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.

“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.

This is part four of Kristin’s seven-part series on Lucille Ball. The entire series is out now on Kristin's new podcast, An Old Timey Podcast. If you enjoy it, please subscribe to an Old Timey Podcast! 

This is part three of Kristin’s seven-part series on Lucille Ball. The entire series is out now on Kristin's new podcast, An Old Timey Podcast. If you enjoy it, please subscribe to an Old Timey Podcast! 

This is part two of Kristin’s seven-part series on Lucille Ball. The entire series is out now on Kristin's new podcast, An Old Timey Podcast. If you enjoy it, please subscribe to an Old Timey Podcast! 

This is part one of Kristin’s seven-part series on Lucille Ball. The entire series is out now on Kristin's new podcast, An Old Timey Podcast. If you enjoy it, please subscribe to an Old Timey Podcast! 

Hey LGTC fans! 

I hope you enjoy this episode of An Old Timey Podcast! Norm and I are having a ton of fun making this show. It’s full of deep dives, tangents, and very silly jokes. We also hope you’ll subscribe to the new show wherever you listen to podcasts. (And if you’re feeling generous, please leave us a five-star rating and review. It’ll really help us out!)

…and if you’re still missing Let’s Go To Court, I’ve got good news! The video from our final live show is on our Patreon at the $10 level. 

Speaking of which, the Let’s Go To Court and An Old Timey Podcast patreon accounts have *ahem* become one, so that’s the place to be for the entire back catalog of LGTC bonus episodes, bonus videos, and ad-free episodes. It’s also home to all of our new content, including a monthly bonus episode of An Old Timey Podcast, plus videos of our episodes! 

Anyhooters. Thank you all for being part of this journey. I hope you’ll come along for the next leg.

Love, 

Kristin

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon!

In this final episode of Let’s Go To Court, Kristin takes us full circle — with a con man. 

In his hometown of Wellsville, New York, Paul Ceglia was known for his dishonesty. He always had a scheme going. He often got caught. In fact, he got caught in 2009 running a fraudulent business. But our pal Paul claims that it was in that dark moment, with the government coming after him, he discovered something incredible. While going through his old files, he found a contract that had been signed by an 18-year-old Mark Zuckerberg. According to that contract, Paul was the rightful owner to 84% of Facebook. 

And now for a note about our process. For this episode, Kristin read a bunch of articles, then spat them back out in her very limited vocabulary. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.

“Facebook Face-off” episode of American Greed

“Facebook fraud suspect on the lam; family, dog also missing,” Associated Press

“Facebook friend or foe?” by Tim Graham for The Buffalo News

“Fugitive Ceglia to be returned to U.S. to face charges of attempting to defraud Facebook,” by Phil Fairbanks for The Buffalo News

“Ceglia has bad day in Facebook lawsuit,” by Dan Herbeck for The Buffalo News

“Paul Ceglia: The man who owns 84% of Facebook?” by Van Voris for Bloomberg Businessweek

“The buy who says he owns 50% of Facebook just filed a boatload of new evidence – and it’s breathtaking,” by Henry Blodget for Business Insider

“Facebook’s suit against lawyers for Ceglia thrown out on appeal,” by Bob Van Voris for Bloomberg News 

“Where in the world is Paul Ceglia? Possibly Ireland,” by Phil Fairbanks for The Buffalo News 

YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 55+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!  

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon!

Bill Mowbray was *the* Cadillac dealer in Brownsville, Texas. His dealership spanned five acres. His financial success seemed undeniable. He had a massive home. He had two condos on the beach. He owned exotic birds. But beneath the surface, Bill struggled. He had a spending problem. He had multiple affairs. He struggled with suicidal ideation. So, when he died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot, investigators didn’t immediately question his wife, Freda Susie Mowbray.

And now for a note about our process. For this episode, Brandi copy and pasted 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.

“Death of a Salesman” episode Accident Suicide or Murder

“Where the Blood Drops” episode Forensic Files

“Susie Mowbray: Stalled Heart” by Rebecca Reisner, forensicfilesnow.com

“‘I Didn’t Do It!’ Texas Wife Yells In Court — Was Her Husband's Death Murder Or Suicide?” By Joe Dziemianowicz, oxygen.com

“Son’s Quest May Set His Mother Free 8 Years After Her Murder Conviction” by Pauline Arrillaga, Los Angeles Times

“After 9 Years in Prison, Woman Is Acquitted in Husband's Death” by The Associated Press, The New York Times

“Retrial Set for Woman Jailed in Mate’s Death” by Pauline Arrillaga, Los Angeles Times

“After 9 years' in jail, woman cleared in death” Tampa Bay Times

“Mowbray v. Cameron County Texas” findlaw.com

YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 55+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!  

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon!

On March 16, 1968, members of the United States Army carried out a mass murder against unarmed Vietnamese civilians. They killed 504 people. Two hundred and ten of the murder victims were under the age of 13. Afterward, military leadership did their best to cover up the massacre. They didn’t anticipate that a few brave people would tell the truth.

And now for a note about our process. For this episode, Kristin read a bunch of articles, then spat them back out in her very limited vocabulary. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.

“My Lai” episode of American Experience

“My Lai Massacre” by Douglas O. Linder for famous trials.com

“My Lai Massacre,” entry on Britannica.com

“The truth behind My Lai,” by Christopher J. Levesque for The New York Times

“The Ghosts of My Lai,” by Shaun Raviv for Smithsonian Magazine

YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 55+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!  

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon!

Allen Roberts returned home, annoyed. A man named Sam Wagner had set up an appointment with him to talk about purchasing some land. Allen had gone out to meet Sam, but the man never showed. Now Allen found himself back home and, strangely, alone. His wife, Martha “Doe” Roberts was nowhere to be found. That was unlike her. She never left the house without at least writing a note. 

And now for a note about our process. For this episode, Brandi copy and pasted 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.

“Hold the Line” episode Hometown Homicide

“A Tale of a Lethal Friendship and How It Led to A Cruel Murder” by The Mystique, Medium

“Martha Doe Roberts” unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com

“Husband vows to pay ransom for missing wife” Associate Press, The Tennessean “Neighborhood Watch: The Kidnapping of Doe Roberts” podcast episode, True Crime Campfire

“State v. Lord” casetext.com

YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 55+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!