Decoder Ring
Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. 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.
26
The Mailbag Episode
From kids menus to succulents to the chicken that crossed the road, we answer your questions.
34 min
27
Encore: ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Got It Wrong
Who's afraid of... Barnes & Noble? The now quaint conflict that inspired the 1998 romantic comedy.
36 min
28
Cellino & Barnes, Injury Attorneys, 800-888-8888
Cellino and Barnes became the literal poster-men for personal injury advertising.
35 min
29
How Preppy Became Streetwear
Ralph Lauren’s modern Ivy style was remixed by ’Lo-Heads.
32 min
30
The New Age Hit Machine
How a PBS pledge drive turned Yanni and John Tesh into rock stars.
24 min
31
The Butt and the Bustle
It may be old-fashioned, but the bustle still has a lot to tell us about race, sex and power.
41 min
32
The Truth About #TheDress
An unassuming photo of a party dress showed how seeing is believing.
32 min
33
Fall 2022 Teaser
Decoder Ring's upcoming season.
1 min
34
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime Pt. 2
Did a trench-coat wearing dog’s catchy anti-drug anthems actually work?
42 min
35
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime Pt. 1
The unlikely origins of the trench-coat wearing bloodhound who tackled personal safety, guns and drugs.
32 min
36
Slate Plus Exclusive: The Making of This Season
1 min
37
The “Sex” Scandal That Made Mae West
Before she hit the big-screen, the sultry actress starred in a 1927 tabloid trial.
41 min
38
The First Alien Abductees
The alien abduction narrative started right here on Earth.
36 min
39
The Most Famous Poet No One Remembers
Searching for Rod McKuen.
43 min
40
The Mall is Dead (Long Live the Mall)
For a supposedly dying place, the mall keeps hanging around.
40 min
41
Summer 2022 Teaser
Decoder Ring's upcoming season.
1 min
42
The Storytelling Craze
How storytelling became a product.
35 min
43
“We Got Ourselves a Convoy”
How a fake country star gave voice to frustrated truckers across America.
29 min
44
The Sideways Effect
How one movie changed Americans’ wine drinking habits.
33 min
45
The Madness Behind ‘The Method’
Isaac Butler on how method acting became so widely misunderstood.
42 min
46
“F--k Everything, We're Doing Five Blades”
The story of how razors came to have so many blades.
36 min
47
Spring 2022 Teaser
Decoder Ring's upcoming season
1 min
48
Custer's Revenge
Custer's Revenge is widely considered one of the worst video games ever made.
41 min
49
The Fame That Got Away
Today on Decoder Ring: Three stories about fame, and one about monkeys.
37 min
50
Truly Tasteless Jokes
What's the difference between garbage and a girl from New Jersey?
43 min