the neverftba YouTube channel. (playful) — video description
  • 2008-08-20 · Scavenger Hunting — announcement: The description says the clue is in a Danish book, calling that pretty simple, and reminds Nerdfighters that calling is cheating. — video description
  • 2008-08-26 · The Catcher in the Rye, Part 2 — John has Willy tell Nerdfighters that the next scavenger-hunt clue is taped to a sign in Daniel Biss's front yard. (playful) — 00:03:15
  • 2008-08-29 · Sarah Palin: An Introduction — John tells Hank the Nerdfighters finished the second part of the scavenger hunt. — 00:02:33
  • 2008-09-07 · This Song is for Willy — Hank sings that John's new dog looks confused, then wary, then tilts his head when he hears a sound he has never heard before. (playful) — 00:00:07
  • 2008-09-07 · This Song is for Willy — Hank sings that John feared Willy had no new sounds left to hear, so he called on the Nerdfighters to act really weird. (playful) — 00:00:49
  • 2008-09-07 · This Song is for Willy — Hank sings that the song is for Willy, whatever the world thinks of how silly that is. (playful) — 00:00:49
  • 2008-09-10 · Willy Listening to His Song — John plays Hank's song for Willy to see how he reacts. — 00:00:00
  • 2008-09-10 · Willy Listening to His Song — John narrates that Willy gets scared of the song and wants to run away, then relaxes and yawns. — 00:01:01
  • 2008-09-10 · Willy Listening to His Song — John jokes that Willy almost turned his head all the way around like in The Exorcist. (playful) — 00:01:58
  • 2008-09-10 · Willy Listening to His Song — John thanks Hank, saying the song made Willy, John and the Yeti so happy. — 00:02:37
  • 2008-10-06 · Berlin and Let it Snow (in Your Pants) — John: The bar had a dog that used to drink there, reminding John of Fireball Roberts, the alcoholic bulldog in James Crumley's The Last Good Kiss. — 00:01:50
  • 2008-10-11 (said on 2008-10-10, implied) · Question Friday — John: Asked if the Nerdfighting puppy is neutered, John says yes, joking that he had threatened to castrate Willy for peeing inside and then did it. (playful) — 00:00:58
  • 2008-10-31 (said on 2008-10-30, implied) · Show 'n Tell Thursday — John: Nerdfighter-related presents include a Nerdfighter bracelet and, made of a spongy material, a puppy-sized elephant and a little Willy with a cast. — 00:01:06
  • 2008-10-31 (said on 2008-10-30, implied) · Show 'n Tell Thursday — John says he kind of misses Willy and can't wait to get home, because a Nerdfighter in Los Angeles made a puppy-sized elephant costume for Willy. (playful, hedged) — 00:01:06
  • 2008-11-04 · Election Night In Indianapolis! — Hank: Holding Willy, Hank says the Vlogbrothers are not political, but sometimes you have to show your true colors. (playful) — 00:01:45
  • 2008-11-19 · Sharing Presents in Westport — John misses his dog Willy while on the road; they received a Christmas ornament for Willy and a nerdfighting-puppy toy. — 00:02:43
  • 2008-12-08 (said on 2008-12-07, implied) · I Am Afraid of Heights — John: Narrating as Willy, John says that at an author party Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier teased him about his fear of heights and asked what it would cost him to stand on a hotel-room table. (playful) — 00:00:24

Also named in: A Video about Videos, The Pwning of Oprah, Skoodilypooping

2009

  • 2009-01-04 · Israel. Gaza. PUPPY! — John: Because the Israeli army invaded the Gaza Strip last night, John feels he has to discuss it on Newsday although it makes him miserable, and shows puppy footage to counter that. (hedged) — 00:00:02
  • 2009-02-08 · All Aboard the Fail Boat — John introduces the Fail Boat, the puppy-captained vessel Nerdfighters use to travel Nerdfighteria and to sail the world learning about places experiencing world suck. (playful) — 00:00:06
  • 2009-02-08 · All Aboard the Fail Boat — John: Dressed as Hank (or as John in a Hank costume), John sends best wishes to cheer up Australian Nerdfighters, then shows a Nerdfighter-made John disguise. (playful) — 00:03:04
  • 2009-02-11 · A Song About an Anglerfish — Hank tells John he enjoyed his Question Tuesday and especially Captain Willy's voyage on the Fail Boat. — 00:02:48
  • 2009-02-21 (said on 2009-02-14, implied) · Paper Towns and PUPPY — John: In a bonus video, helped by Willy and pre-recorded questions from 'past John', John answers Paper Towns questions he didn't get to in his last video. — 00:00:00
  • 2009-03-10 · How to Get Girls to Like You — recommendation: John: Asked how to get nerd girls to like you, John jokes that girls love his puppy Willy, so his first advice is to become a puppy (or a kitten or sneezy panda). (joke) — 00:01:18
  • 2009-03-24 · Peeps! Prom! Puppy! — John asks whether he is just an overly proud dog parent or whether Willy really sits adorably like a cat. (playful) — 00:03:07
  • 2009-06-07 · I Will Call Him Louis: Australia Rocks! — John: At the Melbourne Nerdfighter gatherings Debbie warmed up the crowd with the Happy Dance song, and Natalie and Calvin sang about puppy-sized elephants. — 00:02:32
  • 2009-06-30 · Nerdfighter MARRIAGE PROPOSAL — John: Asked about an object behind his head, John runs through a My Little Pony, wooden shoes from Dutch fans and a sculpture of Willy as the Dread Pirate Fireball Wilson Roberts. (playful) — 00:00:39
  • 2009-06-30 · Nerdfighter MARRIAGE PROPOSAL — John congratulates the couple, thanks them for being made of awesome and part of the community, and closes the call with 'best wishes'. — 00:02:49
  • 2009-07-19 · Harry Potter Nerds Win at Life — John says that when he played 20Q thinking of puppy-sized elephants, a creature 'in pre-existence', it guessed unicorns. (joke) — 00:02:08
  • 2009-08-11 · The Island of Nerdfighteria? — announcement: John says he and Willy will give $1,000 to the charity of Nerdfighteria's choice. — 00:02:28
  • 2009-08-11 · The Island of Nerdfighteria? — ask: John asks Nerdfighters to leave a comment naming the charity they want him and Willy to give money to. — 00:02:28
  • 2009-08-25 · The Gift of Gary Busey — John shows that Willy has damaged the 'great white wall of cow' (now two-legged and tailless) and seems to have blinded the sock puppet. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:00
  • 2009-09-08 · My Puppy's SECRET SHAME (and Paper Towns) — John says Willy agreed not to eat the things John loves in exchange for John keeping his secret shame, but broke the deal by eating part of the great white wall of cow. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2009-09-08 · My Puppy's SECRET SHAME (and Paper Towns) — John came home to find Willy had chewed his figurine of the Wookiee (Chewbacca), leaving it armless with a damaged foot. (playful) — 00:00:52
  • 2009-09-08 · My Puppy's SECRET SHAME (and Paper Towns) — John reveals Willy's secret shame: he was born with an extra tailbone that bends his tail downward. (playful) — 00:00:52
  • 2009-09-12 (said on 2009-09-11, implied) · Special Friday Video! (On Saturday) — John shows drawings on the wall: the great white wall of cow ridden by Willy as the Dread Pirate Fireball Wilson Roberts, and a unicorn meant to motivate him, since he hates unicorns. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2009-09-25 · Fake John Green : New Album : Shirts — Hank lists the pictures: John loving unicorns, dressed as Edward Cullen, kissed by the Poe bust, swapped with Willy, admitting the puff is a wig; others, like a John Green cereal, are 'ridiculously awesome'. (playful) — 00:00:29
  • 2009-09-30 (said on 2009-10-01, implied) · 13 SEVERED HANDS! (1) — Hank says watching John's video from a couple of weeks ago, where Willy chewed the arm off Chewbacca, reminded him that he used to be a connoisseur of Star Wars hand removal. (playful) — 00:00:01
  • 2009-09-30 · 13 SEVERED HANDS! (2) — Hank: Watching John's video from a couple of weeks ago, in which Willy chewed the arm off Chewbacca, reminded Hank that he used to be a connoisseur of Star Wars hand removal. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2009-10-11 · Puppy Elephant Defends Capitalism — John says that when he gets cranky, he puts Willy in his tiny elephant costume. (playful) — 00:00:16
  • 2009-12-27 · How To Be a Nerdfighter: A Vlogbrothers FAQ — John says they asked natural selection for puppy-sized elephants, adorable enough to have an evolutionary advantage, and are waiting. (playful) — 00:01:41
  • 2009-12-27 · How To Be a Nerdfighter: A Vlogbrothers FAQ — Hank defines notsome as the opposite of awesome, pointing also to Fail Puppy and the Fail Boat. — 00:02:50

Also named in: Giraffe Love and Other Questions ANSWERED, SOMALI PIRATES! France Penetrates Chad!, Free Will Fetish, John Loves Amsterdam, Tiny Chickens Cause Epic Fail, Question Tuesday, Peanut Butter Face Discusses Sri Lanka, Question Tuesday!, HAPPY JOHN DAY!!!, 100 QUESTIONS ANSWERED!!!!!!!, Paper Towns in Paperback: A How-to Guide, Paper Towns Winners and Ningmasters, In Which A Secret Is Revealed, Amazing Christmas Facts With John and Hank, Adorable Puppy Explains Health Care Bill

2010

  • 2010-01-18 · Fatherhood — John: When anxious, John reminds himself he is not the first organism to face parenthood and many were less qualified, such as Willy, who is adorable but 'an idiot' and not qualified to be a dad. (playful) — 00:01:48
  • 2010-06-30 · Poopy Nintendo Mystery SOLVED WITH SCIENCE — John: Unable to apologize to the dead Red Green, John asks Willy's forgiveness on behalf of all canine kind and is licked. (playful) — 00:02:53
  • 2010-09-02 · Fitness for Nerds — John calls his dog Willy his workout partner as Willy interrupts the sit-ups to lick him. (playful) — 00:03:31
  • 2010-11-19 · I'm Not Going Down: Thoughts from Amsterdam — John recounts his departure: up around 5:30, Willy senses he is leaving, he is driven to the airport, and he flies to Atlanta. — 00:00:00
  • 2010-12-29 · Baby on the Road: Thoughts from Places — John woke in the Yeti's childhood bedroom, found Henry removing trash from a trash can, and the family had to drive from Birmingham back to Indianapolis. — 00:00:00
  • 2010-12-29 · Baby on the Road: Thoughts from Places — John says he used to get distracted by roadside attractions, but this trip was all about speed: leftover barbecue for breakfast and no stop until lunch. — 00:00:45
  • 2010-12-29 · Baby on the Road: Thoughts from Places — John: While Willy slept, John read Sarah an excerpt from a German review of one of his books as translated by Google. (playful) — 00:01:06
  • 2010-12-29 · Baby on the Road: Thoughts from Places — John: Driving north with the whole family, John says the road delivered them to the one place his youthful trips west never could: home. — 00:02:36

Also named in: OMG MY BROTHER HAD A BABY, Cute OVERLOAD: The Ultimate Concern Edition, The Patron Saint of Youtube, I Love Hank: Esther Day 2010, The Fox Hat IS REAL, but Are Zombies People?, MY FRIEND CHESTER, 8 Things I Love

2011

Also named in: Revolution in Egypt: A 4-Minute Introduction, Puppies and The Tour de Nerdfighting 2012

2012

Also named in: Changes to Vlogbrothers

2013

Also named in: Addicted to the Internet

2014

Also named in: Warm Things for Cold Times

2015

2016

2017

2018

  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John says their dog Willy is probably near the end of his life, and he wants to eulogize him before he dies. (hedged) — 00:00:01
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John: Fireball Wilson Roberts Green came home in 2008, named for the alcoholic bulldog in James Crumley's novel The Last Good Kiss; they call him Willy because, as the vet put it, he's 'Willy Willy cute'. — 00:00:07
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John expected a cuddly puppy, but Willy does not cuddle (or didn't until recent months): he is very strong-willed, wants no pity or baby talk, and wants food, especially bacon and peanut butter. — 00:00:20
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John: When John's children ran around with treats, Willy would chase them a while, then wait on his bed to be fed and dash away, restoring the normal order of people running after him. (playful) — 00:00:40
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John: Worried that Willy, not a 'sweet' dog, would resent new children, the family found him always extraordinarily gentle and patient with the kids, even as babies. — 00:00:59
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John: The children are fiercely loyal to Willy: when Sarah or John say they are a family of four, the kids shout back that it is five, counting Willy. — 00:01:26
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John says the kids are right: Willy is only a dog, but he is their dog, and they are a family of five for a little while longer. — 00:01:39
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John talked about Willy a lot online at first, but as he came to value the privateness of his private life, Willy became less of a fixture of his online life. — 00:01:47
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John: Willy has been a constant amid big family changes; though his barking has ruined many Vlogbrothers takes, his companionship has been a profound gift, especially in hard times. — 00:01:57
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John: In that spiral you feel very alone: people can love and listen but cannot share the feeling because they know it is irrational; Willy doesn't know, and only knows John is scared. — 00:02:43
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John: Wary of anthropomorphizing Willy, John believes after ten years together that Willy knows when he is worried and gravitates to him, lying at his feet or inviting play. (hedged) — 00:03:01
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John says Willy takes him seriously in a way no human can, and he is grateful for that. — 00:03:17
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John: Willy is harder to care for, with weeks of interrupted sleep; as the cancer advances he becomes the quiet, cuddly dog John once wanted, and John is grateful for the dog he is and was. — 00:03:21
  • 2018-02-27 · Ode to a Dog — John tells Willy he is a good dog and that he loves him. — 00:03:40
  • 2018-12-07 · BABIES! The 2018 Project for Awesome is here… — announcement: John offers pressed pennies, horrible worthless pennies turned into souvenirs, including one honoring the late great Fireball Wilson Roberts. (playful) — 00:03:21

2023

  • 2023-12-12 · POTATO! — John says the parents wanted a regal name like the Dread Pirate Fireball Wilson Roberts, but the kids insisted on Potato and won. (playful) — 00:00:36

2026

  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John's first dog, Willy, Fireball Wilson Roberts Green, came from Kokomo: a couple in the armed forces who were both deployed needed a good home for him; John misses him, though Willy was not actually a great dog. — 02:43:13
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says Willy was not cuddly but oversaw the family; Potato is not that cuddly either but wants to be near you, and John loves both dogs equally and immensely. — 02:44:47