Listen Now: The Best Idea Yet

Against The Odds

Wondery

Cassie De Pecol, History, Society & Culture, Dolby, Mike Corey, Dolby Atmos, Atmos

4.7 • 7.2K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2024

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The untold stories behind the products you’re obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral. How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler’s passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery’s new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet aka TBOY) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi’s 501 jeans, come for the products you’re obsessed with, stay for the business insights that’ll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Have you ever wondered how the McDonald's Happy Meal became the best-selling meal of all time?
0:05.0	Or who's really behind that bottle of Serratia living in your fridge?
0:09.0	Or why almost every house in America has at least one game of monopoly?
0:14.8	Introducing the best idea yet, a brand new podcast about the untold origin stories
0:20.6	of iconic products and the people who made them go viral.
0:24.0	Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time
0:28.5	only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye or that the idea for the
0:33.9	McDonald's happy meal first came from a mom in Guatemala. Every week on the
0:38.4	best idea yet, they'll be digging into a new product and its story. from The Happy Meale to Super Mario Brothers to Air Jordans.
0:46.7	You're obsessed with these products, but you'll never believe they're surprising origin stories.
0:51.7	I'm about to play a clip from the best idea yet.
0:54.3	While you're listening, follow the best idea yet on the Wundery app or wherever you get your
0:59.2	podcasts. You hear that Nick?
1:05.0	one sec Jack? I ran out a quarter.
1:07.0	It's the sound of Arcade parlors taking over the world.
1:14.0	Mom, give me five more minutes!
1:17.0	Yeah, it is, if you were to walk into an arcade in the late 1970s,
1:20.0	you'd see hordes of young people gripping joysticks and gazing into the pixelated void.
1:26.3	Space Games were actually all the rage, thanks to the smash hit Space Invaders in 1978.
1:31.9	In fact, get this, that single space game, Space Invaders, it helped drive
1:36.3	arcade revenues to triple in just two years. This is the golden age of arcades.
1:42.4	Yes it is.
	...

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