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PODCAST

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries

Brenda & Austin

Two friends, Austin and Brenda, delve into the rich history of secret nerd mysteries near and dear to their hearts in their own loose, light-hearted way. If you"ve ever wondered "Why Saturday morning for cartoons?" or "How come Chuck E. Cheese cares so much about other people"s birthdays?", this is the show for you!

society & culture hobbies

All Episodes

00:54:45

More Amusement Park Ghosts

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/05/06

Host Brenda is back at it again with more spooky scary ghost stories from your favorite amusement parks. What ghosts lurk in America's oldest theme park, and did a little girl really fall to her death from the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios Hollywood? And what famous ghost has been forced to watch Shrek 4D for all eternity?

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00:57:40

Kid's Programming Blocks: Kids WB, One Saturday...

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/04/29

While Saturday morning cartoons have been around for decades, the concept of the kid's programming block is a fairly recent invention of the 90's. Starting with the Disney Afternoon, channels began carefully curating children's programming into themed blocks, not only to satisfy new government regulations requiring certain hours of educational programming, but to compete with the brand new 24 hour networks like nickelodeon and cartoon network.

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00:49:04

Blind Box Figures; Sonny Angels, Smiskis, and Labubus

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/04/22

Blind boxes are the sensation that has taken over the world. This episode touches on the potential origins of these tiny little collectables, as well as the history of several popular brands; Kid Robot's Dunnys, Sonny Angels, Smiskis, and Labubus!

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00:59:21

How "The N" Block Taught Teens

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/04/15

As Millennials reached teenhood in the early 2000's, it became apparent that there was a serious hole in the market when it came to creating educational content for them. Enter the Children's Workshop and the team behind Nickelodeon, who made a home for teens looking for more serious content on a programming block called "The N" (which just so happened to be the nighttime block for preschool channel "noggin").

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00:51:37

Episode updates #1

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/04/08

We're trying something new this week by bringing you a selection of updates to previous episodes. Have you been dying to know what happened to the floating McDonalds? Or what is the real reason Sonic Sat AM never got a third season? These updates, along with updates about Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka are all here for you enjoyment.

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00:56:36

The True Story of Monopoly

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/04/01

According to Hasbro's website, the board game "Monopoly" was created in 1934 by board game designer Charles Darrow. But what if that information is completely false? What if Monopoly dates back thirty years earlier, and has a secret history that Hasbro and Monopoly's previous rights owner, Parker Brothers, has tried so desperately to erase?

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01:01:59

Neopets April Fools Day Pranks

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/03/25

Back when the internet used to be fun, a little virtual pet website started the trend of doing yearly April Fools Day pranks. From introducing new pets to unleashing an incurable disease upon its citizens, Host Brenda tells Austin all about the best pranks throughout Neopian History. MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

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00:46:26

Steven Universe: Jailbreak (feat. Rebecca Sugar and...

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/03/18

Ten years ago, the Steven Universe episode Jailbreak aired on Cartoon Network revealing that the character of Garnet was actually two lesbians in a trenchcoat (but it's actually more complicated than that). Host Austin shares the story of the making of this monumental episode along with audio clips from an exclusive interview with show creator Rebecca Sugar and Executive producer Ian James-Quartey!Catch the whole interview by becoming a Maximum Fun member and gaining access to an entire library of

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01:19:17

Austin and Brenda join MFD Spring Break

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/03/17

It’s not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris, Manolo Moreno, Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper, Ella McLeod, John-Luke Roberts, Justin McElroy, Clint

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00:46:15

Early Women in Gaming

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/03/11

It's no secret that the video game industry is a notoriously male dominated field, but women have been a part of the industry since its very inception. Today we highlight two women: Mabel Addis, the writer and historical expert behind the first educational game used in classrooms, and Carol Shaw, the first woman employed at Atari, and the programmer of the best-selling game River Raid. MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member

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00:59:45

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/03/04

In the early 90's, the Walt Disney company was searching for a way to add some thrills into their theme parks, and somehow, they managed to settle on building a drop tower themed after the 1950's horror anthology show, the Twilight Zone. But there's more to this attraction than meets the eye!

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00:55:36

The Smurfs

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/02/25

A new Smurf's movie is coming out featuring an entire album and musical score by Rhianna! So, just who are these little blue fellas and how have they managed to stay in the public consciousness all this time?

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00:49:14

The Superman Radio Show vs the KKK

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/02/18

The Superman radio show premiered in 1940, introducing the masses to many new aspects of Superman's Canon, but in the middle of its historic run, the people behind the show decided that they wanted to use Superman's influence to enact positive social change. Enter, Operation Intolerance, and more importantly, the sixteen part series "The Clan of the Firey Cross" that directly took on real life racial hate groups.

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00:56:21

Sega Channel

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/02/11

Before Nintendo Online, before the PSN, before Xbox Game Pass, there was Sega Channel, a revolutionary way to play new games on your Sega genesis through your cable provider.

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00:53:40

Amusement Park Ghosts

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/02/04

It's time for a classic Halloween in February celebration. Learn the tale of the world's (supposedly) only haunted carousel horse, located at Cedar Point, and marvel in some of the more well-known Disneyland urban legends and hauntings. Why does Tomorrowland have so many ghosts? Honestly it's a mystery.

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00:50:53

George Pal's Puppet Toons

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/01/28

Before Coraline, before Nightmare Before Christmas, before Wallace and Gromit, George Pal was making his "Puppet Toons" starting in the 1930's! Using upwards of 9,000 individually carved wooden puppets, Pal's work has almost been completely forgotten by pop culture. And yes, some of it was a bit racist. It was the 30's! Of course it was!

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01:04:12

Sonic the Hedgehog Cartoons - The DIC years

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/01/21

In 1993, two cartoons starring Sonic the Hedgehog premiered within two weeks of each other; one airing weekdays on syndication, and the other on Saturday mornings. Despite being drastically different from modern day Sonic, these shows helped to establish who Sonic was as a character and fleshed out a world that had previously been confined to pixels. Get Sonic! Get Atomic!

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00:52:51

Otome Games and Neo Romance

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/01/14

Since the dawn of time, games have been for the fellas, but in Japan, in 1994, a collective of women designers got together to make a genre defining game. What if there was one princess, who had to choose between a collection of handsome and beautiful men on her quest to save the world?

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00:58:10

Son of Beast

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/01/07

Rollercoasters don't typically have sequels, and one of the reasons that might be is because of Son of Beast, formerly the world's tallest, fastest wooden rollercoaster, whose entire existence was mired in an endless string of incidents and repairs. From sections of the track collapsing, to getting hit by lightning, to having its best element, a record breaking loop, removed, the little beast just couldn't catch a break.

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00:42:18

Mr. Magoo and the Christmas Carol that Changed Christmas

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2024/12/17

Before Rudolph, and the Grinch, and a Charlie Brown Christmas and all of the classic animated Christmas Specials that you all know and love, there was a little old man with poor eyesight who was brought to life by one of the scrappiest animated studios there ever was. This week is about the first (that we know of) animated Christmas Special, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, and how it paved the way for all the Christmas specials to come.

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