Stuff You Should Know

Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made. What happened on the night of November 17, 1978 can never be fully explained, but we make our best effort in our annual special edition of SYSK. May the force be with us all. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: What Makes a Must-Have Christmas Toy?

Ever since Cabbage Patch Kids came along in 1983, there’s been an annual holiday frenzy around one particular toy – the must-have Christmas toy of the year. But what makes a toy a must-have toy? Josh and Chuck investigate (and kick off the holidays). See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Yo-Yos Work

You may have played with a yo-yo before -- perhaps you've even walked the dog -- but do you know about the physics behind what makes a yo-yo sleep and wake up? Learn all about inertia, angular momentum and the history of the yo-yo in this episode of SYSK. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Monopoly Works

Since more than 1 billion people have played it, you're probably familiar with the board game Monopoly, but we bet you don't know its secret origins as a left-wing socialist teaching tool. Learn about the history, rules and cultural impact of Monopoly. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How the Nintendo Entertainment System Changed Gaming Forever

For the holidays in 1986 (and ’87) (and ’88) the most stupendous, most wanted, most amazing thing any kid could possibly get – outside of a pony, *maybe* – was the NES. That year, video games came back from the dead and changed forever. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.