Decoder Ring

Cracking cultural mysteries.

About the Show

In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters. New episodes come out every two weeks.

Host

Latest Episodes

Showing 1–20 of 149

McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime, Part 2 (Encore)

Did a trench coat-wearing dog’s catchy anti-drug anthems actually work?

Decoder Rings Back | Souvenir…Spoons?

How did spoons, of all things, become mementos for tourists?

McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime, Part 1 (Encore)

The unlikely origins of the trench-coat wearing bloodhound who tackled personal safety, guns, and drugs.

The Fight Over Sunlight

Our love for the sun keeps rising and setting.

Weapons of Map Destruction

The potential global catastrophe of a GPS breakdown.

Decoder Rings Back | I Was a Fake Victim in a Mock Car Crash

Why American high schools orchestrate car accidents on purpose.

We Are Monumentally Bad at Statues

America just doesn’t make ‘em like we used to.

The Tootsie Shot (Encore)

How one camera movement from Tootsie explains the post-war American city.

Decoder Rings Back | Star-Spangled Sports

Why do we always sing the national anthem before ballgames?

Tina Turner and the Dance That Conquered Australia

They call it Nutbush.

No Pulp: The Killing of the Florida Orange

The state’s once mighty citrus industry has collapsed. We investigate the culprits.

Mailbag: Spooky Strings, Phone Menu Options, and Eye Rolls

Where did the eerie violin sound you hear in horror movies originate? Have the menu options really changed? And when did we start eye rolling?

Decoder Rings Back | Duck, Duck, Jeep

Why are there so many rubber duckies living on the dashboards of Wranglers?

How to Make Dollars Make Sense

Money is everywhere and influences everything. But what is it?

Who Was Lonelygirl15?

20 years ago, a teenage girl talking to her camera took the internet by storm. She was not who she seemed.

Decoder Rings Back | Generation Participation Trophy

How did plastic tchotchkes kids get for playing games turn into a cultural flashpoint?

The Johnlock Conspiracy (Encore)

The BBC insisted that John Watson and Sherlock Holmes weren’t gay lovers. Fans disagreed.

Was Eyes Wide Shut a Warning?

The wild conspiracy theory about Stanley Kubrick’s final film.

Decoder Rings Back | Everything Seasoning Everywhere All at Once

How did a bagel seasoning end up in everything from ramen to ice cream?

A Prune by Any Other Name

The time a dried fruit did everything it could to jettison its unsavory reputation.

Making Coal Cute Again

There’s a new mascot in town—and he might be hazardous to your health.

Decoder Rings Back | Why Does Every Newborn Get That Same Blanket?

Every baby is different, but hospital receiving blankets all seem to be the same.

Is Culture Stuck?

The author W. David Marx has a theory about 21st century culture.

Decoder Rings Back | Why the Mona Lisa?

How one small painting became the most famous in the world.

Mailbag: Yo-Yos, Sandboxes, and Encores

Why kids play with sand, why rock bands play encores, and how yo-yo masters started selling at school assemblies.

“Videomate: Men” (Encore)

How a bizarre VHS tape from 1987 led the way for modern dating apps.

How Protein Muscled Its Way to the Top

Two hundred years of protein frenzy, from beef tea to whey powder.