Show Notes
In much of the world, Christmas dinner means roasted turkey, glazed ham, or a table crowded with family recipes passed down for generations. But in Japan, millions mark the holiday with something far less traditional — a bucket of KFC. Today we unwrap one of the strangest and most successful marketing stories of the modern era: how an American fast-food chain became an essential part of Japanese Christmas. On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. See Also: Stealing Baby Jesus. Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English Written by Maria Trimarchi Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English Got a question or comment for Dana, Zaron, and Jason? Hit us up at [email protected]. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Very Special Episodes
Plenty of Harry Potter fans love Severus Snape. A few truly worshipped him. In the early 2000s, these fans found each other online and came to believe Harry’s least favorite professor was real. A god in an alternate universe that bled into our own. Nothing in the world could shake their devotion to Snape. Until their sisterhood imploded. * Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Katie Mattie Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington Story Editor is Virginia Prescott Additional Editing by Mary Dooe + Josh Fisher Voice Actors are Jonathan Washington, Bee Haskins, Katie Mattie, and Josh Fisher Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English Special thanks to our guest Dr. Zoe Alderton, author of Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion Within the Harry Potter Fandom.
In 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart ducked out of a White House event and commandeered an airplane. The First Lady and the first lady of aviation flew to Baltimore and back. The event was documented by journalists, and later recounted in books. But there was more to this spontaneous joyride that didn't make the papers. * Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Dylan Heuer Produced by Josh Fisher Story Editor is Marisa Brown Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier Original Music by Elise McCoy Research and Fact Checking by Dylan Heuer and Austin Thompson Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English [This episode was originally published in November 2024.] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. But her biggest mystery unfolded outside the pages of her books. In this episode, Dana examines the 11 days in 1926 when the beloved author went missing, and the rollicking media circus inspired by her disappearance. Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Joe Pompeo Produced by Josh Fisher Story Editor is Marisa Brown Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington and Josh Fisher Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier Voice Actors are Brittany Joyner and Steve Bradford Original Music by Elise McCoy Research and Fact Checking by Joe Pompeo and Austin Thompson Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After a party at Nicolas Cage’s Bel-Air mansion, one of the rarest comic books on Earth disappeared. Action Comics #1 — the comic that introduced Superman — is worth millions of dollars. With almost no evidence and a suspect list that includes employees and celebrity guests alike, Cage and his trusted comic book dealer launch a decade-long investigation into one of the strangest art heists ever attempted. * Dana, Zaron, Jason and the gang are hard at work on the next batch of Very Special Episodes. So today we're sharing episode one of Stealing Superman, a limited series we made in 2023. If you want to continue down the Nic Cage rabbit hole, you can listen to the whole series on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When two of the most influential figures in film become the personal hostages of Kim Jong Il, they have two objectives: to elevate North Korean cinema on the world stage, and to plot their daring escape. * We're hard at work on our next season of new VSEs. If you've already heard this one, email us — [email protected] — and we'll recommend something else you can listen to instead! Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Adrien Behn and edited by Carmen Borca-Carrillo at Acast Creative Studios Produced by Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs Additional Editing by Mary Dooe Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English SOURCES + FURTHER READING/LISTENING/VIEWING A Kim Jong-Il Production, by Paul Fisher The Observant, by Ravi Mangla Michelle Cho, assistant professor, University of Toronto "Are You There Godzilla? It's Me, Kim Jong Il" [Ridiculous Crime podcast] Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, U.S. State Department Big Brother: North Korea's Forgotten Prince [An iHeart Original Podcast] "Kim Jong Il, the Director he Kidnapped, and the Awful Godzilla Film They Made Together" [Mental Floss Magazine] The Korean War [PBS] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.