Fanthropological

# Description

We return to Hogwarts to chat with the Real Weird Sisters about why *Harry Potter* is so important to fandom in general and **still** so popular. This episode is a follow up to our (very) early episode about the series [here](https://fanthropological.com/e/3632cca54d92c4/).

And who are The Real Weird Sisters?

Hailing from Bozeman, Montana, Alice and Martha, grew up reading, rereading, and re-re-reading the *Harry Potter* series. **Alice**, who was seven when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published,** estimates that she has read the series' first book over 75 times**! Although Martha's tally isn't quite as high, she would like to clarify that she was a mere toddler when Alice first started reading the books, so she was doomed to forever be six years behind.

Both sisters have made local news for their *Harry Potter* fandom. Alice was interviewed for a newspaper in 2005 after she read *Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince* overnight, and Martha and her friends were on TV in 2011 while in line for the midnight premiere of *Deathly Hallows Part 2*.

Throughout their lives, Alice and Martha have shared a close and common bond in *Harry Potter*. Now that they are adults and living in two different parts of the country (Chicago and Montana), they have decided to broadcast their love for *Harry Potter* to the world in weekly podcasts about what they see as the greatest literary masterpiece of our time.

## Episode Outline

This week on the show we talk about...

* the importance of the series growing up with the fans;

* fans' feelings about post-*Harry Potter* releases;

* the importance of the series' characters;

* divisions in modern *Harry Potter* fandom;

* if and how the fandom continues to grow; and

* the influence of *Harry Potter* on YA and on the Sisters themselves

## Where can you find us?

Pretty much everything we do is `something/thenickscast`, but specifically...

* If you're looking for this podcast (Fanthropological), you can find it at [Fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) or on different podcatchers including [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s) and many others!

* Keep up-to-date with our latest goings-on on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), or [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast), all `@thenickscast`

* We also occasionally create extra content about fandom including convention coverage and interviews on [YouTube.com/thenickscast](https://youtube.com/thenickscast)

* We have some fine merchandise available at [shop.thenickscast.com](https://shop.thenickscast.com) (and we'd love your support!)

* If all else fails, you can email us: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

## What is "Fanthropological"?

Every week, Fanthropological delivers about an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation!

We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture.

## Credits

* [ReMix: Mega Man 2 "Flash Man and the Sorcerer's Stone Man"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03125) by [Deedubs](https://ocremix.org/artist/14357/deedubs) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29%E2%80%A6)

* All other music and sounds in this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Fandom Facts

* Relative to Mushrooms (general), not a lot of folks are looking up information on magic mushrooms (Psilocybin), [or even mycology](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F052sf,%2Fm%2F057v5,%2Fm%2F09l4w) and are getting more interested in mushrooms over time

* There are at least five different subreddits on mushrooms, all tackling a different aspect of mushrooms ([identifying mushrooms](https://www.reddit.com/r/ShroomID/), [psilocybin](https://www.reddit.com/r/PsilocybinMushrooms/), [anything mushrooms](https://www.reddit.com/r/shrooms/), etc.), the largest being [r/mycology](https://www.reddit.com/r/mycology/) (but just by a few thousand)

* In _Star Trek: Discovery_ there is a character, Lieutenant Paul Stamets, who is an astromycologist and is named after a real U.S. scientist of the same name who is investigating how mushrooms might be able to [save the world in different ways](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paul-stamets-star-trek-mushroom-expert-mycology-1.4454204) (e.g. treating disease, cleaning up oil spills)

* ...His obsession with mushrooms started at age 19 where he ate an entire bag of magic mushrooms.

* Only about 5% of the world's fungi are thought to be identified

### First Impressions

#### Z:

Ever since I had a mushroom dipped in ranch dressing at some sort of party when I was a kid, I've enjoyed their texture. And, as I tried things like portabellas, and shitake, and cremini, and beech mushrooms, I found that there was a whole world of mushrooms out there. So, when it came to mycology, my impression was that people interested in it were either foodies looking to explore perhaps the most varied, unprocessed, vegetarian/vegan(?) food, or scientists classifying them.

#### T:

I put mycology up there with philatelists and numismatists; something that you can go quite deep into, but that I know nothing about. I've heard bits and pieces about it (pressings, how the mushroom responds to metal, etc.) and I know friends with an interest in wild mushrooms (not for use as a drug, but as general survivalist interest)... but beyond that, it's mostly been an unknown (popularity-wise) known unknown.

### Famous Last Words

What did we have to say about an upcoming topic, _Digimon_, with only our first impressions? \

**G:** How do fans of Digimon feel about it being diet Pokemon?_ \

_

**T:** What is it about Digimon that helped it stand above some of its contemporaries?_ \

_

**Z:** Do fans of Digimon hold any sort of grudge against fans of Pokemon? Have any Digimon fans proposed a blending of the two? Is there a fan-approved crossover?

## Where can you find us?

Pretty much everything we do is `something/thenickscast`, but specifically...

* If you're looking for this podcast (Fanthropological), you can find it at [Fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) or on different podcatchers including [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s) and many others!

* Keep up-to-date with our latest goings-on on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), or [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast), all `@thenickscast`

* We also occasionally create extra content about fandom including convention coverage and interviews on [YouTube.com/thenickscast](https://youtube.com/thenickscast)

* We have some fine merchandise available at [shop.thenickscast.com](https://shop.thenickscast.com) (and we'd love your support!)

* If all else fails, you can email us: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

## What is "Fanthropological"?

Every week, Fanthropological delivers about an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation!

We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture.

## Credits

* All music and sound for this week's episode was provided by Nick Green!

We're locked in again for another 60ish minutes to better understand fans of escape rooms, this time with escape room enthusiast Errol ([Room Escape Divas](http://www.inversegenius.com/roomescapedivas/)). A follow-up to [our previous episode on Escape Rooms](https://fanthropological.com/escaperooms).

## Episode Outline

**Topics:** Escape Rooms, Puzzles, Escape Room Industry, Social Gaming, the future of Escape Games, Puzzle Solving Strategies

## Where can you find Errol?

He can be heard on [Room Escape Divas](http://www.inversegenius.com/roomescapedivas/) as well as producing a multitude of articles & information at [The Codex](https://thecodex.ca/)!

## Where can you find us?

Pretty much everything we do is `something/thenickscast`, but in specific...

* If you're looking for this podcast (Fanthropological), you can find it at [Fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) or on different podcatchers including [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s) and many others!

* Keep up-to-date with our latest goings-on on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), or [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast), all `@thenickscast`

* We also occasionally create extra content about fandom including convention coverage and interviews on [YouTube.com/thenickscast](https://youtube.com/thenickscast)

* We have some fine merchandise available at [shop.thenickscast.com](https://shop.thenickscast.com) (and we'd love your support!)

* If all else fails, you can email us: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

## What is "Fanthropological"?

Every week, Fanthropological delivers over an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation!

We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture.

## Credits

* All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

After more than 40 years, what keeps fans interested in the band (and why on earth is there convention for them)?

## Episode Outline

**Topics:** RushCon, Female fans in Progressive Rock, Ayn Rand, Fan Loyalty, Geddy Lee, Lyricism

### First Impressions

#### Z:

This is difficult for me to really pin down. I've been a Rush fan since high school, maybe since I had an internet connection at home. My earliest memory of encountering the band was downloading their stuff song by song from early music sharing websites and things like Limewire and Kazaa. I also remember making a website all about the band in a high school computers class and getting 100% on it. But, at least speaking to the topics we tried to focus on in this episode, I never knew the band had a convention, and I always figured that the fandom wasn't any more heavily male than any other band; I remember talking to someone on the Carousel magazine staff at the university of Guelph about Rush and hearing her talk about getting high with her high school math teacher at a concert. Rush is for everyone, man!

#### T:

I actually have very little to say about RUSH. I know that Geddy Lee REALLY hits the high notes, they sing about Tom Sawyer, and something about Trees? Also, Z really loves them.

### Observations

### Conclusions

### Famous Last Words

What did we have to say about an upcoming episode's topic, mycology, with only our first impressions? \

**G:** Is the danger aspect a deterrent or an attraction?

**T:** What does stanning look like in mycology fandom?

**Z:** In this day and age, is mycology more or less exclusively something run by hipsters?

## Where can you find us?

Pretty much everything we do is `something/thenickscast`, but specifically...

* If you're looking for this podcast (Fanthropological), you can find it at [Fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) or on different podcatchers including [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s) and many others!

* Keep up-to-date with our latest goings-on on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), or [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast), all `@thenickscast`

* We also occasionally create extra content about fandom including convention coverage and interviews on [YouTube.com/thenickscast](https://youtube.com/thenickscast)

* We have some fine merchandise available at [shop.thenickscast.com](https://shop.thenickscast.com) (and we'd love your support!)

* If all else fails, you can email us: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

## What is "Fanthropological"?

Every week, Fanthropological delivers over an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation!

We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture.

## Credits

* [ReMix: Mega Man X "The Zero Sacrifice"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00931) by [Vig](https://ocremix.org/artist/4524/vig) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29%E2%80%A6)

* All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

The Office is a phenomenally popular show and fans can't seem to get enough, even after its 9 seasons ended in 2012. Is it the best show ever made or a moment in time that's shown itself to be problematic?

## Episode Outline

**Topics:** The Office, Sitcoms, Long-Running Shows, Problematic Characters, Feel-Good Shows, Cringe Comedy

### First Impressions

#### Z:

Honestly, this wasn't a show that I thought about much when it was first airing and I'd hear people talking about it. I'd watched the UK version of Life on Mars around that time, and after hearing about how it had been butchered in its American adaptation, I was skeptical about the US The Office's quality.

This impression only strengthened after I binged my way through the UK version of the show, and was completely and utterly impressed by just how hilarious it was while centring on Ricky Gervais' utterly despicable and inept David Brent. There was no way an American adaptation could take this witty and dry show and make something good -- plus there was no way that American audiences would have the patience to make it through the lead's eventual, though rocky, transformation into a caring, compassionate human being.

But, here we are, covering this ongoing fandom on the show, so I must've been wrong about some aspect of the show...

#### T:

I mostly have seen the Office in gifs and memes (either referencing the show or involving the show), so I got the impression that the Office is kind of like the Simpsons or flossing in that it's just something that people have experienced and use a shared cultural reference.

I don't know of any die-hard fans, and it doesn't seem like the sort of thing that folks are super passionate about, but sort of passively love? Also, it seems pretty cringey and I'm not super a fan of that style of humour.

#### G:

The cringiest thing on TV, where everything being a bummer and having awkward resolutions was the order of the day. Didn't really ever see where the 'heart' came from, let alone people watching it multiple times.

### Some Observations

- The show's setting is psychologically comforting and neutral and the way that it finds humour in mundane situations leads people to watch and feel calmed/destressed

- According to [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=%2Fm%2F08jgk1,%2Fm%2F07zhjj,%2Fm%2F0557yqh) the show's popularity has beaten out rival shows (Parks and Recreation, How I Met Your Mother) in recent years

- Dwight Schrute's character arc could be the best in American TV

- People who like the office are likely to be those who want to have control over others

### Conclusions

- Z is going to watch the whole dang series

- T might watch another episode or two, but the show didn't really get its hooks into him

- G has already watched the series once, and would rather just go back and re-watch Parks and Rec

### Famous Last Words

What did we have to say about next week's topic, Rush, with only our first impressions?

**Z:** In fans' opinion… how does Clockwork Angels stack up to 2112?

**T:** How much of Rush fandom is about Rush vs Prog Rock?

**G:** I know a lot about the band… they seem to have a lot of fans… have they continually collected fans, or did everyone just show up around Tom Sawyer and aged?

## Where can you find us?

Pretty much everything we do is `something/thenickscast`, but specifically...

* If you're looking for this podcast (Fanthropological), you can find it at [Fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) or on different podcatchers including [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s) and many others!

* Keep up-to-date with our latest goings-on on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), or [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast), all `@thenickscast`

* We also occasionally create extra content about fandom including convention coverage and interviews on [YouTube.com/thenickscast](https://youtube.com/thenickscast)

* We have some fine merchandise available at [shop.thenickscast.com](https://shop.thenickscast.com) (and we'd love your support!)

* If all else fails, you can email us: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

## What is "Fanthropological"?

Every week, Fanthropological delivers over an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation!

We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture.

## Credits

* ["Bass Meant Jazz"](https://freepd.com/music/Bass%20Meant%20Jazz.mp3) by [Kevin MacLeod](https://freepd.com/artists.php), which he donated to the [Public Domain](https://freepd.com)

* All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

## Top Links

[r/DunderMifflin - Theory on Why The Office is so Appealing](https://www.reddit.com/r/DunderMifflin/comments/a95acz/theory_on_why_the_office_is_so_appealing/)

[Collider - Michael Schur Explains Why "The Office" Survived Past Season 1 Against All Odds](http://collider.com/why-the-office-survived-past-season-1/#steve-carell)

[Bustle - Can You Be Addicted to Watching "The Office"? Here's Why You Actually Can't Ge Enough](https://www.bustle.com/p/can-you-be-addicted-to-watching-the-office-heres-why-you-actually-cant-get-enough-8073956)

The explosive growth of fortnite is undeniable, but is it because it's the latest battle royale / minecraft mashup, or because it is a place where folks (especially kids) can actually hang out?

## Episode Outline

**Topics:** Fortnite, Video Games, Youth Culture, Growing Up, Battle Royale Games, Sandbox Games, Third Space, Society

### First Impressions

#### Z:

I first encountered Fortnite in some graffiti on a telephone pole outside of a local high school. It simply read "Fortnite Forever," and my first thought was "either that's a new game, or a terrible speller really loves talking about two week spans of time." So my first impression of the fandom was that it's mostly younger people (mostly high school-aged). Also, after running across some youtube videos about the game in my day-to-day, I guessed that It's probably the 2nd big gaming trend to hit the generation that went through elementary school with Minecraft (which was released in 2009,[ popularity peaked July 2013](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=%2Fm%2F09v6kpg) (at which point someone in grade 9 in 2018 would've been in grade 4, which, from my impressions of Minecraft's audience, would be, though maybe on the younger end, within its range)). As per the game itself, my impression is that it's basically PUBG plus building mechanics with a friendly and approachable cartoony style and sense of humour.

#### T:

To be honest, I didn't think much of it. I'd heard about kids getting addicted to it in schools (and it being highly disruptive in classrooms), and that it was the latest Battle Royale game du jour, and had assumed it was full of a bunch of tweens and teens screaming over voice chat. I was intrigued when I would hear about things like Thanos and "the Meteor" in game… but it all just seemed like a sort of cash-cow milking gamers sort of technique. Especially given that it and PUBG weren't that far apart (and there were lots of games of that ilk showing up around the same time).

### Famous Last Words

**G:** People watch The office endlessly in the background; why not Parks and Rec (aka a better show)?

**Z:** Is there any 'the office' cosplay?

**T:** Like MASH… will the Office stand the test of time?

## Where can you find us?

Pretty much everything we do is `something/thenickscast`, but in specific...

* If you're looking for this podcast (Fanthropological), you can find it at [Fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) or on different podcatchers including [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s) and many others!

* Keep up-to-date with our latest goings-on on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), or [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast), all `@thenickscast`

* We also occasionally create extra content about fandom including convention coverage and interviews on [YouTube.com/thenickscast](https://youtube.com/thenickscast)

* We have some fine merchandise available at [shop.thenickscast.com](https://shop.thenickscast.com) (and we'd love your support!)

* If all else fails, you can email us: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

## What is "Fanthropological"?

Every week, Fanthropological delivers over an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation!

We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture.

## Credits

* All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

It's season 10 and well past our 100th episode! Why not celebrate by looking at fans... of Fanthropological?

We cover trivia of all 99+ episodes in an all-out battle to knock-the-other-Nick-out... or at least see who is the biggest Fan in Fanthropological.

**Sources**

- [ReMix: Sonic the Hedgehog "Gotta Start from Somewhere"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03573) by [Jorito](https://ocremix.org/artist/14461/jorito), [Hank "The Spank Tank" Jankerson](https://ocremix.org/artist/15618/hank-the-spank-tank-jankerson), [Trev Wignall](https://ocremix.org/artist/15682/trev-wignall), [The Nikanoru](https://ocremix.org/artist/15840/the-nikanoru) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org/) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29...)

- [ReMix: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening "OMG Mr. Write"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03479) by [nelward](https://ocremix.org/artist/15315/nelward) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org/) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29...)

- [ReMix: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time "Subterranean Kamikaze"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00530) by [Juan Medrano](https://ocremix.org/artist/4685/juan-medrano), [zircon](https://ocremix.org/artist/4628/zircon) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org/) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29...)

- [ReMix: EarthBound "Bus!"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00984) by [Shadow](https://ocremix.org/artist/4546/shadow) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org/) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29...)

- [ReMix: Street Fighter II: The World Warrior "Go Home and Be a Family Man"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01194) by [Norrin_Radd](https://ocremix.org/artist/4453/norrin-radd) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org/) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29...)

- [ReMix: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 "Tight Finale"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00530) by [Jivemaster](https://ocremix.org/artist/4287/jivemaster) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org/) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29...)

What do you do... when the work you love is created by a racist? Or when a work is misogynistic? We dip our toe into the new criticism to talk about the role between creative works, their creators, and fans in fandom... and hopefully aren't problematic ourselves along the way!

It's the holidays, which means we are taking a break, AND making time to plan for a great new season! Next season starts next week with a 100th episode extravaganza!

All this in 20 minutes or less!

**Sources**

- Opening music, ["Diggin' til the Very End"](http://music.djcutman.com/album/volume-iv) by Dj CUTMAN used under [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

- Ending music, ["Bounty Hunter"](http://music.djcutman.com/album/volume-iv) by Dj CUTMAN used under [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

Do fans really vote with their dollars, in terms of endorsing creator behaviour? And can fans just enjoy a thing without projecting criticism (positive or negative) onto it? We're going to try to argue one way or the other (well, we'll definitely succeed at the arguing part).

It's the holidays, which means we are taking a break, AND making time to plan for a great new season!

All this in 20 minutes or less!

**Sources**

- Opening music, ["Diggin' til the Very End"](http://music.djcutman.com/album/volume-iv) by Dj CUTMAN used under [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

- Ending music, ["Bounty Hunter"](http://music.djcutman.com/album/volume-iv) by Dj CUTMAN used under [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

Where is the fandom today, and would they even want a M*A*S*H reboot? What would that even look like? We're giving you the best care anywhere* (as far as a podcast goes) on this week's episode!

*Please consult with your physician for any actual medical care you may need. We are not doctors.

## Episode Outline

### Fandom Facts

**History and Origins:**

> M*A*S*H is an American war comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from 1972 to 1983. It was developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film M*A*S*H, which, in turn, was based on Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The series, which was produced with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS, follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War (1950–53). The show's title sequence features an instrumental-only version of "Suicide Is Painless", the original film's theme song which was popular enough to become the UK's best selling song hitting number 1and staying for 3 weeks in May/June of 1980. The show was created after an attempt to film the original book's sequel, M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, failed. The television series is the best-known of the M*A*S*H works, and one of the highest-rated shows in US television history.

> — [Wikipedia - M*A*S*H (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M*A*S*H_(TV_series))

**Search Data:**

While it is unclear how popular MASH has been since its initial release in the 1970s, we do have some data from [Google Trends as far back as 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F014gjp). Surprisingly, while interest in the show was on a downturn until December 2014, the show has recently enjoyed a slight upward trend in interest, with some notable spikes in February 2015 (Release on Netflix), January 2017 (Release on Hulu), and March 2018 (More episodes released on Hulu).

The top ten countries for MASH, by search volume, are as follows: Albania (By a _large_ margin), Czechia, Slovakia, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Romania, Norway, and Sweeden.

[// Could be unrelated: MASH = Ministry of Science and Education]: #

**Fan Demographics:**

From a very rough self-selecting sample of folks on reddit, we were able to get some data on what today's fans of MASH look like... in terms of age at least. Through some quick javascript math on the thread ["What is the average age of the MASH viewer?](https://www.reddit.com/r/mash/comments/51cvx4/what_is_the_average_age_of_the_mash_viewer_how/), we get the following data of the approximately 100 data points:

- Max age: 54

- Mean age: 28.2

- Median age: 27

- Mode age: 30

- Min age: 10

Other than that, data is scarce... other than this tidbit from Mental Floss:

> Seventy-seven percent of the people watching television in the United States on the night of Monday, February 28, 1983 were watching the two-and-a-half-hour series finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.” That was 121.6 million people. A company only had to pay $30,000 to run a 30-second commercial when M*A*S*H got started in 1972. For the series finale, a 30-second spot cost $450,000.

> — [Mental Floss - 17 Things You Might Not Know About M*A*S*H](http://mentalfloss.com/article/68457/17-painless-facts-about-mash)

**Fanac Fast Facts:**

- On the fan works archive Archive Of Our Own, there are [just over 1000 fan works related to MASH](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/MASH%20(TV)/works):

- Top three categories: M/M (528), Gen (352), F/M (208)

- ...Almost all, of which, are related to the TV series (i.e. there isn't a prominent overlap with other fandoms, though there is overlap)

- Top three characters: Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (793), B. J. Hunnicutt (434), Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (248)

- Top three relationships: B. J. Hunnicutt/Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (233), "Trapper" John McIntyre/Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (154), Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan/Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (95)

### [Last Episode's](https://fanthropological.com/wrestling) Famous Last Words

What did we have to say before doing the preparation for this week's episode?

**T:** Is this another fandom that is going to die out? Is the fandom still alive?

**G:** Would fans like to see M.A.S.H. rebooted?

**Z:** When the show was running, how did fans get together?

### Main Discussion

**Topics covered in this episode:** TBD

## Where can you find us?

Pretty much everything we do is `something/thenickscast`, but in specific...

- If you're looking for this podcast (Fanthropological), you can find it at [Fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) or on different podcatchers including [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s) and many others!

- You can join us for the live recording of the podcasts and participate (or catch us when we're playing some games) at [twitch.tv/thenickscast](https://twitch.tv/thenickscast)

- Keep up-to-date with our latest goings-on on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast), or [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast), all `@thenickscast`

- We also occasionally create extra content about fandom including convention coverage and interviews on [YouTube.com/thenickscast](https://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We have some fine merchandise available at [shop.thenickscast.com](https://shop.thenickscast.com) (and we'd love your support!)

- If all else fails, you can email us: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

## What is "Fanthropological"?

Every week, Fanthropological delivers over an hour of fandom-related "fanalysis" covering a different fandom every week and giving you hard data, history, special guests, and, of course, speculation!

We cover topics spanning the gamut of anime, manga, comics, video games, comics, movies, books, television, and, in general, geek culture.

## Credits

- _Ending_: [ReMix: Chrono Trigger "Way Before the Day Before Yesterday"](https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03410) by [Wiesty](https://ocremix.org/artist/8640/wiesty), [The OC Jazz Collective](https://ocremix.org/artist/14337/the-oc-jazz-collective) from [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org/) used under [ocremix.org content policy](http://ocremix.org/info/Content_Policy#If_you.27re_using_our_content_elsewhere_.28.22Terms_of_Use.22.29...)

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!