Ever since Cabbage Patch Kids came along in 1983, there’s been an annual holiday frenzy around one particular toy – the must-have Christmas toy of the year. But what makes a toy a must-have toy? Josh and Chuck investigate (and kick off the holidays).
AI Summary
In this episode, Josh and Chuck explore the fascinating phenomenon of the "must-have" Christmas toy and how certain toys become cultural obsessions that drive otherwise normal people to wait in lines overnight or even resort to violence. They dig into the marketing science behind toy frenzies, from the role of scarcity and media hype to the impact of holiday advertising on both children and adults, while also examining the darker side of toy flipping and bot usage that can make it nearly impossible for regular families to snag these coveted items before the holidays arrive.
Ben-Hur
1959
3h 32m
★ 7.9
"hit movies, like The Godfather or like Ben Hur, before Jaws came along — Josh compares Ben-Hur to The Godfather as examples of hit movies before the summer blockbuster era."
— Josh
Free to Be… You and Me
1974
48m
★ 6.9
"I grew up with William wants a doll on free to be you and me — Chuck references the TV special while discussing gender norms around toy preferences."
— Chuck
GoldenEye
1995
2h 10m
★ 6.9
"N64 was great. Yeah. With GoldenEye. I mean, like, it would have been fine on its own — Josh credits GoldenEye as the game that made the Nintendo 64 console special."
— Josh
How to Train Your Dragon
2010
PG
1h 38m
★ 7.9
"Hatchimals are still around? Yeah. And there's one that's from How to Train Your Dragon, Toothless Dragon. — Josh mentions a How to Train Your Dragon Hatchimal toy featuring the character Toothless."
— Josh
"there wasn't such a thing as the summer blockbuster until Jaws came along — Josh argues that Jaws created the concept of the summer blockbuster phenomenon."
— Josh
Peppa Pig
2004
TV-Y
★ 6.6
"the one where the ladies hands would just play with things. Yeah. It was the yeah. Remember she was like Peppa Pig. — Referenced in context of YouTube unboxing videos where someone plays with toys."
Poltergeist
1982
1h 54m
★ 7.2
"the dial-up sound like poltergeist — Referenced in the Hey Dude podcast advertisement as part of 90s nostalgia elements."
Star Wars
1977
2h 1m
★ 8.2
"Star Wars very famously offered their early bird certificate package — Josh discusses Star Wars' innovative early bird certificate marketing strategy as an example of a must-have toy phenomenon."
— Josh
The Godfather
1972
2h 55m
★ 8.7
"hit movies, like The Godfather or like Ben Hur, before Jaws came along — Josh uses The Godfather as an example of a hit movie that existed before Jaws created the summer blockbuster phenomenon."
— Josh
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