史前人的牙膏

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: For a couple of weeks we've been challenging listeners with a contest just for laughs, or at the very least just for a slight grin. It's called Another Thing Considered. And the mastermind behind it is contest queen, Lenore Skenazy. Hi, Lenore.

LENORE SKENAZY, BYLINE: Hey there, Robert.

SIEGEL: And what have you got for us this week?

SKENAZY: Well, this week's contest came from an idea I got online about doggie weight loss.

SIEGEL: Yes, you mentioned last week a story about a 77-pound daschund named Obie who has his own weight loss blog - as his owner tries to help him lose 40 pounds.

SKENAZY: Correct. Well, we asked our clever listeners to come up with the name of the first best-selling diet book for dogs.

SIEGEL: And how did the listeners respond?

SKENAZY: Well, there was a bit of a pack mentality in the answers. One that kept coming up over and over - I'm not sure I can say on the air. Can I whisper it? I'm like the dog diet book whisperer.

SIEGEL: I'm sure that's not going to work on the air. You'll just have to say it, Lenore.

SKENAZY: OK. It's the South Bitch Diet.

SIEGEL: Aha, as in South Beach Diet.

SKENAZY: Yes, of course. Followed by a couple of other very popular entries like Rin Tin Thin, From Bow to Wow, and Eat This, Not - can you guess?

SIEGEL: Eat This, Not Cat.

SKENAZY: Exactly. Exactly. A variation was Eat This, Bury That. And a lot of people sent in Slim Dog Millionaire, which doesn't totally make sense but I like it.

SIEGEL: I like that, too.

SKENAZY: Yeah. And there were several Lassie entries.

SIEGEL: Lassie Come Home...

SKENAZY: Thinner. Like Timmy got an internship at Vogue. And there was also Lessie. And a lot of ruffs, you know, riffs, on different breeds. Like the Labrador's Dilemma, Whippet Into Shape, and the Real Slim Sheltie, Beagles Without Cream Cheese.

SIEGEL: I like that one. And someone must have sent in French Poodles Don't Get Fat.

SKENAZY: Oui, they did. And there were a lot of wiener dog jokes that I won't repeat.

SIEGEL: Thanks especially for that. So, who gets the top honors for clever entry this week?

SKENAZY: Uh-uh. First runners-up. There's Ben Pagel of Stamford, Connecticut. He sent in 1.38 Minute Abs. That's eight-minute abs in dog years.

SIEGEL: (Laughter) That's very good.

SKENAZY: Erika Yin of Miami Beach sent: Chicken By Products again? A Dog's Guide to Helping their Owners Pick Healthier Food. And the rather plaintive, If I'm Smart Enough to Catch A Frisbee, Why Can't I Lose Weight? by Connie Caldwell of San Antonio, Texas.

SIEGEL: This is a high standard if those are the runners-up. The winner for best first dog diet book ever?

SKENAZY: The winner this week is...

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SKENAZY: Alan Edwards of McLean, Virginia, who was the first to send in the simple classic title: Avoid the Pounds.

SIEGEL: The Pounds. Very catchy. And what does Mr. Edwards, for being so clever with his dog catcher reference there, win?

SKENAZY: He gets an authentic, one-of-a-kind ALL THINGS CONSIDERED mug.

SIEGEL: So, what is our next Another Thing Considered challenge to our listeners?

SKENAZY: Well, Robert, researchers have found a 6,500-year-old human jaw bone with a tooth in it that shows traces of beeswax. They think it might have been a very early form of dentistry - someone filling a cavity.

SIEGEL: This is very good. All references to dentists, I believe, generate extreme listener interest.

SKENAZY: That's what I was hoping. I was wracking my brain for a dentistry contest.

SIEGEL: And we're asking the listeners to open wide and...

SKENAZY: Send us the name of the first prehistoric toothpaste. That's the Another Thing question. Come up with the name of the world's oldest toothpaste.

SIEGEL: Well, you heard Lenore. To play this game, enter your answers to anotherthing@NPR.org by Wednesday noon, Eastern Time.

SKENAZY: And the winner gets another NPR mug. So enter at anotherthing@NPR.org.

SIEGEL: Thank you, Lenore.

SKENAZY: Thanks, Robert.

SIEGEL: And so long until next Monday when we learn the results. Contest queen, Lenore Skenazy.

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MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.