Have you ever wondered what Tracy and Holly smell like? They’ll tell you! They’re also eager to talk about how people use and perceive perfume, and why cottage-industry perfumeries attract such devoted followings.

Greatest Hits: Perfume: The Culture of Scent

Both Tracy and Holly love new games, but they also fondly recall the early days of the video game industry. Take a trip down memory lane as talk turns to arcades, “Wreck-it Ralph” and why gamers get so attached to the titles.

Greatest Hits: Nostalgia for the Good old Games

The entertainment market is saturated with supernatural creatures, but vampires and zombies seem to be the most popular, with werewolves coming in a close third. What will we be seeing the most of once the various iterations of the undead are played out?

Greatest Hits: Zombies and Vampires and … where is this headed?

PopStuff is addicted to coffee. This stimulant seems to have a stranglehold on humanity, and an entire culture has sprung up around it. Where does coffee actually come from, and why is our love affair with it so solid?

Greatest Hits: PopStuff's Cuppa Joe

From Rosie to Bender and far beyond, robots have been a part of the media we consume for decades. Tracy and Holly talk about R2D2, Wall-E, Terminators and a host of other mechanical pals, trying to figure out why we love them so.

Greatest Hits: Robots in Pop Culture

"Marketers often depend on hype to foster interest in a product, but sometimes, the hype machine backfires. Tracy and Holly talk about the hype cycle and hash out how it applies to tech, movies, music and other consumables."

"<br>Marketers often depend on hype to foster interest in a product, but sometimes, the hype machine backfires. Tracy and Holly talk about the hype cycle and hash out how it applies to tech, movies, music and other consumables."

Greatest Hits: PopStuff Doesn’t Believe the Hype

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? That’s an earworm, and it’s an extremely common phenomenon. Holly and Tracy wonder why our brains latch onto small pieces of information, how you get rid of them, and why it’s important to study this field.

Greatest Hits: Why is this PopStuff stuck in my head?

Hipster. The very word makes people sneer. Why are hipsters viewed with such disdain? And what makes a person a hipster, anyway? Tracy and Holly examine the history of the word “hipster,” as well as the various definitions of what a hipster is.

Greatest Hits: PopStuff Isn't Cool Enough to Be a Hipster

Bon appétit! There are more cooking shows on television than ever before, but it seems fewer and fewer people are actually prepping their own food. Has cooking become a spectator sport? Listen in to learn more.

Greatest Hits: Cooking With PopStuff

We all know the Internet is awash with garbage, but there are also some hilarious and creative gems floating around the ether. When Tracy and Holly separate the wheat from the chaff, what Web memes and other delights do they fall in love with?

Greatest Hits: Internet, You So Crazy

Want to know more about the early days of the video game industry? Wondering how Hello Kitty became so popular? Join Tracy and Holly as they explore the science behind pop culture in PopStuff, a podcast by HowStuffWorks.com.

Lot of fun. Would love for them to do more!

Enjoyed This Show

Are there ever going to be more episodes?

Where Did You Go?

Want to know more about the early days of the video game industry? Wondering how Hello Kitty became so popular? Join Tracy and Holly as they explore the science behind pop culture in PopStuff, a podcast by <a href="http://HowStuffWorks.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HowStuffWorks.com</a>.

Popstuff

Good tunes can make the difference between a mediocre run and a great one. What music moves Tracy and Holly to run, and why are they drawn to their favorite workout songs? Tune in to find out.

Tracy and Holly's Running Playlist Episode

Razor-bladed apples, hooks dangling from car doors, alligators in the sewer ... if you believe in urban legends, the world is overrun with danger. Tracy and Holly get to the bottom of where these stories come from and why we can't stop sharing them.

Urban Legends

Odds are good you know someone who is on a diet right now. Tracy and Holly traverse the ins and outs of diet fads, healthy eating and finding ways to be realistic and sensible while still enjoying delicious favorites. Also, Holly praises Tracy a lot.

Culture of Dieting

Joss Whedon

He creates worlds and characters that fans fall in love with, but what is it, really, about Joss Whedon’s work that’s so engaging? Can the soon-to-be-released film projects “Cabin in the Woods” and “The Avengers” draw us in with that same Whedon magic?

Millions of people watched William and Kate’s wedding. Diana still has devoted fans. What is it about royalty, that so captures our attention and imagination?  And why does Holly love Queen Victoria so much?

Royal Family Obsession

Swearing promotes group bonding, but does it also rob you of your class? We know it’s not for best princess behavior, but when is cursing appropriate? Can Tracy and Holly keep it clean while weighing the merits of “bad” words? (The answer is yes.)

Swearing

Many critics feel that the Disney princesses are setting poor examples for young girls and are setting the women’s movement back by decades. Tracy and (admittedly biased) Holly point out what’s good about these animated silver-screened heroines.

Defending Disney Princesses?

Adapting a book into a film is no easy task, and fans of books are often disappointed by the versions of their favorite stories that end up on the big screen. What literature-inspired films do Tracy and Holly love and loathe?

Making Books into Movies

Perfume: The Culture of Scent

You can get Hello Kitty everything. Everything. Tracy and Holly talk about the famous cat’s beginnings, staying power and her many Sanrio friends. Just how did a feline with no film or television origin get so popular in the first place?

Hello Kitty and the Culture of Cute

The "Twilight" series is wildly popular, but why? Join Tracy and Holly as they examine just what makes people love (and loathe) Stephanie Meyer's vampire romance novels.

Blah Blah Twilight

The Snow White story has always been popular, but lately, everyone seems to have a version of it to tell. Which ones are Tracy and Holly excited about, which ones make them cringe and why are we all so fascinated by this story?

All of the Snow Whites

It’s that magical time when many people set the goals for the year that they fully expect to abandon by mid-January. Tracy and Holly share their resolutions for 2012, and dig through the research to find out why some people stick to resolutions while others struggle.

New Year’s Resolutions

Trendy Foods

Cupcakes, bacon, sriracha. Food has trends, just like fashion. Why do some edibles garner nearly cult-like followings? Tracy and Holly talk about their favorite fashionable treats, and touch on a few that are on the way out of the spotlight.

When Trendy Foods Attack

Women who want to let out their sexy side on Halloween have all the choices in the world. But what about ladies who don’t want to go bare? Tracy and Holly discuss the body shaming, freedom of expression and bizarre designs of the sexy costume trend.

Scary vs. Sexy?

Everyone loves the Muppets! (Seriously, it's suspicious if you don't.) In this episode, Tracy and Holly discuss the new movie, as well as what makes Jim Henson's creations so very special.

Muppets: Yay!

In the U.S., we tend to think of St. Patrick’s Day as a green-tinted street party with loads of drinking and leprechauns. But what are the holiday’s real roots, and how did they get lost in a sea of plastic pots of gold and green beer?

Saint Patrick's Day

It’s the entertainment equivalent of rubbernecking as you pass by a car accident. Sometimes, something is incredibly difficult to watch, but we seek it out just the same. Tracy and Holly have some theories about painful entertainment.

Why do we watch what's hard to watch?

OMG, did you hear the dirt on Tracy and Holly? Oh, for real – they are totally talking smack about gossip and acting like it’s totally OK to talk about other people. Seriously!

Gossip

The best podcast episodes of the most interesting stories and things. From skyping someone while they're in space, to tracking down and meeting a telephone scammer in person, to the story of a Galapagos. These episodes will keep you and all your friends entertained and captivated for hours. Learn something new in every episode! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes: Interesting Stories & Things

The best podcasts about ourselves as well as the world through the lense of Science. Specific topics include things about our brain, emotions to biology, physics and more!