The Best Idea Yet
Episodes
🎬 That’s a Wrap on Season 1 | 51
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
But you can still get Nick & Jack every day! Follow The Best One Yet, our daily news show delivering 3 stories in 20 minutes. Where business meets...
📺 SNL: The Snickers Bar of Saturday Night | 50
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Johnny Carson, 1970s late-night king, declared he wanted another day off, it left NBC with a hole in their weekend lineup. 11:30pm Saturday night...
🎧 Sony Walkman: The Analog Icon That Led to a Digital Revolution | 49
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In postwar Tokyo, two engineers were tinkering with rice cookers and busted home radios when they stumbled across a new kind of audio technology: magn...
👜 Birkin: The Handbag That Costs More Than Your House | 48
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Jane Birkin's boyfriend ran over her beloved wicker basket, she was stuck lugging a messy tote onto a flight to London. As her Hermès planner ex...
⚾️ New York Yankees: Rise of the Bronx Bombers | 47
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the spring of 1903, the NYC subway wasn’t yet open… the Wright Brothers hadn’t yet taken their epic flight… and the New York Yankees were n...
🏍️ Harley-Davidson: Tattoo’d on 700,000 Biceps | 46
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It started with a souped-up bicycle inspired by a vaudeville show, and the need for speed. The dream – shared by four Harley brothers and one Davids...
🏰 Disneyland: The Fantasy that Almost Flopped | 45
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who wouldn’t want to visit the happiest place on Earth? Well — at the start of the 1950s, it seemed like no one did, at least not when Walt Disney...
🍜 Instant Ramen: The Incredible, True Story of “Mr. Noodle” | 44
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s postwar Japan, and entrepreneur Momofuku Ando has lost everything—his business, his home, and his savings. In fact, the whole country has bee...
🥃 Hennessy: From King George to Kendrick | 43
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A wounded Irish soldier crawls from a blood-soaked battlefield in the French countryside. He survives, but his fighting days are over. So he settles i...
🛹 Skateboard: Defying Physics & Freaking Out Parents for 60+ Years | 42
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine yourself on a sandy SoCal beach, surfboard in hand. But the ocean’s too calm: not a single wave in sight. What do you do? Well, if you’re ...
🐲 Pokémon: The Little Monsters that Played Their Cards Right | 41
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do you get when you mix a passion for collecting bugs with an obsession for video games? For Satoshi Tajiri, the answer is the world's largest me...
⭐ Michelin Guide: The Tire Company That Accidentally Conquered Food | 40
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
André and Édouard Michelin were desperately seeking a way to save their family rubber business, when a hapless cyclist with a flat came staggering i...
🥏Frisbee: A Pie in the Sky Idea (literally) | 39
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do for fun if you’re a bored college kid? For students across New England in the early 1900s, the answer was simple: toss around empty p...
🎭 Hamilton: From Founding Father To Broadway Star | 38
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2008, Lin-Manuel Miranda badly needed a vacation. He’d just won the Tony for his musical “In The Heights,” he’d been going nonstop. So he t...
🥤Dr Pepper: The Mystery & Magic of America’s #2 Soda | 37
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Born in a sweltering Texas drugstore in 1885 - this indescribable, 23 (secret) ingredient concoction broke the first rule of marketing: never sell som...
🏎️ Ferrari: The Racing Machine Even A Child Could Draw | 36
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Enzo Ferrari was 10 years old when he fell in love with racing… and soon, he would make it his life’s mission. After almost dying in an infirmary ...
🧸 Beanie Babies: The Cutest Boom, Bubble & Bust | 35
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Beanie Babies — the unassuming critters with birthdates and bios — are designed to tug on your heartstrings (and your wallet). But for a moment in...
🏖️ Tommy Bahama's Beach Chair: Fake Dude, Real Billions | 34
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tommy Bahama (spoiler) wasn’t founded by a man named Thomas with a Caribbean address. Rather, this classic lifestyle brand began with two longtime f...
🍅 Heinz Ketchup: The King of Condiments | 33
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When entrepreneur Henry J. Heinz went bankrupt after his first venture, he nearly lost it all—his farmland, his parents' home, and his own reputatio...
💧 LaCroix: The Cinderella of Seltzers | 32
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This sexy seltzer started out more than 40 years ago as a Wisconsin brewery’s quiet, nonalcoholic spinoff. Throughout the 80s and early 90s, LaCroix...
🌎 Google Maps: The *Actual* ‘Everything App’ | 31
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When out-of-work coder Jens Rasmussen couldn’t find directions to a cafe in Copenhagen, he wound up changing navigation forever. Alongside his broth...
🍑 Juicy Couture Tracksuit: How Cozy-Core Went Viral | 30
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a high-end boutique between Hollywood and Beverly Hills, Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor met as fashion-obsessed shopgirls with dreams of e...
🥤Frappuccino: The Billion-Dollar Brainfreeze Starbucks Nearly Killed | 29
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The cream-topped, dome-lidded Frappuccino is the caffeinated crown jewel of the Starbucks empire. It helped the company break out from regional coffee...
🐢Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The “Dumbest” Best Idea Yet | 28
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were just trying to get work. These two broke illustrators were scraping by on side hustles and instant ramen… until, ...
🔫Super Soaker: Invented by a Rocket Scientist (Literally) | 27
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lonnie Johnson was already a brilliant Air Force engineer working on cutting edge, planet-saving inventions…when a surprise bathroom discovery (we’...
🐣 Peeps: A Backroom Marshmallow Mystery | 26
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Roscoe Rodda was in the fight of his life. His candy factory was right down the road from Milton Hershey’s—yes, THAT Hershey’s—and he needed t...
📱iPhone: The Device Steve Jobs Didn’t Want to Build | 25
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before 2007, mobile phones had tiny keyboards, crappy screens with internet so slow - you could finish a super burrito while waiting for your MyS...
🧀 Goldfish Crackers: The Most Romantic Snack | 24
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Margaret Rudkin’s family was in crisis. The Great Depression cleaned out their finances, her husband was bedridden after an accident, and her son wa...
📺 MTV: How Video Killed the Radio Star | 23
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1981, a scrappy ex-radio executive named John Lack had a wild vision: “What if there was a 24-hour television channel devoted entirely to music v...
🌭 Costco’s Kirkland: How a $1.50 Hot Dog Changed Store Brands Forever | 22
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you currently own a 12-pack of bath tissue, a 150-count bag of laundry pods, and/or a 48-oz jar of cashews, chances are they all have the same labe...
🌮 Doritos Locos Tacos: The Cheesy Mashup That Saved Taco Bell | 21
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Taco Bell was struggling and needed an idea so bold… so over-the-top… so WEIRD… that it would capture America’s taste buds and Instagram feeds...
🌇 Sesame Street: The Trojan Horse Of TV | 20
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Once upon a time, American kids had a problem—OK, two. They were watching way, WAY too much TV and they were falling way, way behind in school. But ...
🏔️ Patagonia Fleece: The Billion Dollar Toilet Seat Cover | 19
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Designed to keep climbers snug on El Capitan, the Patagonia fleece became the unofficial uniform of venture capitalists and finance bros (earning the ...
🍦Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food: A Collab Born in an Old Gas Station | 18
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Phish Food: it’s more Vermont than Bernie Sanders snowboarding down a mountain of maple sugar. This philanthropic ice cream came out of an epic ‘9...
🎩 Monopoly: The Shocking Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Game | 17
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Monopoly: the game that taught you to ruthlessly bankrupt your friends and family, one hotel at a time. With 250 million copies sold worldwide, ⅔&nb...
⚡ Red Bull: How The World Got Its Wiiings | 16
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s keeping us up at night (besides our own thoughts)? An 8.4-oz blue-and-silver can of caffeine, taurine, sugar, and flavoring that’s part LaC...
🎸 Fender Stratocaster: The Guitar That Invented Rock & Roll | 15
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This one guitar didn’t just change music — it permanently cranked it up to 11. From Buddy Holly’s crisp riffs to Jimi Hendrix’s flaming solos ...
🥜 Reese’s PB Cups: From Frog Salesman to Candy Mogul | 14
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
French fries and pesto? Mango and sticky rice? Ice cream and olive oil?! Real ones know when it comes to surprisingly perfect food combos, nothing top...
🐂 Oregon Trail: Tricking Kids into Liking School Since 1971 | 13
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pop quiz: What’s the longest-running video game in history? It’s not Pac-Man or Donkey Kong or even Pong… it’s The Oregon Trail. A true p...
⌚ Swatch: The $40 Watch that Saved Switerzland | 12
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When you hear the name Swatch, you may picture an affordable wristwatch with neon bands, a pop-art face, and an invite to the Middle School dance. But...
🧱LEGO: Earth’s Biggest Toy Biz | 11
24 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Click… That satisfying sound of Lego bricks has brought joy to millions of kids - and adults (kidults?) for more than 70 years. But did you know it ...
🍬 PEZ: The Cigarette-Inspired Candy | 10
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
PEZ - the fruity, sugary tablets dispensed from your favorite cartoon character’s neck conjure up sweet childhood memories of swapping and collectin...
🏀 Air Jordans: How MJ's Mom Made the Deal of the Century | 9
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s simply the most popular sneaker in history. With $7B in annual sales today, Nike and Michael Jordan’s shoe deal changed sports, fashion and m...
📷 Polaroid: Invented (sort of) by a 3-Year-Old | 8
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the OG of instant photography — It paved the way for the iPhone, inspired Instagram, and fills every photo album on your parents’ bookshelf...
🛁 Jacuzzi: Legend of the Life-Saving Tub | 7
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Break out the bubbly, turn on the jets, and hop into our Hot Tub Time Machine: we’re going back to the origins of the Jacuzzi. The world’s most ic...
👖 Levi's 501s: The World’s 1st Jeans | 6
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do Old West gold miners, biker gangs and Marilyn Monroe all have in common? The same pair of jeans…Invented by a down-on-his-luck immigrant tai...
🌶️ Sriracha: From Smuggled Gold to Hot Sauce Billions | 5
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chances are you’ve got a bottle of Sriracha chilling in your fridge right now, but have no idea who invented it — or the spicy story of how he mad...
🚙 Jeep: The Car That Saved The World | 4
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Jeep isn’t just a car, it’s a cult: inspiring clubs, meetups, even its own “Jeep Wave.” From cameos in M*A*S*H to Mean Girls, the Jeep’s...
👣 The Birkenstock Arizona: From Flower Power to Fashion Week | 3
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Birkenstock Arizona has adorned famous feet from John Lennon’s to Steve Jobs’ to Barbie’s—but the brand itself is older than America, and ...
🍄 Super Mario Bros: Nintendo’s Infinite Game | 2
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mario isn’t just the most beloved plumber in history - he’s the most successful video game character of all time. With over 800 million games sold...
🍟 The Happy Meal: A Delicious McMystery | 1
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Happy Meal is the most successful meal in human history. With over 35 billion units sold, or about four for every person on Earth, McDonald’s ic...
Introducing: The Best Idea Yet
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts starting October 15th. Listen early and ad-free on Wondery+ starting Oct...