Decoder Ring
Slate Podcasts
Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. 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.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 23, 2026 • 1h 4min
Bridget in the Buff
In the 1970s, a nude jigsaw puzzle featuring a joyful plus-size woman became a worldwide novelty sensation. The real Bridget, Dawn Brooks, recounts the unlikely modeling job, the merchandise empire that followed, and the backlash surrounding her image. Friends, collectors, and admirers explore whether Bridget was a punchline, a pinup, or an early symbol of body acceptance.
29 snips
Sep 9, 2026 • 59min
What Even Is a “Podcast” Anymore?
Evan Chung, an audio producer and documentary storyteller, joins a candid conversation about podcasting’s strange evolution. They trace its open-distribution roots, the rise of narrative journalism, and the industry’s shift toward celebrity chat shows. Video, YouTube, giant microphones, authenticity, collapsing ad economics, and the future of richly crafted audio all come under scrutiny.
9 snips
Aug 26, 2026 • 43min
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime, Part 2 (Encore)
A deep dive into how a 1980s crime-prevention mascot spilled into music, classrooms, and subcultures. Stories about a surprising McGruff album, kids’ mockery turning into cultural memory, and a punk cover project that revived the songs online. The episode tracks PSAs’ unintended afterlives and how those messages kept echoing decades later.
9 snips
Aug 12, 2026 • 34min
McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime, Part 1 (Encore)
A deep dive into McGruff the Crime Dog and the rise of 1980s anti-drug PSAs. Short segments trace the mascot’s design, voice, and publicity rollout. The story explores classroom puppet shows, licensing maneuvers, and the political surge behind drug-prevention messaging. The episode teases strange cultural afterlives like a bizarre Smart Kids album.
41 snips
Jul 29, 2026 • 52min
The Fight Over Sunlight
Catherine Cocks, historian of tourism who traces how race shaped tanning culture. Rowan Jacobsen, science writer who explores the health science of sun exposure. They discuss shifting medical advice about sunlight. They trace sunlight’s role in vitamin D and rickets, the rise of tanning as fashion, racial tourism roots, and modern sunscreen science.
34 snips
Jul 15, 2026 • 49min
Weapons of Map Destruction
Todd Humphreys, an aerospace engineer who proved GPS can be spoofed, and Katherine Dunn, a journalist and author exploring GPS history, discuss alarming GPS vulnerabilities. They cover how GPS works and its military origins. They describe spoofing versus jamming, real-world incidents from ships to superyachts, and how GPS has become a fragile backbone of modern life.
21 snips
Jul 1, 2026 • 49min
We Are Monumentally Bad at Statues
Atalanta Arden-Miller, artist and art director trained in realist sculpture, walks through why so many public statues look off. She breaks down the lost craft: clay models, pointing machines, foundries, facial subtleties, and historical shifts from Greece to modernism. Short takes on politics, mass production, and where realist skills still survive today.
9 snips
Jun 17, 2026 • 36min
The Tootsie Shot (Encore)
A bite-sized history of a familiar long-lens crowd shot and why it keeps popping up in films. Short scenes, technical tricks, and the photographic roots that made the image iconic. How shifting city life, film economics, and genre tastes turned the shot from gritty realism to shorthand for ambition and romance.
9 snips
Jun 3, 2026 • 49min
Tina Turner and the Dance That Conquered Australia
David Mack, Australian-born Slate writer who knows the country’s quirks, guides a transnational dance mystery. He traces how an American song met a European-derived line dance and became Australia’s Nutbush ritual. Stories cover schools, gay discos, TV, and Tina Turner’s surprising Aussie connection. Multiple short takes reveal how a goofy dance turned into a national tradition.
May 27, 2026 • 10min
Preview: Decoder Rings Back | Duck, Duck, Jeep
Julia Latino, a Massachusetts collector who reached out about a cultural curiosity. She describes her habit of spotting tiny rubber ducks perched on Jeep dashboards. The conversation traces when the trend began and why Jeep culture, rallies, and customization make such playful rituals common. Short, curious, and full of collector zeal.
