Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.
107 episodes transcribedHow did a little green nut become a billion-dollar product, lauded by celebrities in Super Bowl ads? Zachary Crockett cracks open the story. RESOURCES...
In the final part of our series, Zachary Crockett talks to a man with a storied — and controversial — career in the body parts business. RESOURCES"Ins...
In the first of two episodes, Zachary Crockett digs into the strange and discomfiting history of cadavers, and the industry that has emerged around th...
Why are these sudsy roadside stops one of the fastest growing industries in America? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the hood. RESOURCES:"Private...
More people than ever before are getting tattoos — but social media has flipped the trade’s business model on its head. Zachary Crockett dips into the...
There’s more than meets the eye to the box that stores the pie. Zachary Crockett cracks the lid. RESOURCES"Who Is the Fastest Pizza Box Folder?! World...
Hotel guests adore those cute little soaps, but is it just a one-night stand? Zachary Crockett discovers what happens when we love ’em and leave ’em.
They’ve long been associated with crime and blight. Now, the investors are moving in. Zachary Crockett follows the trail.
It takes fungi-sniffing dogs, back-room deals, and a guy named “The Kingpin” for the world’s most coveted morsel to end up on your plate. Zachary Croc...
Who makes the stacks of fake cash used in movies — and how do they stay clear of counterfeit law? Zachary Crockett follows the money.
How do you turn an empty house into a buyer’s dream home? Zachary Crockett pulls back the curtain.
How does America's cutest sales force get billions of Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs into our hands every year? Zachary Crockett digs in.
The most popular song of the 20th century — and a key part of a ubiquitous American ritual — was also the subject of a years-long legal battle. Zachar...
Does anyone ever win the giant teddy bear? Zachary Crockett steps right up.
Most sports bars rarely screen women's games. Zachary Crockett taps into the strategy of one woman who changed the channel.
Once a luxury good, the soft fiber is now everywhere — which has led to a goat boom in Mongolia. Zachary Crockett tugs at the thread.
Only the finest restaurants have a chance to bask in their glow. Sometimes, it’s a bit too bright. Zachary Crockett squints at the menu.
Once America’s favorite recreational activity, bowling has been in the gutter for decades. But some surviving alleys are resetting the pins. Zachary C...
Vanity plates might be 2KUL4U, but in the Blue Hen State, low-digit plates command high-digit prices. Zachary Crockett sums up a big market in a small...
One creature’s trash is another’s cash. Zachary Crockett flushes out the numbers with a man who found profit in pee.
