Top Banana | Ep. 264

Do you know what it means if you “have the upper hand”?

“Having the upper hand” means you hold an advantage; you’re in a stronger position or situation than someone else is. Today we’ll meet a character who gets the upper hand... by taking the lower half!

Our story is called “Top Banana.” It was inspired by tales told in the Philippines,  a country of over seven-thousand islands in Southeast Asia.

Voices in this episode include Tatyana Ali and Jack De Sena. Grown-ups, you may know Tatyana Ali from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (the original and reboot) as well as “Abbott Elementary” on ABC. And kids, you can hear Jack De Sena’s voice in a bunch of animated TV shows, including “Lego Monkie Kid,” “The Dragon Prince” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

This episode was adapted for Circle Round by Rebecca Sheir. It was edited by Dean Russell. Original music and sound design is by Eric Shimelonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn.

GROWN-UPS! PRINT THIS so everyone can color while listening. We’re also keeping an album so please share your picture on Facebook and Instagram, and tag it with #CircleRoundPodcast. To access all the coloring pages for past episodes click HERE. Our resident artist is Sabina Hahn and you can learn more about her HERE.

Now it’s your turn!

Think about a time you shared with someone. Perhaps you put together a puzzle with a friend and took turns picking out pieces. Maybe you shared a snack with a classmate, or donated some clothing or books to a charity.

Sharing isn’t always easy, but it can make us feel good. And what’s more, it can make the people we’re sharing with feel great!

Musical Spotlight: Saron

Southeast Asia, which includes Indonesia and the Philippines, has many musical styles and traditions. The music of Indonesia and the Philippines share some similarities, including the kolintang or kulintang, a percussion instrument made of wood and bronze which Eric Shimelonis played live on-stage in our episode, “The Sea and the Sky.”

This week’s instrument actually hails from Indonesia, where it’s a crucial part of the traditional Indonesian percussion ensemble known as gamelan. The Javanese word gamel refers to the playing of percussion instruments, or the act of striking with a mallet. The gamelan instrument that usually plays the core melody is the metallophone (i.e. a musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal) known as the saron.

The saron consists of a set of six or seven saron bars that rest on an ornately-decorated frame of wood. As with other metallophones, like xylophones, the frame/base acts as a resonator: it vibrates and helps make sound.

The earliest documented appearance of a saron is from the 9th century: 1,200 years ago! Experts believe the instrument may have been inspired by other metallophones, like the above-mentioned xylophone, which had already been around for hundreds of years.

As you’ll hear in this week’s story, the saron has a beautiful percussive ringing tone. The sustain of the instrument – how long it can cause each note to ring out – makes for complex overtones, or harmonics.

Story Transcript:

NARRATOR: It was summertime in the lush, mossy forest and all morning long, Turtle had been sunning her brownish-red shell and skin on a big flat rock.

TURTLE: Woo! I’m starting to get overheated! I think I’ll go for a swim in the river. Splashing around in the cool, clear water would hit the spot right now!

NARRATOR: When Turtle shuffled over to the riverbank, her bright round eyes were met with an astonishing sight.

TURTLE: It’s a banana plant! And it’s in the water! Floating down the river!

NARRATOR: Indeed. With a crown of broad green leaves on one end and a spindly web of roots on the other, the banana plant was drifting downstream… and heading Turtle’s way.

TURTLE: (GASP!) What if I pull that banana plant out of the river, then I bring it home and plant it in my garden? Goodness knows I love growing things. With a little love and care, that plant will be sprouting delicious bananas in no time!

NARRATOR: Turtle plunged into the water and paddled toward the banana plant. She was hoping to grip it in her claws and tug it back to shore. But the plant was heavier than she expected… and the current was stronger than she expected… and she soon found herself struggling.

TURTLE: (struggling in water) Oh dear! I can’t pull this plant to shore alone! I need help!

MONKEY: You bet you do! The idea of a teeny-tiny turtle carrying a banana plant to shore is, well… BANANAS! (laughter)

NARRATOR: Turtle swiveled her gaze to the riverbank. And there was Monkey, his shaggy brown body doubled up with laughter.

MONKEY: (laughing) I mean, no offense, Turtle – but your attempts are looking downright FRUIT-less! (laughter) Get it? “Fruitless”? Oh! I crack myself up.

TURTLE: (struggling) Very funny, Monkey! But would you mind canning the jokes and helping me out?

MONKEY: “Canning” the jokes? Oh wait. Is that another banana pun? Because I’ve never heard of eating CANNED banana before! It sounds kind of gross.

TURTLE: (struggling) No, Monkey! It is not a pun! It’s a humble appeal!

MONKEY: Ha! I see what you did there! Appeal? APPEEL? Like a banana peel?

TURTLE: (struggling) Monkey! I’m serious!

MONKEY: Not me! I’m never serious. But fine. I’ll help you… if you’ll share your banana plant with me!

NARRATOR: Turtle hesitated. Monkey wasn’t the brightest banana in the bunch, but his body was strong… and hers was getting weaker by the moment.

TURTLE: (struggling) Alright fine! I’ll share the banana plant with you, Monkey! Now lend a hand, will you?

NARRATOR: Monkey dove into the water. He and Turtle worked together to drag the banana plant to shore, before carrying it across the forest to Turtle’s garden.

TURTLE: Thanks for your help, Monkey! Now how about we put this banana plant in the earth? We’ll wait for it to sprout bananas, and then – when they’re all yellow and ripe – we’ll share them!

MONKEY: Okay, first of all: it would have been far funnier if you had said, “...we’ll share the FRUITS of our labors”! (laughter) And second: I don’t want to WAIT to get my share of bananas. I say we split the plant in half – right now!

TURTLE: “Split the plant in half”? That is no way to share a plant, Monkey!

MONKEY: And that is no way to treat the courageous hero who dove into a raging, roiling river to save you! (beat) I want my half, Turtle. The question is… WHICH half?

NARRATOR: Monkey looked the banana plant up and down. When his gaze landed on the broad green leaves at the top, his face broke into a grin.

MONKEY: The TOP half! I want the top half! After all, that’s the part where the BANANAS will sprout! So it’s the better one! (beat) And please don’t try convincing me that the better half should be yours, because trust me: it’s not gonna work.

TURTLE: Well, ACTUALLY, Monkey…

NARRATOR: Turtle paused. The truth was, if Monkey picked the top, then “the better half” WOULD be hers! Why? Because she would have the bottom, and the bottom had the plant's roots! The roots would dig into the earth, they would suck up all the nutrients, and the plant would eventually sprout bananas!

The top half, of course, did not have roots; therefore it would NOT sprout bananas. But Turtle knew that Monkey would never be convinced of this fact. So, she just sighed and smiled.

TURTLE: …Actually, Monkey… what I was going to say is I’ll need your help if we’re going to split the plant’s top from its bottom! Do you mind lending another hand?

NARRATOR: Monkey happily obliged. He and Turtle cut the banana plant in half. Then as Turtle got to work planting the bottom half in her garden, Monkey set off through the forest carrying the top.

MONKEY: (chuckling) I certainly got the better end of the deal – and of the PLANT! With just the bottom, there’s no way Turtle will get any fruit! (beat) The whole thing is totally hilarious! (laughter) No! TURTLE-y hilarious! (laughter) No! TURTLE-y SHELL-arious! (laughter) Man, I’m good.

NARRATOR: When Monkey got home, he quickly planted his top half in his yard.

MONKEY: Aw yeah! Any time now, this plant is going to sprout sweet, delicious bananas! I’ll just sit here and keep my eyes PEELED until it does! (laughter)

NARRATOR: Well, as you can no doubt guess, the plant in Monkey's yard did NOT sprout sweet, delicious bananas. Instead, it wilted… then withered… then died!

MONKEY: What is going on here? Why didn’t my bananas grow? (beat) I’m gonna go see Turtle. She’s got some explaining to do!

NARRATOR: Monkey stomped over to Turtle’s house, where he found her sitting in her garden, beneath her half of the banana plant. Only her half looked nothing like his. Because sprouting from the top were bunches and bunches of ripe yellow bananas!

MONKEY: Well thanks a lot, Turtle! Or dare I say, thanks a BUNCH! (beat) My half of the plant didn’t grow a single banana! How did YOUR half grow so many?

TURTLE: It was easy, Monkey! I put it in the earth… the roots took hold… and eventually I had all these bananas!

NARRATOR: Turtle gave Monkey a grin. He did not grin back. Instead, his eyes filled with tears… and Turtle’s heart filled with pity.

TURTLE: (conciliatory) Listen, Monkey. The thing about a Turtle like me growing her own bananas is I can’t climb up and pick them! They’re so high off the ground, I have to wait for them to fall, or get blown off by the wind! So I’ll tell you what. If you climb up and pick the bananas, I will share them with you.

NARRATOR: Monkey wiped his eyes.

MONKEY: Do you really mean it, Turtle? You’ll share your bananas if I climb up and pick them?

TURTLE: I absolutely will! After all, you’d be doing me a huge favor. Those bananas aren’t exactly “low-hanging fruit,” am I right?

NARRATOR: Monkey didn’t waste a second. He reached out his strong arms and legs and began shimmying up the plant. Once he got to the top, do you know what he did?

He plucked off a bunch of bananas… and began to eat them!

MONKEY: (eating) Mmmm! These bananas are so tasty! So ripe! (eating)

NARRATOR: Turtle jumped out of the way as a cascade of empty banana peels came tumbling to the ground.

TURTLE: Monkey! You’re eating all of the bananas! We were supposed to share them!

MONKEY: (eating) Yeah, I guess we were, weren’t we. But now that I’m tasting them, I’ve decided that for YOU, these bananas are FORBIDDEN FRUIT! (laughter) Get it? Forbidden fruit? As in, something you want more because you know you can't have it?? (laughter)

TURTLE: Yeah, I know what “forbidden fruit” is, Monkey! But this plant is mine. I should get my share of bananas!

MONKEY: (eating) I dunno, Turtle. Not so long ago, you cheated me out of my share of bananas by giving me the bad half of the plant! So now it’s MY turn to come out on top! 

NARRATOR: Turtle heaved a sigh. Monkey had insisted on taking the “bad” half of the plant; she never could have convinced him otherwise. And now, here he was… eating – yes – the fruits of her labors!!!

Turtle’s legs may have been slow, but her mind was swift. And as Monkey lounged at the top of the plant, gobbling down one banana after another, Turtle set her nimble mind into motion.

TURTLE: I believe I have a plan for how to teach Monkey a lesson. And if it works, that pesky primate will be sorry. In fact, he might even make like a banana… and SPLIT! (laughter)

NARRATOR: How do YOU think Turtle will get back at Monkey?

We’ll find out… in a BANAN-o-second.

…Okay, I’m sorry. That wasn’t nearly as funny as I thought it would be. And besides, our breaks are more than a nanosecond. They’re sometimes, what, like a minute? Anyway, I’ll try that again.

How do YOU think Turtle will get back at Monkey?

We’ll find out, after a quick break.

[BREAK]

NARRATOR: Welcome back to Circle Round. I’m Rebecca Sheir. Today our story is called “Top Banana.”

Before the break, Monkey was at the top of Turtle’s banana plant, eating all of her bananas and refusing to share.

So Turtle decided to teach Monkey a lesson. Moving as fast as her legs could carry her, she shuffled into the forest. When she came bac, she had a heap of thorns balanced on her brownish-red shell.

Without making a sound, she scattered the prickly briers around the base of the banana plant. Monkey was so absorbed in his eating that he didn’t notice. So when he finished the last banana and leaped down to the ground…

MONKEY: (as he jumps) Weeeeeeee!

NARRATOR: …guess what he landed right on top of?

MONKEY: (ad-lib reax) Ouch! Ow! Oo! Oof! Oh that stings! Ouch!

NARRATOR: Monkey sprang this way and that as his feet were stung by sharp, pointy thorns.

MONKEY: (ad-lib reax continues)

NARRATOR: And as he hooted and hollered, guess who spied Turtle out of the corner of his eye…? With a hint of a smile on her face…?

MONKEY: Oh!! So you think this is funny, Turtle? Do you?

TURTLE: Well… not so much “funny”... as “fitting.” You promised you would share MY bananas with me, then you went back on your word. So I had to do SOMETHING to teach you a lesson for all of your MONKEYING around!

MONKEY: Okay, first of all? I am the pun guy. Not you. And second, you wanna talk about “teaching lessons”? How about if I teach YOU a lesson? For your thievery and tricks?

TURTLE: “Thievery and tricks”? YOU’RE the tricky one, Monkey. AND the thief! You just ate all of my bananas!

MONKEY: And I enjoyed them! BUNCHES AND BUNCHES! (laughter) But that is neither here nor there. The point is, I’m going to get even with you, Turtle. I’m going to snatch you up and feed you to a bigger animal! Like Eagle! She’d be happy to take you UNDER HER WING – or into her stomach! (laughter)

NARRATOR: Turtle shivered. She did not want to wind up in the belly of a vicious bird of prey! So once more, she put her mind to work.

TURTLE: Ya know, Monkey… I wouldn’t feed me to Eagle if I were you. After all, if Eagle tries to eat me, my shell may give her a stomachache! Which would make her quite cross with you… and next thing you know, you’ll be her next meal!

NARRATOR: Turtle knew that Eagle was too smart to actually eat her shell; the bird would break it off before chowing down. But Monkey didn't know that. And just as Turtle hoped, her declaration stopped him right in his tracks.

MONKEY: Alright… fine! I’ll get even with you some OTHER way. (beat) I’ll drop you into a VOLCANO! Yeah! A volcano! THAT’ll get you into a HOT MESS! (laughter)

NARRATOR: Turtle shivered again. No one could survive a fall into a burning-hot volcano. How would she talk her way out of this one?

TURTLE: Ya know, Monkey… I wouldn’t drop me into a volcano if I were you! After all, if you drop me into a volcano, then my brownish-red skin may become redder and redder… and more and more beautiful… until I’m the most beautiful creature in the forest! And everyone will admire me!

NARRATOR: Once again, Monkey was thrown for a loop.

MONKEY: Alright… fine! Then I’ll get even with you some OTHER other way. I’ll… I’ll…

NARRATOR: As Monkey racked his brain, desperately seeking a new method of revenge, Turtle got an idea.

TURTLE: Actually, Monkey… there is ONE way you could get even with me… But I can’t tell you.

MONKEY: What are you? SHELL-shocked? (laughter) Yes you CAN tell me how to get even with you! And you WILL! NOW!

TURTLE: Alright. Fine. Since you’re so clever, Monkey… and you'll probably figure it out anyway… here goes. (beat) Do you remember the day you saw me struggling in the river?

MONKEY: Of course I remember that day! It’s what got us INTO this whole mess!

TURTLE: (dramatic) But do you remember how I was flailing? And floundering? I was on the verge of going under, Monkey! Going UNDER! That moment could have been my LAST!

NARRATOR: Monkey paused. Turtle had been flailing and floundering… until he jumped into the water to help her out! Had he stayed on the shore, she very well COULD have gone under!

MONKEY: Wait a minute, Turtle! Don't say another word! Because I have come up with the perfect way to get even. (beat) I will throw you into the RIVER!

NARRATOR: Turtle tried not to smile. This was exactly what she hoped Monkey would say!

TURTLE: (faux afraid) But Monkey! Don’t you know that if you throw me into the river, then it’s highly likely that I’m going to – (gets cut off)

MONKEY: (interrupting to finish her sentence) …that you’re going to DROWN? Yes! I know! Like you said, I’m CLEVER! (laughter) So have fun enjoying your just desserts, Turtle! If you can CALL it “dessert,” given that I ate all of your dinner! (laughter)

NARRATOR: Quick as a wink, Monkey clamped his furry hands around Turtle’s body and marched her to the river. Then, he lifted Turtle high over his head…

MONKEY: This’ll get you out of your SHELL!

NARRATOR: …and flung her into the air.

MONKEY: (ad-lib throwing efforting sounds)

NARRATOR: Turtle soared across the water…

[SOT: soar through air]

NARRATOR: …before splashing into the river…

[SOT: splash]

NARRATOR: …and sinking out of sight.

MONKEY: Boy! I hope that wasn’t too startling for her – or should I say, too STURTLE-ing? (laughter) With an impact like that, maybe she should have been wearing a SHELL-met! (laughter) But seriously. I shouldn’t crack jokes. After all, when you say goodbye to someone, it’s not appropriate to SHELL-ebrate! (laughter)

TURTLE: But it IS appropriate when you say hello again! Or should I say, SHELL-o…?

NARRATOR: Monkey whirled around. And there was Turtle! Gracefully and easefully swimming his way.

TURTLE: I want to thank you for the ride, Monkey. It was TURTLE-y awesome! (laughter) Or, should I say, it was more fun than a barrel of MONKEYS…? (laughter)

MONKEY: But - but Turtle! You told me that – (Turtle finishes his sentence for him)

TURTLE: …that I was struggling in the river that day? I WAS! Because of the banana plant! (beat) Turtles are excellent swimmers… when they’re not lugging around an object ten times their size! (beat) I’m sorry if I misled you, Monkey. I was trying to teach you a lesson… for misleading ME!

NARRATOR: Monkey hung his head. Turtle was right. She had put her trust in him and he had broken that trust. So now, she had gotten her revenge. In fact, you could even say she had made a MONKEY out of him.

Well, I’m happy to say that after the banana plant incident, Monkey changed his tune. He did not stop punning. But he did start practicing kindness, generosity and honesty. And that definitely made him a far more ap-PEEL-ing guy to have around.