297: The Pet Rock: A Fad is Born (An Old Timey Podcast)

297: The Pet Rock: A Fad is Born (An Old Timey Podcast)

Wipe your slate clean of everything you *think* you know about the pet rock. You’ll marble (err, marvel) over its true history! Its inventor, Gary Dahl, thought he’d created a novelty gift that was set in stone. Imagine his surprise when the pet rock’s popularity began to crumble. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken it for granite? Ehh?? Get it??

In this episode, Kristin also addresses the often-asked question about whether she’s still friends with her former Let’s Go To Court co-host.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from:

Amazon.Com: Pet Rock - The Original by Gary Dahl : Pet Supplies.” Accessed July 10, 2025. https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Rock-Authentic-Approved-Original/dp/B07KN9FK4B

Bredt, Ted. “Has Success Spoiled ‘pet Rock’ Potentate? Outside of 3 Houses, 4 Mercedes Benzes, and the Best Saloon in Los Gatos, No.” The Salt Lake Tribune, February 20, 1977.

Coakley, Michael. “The Anatomy of a Fad: Pet Rock.” The Boston Globe, February 26, 1976.

Curtin, Andrew. “A Million-Dollar Pet Project.” San Francisco Examiner, December 25, 1975.

Dahl, Gary. “Why Didn’t I Think of That! At a Bar One Day, Gary Dahl Dreamed up the Pet Rock.” Courier Post, October 10, 1982.

Giuca, Linda. “Are You Sure It Won’t Bite?” Hartford Courant, December 17, 1975.

Horning, Jay. “Pet Rock Secured a Solid Future for Its ‘Father.’” Tampa Bay Times, May 9, 1982.

“How a Los Gatos Barroom Boast Led to the Pet Rock and Followed Gary Dahl until His Dying Day.” The Mercury News, April 3, 2015. https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/04/03/how-a-los-gatos-barroom-boast-led-to-the-pet-rock-and-followed-gary-dahl-until-his-dying-day/.

Isaacs, Stan. “Teen’s Idea Was as Solid as a Rock.” Newsday (Nassau Edition), November 21, 1975.

LaBelle, Tom. “Career Opportunity of a Lifetime!” The Grand Rapids Press, October 13, 1976.

Leap, Barbara. “From Little Rocks, Some Big Fortunes Grow.” Courier Post, December 5, 1975.

Legacy.Com. “Gary Dahl Obituary (1936 - 2015) - San Jose, CA - AL.Com (Mobile).” Accessed July 11, 2025. https://obits.al.com/us/obituaries/mobile/name/gary-dahl-obituary?pid=174533679.

Mason, Margaret. “It Was a Gamble, a Risk. But the Pet Rock Paid Off.” Pensacola News Journal, December 25, 1977.

McKinney, Joan. “‘Rock Bottom’ Goes Sky High.” Oakland Tribune, December 25, 1975.

“Pet Rock Page.” Accessed July 10, 2025. https://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/petrock/petrock.htm.

Po1sonator. “TIL about the craze of Pet Rocks in 1975. For about 6 months, they sold over one million Pet Rocks for $4 each. It was just a rock in a box with some straw and a care manual for tricks to teach. The creator had the idea in a bar as his friends complained about their pets.” Reddit Post. R/Todayilearned, February 2, 2021. https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/lajcy8/til_about_the_craze_of_pet_rocks_in_1975_for/.

“Press Release.” April 5, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020405084047/http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/english/2000win.htm.

Robertson, Blair. “The Pet Rock: A Classic Tale of American Business.” Carroll County Times, December 7, 1999.

Rock Island Argus. “Pet Rock Promoter Opens Own Saloon.” March 6, 1977.

Spokane Chronicle. “Stoned? Pet Rocks Need Little Care, Love.” November 7, 1975.

The Desert Sun. “From the Man Who Brought You Pet Rock...” October 4, 1978.

The Pet Rock: A Classic Tale of American Business. n.d.












Episoder(291)

3: Hulk Hogan’s Sex Tape & the Killer Doctor

3: Hulk Hogan’s Sex Tape & the Killer Doctor

WARNING: The audio in this episode is rough. What can we say? We were young(ish), dumb, and thought we’d save a little money by sharing one microphone. Yeah. The audio quality improves drastically after episode 9.  Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! In this episode, Brandi tells us about Dr. Robert Neulander, the beloved OBGYN who killed his wife. … Or did he? Maybe. It’s totally possible. But damn it, it’s also possible that she slipped in the shower. The prosecution and defense used the same pieces of evidence to tell two different stories. So is he a killer? We don’t know. And it’s driving us fucking nuts. Then Kristin talks about Hulk Hogan’s sex tape. It’s a doozy. The Hulk’s lawsuit against Gawker got the site shut down and could have a chilling effect on the first amendment… and it was all funded by a billionaire with an axe to grind. Come for the do-rag jokes, stay for the lecture on consent. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: The documentary “Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press”  “Jury awards Hulk Hogan $115 million as Gawker looks to appeal,” Politico  “Gawker in the fight of its life with Hulk Hogan sex-tape suit,” Politico  “Peter Thiel’s Secret War with Gawker,” New York Times In this episode, Brandi watched the hell out of: The 48 Hours episode, “The Doctor’s Daughter”

8 Mar 20181h 39min

2: Anna Nicole Smith & the Downfall of the KKK

2: Anna Nicole Smith & the Downfall of the KKK

WARNING: The audio in this episode is rough. What can we say? We were young(ish), dumb, and thought we’d save a little money by sharing one microphone. Yeah. The audio quality improves drastically after episode 9.  Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! In this episode, Kristin talks about world-class asshole D.C. Stephenson. Stephenson led the Klu Klux Klan through a period of unprecedented growth, but his violent crime against a white woman took him down. His trial captivated the nation and ultimately led to the downfall of the KKK’s second wave. Brandi lightens things up (thank God), with everyone’s favorite Guess model/reality TV star/day shift stripper, Anna Nicole Smith. When she was just 26, Smith married an 89-year-old billionaire. When he died a year later, Smith battled her late husband’s descendants over her share of the estate. The case went all the way to the supreme court. Twice. Yeah. Buckle up, folks.  And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: “D.C. Stephenson Trial” Famous-trials.com “Murder Wasn’t Very Pretty: The Rise and Fall of D.C. Stephenson” Smithsonian Magazine IndianaHistory.org “Citizen Klansmen: The Ku Klux Klan in Indiana, 1921-1928” By Leonard J. Moore In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Paw Paw and Lady Love” by Dan P. Lee for New York Magazine

5 Mar 20181h 31min

1: Charles Manson Trial & the Diluting Pharmacist

1: Charles Manson Trial & the Diluting Pharmacist

WARNING: The audio in this episode is rough. What can we say? We were young(ish), dumb, and thought we’d save a little money by sharing one microphone. Yeah. The audio quality improves drastically after episode 9.  Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! These are the trials that got us hooked on trials.  When she was just 13, Brandi read a book about infamous cult leader Charles Manson. She’s been obsessed ever since. In this episode, she discusses his crimes, his prediction that a race war was a-comin’, and his truly wacky trial.  As for Kristin… well, she’s dumb. When she and Brandi agreed to talk about the cases that got them hooked on trials, she knew exactly what trial she’d cover — the trial of Robert Courtney, the pharmacist who got caught diluting cancer drugs. But what Kristin didn’t *quite* remember was that dear ol’ Robby never had a criminal trial. Oh well. It’s still a good story.

27 Feb 20181h 21min

Populært innen Humor

papaya
tore-og-haralds-podkast
enkel-servering
storefri-med-mikkel-og-herman
harm-og-hegseth
tusvik-tnne
rss-spartsklubben
topp-3-med-mads-og-rasmus
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
vitnemal
misjonen-med-antonsen-og-golden
wolfgang-wee-uncut
verdens-verste
rss-snorre-med-gaute
jan-thomas-og-einar-blir-venner
gutta-backer
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-det-alle-snakker-om-med-siri-og-kim
er-det-sant