We want to know more about what you like, what you don't like and generally, how we can make things better for you.
So go to gzmshows.com slash survey to help us, well, help you.
One more time, that's gzmshows.com slash survey.
Hi, Debra here.
To celebrate Big February, we're taking out classic episodes of Wacky Khakis out from behind the paywall.
Today's episode is all about Monopoly.
We wanted to share this classic episode of Wacky Khakis here in the feed as a free sample of all the great things we have to offer when you get a GZM family subscription.
So if you want to hear more episodes of Wacky Kackies or our vintage Pants on Fire show, or episodes of Ask Lisa, or even to get the Big Fib ad free and a week early, go to gzmshowscom.
Slash subscribe.
One more time, that's gzmshows.com slash subscribe to learn more.
Thanks for all your support and enjoy the show right after this break.
Two people claim to know everything about something, but only one knows anything.
President Roosevelt wore an anti-gravity belt.
Dinosaurs had two brains.
Lucky kids live on Mars and go to school in flying cars.
Or at least they will one day.
Believe me, I'm a historian.
An astronaut or drive a DeLorean.
Would I lie?
It's hard to say.
The Big Fifth!
Can you spot the light?
Some pigs can fly.
But if you ask me why, can you trust the answer?
From Park Place, New Jersey, it's a bonus episode of The Big Fit.
Today yeah, I'm talking about today we'll be playing another installment of our world-renowned game show within a game show Wacky Cockies.
And now, your host and the richest woman in the world.
Not by a long shot.
Deborah goldstein.
Hello and welcome to the big bib.
I'm your host, deborah goldstein, and here with me, as ever, is our sound effects robot lisa, whose name stands for live in studio audience.
Now lisa, where did you get it into your head that i was the richest woman in the world?
Let's review the facts, Mrs Moneybags.
First off, you drive a 2011 Subaru Forester.
I think there are more expensive cars out there to drive.
Exhibit B Two summers ago, you took your family on a vacation to Paris France, where you stayed in the lap of luxury at the Four Seasons Hotel.
No, we went to Paris, Texas to visit some cousins and we stayed at La Quinta Inn Express.
Same thing.
I bet you went during one of the four seasons.
It was one of the seasons, but in fact is not the same thing.
Oh.
I suppose I could consider it flattering that I appear to you as someone living in extravagant luxury.
And I am very grateful for everything that I have in life.
Don't get me wrong.
But I'm definitely not the richest woman in the world.
Unless you count richness in friends.
No, absolutely not.
Well, now that we've cleared that up, would you mind telling everybody how we play our games?
Every time we do Wacky Cackies, Debra leaves a portion of her vast personal estate to me.
Nope.
And after that, we each tell one crazy story about the world.
Here's the thing, though.
Only one of those stories is true.
Interesting.
And it's the job of two human children to figure out which story that is.
And here to oversee the game and explain this week's theme, you're never going to believe it.
It's our producer, Noah.
Hi, Lisa.
You don't have to whisper.
You're not that rich.
Oh.
Hi, Lisa.
Hi, Deborah.
Hi, Noah.
Hi.
It is a pleasure, as always, to be with you.
So, our theme this week is Monopoly.
Ooh, Monopoly?
Monopoly.
Two stories about opulent monopolists who monopolized commodities, sometimes awfully sloppily, when offered opportunities.
What about that is so hard to understand?
That whole sentence?
I think I can explain.
A monopoly is when a company controls the entire market for a type of product.
So if there were only one company in the world that made basketball sneakers, for example, that would be a monopoly.
Very well explained, Deborah.
Now, Lisa, if you wouldn't mind explaining to us who our human child contestants are this week.
Our human child contestants are Elena and her sister, Addie.
Here they are.
Hey, Addie.
Hi, Elena.
Hi.
How are you guys today?
I'm good.
Do you guys always talk in unison or is that just a lucky start?
It was just lucky.
They do a lot of things together.
Apparently, they lose teeth together, too, because both of them have quite a few teeth missing.
I didn't take them.
I'm not eating them right now.
Lisa.
No, we just lost them.
And did you try retracing your steps?
I lost these like a few months ago and I swallowed this one, I believe.
You swallowed it?
She's eating herself.
Oh no.
How truly horrifying.
Self-cannibalism.
That is horrifying.
So speaking of things you do together, you're also matching a certain part of your outfit today.
You want to tell us about that?
We're both wearing khakis for wacky khakis.
Very nice.
Isn't that amazing?
I love that.
I love that they're in uniform.
That's great.
We just wore them at school and we just threw a different top on.
You really are trying to speak in unison.
You know, I'm wearing khakis too.
Pants check, everybody.
I'm wearing the kilt I normally wear.
Oh, nice.
Very handsome.
Thank you.
And you, Debra?
I'm wearing an evening gown, a hoop skirt.
Wow.
Yeah.
Okay, hold on.
I'm changing mine.
I'm wearing two hoop skirts.
You look very nice.
That's rather wacky.
All right, everybody, it's time to play Wacky Kackies.
As even a casual observer of our podcast could probably point out, when we play Wacky Kackies, Debra and Lisa each have a minute and change to tell their stories.
Before the timer sounds.
Lisa has petitioned to go first using a very formal letter of solicitation from his lawyer.
You know, you don't have to do that, Lisa.
You can just ask me next time.
No need.
That's why I pay Lionel.
OK, so per Lisa's legal request, we will let him start out.
You ready to go, Lisa?
Hang on.
Let me just check with my lawyer.
OK, Lisa, counselor, we don't have all day here.
Ready to go?
Sorry.
I have been advised that now is a good time for me to tell my story.
OK, that's fantastic.
You have a good lawyer.
OK, we will begin Lisa's timer now.
One feature of the Industrial Revolution in America was something called Company Towns.
These would pop up when one company had a monopoly over all of the major business of a given area and had so many employees that it built an entire town to hold them all.
The company would own every house, store and restaurant in town and, instead of paying real US dollars, it would pay its employees with its own currency, which would only be accepted within the town.
Barnesburg Pennsylvania, was a company town run by the famous coal tycoon Abner Barnes and his two adult children, Ben and Tanner.
The fabulously wealthy Barnes sons never set foot in a coal mine themselves, but rather spent their days running the town.
The problem was that the two brothers despised each other, and when their father died they began a sibling rivalry that infected every aspect of the company town, every one.
In 1892 Ben set up Bensville, a special district in Barnesburg dedicated to fine dining and luxury goods.
Jealous of his brother, Tanner established Tanner's Borough, a bordering neighborhood, which included a strategically placed garbage incinerator that left his brother's portion of town with a terrible stinky stench.
Ben retaliated by publishing his own newspaper, the Benjamin Evening Gazette, which ran frequent articles referring to Tanner as quote.
Tanner got his revenge by establishing the Tanner's Borough Tenors, an a cappella choir that performed the classic musical numbers of the day, but with lyrics that were revised to insult his brother Ben.
The two petty men subdivided the company currency so that workers could now earn either Ben bucks or Tanner dollars, each only accepted in the corresponding brother's part of town.
This crashed the local economy and left the A.G.
Barnes Mining Company in double bankruptcy.
By 1901, Barnesburg had just two residents left.
Ben and Tanner, now living in a ghost town of their own making.
The only remaining vestige of Barnesburg, oddly enough, is the Tanner's Borough Tenors who went on to form the now-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
And time.
Nice work, Lisa.
So, Addie, Elena, what did you two think of that story?
Well, I've never heard of that choir, but it's from a long time ago, so maybe I just haven't heard of it.
Yeah, I mean, but also like, do you study a lot of choirs?
No.
You two are siblings.
Could you ever imagine getting in such a fight that one of you started a newspaper to make fun of the other one?
That would not be very nice.
Oh, Elena thinks maybe she would... Oh, Addy also.
My goodness, my goodness.
I thought you guys loved each other.
Sometimes.
If you can't insult your sister or brother, who can you insult?
So that was the believable part to you two, was two brothers who constantly snipe with each other.
Yeah, sometimes siblings can be annoying.
I see.
And Addy, your thoughts on that?
She's the more annoying one.
So you are.
No, you are.
No, you are.
You are.
You are.
We can find out this after the podcast, okay?
Okay.
All right.
We now turn over our attention to Debra.
Debra, are you ready to go or do you need to consult a lawyer?
Lionel's taking new clients.
I'm good.
Let's just get on with it.
She doesn't want you.
Oh, no.
I just don't need him at this time.
OK, just be advised that anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of wacky khakis.
Right.
We are going to begin Deborah's timer now.
Some groan when it's pulled out of the cupboard and others can't get enough of it.
But either way, you are unlikely to go your whole life without playing at least one round of Monopoly, the Parker Brothers' famous board game about business, real estate and the free market.
In Monopoly, players move their pieces clockwise around a board, buying up properties, charging rent and sometimes going directly to jail.
Sounds fun, right?
The game ends when one player owns all the properties on the board, hence the name Monopoly.
The game is one great big celebration of our capitalist economic system, rewarding players for taking down their competitors and charging exorbitant fees that can't be negotiated down.
But in fact the game of Monopoly was stolen from its original creator, who invented it to make the exact opposite point.
Feminist writer and game designer, Lizzie McGee, first created The Landlord Game in the late 19th century with rules nearly identical to the game we now know as Monopoly.
McGee intended for people to play the game so that they would realize quote that they are poor because Carnegie and Rockefeller have more money than they know what to do with.
Sadly, McGee was all too correct about the way big companies push around the little guy.
McGee's version of the game was played informally throughout the Northeast for about 30 years before Charles Darrow, who most certainly did not invent Monopoly, copied the game and sold it to Parker Brothers.
Darrow would go on to become the first millionaire game designer in history.
When reporters asked him how he invented Monopoly, Darrow simply shrugged and said it had popped into his head out of nowhere.
McGee, for her part, only made 500 off the game when Parker Brothers tricked her into signing away the patent.
She was simply thrilled that more people might learn about her anti-capitalist message, having no idea the game would be used to promote the opposite.
So the next time you're playing Monopoly and you catch someone cheating, don't get too upset.
After all, without a massive amount of cheating, you wouldn't be playing Monopoly to begin with.
And time.
Thank you, Deborah.
Good stuff there.
Thank you.
So Addie, Elena, what did you think of that story?
I think it was pretty believable.
But I'm kind of second guessing myself with Lisa and I don't want Lisa to get mad at me and I'm second guessing myself.
No, Lisa, I'm third place.
Oh my gosh.
I'll never get mad at you guys.
You guys are my best friends.
What?
I mean, I just, I'm sorry, Debra.
Just, it is what it is, okay?
They're the sisters I never had.
Okay.
Okay, it is decision time.
Time for our contestants to decide whose story is on the money and whose is just funny money.
Do you believe Lisa, about the company town that was destroyed by the sibling rivalry of its two wealthy owners?
Or Debra's story about how the game of Monopoly was stolen from its rightful creator?
Hey, Addie is whispering into her sister's ear right now.
I kind of like it.
They're conferring.
No, that's good.
I like it too.
But you should tell us what you're thinking.
Yeah.
So we decided we think we know who it is.
And you both agree?
Yeah.
Don't second guess yourself.
Okay.
Who is it?
We think Lisa's the liar.
What?
After I just made you my best friends?
Sorry, Lisa!
They can't be guilted, Alvin.
All right, then.
Will whoever told today's true wacky khaki story please let us know who you are?
It was me!
Yay!
They did it!
Nice work, Addie and Elena.
That is right.
Debra was telling the truth this week with the truly outrageous tale of how the Parker brothers stole Monopoly from Lizzie McGee.
To this day, Parker brothers and their parent corporation Hasbro deny that any such theft took place.
Again, thieves always do deny that they are thieves.
Shame.
Back before the game was stolen, McGee was quoted as saying let the children once see clearly the gross injustice of our present land system, and when they grow up, the evil will soon be remedied.
As for Lisa's story, it's true.
The company towns were established throughout the Industrial Revolution so that monopolistic business owners might keep tighter control over their employees.
Told you guys.
But the story of Ben and Tanner was a made-up tale, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is not an outgrowth of an a cappella group that a wealthy coal baron used to antagonize his older brother.
Though it would be cool if that were true.
Well, friends, I think that's it for this week on The Big Fib.
Thank you to our contestants, Elena and Addie.
You may both pass go and collect $200 to our producer.
Yeah, $200 of pretend Monopoly money.
To our producer, Noah, who just won second prize in a beauty contest.
Oh, my God.
I have so many people to thank.
Do they still have that in that game?
Yeah, I think so.
And to our sound effects robot, Lisa, who, ooh, goes directly to jail.
Sorry, Lisa.
Them's the breaks.
Aw, man.
Aw, Lisa, we'll visit you.
Thank you, guys.
Make sure to put a nail file in the cake.
And to you, the listener, for tuning in to The Big Fib, where we hold a monopoly on the truth and push lies straight out of business.
The Big Fib is a production of Gen Z Media.
Find us online at gzmshows.com, where you can discover more great Gen Z podcasts.
Find out how you can participate and submit questions for me to answer on Ask Lisa.
And follow us on social media at The Big Fib Podcast for behind-the-scenes photos and more true facts.
And if you have any of those get-out-of-jail-free cards, I could really really use one right about now.
Oh, great!
Here they come!
I'm an innocent robot!
Lionel!
Lionel, come on!
He's a total hack!
He doesn't know anything!
You gotta help me, guys!
I'm not a spy!
Wait, you're not a spy?
I'm listening to you, Lisa.
Oh, should I stop the recording?
Find your next adventure at gcmshows.com.
Shh, it's starting.
GCM Shows.
Imagination Amplified.
In a world where some baby teeth are considered powerfully magical, tooth-related crimes are especially gummy.
The heroes who investigate these cases are members of an elite squad known as the Tooth Fairy Detectives.
This is the story of how one of those winged legends saved the world.
Ruby, Tooth Fairy Detective on Apple Podcasts or go to GCMshows.com for more information.
Oh hey, it's me, Jess.
Just a reminder that you can get merch for your favorite GZM show over at gzmshows.com slash shop.
Right now, I'm wearing my Property of Whittier Corp t-shirt.
Those who know what I'm talking about.
You know what I'm talking about.
You can get t-shirts hats mugs, notebooks and so many stickers of your favorite shows over at our Redbubble store now by going to gzmshowscom slash shop.
