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

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.

Cozy Autumn Mysteries

What’s going on with three fall favorites?

Decoder Ring Plus | The Christmas Creep

It turns out complaining about the Christmas season starting too soon is a holiday tradition in itself.

The Red String Board Conspiracy

Can you really solve a crime with pushpins and string?

What the Cuck?!

How one genre of hardcore pornography pushed a new insult into the mainstream.

Decoder Ring Plus | When Porn Took Over Pop Culture

Sophie Gilbert on the influence of porn in the 2000s.

Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?

Actors almost always do their own singing on screen—whether or not they should.

Decoder Ring Plus | The West Side Story Story

The drama behind the singing in one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time.

Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 2: Hanoi Jane’s VHS Revolution (Encore)

How Jane Fonda created an industry.

Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 1: Jane and Leni (Encore)

The relationship that changed exercise forever.

How to Hunt a Mammoth, and Other Experiments in Archaeology

Experimental archaeology is solving ancient mysteries that digging into dirt never could.

Decoder Ring Plus | Making a Modern-Day Mummy

For one Egyptologist, the best way to figure out the ancient mummification process was to mummify a body himself.

The Bad-Mouthing of British Teeth

What’s at the root of the bad British teeth trope?

Decoder Ring Plus | Why Are Graduation Photos So Expensive?

A photo at commencement doesn’t come cheap.

Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier”

Why aliens might take an interest in livestock, how pharmaceuticals get such wacky names, and more listener questions.

The White Noise Boom

There’s more white noise available than any one person could possibly need. And yet, more keeps coming.

The Boston Cinematic Universe

Cops, criminals, class conflict, Afflecks, and accents—why does Boston have its own movie subgenre?

Decoder Ring Plus | The Boston Accent Is Wicked Complicated

There’s more to New England English than meets the ear.