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Puppy sized elephant

An invented creature John wants, preferring a puppy-sized elephant to an elephant-sized puppy; he writes to Evolution asking for one.

Origin on the channel: John prefers a puppy-sized elephant to an elephant-sized puppy and writes to Evolution asking for one. — The Return of Question Tuesdays 00:00:00

in-group term (bit-coinage) · in 27 videos, 2008–2023 · peak 2008 (8 videos) · last heard 2023

Videos per year: 2008: 8 · 2009: 6 · 2010: 2 · 2011: 3 · 2012: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 1

Forms heard

How the speakers say this one item, as transcribed from the videos, in order of first appearance.

form videos first heard last heard
“puppy-sized elephant” 13 2008-01-08 · The Return of Question Tuesdays 00:00:00 2022-10-14 · The Surprise Revelation of NerdfArters 00:01:44
“puppy-sized elephants” 12 2008-01-20 · John and Hank on NPR Today! 00:01:58 2023-12-24 · John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated 02:18:41
“puppy sized elephant” 2 2011-01-07 · CONCUSSED Question Friday 00:01:08 2014-10-17 · MY FACE ON A BUS 00:03:48

Every video

2008

date video use what is said
2008-01-08 The Return of Question Tuesdays 00:00:00 origin John prefers a puppy-sized elephant to an elephant-sized puppy and writes to Evolution asking for one. · “puppy-sized elephant”
2008-01-20 John and Hank on NPR Today! 00:01:58 callback Hank promises lots of puppy-sized elephants in coming videos and signs off to John with puppy-sized elephants. · “puppy-sized elephants”
2008-01-21 A Short History of the PUPPY SIZED ELEPHANT 00:01:59 variant John extends the bit with real dwarf elephants and an imagined reply letter from Evolution. · “puppy-sized elephant”
2008-02-08 QUESTION TUESDAYS (On Friday) 00:02:06 callback Asked about animals better than puppy-sized elephants, John names puppy-sized humans. · “puppy-sized elephants”
2008-05-18 A CUTETACULAR INTRODUCTION! 00:02:01 callback John compares Willy's noise to all the kittens and birds at war with monkeys and puppy-sized elephants. · “puppy-sized elephants”
2008-06-08 Monkeys!!! (with pants) 00:00:59 callback In Hank's zoo skit, one wish at the zoo is to see a puppy-sized elephant. · “puppy-sized elephant”
2008-10-31 Show 'n Tell Thursday 00:01:06 callback John shows a fan-made puppy-sized elephant figure and a puppy-sized elephant costume for Willy. · “puppy-sized elephant”
2008-11-19 Sharing Presents in Westport 00:01:19 mention A speaker says no one would dance with him at a dancing school, calling it the only semi-autobiographical thing in Paper Towns. · “puppy-sized elephant”

2009

date video use what is said
2009-04-21 Question Tuesday 00:00:40 callback John's joke Nerdfighter initiation involves riding a puppy-sized elephant. · “puppy-sized elephant”
2009-06-07 I Will Call Him Louis: Australia Rocks! 00:01:33 callback John asks evolution where his puppy-sized elephant is; later Natalie and Calvin sing about puppy-sized elephants at the gathering. · “puppy-sized elephant”, “puppy-sized elephants”
2009-07-19 Harry Potter Nerds Win at Life 00:02:08 callback John plays 20Q thinking of puppy-sized elephants, 'the most outrageously wonderful creature not currently in existence', and it guesses unicorns. · “puppy-sized elephants”
2009-09-12 Special Friday Video! (On Saturday) 00:02:51 callback John jokes that the agenda includes funding the re-evolving of puppy-sized elephants. · “puppy-sized elephants”
2009-10-11 Puppy Elephant Defends Capitalism 00:00:16 variant John dresses Willy in a tiny elephant costume and builds his capitalism example on puppy-sized elephant costumes. · “puppy-sized elephant”
2009-12-27 How To Be a Nerdfighter: A Vlogbrothers FAQ 00:01:43 callback In the dictionary John explains puppy-sized elephants: they asked natural selection for them and are waiting. · “puppy-sized elephants”

2010

date video use what is said
2010-04-21 The Insurrection of Subjugated Knowledges 00:02:32 callback John's closing line addresses 'the puppy-sized elephant'. · “puppy-sized elephant”
2010-08-20 The Fox Hat IS REAL, but Are Zombies People? 00:02:20 mention Downstairs shelves include author copies of his own books, desert island books, lexicography, child prodigies, Mark Twain, books about death, poetry, religion and conjoined twins. · “puppy-sized elephants”

2011

date video use what is said
2011-01-07 CONCUSSED Question Friday 00:01:08 callback Asked what he would name his puppy-sized elephant, John says Lewis, and they would be best friends.
2011-02-09 NERDFIGHTERS UNITE! (in your pants) 00:00:28 callback John takes his puppy-sized elephant on his in-joke walk. · “puppy-sized elephant”
2011-05-13 Winkels to the Left, Winkels to the Right: Thoughts from Places, Antwerp 00:01:20 callback Among the zoo animals John lists 'almost puppy-sized elephants'. · “puppy-sized elephants”

2012

date video use what is said
2012-03-09 The Future of Manned Space Exploration 00:01:08 callback Hank converts the SLS's lift capacity into more than 23,000 puppy-sized elephants. · “puppy-sized elephants”
2012-08-17 Open Letter to the Wizards 00:03:32 variant Hank varies the puppy-sized elephant with a puppy-sized llama elephant.

2014

date video use what is said
2014-10-17 MY FACE ON A BUS 00:03:48 callback Hank shouts an in-joke mash-up in which the Pizza John humps the puppy-sized elephant in Agloe, New York.
2014-12-09 Question Tuesday with Cara Delevingne of Paper Towns 00:03:10 callback John asks Cara whether the world should contain a puppy-sized elephant or an elephant-sized puppy; she picks the puppy-sized elephant and John cheers. · “puppy-sized elephant”

2015

date video use what is said
2015-01-04 The Best Worst Thing 00:02:30 callback John jokes that Nerdfighteria is also trying to genetically engineer puppy-sized elephants. · “puppy-sized elephants”
2015-09-29 Writing, Walling, Racing, and Wizard Schooling 00:01:35 callback A puppy-sized elephant is among the objects on John's new wall. · “puppy-sized elephant”

2022

date video use what is said
2022-10-14 The Surprise Revelation of NerdfArters 00:01:44 callback Puppy-sized Elephant is one of the NerdfArters prompts Hank lists as deep lore. · “puppy-sized elephant”

2023

date video use what is said
2023-12-24 John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated 02:18:41 mention A Nerdfighter dictionary lightning round defines puppy-sized elephants, stuff on heads, French the llama, puff levels, Decepticons, the Giant Squid of Anger, tiny chicken disease, secret siblings, in your pants and the gang sign. · “puppy-sized elephants”