The Best Idea Yet

The Best Idea Yet

Wondery
Business
en

The untold stories behind the products you’re obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who made them go viral.

How did Birkenstocks go from a German cobbler’s passion project 250 years ago to a starring role in the Barbie movie? Who created that bottle of Sriracha permanently living in your fridge? Did you know the Air Jordans were initially banned by the NBA, or that Super Mario became the best-selling video game character ever thanks to a strategy called “The Infinite Game?” On Wondery’s new weekly podcast The Best Idea Yet, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer (hosts of the award-winning daily pop-business podcast, The Best One Yet [TBOY]) have identified the most viral products of all time and reveal their untold origin stories — plus the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. From the Happy Meal to Levi’s 501 jeans, come for the products you’re obsessed with, stay for the business insights that’ll make you the most interesting person at your next brunch.

Follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/the-best-idea-yet/ now. 


Episodes (48)

⚾️ New York Yankees: Rise of the Bronx Bombers | 47

⚾️ New York Yankees: Rise of the Bronx Bombers | 47

September 02, 2025 42m Episode 47
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 not yet the Yankees. They were the Highlanders: a group of...
🏍️ Harley-Davidson: Tattoo’d on 700,000 Biceps | 46

🏍️ Harley-Davidson: Tattoo’d on 700,000 Biceps | 46

August 26, 2025 42m Episode 46
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 Davidson – came true, and became one of America’s most...
🏰 Disneyland: The Fantasy that Almost Flopped | 45

🏰 Disneyland: The Fantasy that Almost Flopped | 45

August 19, 2025 42m Episode 45
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 pitched the idea. Sure, Walt had revolutionized...
🍜 Instant Ramen: The Incredible, True Story of “Mr. Noodle” | 44

🍜 Instant Ramen: The Incredible, True Story of “Mr. Noodle” | 44

August 12, 2025 41m Episode 44
It’s postwar Japan, and entrepreneur Momofuku Ando has lost everything—his business, his home, and his savings. In fact, the whole country has been ravaged by air raids, and people are hungry. But...
🥃 Hennessy: From King George to Kendrick | 43

🥃 Hennessy: From King George to Kendrick | 43

August 05, 2025 41m Episode 43
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 in the Cognac region, and in 1765, starts a modest...
🛹 Skateboard: Defying Physics & Freaking Out Parents for 60+ Years | 42

🛹 Skateboard: Defying Physics & Freaking Out Parents for 60+ Years | 42

July 29, 2025 41m Episode 42
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 a kid in the early 60s, you throw some wheels on a...
🐲 Pokémon: The Little Monsters that Played Their Cards Right | 41

🐲 Pokémon: The Little Monsters that Played Their Cards Right | 41

July 22, 2025 42m Episode 41
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 media franchise (over $92 billion revenue — more...
⭐ Michelin Guide: The Tire Company That Accidentally Conquered Food | 40

⭐ Michelin Guide: The Tire Company That Accidentally Conquered Food | 40

July 15, 2025 42m Episode 40
André and Édouard Michelin were desperately seeking a way to save their family rubber business, when a hapless cyclist with a flat came staggering into their workshop. The brothers saw an...
🥏Frisbee: A Pie in the Sky Idea (literally) | 39

🥏Frisbee: A Pie in the Sky Idea (literally) | 39

July 08, 2025 38m Episode 39
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 pie tins (obviously). Soon, shouts of “Frisbee!”...
🎭 Hamilton: From Founding Father To Broadway Star | 38

🎭 Hamilton: From Founding Father To Broadway Star | 38

July 01, 2025 42m Episode 38
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 took a break, bringing a book with him for poolside...
🥤Dr Pepper: The Mystery & Magic of America’s #2 Soda | 37

🥤Dr Pepper: The Mystery & Magic of America’s #2 Soda | 37

June 24, 2025 40m Episode 37
Born in a sweltering Texas drugstore in 1885 - this indescribable, 23 (secret) ingredient concoction broke the first rule of marketing: never sell something you can't explain. Behind this mystery brew...
🏎️ Ferrari: The Racing Machine Even A Child Could Draw | 36

🏎️ Ferrari: The Racing Machine Even A Child Could Draw | 36

June 17, 2025 41m Episode 36
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 during WWI, Enzo schmoozed his way into the driving...
🧸 Beanie Babies: The Cutest Boom, Bubble & Bust | 35

🧸 Beanie Babies: The Cutest Boom, Bubble & Bust | 35

June 10, 2025 40m Episode 35
Beanie Babies — the unassuming critters with birthdates and bios — are designed to tug on your heartstrings (and your wallet). But for a moment in the late-90s, they burst out of gift shops and into...
🏖️ Tommy Bahama's Beach Chair: Fake Dude, Real Billions | 34

🏖️ Tommy Bahama's Beach Chair: Fake Dude, Real Billions | 34

June 03, 2025 40m Episode 34
Tommy Bahama (spoiler) wasn’t founded by a man named Thomas with a Caribbean address. Rather, this classic lifestyle brand began with two longtime friends and coworkers at a failing apparel company....
🍅 Heinz Ketchup: The King of Condiments | 33

🍅 Heinz Ketchup: The King of Condiments | 33

May 27, 2025 42m Episode 33
When entrepreneur Henry J. Heinz went bankrupt after his first venture, he nearly lost it all—his farmland, his parents' home, and his own reputation. But then, he launched a stunning comeback that...
💧 LaCroix: The Cinderella of Seltzers  | 32

💧 LaCroix: The Cinderella of Seltzers | 32

May 20, 2025 42m Episode 32
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 remained the low-key, low-cal fave of Midwestern...
🌎 Google Maps: The *Actual* ‘Everything App’ | 31

🌎 Google Maps: The *Actual* ‘Everything App’ | 31

May 13, 2025 42m Episode 31
When out-of-work coder Jens Rasmussen couldn’t find directions to a cafe in Copenhagen, he wound up changing navigation forever. Alongside his brother Lars (also an out-of-work coder), Jens developed...
🍑 Juicy Couture Tracksuit: How Cozy-Core Went Viral  | 30

🍑 Juicy Couture Tracksuit: How Cozy-Core Went Viral | 30

May 06, 2025 43m Episode 30
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 entrepreneurship. But they had no obvious path to...
🥤Frappuccino: The Billion-Dollar Brainfreeze Starbucks Nearly Killed | 29

🥤Frappuccino: The Billion-Dollar Brainfreeze Starbucks Nearly Killed | 29

April 29, 2025 41m Episode 29
The cream-topped, dome-lidded Frappuccino is the caffeinated crown jewel of the Starbucks empire. It helped the company break out from regional coffee chain to global lifestyle brand, made cold drinks...
🐢Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The “Dumbest” Best Idea Yet | 28

🐢Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The “Dumbest” Best Idea Yet | 28

April 22, 2025 41m Episode 28
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, one fateful night, Kevin drew a doodle to get Peter...
🔫Super Soaker: Invented by a Rocket Scientist (Literally) | 27

🔫Super Soaker: Invented by a Rocket Scientist (Literally) | 27

April 15, 2025 40m Episode 27
Lonnie Johnson was already a brilliant Air Force engineer working on cutting edge, planet-saving inventions…when a surprise bathroom discovery (we’ve all been there) sparked an idea that changed water...
🐣 Peeps: A Backroom Marshmallow Mystery | 26

🐣 Peeps: A Backroom Marshmallow Mystery | 26

April 08, 2025 40m Episode 26
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 to set himself apart. So Roscoe embraced a single holiday...
📱iPhone: The Device Steve Jobs Didn’t Want to Build | 25

📱iPhone: The Device Steve Jobs Didn’t Want to Build | 25

April 01, 2025 42m Episode 25
Before 2007, mobile phones had tiny keyboards, crappy screens with internet so slow - you could finish a super burrito while waiting for your MySpace profile to load. Then Apple wowed the world...
🧀 Goldfish Crackers: The Most Romantic Snack | 24

🧀 Goldfish Crackers: The Most Romantic Snack | 24

March 25, 2025 41m Episode 24
Margaret Rudkin’s family was in crisis. The Great Depression cleaned out their finances, her husband was bedridden after an accident, and her son was suffering from crippling allergies. Things were...
📺 MTV: How Video Killed the Radio Star | 23

📺 MTV: How Video Killed the Radio Star | 23

March 18, 2025 42m Episode 23
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 videos?” Back then, music videos weren’t really a...
🌭 Costco’s Kirkland: How a $1.50 Hot Dog Changed Store Brands Forever | 22

🌭 Costco’s Kirkland: How a $1.50 Hot Dog Changed Store Brands Forever | 22

March 11, 2025 43m Episode 22
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 label: Kirkland Signature. Costco debuted this...
🌮 Doritos Locos Tacos: The Cheesy Mashup That Saved Taco Bell | 21

🌮 Doritos Locos Tacos: The Cheesy Mashup That Saved Taco Bell | 21

March 04, 2025 41m Episode 21
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. So when it unveiled the Doritos Locos Tacos (or ""DLT"")...
🌇 Sesame Street: The Trojan Horse Of TV | 20

🌇 Sesame Street: The Trojan Horse Of TV | 20

February 25, 2025 44m Episode 20
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 then a trailblazing producer and her psychologist...
🏔️ Patagonia Fleece: The Billion Dollar Toilet Seat Cover | 19

🏔️ Patagonia Fleece: The Billion Dollar Toilet Seat Cover | 19

February 18, 2025 42m Episode 19
Designed to keep climbers snug on El Capitan, the Patagonia fleece became the unofficial uniform of venture capitalists and finance bros (earning the nickname Patagucci). But thrill-seeking Patagonia...
🍦Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food: A Collab Born in an Old Gas Station | 18

🍦Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food: A Collab Born in an Old Gas Station | 18

February 11, 2025 41m Episode 18
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 ‘90s partnership between two Burlington legends: the jam...
🎩 Monopoly: The Shocking Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Game | 17

🎩 Monopoly: The Shocking Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Game | 17

February 04, 2025 42m Episode 17
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 of American homes have a copy. But you probably...
⚡ Red Bull: How The World Got Its Wiiings  | 16

⚡ Red Bull: How The World Got Its Wiiings | 16

January 28, 2025 45m Episode 16
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 LaCroix, part Robitussin. Red Bull is not only America’s...
🎸 Fender Stratocaster: The Guitar That Invented Rock & Roll | 15

🎸 Fender Stratocaster: The Guitar That Invented Rock & Roll | 15

January 21, 2025 43m Episode 15
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 (literally, he lit one on fire), the Fender Stratocaster...
🥜 Reese’s PB Cups: From Frog Salesman to Candy Mogul | 14

🥜 Reese’s PB Cups: From Frog Salesman to Candy Mogul | 14

January 14, 2025 43m Episode 14
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 tops chocolate and peanut butter (or is it peanut...
🐂 Oregon Trail: Tricking Kids into Liking School Since 1971 | 13

🐂 Oregon Trail: Tricking Kids into Liking School Since 1971 | 13

January 07, 2025 45m Episode 13
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 pioneer (and we don’t just mean the ones in the covered...
⌚ Swatch: The $40 Watch that Saved Switerzland | 12

⌚ Swatch: The $40 Watch that Saved Switerzland | 12

December 31, 2024 45m Episode 12
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 this humble plastic timepiece played a huge role...
🧱LEGO: Earth’s Biggest Toy Biz | 11

🧱LEGO: Earth’s Biggest Toy Biz | 11

December 24, 2024 44m Episode 11
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 all started in a Danish carpenter's workshop during...
🍬 PEZ: The Cigarette-Inspired Candy | 10

🍬 PEZ: The Cigarette-Inspired Candy | 10

December 17, 2024 46m Episode 10
PEZ - the fruity, sugary tablets dispensed from your favorite cartoon character’s neck conjure up sweet childhood memories of swapping and collecting dispensers. (I’ll trade you my red Power Ranger...
🏀  Air Jordans: How MJ's Mom Made the Deal of the Century | 9

🏀 Air Jordans: How MJ's Mom Made the Deal of the Century | 9

December 10, 2024 46m Episode 9
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 marketing forever - But it never would’ve happened...
📷 Polaroid: Invented (sort of) by a 3-Year-Old | 8

📷 Polaroid: Invented (sort of) by a 3-Year-Old | 8

December 03, 2024 46m Episode 8
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. Polaroid became a fave of world-class artists like...
🛁 Jacuzzi: Legend of the Life-Saving Tub | 7

🛁 Jacuzzi: Legend of the Life-Saving Tub | 7

November 26, 2024 45m Episode 7
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 iconic whirlpool has become a symbol of status and...
👖 Levi's 501s: The World’s 1st Jeans | 6

👖 Levi's 501s: The World’s 1st Jeans | 6

November 19, 2024 45m Episode 6
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 tailor in the 1870s, this classic riveted pant launched...
🌶️ Sriracha: From Smuggled Gold to Hot Sauce Billions | 5

🌶️ Sriracha: From Smuggled Gold to Hot Sauce Billions | 5

November 12, 2024 45m Episode 5
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 made it happen. Entrepreneur David Tran fled Vietnam in...
🚙 Jeep: The Car That Saved The World | 4

🚙 Jeep: The Car That Saved The World | 4

November 05, 2024 41m Episode 4
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 been ranked the most patriotic brand in America for...
👣 The Birkenstock Arizona: From Flower Power to Fashion Week | 3

👣 The Birkenstock Arizona: From Flower Power to Fashion Week | 3

October 29, 2024 44m Episode 3
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 has gone through more eras than Taylor Swift (plus, won...
🍄 Super Mario Bros: Nintendo’s Infinite Game | 2

🍄 Super Mario Bros: Nintendo’s Infinite Game | 2

October 22, 2024 42m Episode 2
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, Mario and his brother Luigi have “wahoo-ed” their...
🍟 The Happy Meal: A Delicious McMystery | 1

🍟 The Happy Meal: A Delicious McMystery | 1

October 15, 2024 42m Episode 1
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 iconic “Food and Fun in a Box” has also made the...
Introducing: The Best Idea Yet

Introducing: The Best Idea Yet

October 08, 2024 2m
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 October 8th. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on...

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Business