The Best One Yet - 🫟 “Bro-Doh” — Hasbro’s adults-only. AI’s China lead. Volleyball’s Zendaya moment. +CD surge

Episode Date: July 22, 2026

Hasbro stock jumped 10% on new adults-only anti-screen Play-Doh… but the same product failed 6 years ago.The new AI leader is cheap and Chinese… And Moonshot AI kicked off a Digital Trade War.Volleyball is now the #2 sport of American women… but its future depends on Hollywood.Plus, CDs just beat Vinyl Record sales… because plastic be poppin’.$HAS $MAT $METAGrab your Tickets to the IPO Tour: Our In-Person OfferingSan Francisco 9/23: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C0064AFB5F688BDBoston 10/14: https://tickets.citywinery.com/event/tboy-the-ipo-tour-in-person-offering-8cdhupSeattle 11/4 (21+): https://www.axs.com/events/1446394/the-best-one-yet-ticketsNEWSLETTER:https://tboypod.com/newsletter OUR 2ND SHOW:Want more business storytelling from us? Check our weekly deepdive show, The Best Idea Yet: The untold origin story of the products you're obsessed with. Listen for free to The Best Idea Yet: https://wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/NEW LISTENERSFill out our 2 minute survey: https://qualtricsxm88y5r986q.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dp1FDYiJgt6lHy6GET ON THE POD: Submit a shoutout or fact: https://tboypod.com/shoutouts SOCIALS:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tboypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tboypodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tboypod Linkedin (Nick): https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-martell/Linkedin (Jack): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-crivici-kramer/Anything else: https://tboypod.com/ About Us: The daily pop-biz news show making today’s top stories your business. Formerly known as Robinhood Snacks, The Best One Yet is hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Nick. This is Jack. It's Wednesday, so a beach, a Wednesday, July 22nd. And today's part is the best one you add. This is a T-boy.

The top three pop business news stories you need to know today. T-boy offsite day number two. Where'd we go, Jack? Family sunset picnic on the beach. Okay, like way out on the beach, by the way. We actually had to drive our vehicles way out onto the beach.

It was off-roading that I didn't know Nick was capable of. Well, I'm not, Jack. We do like air out of the tires. That's not like a skill in my toolbox. We had to go down to 15. SPF. I thought there was a 60% chance. Did I say SPF? I think you meant PSI. And even I caught that one, man. I thought there was a good chance we're getting stuck. Okay, tonight's the Odyssey. More on that tomorrow. But in the meantime, we just made today's the best T-boy yet. What do we got on the show, Jack?

For our first story, is the solution to getting you off your screen, Play-Doh? Play-Doh. Adults-Uts-only blossoms of Plato. Hasbro thinks it is, and Hasbro stock just pop 10% on. For our second story, the shocking new leader in the AI race is, Moonshot. Literally. A Chinese tech company, Moonshot AI. It's inspired by a Pink Floyd song, but now the White House might ban it. And our third and final story is the second biggest sport for women in America. It's not soccer, field hockey, or lacrosse. It's volleyball.

It's volleyball. But for any sport to break through, it needs a blockbuster. It needs Emilio Estabez. A mighty ducks moment. But yet is, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories. Amelio! If you're listening to us right now on an iPhone, phone. Cool. Okay, but if you're listening to us on a CD player, cooler. Because CD sales are now the fastest growing form of audio. Hey, Sugar A, grab that CD holder you attach to your car's visor. Because get this, CD sales rose 16% in the first six months of 2026. We're talking 16 million CDs sold. Was nothing compact about those numbers, Nick?

Oh, but we should point out, Jack, that is still behind vinyl records, 21 million records sold. But vinyl sales have plateaued. There rose just two percent. percent in that period. Basically sounds like nada. But here's the wildest part. Half of the CD buyers can't even play the CD they just bought. Because half of CD buyers don't have a CD player. So why the heck are they collecting all these compact discs? Ah, well, Jack, it's a piece of plastic memorabilia. Yeah. BTS, Taylor Swift, Charlie X, Yax. They're all selling limited issue CDs in their merch stores. And you can't collect a Napster MP3, can you man? Plus, someday your Spotify subscription could shut down, you actually want to own some music,

not just subscribe to music. Sure, we know what you're thinking down in Williamsburg. Vinyl records, they got character. Hey, watch your mouth. You know, I'm a record collector these days. Fair point, Jack. But, Jack, nothing says nostalgia like that rainbow reflection on the back of a CD. True.

Or the satisfaction of peeling off the parental advisory stickers to your parents don't notice it. Or the satisfying snap of that CD case. Nick, hang on one second. I have to this in-sync album and then clean it with my t-shirt. Yeah, do you stick that stat in your dad's three-inch thick CD binder? CDs, they're the new vinyl. By the way, leave the first album you ever bought. Nora Jones, come away with me.

You're kidding. You're kidding. Yeah, yeah, kidding. No. Okay. Mine was actually on the offspring Americana and Jay-Z's black album in the same day. Double album. Double parental advisory.

35 bucks. Jack, let's do that three stories. 15 years before this song. Two boys from the next. Northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea to cause a cultural storm. It's the best one yet, but the best is an norm. Jack Nick, that's it.

I don't even think they need to practice. 50% that's a fat tip. Tea Boy City on your at list. If you know, you know, because we're ready to go. We can't wait no more, so just start the show. Start the show. First, a quick word from our sponsor. For our first story, Hasbro Stock, search.

10% Tuesday after the most playful earnings ever. Because Hasbro is doubling its customer base from kids to kids and adults by using Wizards and Play-Doh. Adults only Play-Doh. But Bessies, if we're going to tell the story. Let's whip out the whiteboard and talk about the greatest product pivots of all time. Nintendo started as a taxi and hotel company. Ketchup started as a tummy medication. And back in the 1930s in Cincinnati, Kutal invented a new cleaning product.

Cleaning Buddy to take soot and fingerprints off your living room wallpaper. Well, Nick, the handwriting was on the wall. Yeah, I love. Because that product became Play-Dow. Much more fun to roll into a ball and then smash into a pancake than to clean with Jack. And as home heating switched away from dirty coal, wallpaper wasn't getting dirty. So in 1956, the founder's sister-in-law pivoted, suggested marketing it as a kid's play toy. She even came up with the name, Play-Doh.

Oh, by the way, that distinctive Play-Doh smell? The new owner, Hasbro, trademarked that scent in 2018. It's an almond-based fragrance to signal that it's safe. Actually, the trademark says it's a unique scent formed through the combination of a sweet, slightly musky, vanilla-like fragrance with slight overtones of cherry and the natural smell of a salted wheat-based. As you can see, Bessies, the lawyers, not exactly marketers on this one. Not exactly kids either. But here's the news.

Hasbro has officially beaten its rival Mattel game over. In the playroom and on Wall Street. Because Mattel stock is down 28% this year to a $4 billion valuation. While Hasbro is up 10%. and now we're three times what Mattel is. Because Hasbro just announced peachy earnings and boosted their profit forecast that the CEO... He's having trouble sharing with the other CEOs.

Because the fastest growing business is Dungeons and Dragons in Magic the Gathering or their Wizards Division. And the customer of that division is mostly adults. But Besties, here is what Jack and I find fascinating about Hasbro's numbers. Hasbro just relaunched Play-Doh as a grown-up brand. Behold Blooms by Play-Doh, a $25 kit to craft Play-Doh. flowers. Why spend 50 bucks on fresh zinias that are going to die in four days? Fake flowers? Yeah, maybe they feel a bit tacky, but real flower art?

Made by you? Put that on the mantle, Jack. So, Blooms by Plato, it turns millennial Millie into an artist who can show off her artwork. And get this, it launched last week on TikTok shop, sold out in 24 hours. And Hasbro's CEO humble-bagged about that win in the earnings yesterday. Yeah, he said, Plato, Bloom is their next profit puppy. But get this. Hasbrook same concept six years ago and it failed. Yeah, Jack, back then it was Plato flowers. But this time, they're relaunching without the Prado branding. That's right. This time it's called Blooms with Plato in the fine print. If it's like traditional Plato, it will fail. That's what the CEO said yesterday. So Hasbro sold out in one day because this kid old Tibet is not a nostalgic play.

They sold out because Blooms by Plato, it taps into something deeper than my three-year-old son's moo-moo cow. He won't go to bed with that. By the way, guys, would it kill you to make a Plato Cologne? What do you think, Jack. I mean, the product is probably out there. Oh, diddo. Oh, dido. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies at Adults Only Played Up? It's not Revenge of the Nerds. It's revenge of reality. Yeties. Hasbro is a 102-year-old company battling the most addictive substance on the planet. Screens. And algorithms. Toy Story 5 is literally the plot of Hasbro.

Yeah, we'll put Jack. But as screen addiction rises, screen addiction antidotes are now at all-time highs. It's creating a whole new market. In fact, Event Bright saw a 50% jump in events that said no phones allowed at this event. Phone-free experiences. Now, ironically, Hasbro has sold this Adol-Plateau on TikTok, the ultimate addictive screen. And they've hired Instagram influencers to pitch you on that new Play-Doh for adults in the For You page. A screen. But Plato's Adel Flowers, they're an old product, seizing a new opportunity by using different marketing.

And like run clubs and dark vacations, adult Play-Doh is the newest chapter of the detox economy. Besties, it's not revenge of the nerds. We're about to experience the revenge of reality. For our second story. The newest AI leader is such a moonshot. It's called moonshot. And it's caused the White House to threaten to ban Chinese AI. Yeties, in our weekly F1 racing style, who's actually in the lead for AI right now?

Jack, who is actually in the lead for AI right now? Well, last week we told you that Deepseek, the Chinese AI Lab, was prepping to IPO. Deepseek, it's a dupe AI. It's cheaper, but nearly as nice as America's anthropic and open AI. And that DeepSeek AI dupe, it just passed America's finest in market share. Because DoorDash, Coinbase, Airbnb, and a whole bunch of startups, they're all using Chinese AI that costs one-tenth of price of American AI. Well, update yeties, for this week, another Chinese AI just surged ahead of Open AI and Claude, but in intelligence. If Deepseek was the Honda of AI, a low-priced well-made AI model? Well, then this new Moonshot Kimmy model of AI is China's Ferrari killer.

Because it performs as well as Open AI in atthropic, according to the benchmarks. Okay, but Jack, what's the reason this Chinese AI company is named Moonshot in the first place? Well, the founder loves Pink Floyd, apparently. So Moonshot AI launched on the 50th anniversary of the founder's favorite classic rock album. The Dark Side of the Moon. But here's the news, besties. Treasury's Secretary Scott Bessent said that the Treasury would investigate Chinese AI companies like this for theft. He said it yesterday, and if Chinese AI labs are stealing America's models like they've been alleged to be doing, they'll be sanctioned.

Even if they're inspired by the greatest classic rock band of all time. Vestis China stealing U.S. technology and then undercutting American companies on price, that's like the oldest story in the finance book, Jack. But this time, the book is AI, not fashion or furniture. So there's a whole bunch of complicating factors with all this Chinese stealing. Well, a ban on U.S. companies from using Chinese AI, which the White House is considering, that would worsen inflation and hurt competitiveness. Will the U.S. government force our companies to pay for pricier AI in this economy?

Those higher AI bills are going to trickle down to the prices that we pay inflating inflation more. Oh, and by the way, banning Chinese AI would only apply to American companies. So foreign rivals using cheaper Chinese AI would have a cost advantage over American company. Jack, what about a third complicating factor here? What about that? It's the fact that these models in China, they're open weight, not closed models like we have here in the U.S. But by the way, Bessie's open weight AI models, that means they can be downloaded. And therefore, they are more difficult to regulate.

Because once somebody downloads the model, the government can't force you to undownload it. The genie is out of the bottle. You can't put her back in. And open AI calls this Chinese way of doing AI, AI commies. Yeah, as you can tell, things are getting hated in Silicon Valley. So the White House is thinking about banning Chinese AI, but the White House hates regulation, generally speaking. However, Jack, this White House does love a trade war, which leads to our takeaway. So Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddies over in Chinese AI? The trade war has

re-errupted, but with the digital battlefront. Yeties, last week, the United States added a 25% tariff against Brazil. And this week, we added 50% tariffs against Canada. No joke. As of this week, we're tariffing hockey sticks from Toronto with a new 50% tax. U.S. versus Brazil, U.S. versus Canada, U.S. or as China, we thought the World Cup was over. What's going on? Well, when the Supreme Court struck down tariffs in February, Trump added new ones almost immediately, using different laws that had never been used before. But with AI, tariffs aren't working. So now we're considering banning Chinese AI. And the U.S. trade rep said on Tuesday that tariffs on a dozen more countries would be coming soon. Basties, with the war in Iran dominating headlines and tariffs getting struck down by the Supreme Court, the trade war, it felt over. But now it's erupting again. And the new battlefront is. digital. Now a quick word from our sponsor. For our third and final story, the number two women's sport in America has quietly become volleyball. But you wouldn't notice because Hollywood hasn't propagandized us yet. But first, Yeties, we're going to start with the hero stat here. This is good, Jack. Wild stat. This is amazing. From 50 miles from where I grew up. T-boy trivia. Basketball and volleyball were invented

nine miles apart. That's right. Springfield, Massachusetts, Holyoke, Massachusetts. Miles to sports. Interstate 91, baby. Both also invented by phys ed teachers. Give these guys an A for effort. They also look almost identical. But here's what we find fascinating. Basketball is a global billion dollar sport.

While volleyball in America at least... It's just that one funny scene for Meet the Parents in the Pool. What the heck is wrong with you fucker? But Bessies, if you think volleyball is niche, then that is false and you need to call it time out. Volleyball is the number two women's sport in the country right now. Jack, can you

set us up with some numbers, please. 493,000 high school girls are playing registered volleyball. That's second-old in a track and field right now. 493,000 high school girls is up 14% from 10 years ago, and it's nearly 10 times bigger than the number of male volleyball. Which happens to be the reason number one why volleyball's gotten so popular. It's one of the only sports where female athletes get more attention than the males. The other reason, interestingly, it's a non-contact sport.

The only person you're bumping into on the volleyball court is your teammate, and only by accident. Although you are making contact with that ball intensely. In fact, that YMCA gym teacher from Massachusetts who invented the game in 1895, he designed it to be non-contact. As he described it, it would be an indoor sport for those who wish a game not so rough as basketball.

But require equal the amount of athleticism. It's an exact quote from the creator. So volleyball, it's now the number two women's sport in America. So society is starting to bump, set, and notice that this is happening. Have we exhausted your volleyball? vocabulary yet. I haven't used Spike yet, but I'm saving that for a special point in this show, Jack. In 2023, Nebraska's women volleyball team sold out the football stadium with 92,000 attendees.

In 2025, ESPN's college volleyball coverage grew viewership by 36%. And earlier this year, the national championship game got 1.4 million viewers. Oh, look, Rangers fan here, and I'll say it, that is more than twice as much as your average NHL regular season game. But the industry of pro sports has not noticed. Yeah, even though your average volleyball player is like 6'12, Jack. And the reason volleyball is being overlooked by pop culture and industry, it's best putting cultural terms, not financial one. Right, as the CEO of USA Volleyball says, we haven't had our Zendaya moment. He's referencing the 2024 tennis film Challengers, which was starred by Zendaya. Which caused a boost in interest in tennis at the time.

Just like how the Mighty Ducks sparked hockey participation in the U.S. 32 years ago. Jack, I laced up my first skates after watching the ducks fly together. And drive to survive, ignited fandom of Formula One in the U.S. seven years ago. You know, Red Bull is a racing team now because you binged F1 documentaries on Netflix. But it's not just sports that depend on Hollywood to help popularize them. So, Jack, can you please spike the takeaway for us for our buddies playing volleyball? The best public awareness campaigns, they're scripted, not broadcast. Yiddies, there is a wild story here that we think relates to the future of volleyball having its cultural breakout moment.

Let's go back to the 1980s, when drunk driving in America was at an all-time high. So Mothers Against Drunk Driving pushed a solution, a new solution, the designated driver. You see, a Harvard study came up with the idea of the designated driver, and they could have launched a bunch of PSA ad campaigns to try to tell you about it. Here's what a designated driver is. You should always have one when you go out at, you know, the bar. But instead, they went to Hollywood, and they struck a deal with the movie studios. To start including the term designated driver in movies so that viewers can,

subtly see it in action. Instead of lecturing this new idea, embed it within the plots that people will understand and absorb. And that strategy of introducing the new term designated driver in movies, it worked. Drunk driving rates plummeted in the 90s. And the way that volleyball wants its breakthrough Hollywood moment, it reminds us of that. You see, Bestie, sometimes new concepts need help from culture to really break through. And it's best to script that breakthrough, not broadcasted. Jack, could you whip up the takeaways for us for Saviche Wednesday? Hasbro's stock is close to all-time highs thanks to adults, so they're launching blooms by Plato, DIY bouquet.

It's not Revenge of the Nerds. This is revenge of reality. For our second story, the U.S. is considering banning Chinese AI like Moonshot if it was stolen from U.S. AI labs. And the trade war has re-errupted, but now with the digital battlefront. And our third and final story was volleyball. It's quietly taken over high school women's sports. Number two, only to track and field.

But it needs its mighty ducks moment, just like the designated driver term from the next 1980s. But besties, this pod's not over yet. Here's what else you need to know today. First, remember that Jurassic Park startup that was bringing back extinct animals like the Dota? We covered it on the pod. That is colossal biosciences. And they're raising new venture capital money at a $30 billion valuation. They also announced the next animal they'll bring back from extinction. It's the blue buck analogue. Guys, skip all these animals and go straight to T-Rex. I don't care about a blue buck Canelo. By the way, they're already generating revenue this company. They got a new government contract to save the Tasmanian devil species from a contagious disease. Second, it's the stock market

corner. Tesla and Google announce earnings later today. AMC, they already announced earnings. Record second quarter for the box office. That's before the Odyssey hit theaters, by the way. But Jamie Diamond, CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase, he says he would not buy stocks right now. There's too many risks being underestimated by the market. And finally, the newest strategy among countries to boost their birth rate, flirting baskets in the grocery store. A grocery store chain in Finland is stocking pink carts and pink baskets that you can grab if you want to let the shoppers know that you're single. I mean, Jack, guess it's like a physical equivalent of a Facebook status update.

I'm single. And if you bump into a QD in IL6, who also has a pink basket, it'd be really awkward if they don't strike up a conversation with you. Wow, we both enjoy paying $19 for organic almond butter. We should probably merge our finances and move in together. Now, time for the best fact. Yeah, this one whipped up by Jack and I because we came across it in some interesting research

we were doing on yesterday's show. We did a story in the oldest shirt company in the world. Charvet. Yeah, they go back to 1838, they just got acquired by Chanel. Guess what? Charvet goes back to before the tuxedo was invented. So we dove in T-Boy style. The tuxedo formal wear, four men, is less than 188 years old. Guess where the tuxedo was invented?

Upstate New York. That's right. Mid-1800s, the tuxedo jacket was first designed for the Prince of Wales in England. One American family was visiting England, liked that style, and brought it back to their small town one hour north of New York City. And that family started wearing these formal English jackets to parties at their local club in that town. In the name of that town? Tuxedo Park. New York. Hence the Tuxedo jacket.

Daddy's, you look fantastic. Jack, you are glowing over there. Are you ready for Midnight Movie Club tonight? This is going to be awesome. We're seeing The Odyssey right after this recording. You ready to go? Pretty sure it'll go into midnight because it's an 830. It's as long as the actual odyssey from what I understand. We may not make it home is from what I understand.

Is Tom Holland really going to have a boss of that? It was bizarre that he chose to drink a dunkin on the boat with the Trojan horse. I didn't get that choice. Interesting design. I assume you've got my half birthday gift you'll give me at the theater. Happy half birthday! I made a note yesterday to tell you what I forgot. Wow.

And now here's your verbal note, Jack. Yaddies, you look fantastic. Give us five stars. It helps us grow the show. And Jack and I, we'll see ya. if we make it back from the movie tomorrow. And before we go, happy birthday to legendary Yeti, Hudson Kim,

and Parambus, New Jersey, celebrating with the two puppies, June and Bonnie. Happy birthday to Tara Tee, tearing it up in lovely Los Angeles. And Frasafkeh and Sunnyvale, California, happy birthday. Happy birthday to Bavani, down in Washington, D.C. And Tim Geppard,

happy birthday over in Fort Wayne, Indiana. And a huge shout-out to Sarah and Carter and their legendary little son, Zique, from just outside Boston. And their two daughters, we didn't get to meet you, but we loved running into you on Nantuckia. We were grabbing coffee. They recognized Nick's hat. We did a whole, this is Nick, this is Jack.

It freaked him out. It was awesome. So great to see you guys. Thanks so much for being part of the show. Can't wait to see you live and bye. And to anyone else, celebrating something today. Make it a T-Bard. Celebrate the wins. This is Jack. I own stock of Netflix and Lyft. Nick on stock of Airbnb, and we both on stock of Spotify.