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 than Star Wars and Harry Potter combined). Tajiri dreamed up a new kind of video game: one built not just on battling monsters, but trading them. What followed was a full-blown cultural takeover with TV shows, trading cards (global market value $6 billion), more video games, and so much merch. Find out how Pikachu got his spark, why there was fierce debate over America’s cuteness threshold, how Pokémon Go took over your smartphone — and why Pokémon (our MOST requested episode to date) is the best idea yet.

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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 opportunity…a revolutionary, easy-fix, easy-replace tire. But their real genius was how they promoted this new product: a guidebook to get people exploring in their cars (more road miles = more tire sales). As the guide grew, readers wanted to know where to eat, so Michelin hired undercover food critics and created their legendary three-star rating system to find the best restaurants. Today, a single Michelin star can double a restaurant's revenue and tourism boards around the world pay millions just to get the food testers to visit. Find out how this tire company's marketing stunt became fine dining's holy grail, how a top secret version of the book helped win World War II, and why the Michelin Guide is the best idea yet.

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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!” echoed across campus quads — and a local recreational sensation was born. But it took a WWII pilot with an eye for aerodynamics and a beachside side hustle to give the Frisbee its wings — and a toy company with a nose for viral hits (think: Hula Hoop) to send it sky-high. After a redesign by a deep-sea welder named “Steady Ed,” the Frisbee went from novelty toy to launching pad for at least five sports (including Ultimate and Disc Golf). Find out how the Frisbee lost its wobble, became a counterculture icon (and even an airborne urn), and why the Frisbee is the best idea yet.

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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 lounging: the 800-page biography of America’s first treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton. But what started as a light beach read soon became an obsession. Lin HAD to bring this man’s incredible life to the stage. Thus began an epic journey: from the White House, to Lincoln Center, to (eventually) Broadway. “Hamilton” became a massive success, scoring a record 16 Tony noms, the Pulitzer Prize, and $1B+ in revenue. But along the way, Lin and his team had to reckon with a problem: when your show about democracy becomes too exclusive, how do you bring it back to the people? Find out how Ham4Ham broke the B’way mold, how a streaming deal with Disney+ set the stage for Taylor Swift, and why “Hamilton” is the best idea yet. 

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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 was Charles Alderton, a flavor-obsessed pharmacist who sold his recipe and walked away, and a big-footed CEO who turned Dr Pepper's greatest weakness into its ultimate strength by making "different" feel rebellious. From dodging regulations to outsmarting Coca-Cola's distribution contracts, Dr Pepper became the Switzerland of sodas — neutral in the Cola Wars but somehow winning them anyway. It survived Coke's knockoff attempts (hello, Mr. Pibb), turned frenemies into business partners, and in 2023 finally overtook Pepsi to become America's #2 soda. Find out how being impossible to describe can be the perfect marketing strategy, the importance of a home-turf advantage, and why Dr Pepper is the best idea yet.

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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 world. He built an unstoppable racing team for Alfa Romeo… until he got fired, and had to strike out on his own. But thanks to his grit, stubbornness, and engineering instincts, he created a legendary brand that would rise to the top of Formula One racing *and* the luxury car market. Enzo mastered the art of strategic scarcity that underpins the entire luxury sector, but Ferrari’s journey to becoming the winningest team in F1 history—and the most valuable car business in Europe—is marked by contradictions and tragedy (our deadliest yet). Spoiler alert, this episode will make sure you always wear your seatbelt. Here’s why Ferrari is the best idea yet.

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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 investment portfolios as America went crazy over Legs the Frog, Pinchers the Lobster, and the rest of the plushie pals.Behind this bean-stuffed market bubble hid a mysterious salesman with a chip on his shoulder named Ty Warner (the P.T. Barnum of Plush), who masterminded limited drops, direct-to-retail strategies, and internet virality before any of those things had names.

With plastic pellets and perceived scarcity, Ty built an empire worth billions that stands to this day. But there wasn't such a happy ending for most speculators when the market turned from (Snort the) bull to (Brownie the) bear, wiping out millions.

Find out how Beanie Babies helped launch eBay, why you should never trade your Bucky the Beaver for a cupcake, and why Beanie Babies is the best idea yet.

One last thing, check out our live podcast recording for The Best One Yet, our daily podcast, in Chicago! Tickets are on sale now, grab 'em while you still can: Wondery.fm/TBOYLive

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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. Facing unemployment at age 50, they channeled their inner Hemingways to invent a fictional hero of the leisure class: Tommy Bahama, purveyor of roomy, flowered silk shirts—and a series of surprisingly good restaurants. Weathering mistakes and misfires, they built Tommy B into a global branding empire worth close to $2B. But Tommy’s greatest magic trick wasn’t getting adult men to embrace hibiscus prints, but to create the ultimate beach chair that now commands 75% of the premium market… and sells all year round (not just during spring break). How did Tommy Bahama create the perfect four-season beach throne? Pull up a backpack chair, throw a couple cold ones in the cooler pouch, and find out why the Tommy Bahama Beach Chair is the best idea yet.

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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 changed everything about the meaning of the name “Heinz.” This Master of Tomatoes built a condiment empire on super fresh produce and, by pioneering food safety standards decades before regulations existed. (Hint: it involved unleashing a team called the Poison Squad… and no, that name isn’t metaphorical.) Heinz battled exploding bottles and cheaper competitors to build a $35B empire that endures today. Learn why Heinz is in 97% of American homes, the strange origins of that number 57, and what Teddy Roosevelt had to do with America's favorite tomato topping. Here's why Heinz Ketchup is the best idea yet.

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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 Little League coaches and soccer moms. But then, LaCroix hit its stride—and its second act, reborn as the trendy choice of Hollywood writers, Instagram influencers, and diet gurus. So, what caused this gobsmacking glow-up? Would you believe it was all thanks to a quirky former construction worker and his obsession with ‘chaos cursive’? Find out how LaCroix disrupted the beverage scene and kicked off a $30B global sparkling-water Renaissance… plus, our quest to find the proper pronunciation of “pamplemousse.” Here’s why LaCroix is the best idea yet.

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