Selects: The Strange Story of Sea Monkeys

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Selects: The Strange Story of Sea Monkeys" from Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know, hosted by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, delves into the fascinating and multifaceted history of Sea Monkeys, transforming a nostalgic childhood toy into a story filled with innovation, marketing genius, and unexpected controversy.

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1. Introduction to Sea Monkeys

The episode begins with Josh Clark introducing Sea Monkeys as a beloved childhood staple, often associated with imaginative play and the wonder of watching tiny creatures come to life in a plastic tank.

Josh Clark [01:00]: "Sea Monkeys are one of those things that you just take for granted when you're a kid... But Sea Monkeys have an even more amazing backstory than this."

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2. The Invention and Uniqueness

Sea Monkeys are not mythical creatures but a hybrid version of brine shrimp, scientifically known as Artemia. The creation of Sea Monkeys involved cross-breeding brine shrimp to develop a species resilient enough to survive desiccation and rehydration, allowing them to be shipped as eggs that could hatch upon adding water.

Josh Clark [09:16]: "Sea monkeys don't actually exist. There's no such thing."

Chuck Bryant [10:34]: "They are a man-made creation. Scientifically, it's pretty amazing."

The unique aspect of Sea Monkeys lies in their ability to enter a state of cryptobiosis, similar to tardigrades, enabling them to remain dormant until rehydrated under optimal conditions.

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3. Marketing Genius and Strategies

Harold von Braunhut, the inventor behind Sea Monkeys, employed innovative marketing strategies that were pivotal to the product's success. By extensively advertising in comic books—a medium directly targeting children—von Braunhut ensured widespread visibility.

Chuck Bryant [17:28]: "The comic book thing was a stroke of genius. How many, like three and a half million ads a year? Or pages?"

These advertisements featured imaginative and fantastical illustrations of the Sea Monkey family, captivating young minds and establishing Sea Monkeys as magical, almost mythical pets.

Josh Clark [07:08]: "This is a family. But exactly what kind of family they were is really up for debate."

Additionally, von Braunhut directly marketed to children at elementary schools, bypassing traditional retail channels that had previously failed with similar products like "Instant Fish."

Chuck Bryant [17:31]: "He started hanging out at elementary school parking lots... 'Here, kid, come look at my minivan.'"

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4. The Controversial Ties of Harold von Braunhut

Despite his success, Harold von Braunhut's legacy is marred by his involvements with white nationalist groups, particularly the Aryan Nations. Investigative journalism revealed his substantial financial support and participation in these extremist organizations, creating a moral dilemma for consumers who unknowingly supported such ideologies through their purchases of Sea Monkeys.

Josh Clark [30:48]: "This is the guy who invented Sea Monkeys... he was a longtime contributor to white nationalist groups, specifically the Aryan Nations out of Idaho."

Von Braunhut's connection to the Aryan Nations became public after a Washington Post exposé in 1988, which documented his contributions and attendance at extremist rallies.

Josh Clark [31:00]: "He was identified as someone who was a longtime contributor to the Aryan Nations... one of the original white hate groups in the United States."

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5. Licensing and Legal Battles

Following von Braunhut's death in 2003, his wife Yolanda Signorelli von Braunhut became embroiled in legal disputes over the licensing rights of Sea Monkeys. Big Time Toys, a subsequent licensee, contended that they owned the Sea Monkeys brand after fulfilling payment obligations, leading to a prolonged legal battle.

Chuck Bryant [54:27]: "She basically said, we have the secret formula, the only one that works... And Big Time basically called her up... 'We're done with your contract's broken.'"

Issues arose when Big Time Toys began sourcing Sea Monkeys from China, resulting in inferior products that failed to hatch properly, damaging the brand's reputation.

Chuck Bryant [56:33]: "Only recognized species of Artemia brine shrimp, and this is not one of them... They are knockoffs."

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6. Current State and Legacy

The legitimacy and future of the Sea Monkeys brand remain uncertain amidst ongoing legal disputes and questionable product quality. Despite these challenges, the Sea Monkeys brand continues to exist, albeit with a tarnished reputation and diminished consumer trust.

Josh Clark [58:07]: "I predict that Sea Monkeys, the brand, will ultimately rise above this, that it will survive this somehow and still be around 20, 30 years from now."

The episode underscores the complexity of consumer products intertwined with unethical practices, highlighting how Sea Monkeys evolved from a simple childhood toy to a symbol of both innovation and controversy.

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Notable Quotes and Moments

• On Marketing Strategy:

  Chuck Bryant [17:31]: "He started hanging out at elementary school parking lots... 'Here, kid, come look at my minivan.'"

• On Controversial Ties:

  Josh Clark [31:00]: "He was identified as someone who was a longtime contributor to the Aryan Nations... one of the original white hate groups in the United States."

• On Legal Disputes:

  Chuck Bryant [54:27]: "She basically said, we have the secret formula, the only one that works... And Big Time basically called her up... 'We're done with your contract's broken.'"

• On Brand Resilience:

  Josh Clark [58:07]: "I predict that Sea Monkeys, the brand, will ultimately rise above this, that it will survive this somehow and still be around 20, 30 years from now."

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Conclusion

The episode "The Strange Story of Sea Monkeys" offers a comprehensive exploration of a seemingly simple toy that encapsulates broader themes of marketing, ethics, and legacy. Through thorough research and engaging discussions, Josh and Chuck uncover the layers behind Sea Monkeys, inviting listeners to reflect on the intricate stories behind everyday products.

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Note: This summary focuses solely on the content related to Sea Monkeys, excluding advertisements, intros, and outros as per the provided transcript and instructions.

Transcript

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[Chuck Bryant]

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[Josh Clark]

Hey, everybody, it's Josh. And for this week's select, I've chosen our episode on Sea Monkeys that came out in March of 2018. Sea Monkeys are one of those things that you just take for granted when you're a kid. There's that one ad that was in every single issue of every single comic book. And for those of us lucky enough to mail off to get them, they became an even bigger part of your childhood when you got to watch them swim around in their cool little plastic tank. But Sea Monkeys have an even more amazing backstory than this. Not just of toy fame, but also of intrigue too. Hope you enjoy it.

[Advertiser]

Welcome to Stuff youf Should Know, a production of iHeartRadio.

[Josh Clark]

Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant. There's Jerry over there. We are swimmingly excited about this one because it is about Sea Monkeys.

[Chuck Bryant]

Jerry is mama Sea Monkey.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, she's got her little blonde bob hairdo going on.

[Chuck Bryant]

And I guess we're baby Sea Monkeys.

[Josh Clark]

I guess. Yeah, that's. That's cool. We'll let some. We'll let the dad not exist. Okay. We're brothers.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

I think that's a good move with.

[Chuck Bryant]

A non existent father, which really explains a lot about us.

[Josh Clark]

Non existent sea monkey father, no less.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

So, Chuck, I realized that I don't know something about you, which is weird because we've been doing this for almost 10 years.

[Chuck Bryant]

And we're sea monkey brothers.

[Josh Clark]

We are. We know a lot about one another. We know one another's smells, looks, scowls, all sorts of stuff. Right. Triumphs, victories. One thing I don't know about you is whether you were into comic books as a kid.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, glad you asked. I feel like we've talked about this at some point, but maybe not. I. Yeah, we have. For sure. Okay. Because remember, I read Archie and Richie Rich.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And I wasn't. Well, here's a couple of things. I read Archie and Richie Rich growing up and didn't get into the superhero comics much because I don't know why. But then also, you don't know this part. We used to go to visit my grandmother on my father's side, and she.

[Josh Clark]

Was big time into Thor.

[Chuck Bryant]

Granny Thor. She lived in Jackson, Tennessee. And it was. I had sort of the modern grandparents with cable TV who lived in a condo.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And then old school granny who lived in a house in the country. And so Granny. Granny Bryant didn't have TV or anything like that. But what she did have in the back room was a bunch of my dad and Uncle Ed's old toys and comic books from when they were kids.

[Josh Clark]

Nice.

[Chuck Bryant]

So I think they were mainly Uncle Eddie. So I got. I had a big stack of comics from, I guess the 1960s that were like, man from Uncle I'm trying to read. I'm trying to think of a few more. No superhero stuff, but just those weird sort of. I guess it wasn't weird, but man from Uncle Is the only one I can remember.

[Josh Clark]

But it's a little weird.

[Chuck Bryant]

Long story short is because that's all the entertainment we had to ingest. We would. My brother and I would go back there and read those every year for years.

[Josh Clark]

That's pretty awesome.

[Chuck Bryant]

The same comics.

[Josh Clark]

So you made your way through that stack multiple times.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, many, many times.

[Josh Clark]

Gotcha.

[Chuck Bryant]

Like, I remember the ads. I remember. I remember everything about them.

[Josh Clark]

So then you remember, obviously. I think you probably knew where I was going with this from the outset. You remember the ads for the sea.

[Chuck Bryant]

Monkeys then I remember sea monkeys. I remember X ray specs.

[Josh Clark]

Sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

Which we'll get into. And I remember for sure all the ads for like, can you draw this parrot or pirate.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Remember that?

[Josh Clark]

For the art school.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. What was that?

[Josh Clark]

I think they just took your money and then sent you a degree for your art school.

[Chuck Bryant]

Is that what it was?

[Josh Clark]

I'm pretty sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, so disappointing.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. But the turtle was pretty cool. He had like a newsy cap on and a turtleneck and he just looked like he was ready to get mellow, you know?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Oh, you know the other one too was the Charles Atlas workout thing. Do you remember that?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Where the 98 pound weakling gets sand kicked in his face.

[Chuck Bryant]

Totally, man.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that's really playing on some 15 year old's insecurities. And it works.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh yeah, for sure. What about you?

[Josh Clark]

I remember sea monkeys. There's one that always stuck out to me was a bonkers ad from the 80s. This would have been way past your man from uncle era comic books, but I think I've asked you before if you'd ever had bonkers. They're like these fruit shoes. They were like just the superior starburst. And there was a comic book ad in there with like this like kind of crotchety old lady in it. And I don't even remember the gist of it. I think maybe she was mad that the kid was eating bonkers and enjoying it. I don't know. But I'll never forget that comic for some reason because the colors in it were just perfect and they struck my brain just right. So I've always got that bonkers comic book ad in there too. And a lot of bubbles bubble. Yum. Comic book ads are stuck in there as well. Nothing that means anything really. And certainly nothing pertinent to this episode. Except for that sea monkeys ad.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, but you and I were also into Mad magazine big time, which I believe was ad free, wasn't it?

[Josh Clark]

It was. They had like those fake ads.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh yeah, of course.

[Josh Clark]

Which were pretty hilarious.

[Chuck Bryant]

Satirical ads.

[Josh Clark]

Sure. But no, I don't think they had any like actual ads in them. They were just strictly subscription based.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

So in that sea monkeys ad, if you'll remember correctly, and I think for many decades it was virtually the same thing. Yeah, it was this kind of group, this tribe of humanoid figures.

[Chuck Bryant]

It was a family.

[Josh Clark]

It was a family. But exactly what kind of family they were is really up for debate. So they were kind of lanky, like stringy, ropey arms and legs, paunchy tummies. Naked is the day they were born.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sure.

[Josh Clark]

Webbed feet, Webbed tails. Like the end of their tail was like webbed. Which if you look closely, I think was probably just a device to cover dad's junk. In the illustration they were like, we need something on the end of their tail there, buddy. And it's just like this classic illustration of the sea monkeys that apparently was done by this guy named Joe Orlando Mad magazine. Yeah, he's from Mad magazine. Creepy magazine is another one. He ran some comic lines at DC Comics for a while. He's kind of a legend. But he's also extremely well known outside of the comic world for having drawn that sea monkey family.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I mean, I'm looking at it right now. Look at that. It's like unchanged.

[Josh Clark]

I know. And what's great too is we'll talk about later. Some people went in and fiddled around with it. And if you look now, if you go to buy the sea monkeys now, they're basically back to the way they were before.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, yeah, and we'll get to that too. You also didn't mention the castle, which is kind of key because somehow they have these little crown like heads and I guess were kings of the bowl.

[Josh Clark]

I guess. Yeah. They were a royal sea monkey family.

[Chuck Bryant]

Kings of the fishbowl and only inhabitants, actually.

[Josh Clark]

So if you. Right. So you could proclaim yourself the royal family. Yumi and I have done that at our house. So if you look closely at some of those ads, they say there's like a little fine print that says these are caricatures of sea monkeys. It's not actually what your sea monkeys look like or it's an artist's interpretation or something like that. And it turns out that sea monkeys and just prepare for your childhood to blow away like so much dust in the wind. Chuck, sea monkeys don't actually exist. There's no such thing.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Did you know that already?

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, of course. Well, sea monkeys as sea monkeys don't exist, but they are real little living creatures that you buy and have shipped in an envelope back in those days in an envelope to your home.

[Josh Clark]

And they are actually their own thing. So what they are ultimately is something called Artemia or brine shrimp.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yes.

[Josh Clark]

But the guy who ended up calling them sea monkeys was actually well within his right to call them something different than just brine shrimp, because they're a hybrid version of brine shrimp. The guy who invented sea monkeys actually tinkered along with a micro crustaceans expert named D. Agostino. I can't remember his first name.

[Chuck Bryant]

I think when you have a name like D'Agostino, you can just go by that.

[Josh Clark]

So D'Agostino and this guy named Harold Von Braun or Braunhart. Right. They got together and they actually took Brian Shrimp and made them into something different. A hybrid version that we now know and love as sea monkeys.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So the literal sea monkeys that you buy don't exist in nature.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

They are a man made creation. I don't think we can get that through clearly enough because it's pretty. Scientifically, it's pretty amazing. And they did that because they, they couldn't find any of these brine shrimp varieties that would live through the shipping process and be able to be essentially rehydrated and brought to life to the delight of children. So they made them.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And it was no clapping and squealing with original brine shrimp, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

No.

[Josh Clark]

So through these cross breeding programs, they made brine shrimp. Brine shrimp were already. You could. I think you can still go to pet stores and buy them. They're a type of food. They're a pet food.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And all they're just like tiny little micro crustaceans and they enter into what's called cryptobiosis.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And they're basically, if you'll remember our tardigrade episode, they basically do the same thing that tardigrades do. They enter into the state of suspended animation, a desiccated state, where they're just dry and just sitting there waiting for the conditions to be right to basically come back to life. That's what sea monkeys are.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So you get this little package, they're brine shrimp eggs is what it is, or what they are. And then you get purified water, put them in there. And I believe there's a growth formula as well, right?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. That's like their food. It's like spirulina and yeast, I believe.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right. But it's. No one truly knows what the exact formulation for all this stuff is because it is locked in a vault in Manhattan because it was the only one that worked and it was owned by this Van Broughton character. Van Broughton. Braunhut.

[Josh Clark]

Braunhut. I know it's a tough word, tough name to say.

[Chuck Bryant]

I've seen it 100 times in the.

[Josh Clark]

Last like eight hours, but still. Yeah. So until he died in 2003, Harold von Braunhut and his wife Yolanda were the only two people on the planet who knew what the special formula was that created those conditions. Because remember, you've got sea monkeys, little brine shrimp that are in the state of cryptobiosis, this dried out, desiccated state. And when you put them just into regular tap water, they don't necessarily come to life. There's something in that powder that alters the ph and the salinity and makes it just perfect for them to emerge from this cryptobiosis almost instantaneously. In fact, early on, the sea monkeys were originally just Called Instant Life, I believe is what they. The name they were originally marketed under. It's not the best. Not the best name.

[Chuck Bryant]

No. And it is. It's weird that that name was chosen because it turns out that Harold von Braunhut is or was a marketing genius. He wrote the original 32 page booklet that I believe still comes with the sets. Is that right?

[Josh Clark]

I couldn't find evidence of that. And I was looking online to find a transcription of it and was very surprised to find. No one's done that. Like you would think There'd be entire fan sites that are. That this is like their bible, you know, the original version of it would have later editions of it. Couldn't find it anywhere.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, I don't know if it still comes with it, but for many, many, many years, and even after his death, that original prose was. Which told this fantastical story. I mean, that's the whole point. It wasn't just like, add water and you're all set. It told the whole story of sea monkeys. Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

It said things like, your sea monkeys can be hypnotized. You can train them to play baseball, you can race them. They love to race. All sorts of things. You can basically train them into a pack of friendly seals, I think is the way they put it. It talked about, like, their courtship and reproduction and just all sorts of stuff. Like it was. Yeah, this guy's just basically. Do you remember that treatment that George Lucas wrote about Wookiees and Chewbacca's planet that got turned into the Star Wars Christmas special?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

This is the exact same thing, but this is the sea monkeys world.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right. I would like to see. I was about to say I'd like to see the sea monkeys TV show, but I did.

[Josh Clark]

What did you think?

[Chuck Bryant]

Did you watch any of it?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I did.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So There was a TV show in the 80s starring Howie Mandel.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

It just really doesn't get it any better. Like, who else would have been better than Howie Mandel for that?

[Josh Clark]

It was Howie Mandel. He produced it as well, along with the Chiodo brothers, who were known for making killer clowns from outer space.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So you know what you're kind of going to get there?

[Josh Clark]

It is the definition of camp. Like, they watch pee wees play a house and they're like, this is kind of campy, but let's increase it by 35%.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And that's what they did.

[Chuck Bryant]

It was not long for this world, though, right?

[Josh Clark]

No. And the thing is, I don't know if we've gotten this across. It was live action.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah, right. It wasn't a cartoon.

[Josh Clark]

That's what made it so not just campy. That made it unsettling as well. Like the actors were all done up as like sea monkeys. And it was four kids, but it was obviously made by adults with a wink and a nod to other adults. It was a weird, weird, weird show.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, it was. I didn't see it and I only watched like a bit of one episode. I didn't see enough to judge the whole 11, I think, episode lifespan. But it was like Sid and Marty Croft without the lsd.

[Josh Clark]

Right. It was with pcp. Instant. That's how it struck me. I was like, these people are on angel dust.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. But all this to say that it was, was and continues to be a big selling item. Like, kids loved sea monkeys. They bought them. And I mean, from what I can tell, when kids bought sea monkeys, they didn't care that they didn't look like those things. And they were just thought it was cool that something they got in the mail really did come to life.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, for sure. And you could raise them. And after, you know, after some tinkering, Von Braunhut managed to get them to live for a while. So these were like pets to the kids. Plus, I also think Chuck, I suspect, and this is a big reason why sea monkeys were such a success, Von Braunhut, when he started to market these things early on, he was following immediately in the wake of something called instant fish that I think wham O had tried to market and had failed terribly at. And he was going around trying to market something similar. And toy stores and retailers were like, we don't want anything to do with those. People almost lost their jobs over that instant fish stuff. Get out of here. So Von Braunhut, in a stroke of genius, said, you know what? I'm going to go right to the source. So he started marketing directly to kids.

[Chuck Bryant]

He started hanging out at elementary school parking lots.

[Josh Clark]

He did. And he'd be like, here, kid, come look at my minivan. I've got a bunch of stuff for you to choose from. Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Well, the comic book thing was a stroke of genius. How many, like three and a half million ads a year? Was that it? Or pages?

[Josh Clark]

303 million pages.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, wow.

[Josh Clark]

A year. And now, though. So most of those were two page inserts. So that's 150 issues of 150 million issues of comic books a year.

[Chuck Bryant]

I wonder how expensive that was.

[Josh Clark]

I don't know. I'm quite sure he got some Deals over the years because he started that marketing push in 1964. And I don't know exactly when it stopped, but it was well into the 90s that there were sea monkey ads and comic books still that were virtually the same as ever.

[Chuck Bryant]

Did you ever buy any of that stuff?

[Josh Clark]

I had a friend who had sea monkeys. I never did myself. Oh. But that was a point that I was getting away from that I wanted to make. I think one of the reasons sea monkeys were successful was because it wasn't just that these things were pets or whatever. You ordered them yourself. Like, you handled this transaction yourself. And you got to show your friends something that you purchased. Like your parents didn't take you to the store or anything like that. You contracted with this. This strange man to buy these brine shrimp from him. And they arrived and you followed the instructions and now they're floating around. Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, you probably got mom or dad to cut you a 49 cent check or have them cut a check. Or, you know, you maybe got the funds from your lemonade stand and converted that to a cash bond.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Convertible note, a bearer bond. I don't know what any of that stuff is, but yeah. So you probably had a little assistance from mom and dad. Or maybe you put a dollar in an envelope.

[Josh Clark]

I'll bet many kids did. I wonder if Bronhut sent the change, the change back or was like, I'm keeping this change, kid, just to teach you a lesson not to send a dollar bill in the mail anymore.

[Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Cause you can't send change in the mail.

[Josh Clark]

Right, Right. So, I mean, suffice to say sea monkeys were and are just like one of the classic toys of all time, largely because of the way they were marketed. Right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, yeah. And Von Braunhut, this was not his only jam. He had close to 200 patents on everything. Like, you know, we mentioned the X ray specs and that great, great ad of the guy looking at his hand or the sexist, misogynistic ad of him leering at a woman in a dress. And X ray specs were very disappointing when you got those, because they were. It was two pieces of cardboard with little pinholes that you look through. And in between the cardboard, where that pinhole is, is a feather.

[Josh Clark]

Right. And so what it did was it basically projected two overlapping images of the same thing. So the edges around the outside of it were just kind of fuzzier than the middle, basically.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Supposedly that was what an X ray of your hand looked like.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So that. That's a case of Fraud.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Good way to put it.

[Chuck Bryant]

Or what about the invisible goldfish? That was another one.

[Josh Clark]

Is that. Is. That's so fraudulent that it's just beautiful, it's elegant and it's fraudulent.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, but it's almost not fraudulent because here was the deal. He sold what was called invisible goldfish, which basically means nothing. He sold nothing successfully.

[Josh Clark]

Right. The kit came with the fishbowl, fish food and instructions, and that was it. And there was a guarantee that you would never see your invisible fish because they would remain invisible.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And I think that is the distinction that makes it not fraud.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Is he basically said, you're not going to see anything in this bowl.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And that was that.

[Chuck Bryant]

What else did he do?

[Josh Clark]

He invented balderdash.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, that's right.

[Josh Clark]

He also invented those doll's eyes where you lay your doll back and its eyes closed. He invented those.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. He invented that technology, which was a game changer for creepy baby dolls.

[Josh Clark]

He also, even before his days of inventing, he was an interesting guy. Basically his whole life, he raced motorcycles and cars under the name the Green Hornet. He was a talent manager for a couple of people. One was a mentalist.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, talent manager, like Broadway. Danny Rose was a talent manager.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, I don't know who that is, but I'm gonna go along with it. What is that? What's that from? The name's familiar, but I don't know who it was.

[Chuck Bryant]

A Woody Allen movie where he played. It was a talent manager that managed people like this, the high divers that would dive into shallow pools and. Mentalist. And this guy was even a. Wasn't he a mentalist for a little while?

[Josh Clark]

I didn't see that. I wouldn't be at all surprised.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I think he did a little work as the Great Something.

[Josh Clark]

Did you see? Well, he managed a guy named the Great Daninger. I didn't get whether that was him or not, though. It could have been.

[Chuck Bryant]

No, no, no, that was him. And he had his own act for.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, gotcha. Okay, did you see the guy who. The high dive guy. Did you see his jump?

[Chuck Bryant]

No.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, my. Okay, there's a guy named Henri La Mothe, I believe. Yeah, he. Yeah, Henri Lamothe. If you go look him up. H E N R I L A M O T H e You're going to be treated to an AP video that was shot in the early 70s from the looks of it, where he's opening up for an Evil Knievel act in a parking lot in God knows where in New Jersey, and he climbs up this ladder, a 40 foot ladder. And below beneath is one of these tiny little kiddie pools filled with like 18 inches of water. And this guy, who is clearly in his mid-70s, maybe older, dives 40ft into 18 inches of water in a kiddie pool. Belly first. He does basically a belly flap and immediately stands up with like, Ta da. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. And this guy, Harold Von Braunhut, managed that guy back in the day.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Okay. He was a magician who worked under the name the Great Telepo.

[Josh Clark]

That's a pretty good name.

[Chuck Bryant]

And he also invented something called the directimat, which was this device where you punch in your destination. Like you're in New York City, you punch in your destination and the machine told you the fastest subway route.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, that's smart.

[Chuck Bryant]

It was Google Maps.

[Josh Clark]

That's very smart.

[Chuck Bryant]

Like 50 years early.

[Josh Clark]

But using, like, punch cards instead of, you know, real technology, basically.

[Chuck Bryant]

But I mean, the guy, you know, not only was he a marketing genius, he had a real knack for inventing some successful, useful things.

[Josh Clark]

So he had this other thing that you could get for like 59.95, and it was actually a weapon. So much so that he was stopped at LaGuardia Airport in 1979 and arrested because he had a briefcase of samples of this stuff that he was selling, I think through mail order. And it was called the. What is Koyoga Agent M5?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, the Kyoga Agent M5. It's basically a telescoping metal whip. You know, you've seen the telescoping batons and things that cops can use, I guess. Sure. Anybody can use them.

[Josh Clark]

And do.

[Chuck Bryant]

I actually had one of those for a little while for some reason.

[Josh Clark]

Did you really?

[Chuck Bryant]

I did. I thought, you know what? I'm not a gun guy, but I thought, I'll put this thing in the floorboard of my car.

[Josh Clark]

Sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

And if anyone ever reaches their hand in the window, then they're gonna get a wrapped knuckle.

[Josh Clark]

Smart. That's funny.

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't know where it went, though. It didn't telescope properly. So I was like, that's probably not good.

[Josh Clark]

No, it's not. Because you. I mean, that's not what you want. Plus, you have to practice with that kind of thing. It's a big commitment. You just turning and running is way better.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, yeah, I went back to plan A, which is poop my pants and cry.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Hopefully that works.

[Josh Clark]

No one wants to punch a guy who's just pooped his pants, you know.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, so not in the butt at least. So this M5 telescoping whip, this is where things get weird.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And we'll set this up right before the ad break. Because it turns out that Mr. Von Brohut, Mr. Von Braunhut, was perhaps almost certifiably a white nationalist Aryan Nazi.

[Josh Clark]

Sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

Is that fair to say?

[Josh Clark]

I think so.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, and we'll get to that right after this.

[Josh Clark]

If you want to know, then you're in luck. Just listen up to Josh and Chuck. Stuff you should know. Congratulations to Easterseals Southern California on their first place win for innovation in customer service at this year's Unconventional awards by T Mobile For Business. Easterseals has used T Mobile 5G to create immersive VR development tools that aid people with autism in addressing transportation barriers. These tools are shaping the way safe and personalized skill building is delivered. And for that, T Mobile congratulates Easterseals Southern California for their unconventional thinking.

[Advertiser]

Black Friday is coming. And for the adults in your life who love the coolest toys, well, there's something for them this year too. Bartisian is the premier craft cocktail maker that automatically makes more than 60 seasonal and classic cocktails each in under 30 seconds at the push of a button. And right now, Bartisian is having a huge site wide sale. You can get $100 off any cocktail maker or cocktail maker bundle when you spend $400 or more. So if the cocktail lover in your life has been good this year or the right kind of bad, get them Bartesian at the push of a button. Make bar quality Cosmopolitans, Martinis, Manhattans and more all in just 30 seconds. All for a hundred off. Amazing toys aren't just for kids. Get a hundred off a cocktail maker when you spend 400 through Cyber Monday. Visit bartisian.com cocktail that's b a r t e s I a n dot com cocktail.

[Chuck Bryant]

Attention parents and grandparents. Are you searching for the perfect gift for your kids this holiday season? Well, give the gift of adventure that will last all year long. A Guardian Bike. The easiest, safest and quickest bikes for kids to learn on. Kids are learning to ride a bike in just one day. No training wheels needed.

[Josh Clark]

Very nice. But what sets Guardian bikes apart? Well, they're designed especially for stability. They're low to the ground with a wide wheelbase and ultra lightweight frames. They offer superior control and balance. And this particular design gives young riders the ability to learn in again just one day without any tears or frustration.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right, they're assembled here in the United States of America and I gotta say, Guardian Bikes was kind enough to send my daughter a guardian bike and she loves this thing. It's her first big girl bike. I put it together with great ease and this thing is a great bike.

[Josh Clark]

So join the hundreds of thousands of happy families, including Chuck's by getting a Guardian Bike today. Their holiday sales have begun offering the biggest deal of the year. You can save up to 33% on bikes. No discount code needed. Plus get free shipping and a free bike lock and pump with your first purchase. After signing up for their newsletter, just visit guardianbikes.com and Happy Riding.

[Advertiser]

Can Botox onbotulinum Toxin a Help? If I have chronic migraine 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more, Botox prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. Botox is not approved for adults with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days a month. It's the number one prescribed branded chronic migraine treatment. Botox is a prescription medicine injected by your doctor. Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue and headache. Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms and dizziness. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions including als, Lou Gehrig's disease, Myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton Syndrome, and medications including Botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. Talk to your doctor and visit Botox chronicmigraine.com or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more stuff you should know.

[Josh Clark]

Stuff you should know. Okay Chuck, I'm sure everybody just bit the tips of their fingers off waiting for those ads to finish so we could get back to it.

[Chuck Bryant]

Is it fair to call him a Nazi?

[Josh Clark]

So here's the thing. It has been so thoroughly documented by legitimate sources like the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times.

[Chuck Bryant]

His own mouth.

[Josh Clark]

Yes, his own mouth. The Jewish Anti Defamation League, I believe. I don't know if the Southern Poverty Law center actually tracked him or not, but this guy has definitely been identified as somebody who is was a longtime contributor to white nationalist groups, specifically the Aryan nations out of Idaho, which was one of the original white hate groups in the United States. That's right here's the problem with that. This is the guy who invented sea monkeys. Problem number two is that if you ever sent your money off to buy some sea monkeys, some of that money had a very good chance of having been turned around and given to the Aryan Nation. And herein lies a real moral conundrum for a lot of people. Understandably so.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So. Well, I didn't see. Did he just give money, period?

[Josh Clark]

Yes, but the people are saying I gave you some of that money for sea monkeys. Who knows what dimes and nickels that I gave you went to Aryan Nation. I don't want any money going to Aryan Nation. So I feel horrible that my money went to you, which you in turn gave to the Aryan Nation.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right. However, this M5 was. There was a man named Richard Butler. This guy was a real piece of human garbage.

[Josh Clark]

He was the founder of the Aryan Nation.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, he was the worst. He's not with us anymore, thankfully, but he was a very bad man and he was brought up on trial. And basically, this M5 little telescoping whip that was invented by Von Braunhut that was specifically used that product and proceeds from that specifically went to a fund to help out Richard Butler.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

Like we know that for sure.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, everything's going along for Harold Von Braunhut pretty swimmingly. Until the late 80s, right? In the late 80s, Richard Butler is brought up along with, I think, 14 or 15 other white nationalist leaders on sedition charges, basically trying to overthrow the government through plotting assassinations, trying to start a race war. They had some serious charges against them. They were eventually acquitted of these charges. But as part of this defense fund, in the Aryan Nation newsletter, Richard Butler talks about the Cuyahoga agent M5 as great. You know, a great tool for every Aryan nationalist to have a great weapon and defense mechanism. And if you order this thing, on the order form, write the letters an for Aryan Nation. And the inventor of this product has pledged that 25 of those $60 will be given to my defense fund. So now, all of a sudden, for the first time ever, the guy who invented sea monkeys is tied to the guy who founded the Aryan Nation hate group.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And this was just like the beginning of the can of worms, which he did not invent the can of worms, but he should have. It was the beginning of that being open, because like you said, late 80s. What was it? 88, I think. And the Washington Post basically got a hold of this story, did some investigating, and found that he was involved in, quote, some of the most extreme racist and antisemitic organizations in the country. But here's the deal. There are quotes from his mouth that say things about inscrutable, slanty Korean eyes when dealing with Korean shop owners and talking about Jews and black people. Like, literal quotes. Yet when he's finally contacted this great article that we kind of started with was when he was still alive. He would deny that this was him.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

But not try and clear it up or anything. Basically just say, that's a bunch of bunk. Where there were newsletters written for an organization called the National Anti Zionist Institute, written by one Hendrick Von Braun. But the return address was the same P.O. box that you sent off to get sea monkeys.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, sea monkey like paraphernalia still today. Same address.

[Chuck Bryant]

So it's not very. Yeah, it's in Maryland, which is where he lived. Right. So he wasn't, like, covering his tracks very well at all.

[Josh Clark]

So he. So all that started that Washington Post expose specifically also came out of a property dispute. He later claimed that all of these were lies and that they were drummed up by somebody he was in a property dispute with. I think there was a developer who was encroaching on his land and he was suing them. And I think he said that the developer had brought all this up. The thing is, whether the developer exposed it or not or tipped the Washington Post off to this or not, this was already, like, pretty well known in the toy industry, supposedly.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And pretty well documented. Like, it wasn't just that this Harold von Braunhut gave money to the Aryan Nation. Like, he would go to their annual rally in Idaho and light the cross himself. He would speak at some of their conferences and apparently not very well received.

[Chuck Bryant]

I thought that was pretty funny that he wasn't, like, the best speaker.

[Josh Clark]

No, he would kind of go off on topics that the Aryans weren't particularly interested in, like numerology or the pyramids or how it all tied together. But the thing is, he had a lot of money and he was apparently quite willing to give it. Now, no one has. We have to say no one has ever documented a penny that was given to the Aryan Nation. The closest thing to a smoking gun is that newsletter from Richard Butler saying that the inventor of this has pledged $25 per. But the very fact that he was basically allowed into the orbit of Richard Butler himself strongly suggests that he actually followed through on those campaign pledges and legal defense fund pledges. And apparently a former spokesman for the Aryan Nation, who is now a reformed racist, says spoke out about Harold Von Braunhut and said he didn't know exactly how much he gave, but he gave a lot. And he gave pretty frequently when he was asked.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right. So things get a little weirder here because it turns out that von Braunhut was actually Jewish. He was born to Jeanette Cohen and Edward Braunhut, not von Braunhut, out of that little Vaughan to, I guess, Germanize him.

[Josh Clark]

I guess so.

[Chuck Bryant]

And he was born in New York City on March 31, 1926, as Harold Nathan Bronhut. And if you know anything about Aryan nations or any of those groups, they don't take kindly to a Jewish guy, even if he rebukes that to being a member. But like you said, he had a lot of dough. And that's basically why everyone thinks they allowed him to stay on as a member.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. So the 1988 Washington Post article did a couple of things. One, it outed the inventor of sea monkeys as an Aryan white supremacist. Or I should say just a white supremacist. He was an Aryan. It also outed him as a non Aryan, as a Jewish person born Jewish to Jewish parents. About as Jewish as you can possibly get, aside from being a practicing Jew. Right. So he. He was outed in this Washington Post article, like two times over. So everybody was mad at him from either side. Right. The thing is, even after, I guess, the Aryan Nation released a press release about this saying that they were disappointed to find out this guy that they were friends with was actually Jewish. But he was not kicked out of their circle. He stayed apparently as intracted as he was before and still was a part of the organization's conferences and stuff like that.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And it wasn't just the Aryan nations in 1985. The Washington Post says that U.S. attorney Thomas Bauer. There was a weapons case in 1985 against a member of the Klan, Grand Dragon Dale.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, it was in 1980, I think, that the transaction happened.

[Chuck Bryant]

Okay. But the weapons case was in 1985. Gotcha. And Van Braunhut basically loaned the guy $12,000 so he could buy more than 80 firearms.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

Like here, go buy a bunch of guns.

[Josh Clark]

Well, the. Okay. Yes. And this is a Grand wizard of the Klan, I believe, Right?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yes.

[Josh Clark]

So the reason I pointed out that it happened in 1980, the year before the Washington Post had drummed up in that 1988 article. The year before, he had paid like $1,300 for his parents graves in a Jewish cemetery to be kept up in perpetuity. So this is like. This is this weird dual Life, this guy is living like born and raised Jewish, respecting his Jewish parents, funeral wishes and burial wishes, and then months later, helping a grand wizard of the KKK buy 83 firearms and then taking possession of the firearms himself until the loan was paid back.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's crazy.

[Josh Clark]

It is a little crazy. It's quite surprising actually too. I mean, that's like a big one, two punch, you know.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. So he didn't actually. He would do licensing deals over the years. That's how he ran his business. Probably smartly to do that, if you ask me. But over the years, there have been many, many companies that held the license for SeaMonkeys that he partnered with. And they all kind of had different reactions. There was one called Laramie Limited, one called Basic Fun, one called Educational Insights. There may have been more. Today it resides with Big Time Toys. But this article that we dug up from when he was still alive, basically this guy gets in touch with a lot of these people and some of them said they believe the story, that it was just some story that this angry neighbor cooked up to slander his name. Other ones have said, yeah, you know what, Everyone kind of knew about it, but we're not going to, we're not going to take that out on the Sea Monkeys.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

And he was a nice guy to us. And what he does in his private time is no one's business.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. The thing is, some of the people that he was doing business with were Jewish and were taking some of the things he was doing in his private life personally themselves. Like the guy who was the president of Basic Fun. That's one of the worst names for a toy company ever.

[Chuck Bryant]

Basic Fun.

[Josh Clark]

It's like, don't get too excited. This is just Basic Fun.

[Chuck Bryant]

They had a spinoff company called Minimal Enjoyment.

[Josh Clark]

Right. He got the license or his company got the license for Sea Monkeys to handle distributing and marketing Sea Monkeys. And he apparently asked Von Braunhut, is this true? And Von Braunhut told him, no. There's this developer I'm in a dispute with who's trying to drum up bad press. They're all lies. Well, within a year, the New York Times wrote an article about that annual rally at the Aryan Nation compound in Idaho and said that Harold Von Braunhut had been a speaker there. So the guy from Basic Fund was like, yeah, that's it. I'm done with your contract's broken.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I mean, that did happen sometimes over the years and other times, you know, people, I guess money talks. So they were willing to put up.

[Josh Clark]

With It, Yeah, yep.

[Chuck Bryant]

It's crazy. He, you know, like when he was called personally, he said, I don't have to defend myself to you or anyone else. I'm hanging up. So I guess it was a time when, you know, pre Internet, pre social media where you could kind of get away with stuff like this a little easier.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I mean like he was. Yeah, it was just an open secret. And I think like you said, I think you hit the nail on the head, man. When there's like this much money involved and when you're talking about a brand where it's just like a beloved American icon.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Like people just look the other way on the fact that you're a white supremacist. You know, it's bizarre. But apparently this is a story of how the world works in that respect.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. It was interesting for this one article, I think from the early 2000s from.

[Josh Clark]

The all was that.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh no, no, no, that was from 2011. The other one was.

[Josh Clark]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

That was when he had currently the licensee was educational insights. And they at the time it was funny to go back and read this that they were trying to update the image for the sea monkeys.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And they had like these drawings. They hired some big advertising guy and marketing guy and he came in and was basically like, nah, man. Like kids these days, they don't want these little skinny pot bellied king, queen, prince and princess family. They want superheroes. So he buffed them up and put capes on them and made a new jingle. And they never went with any of that stuff. It kind of all went in the waste basket, I think.

[Josh Clark]

Well, one new thing did come out of it and Harold Braunhut had a patent on it. It was one of his last patents. It was a watch that you could inject a couple of live sea monkeys into and they would live in there for 24 hours before I guess either they died or if you could suck them back out and put them back in their aquarium. But you could walk around with your two favorite or luckiest sea monkeys for the day and tell time as well. So there was at least one thing that came out of that updating. But if you go back and look, if you look at those, you're like, this is pretty lame. And you go back and look today at the sea monkey packaging. It is basically back to how it was like in that Joe Orlando style. But if you do want to watch some business people do some tap dancing, it's really interesting. Read this article. It's called the Sea Monkeys and the white Supremacist. It was in the LA Times on October 1, 2000 written by Tamar Brought who did a pretty good job of like just some good old fashioned like footwork or legwork. Going to pound the beat. Pound the beat with the footwork. Sniff him off the case, you know what I'm saying?

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, well let's take another break and we're going to come back and we're going to talk about where things stand today in the fight over the rights and the fortune of the sea monkeys.

[Josh Clark]

If you want to know, then you're in luck. Just listen up to Josh and Chuck. Stuff you should know. Congratulations to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine for the first ever Malcolm Gladwell Tipping Point designation at this year's Unconventional awards by T Mobile for business, the university U's integrated IoT devices and 5G solutions from T Mobile to enable multiple synchronized health monitors allowing for real time remote data collection and analysis. The initiative will shape patient care moving forward and for that T Mobile congratulates the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

[Advertiser]

Black Friday is coming. And for the adults in your life who love the coolest toys, well, there's something for them this year too. Bartisian is the premier craft cocktail maker that automatically makes more than 60 seasonal and classic cocktails each in under 30 seconds at the push of a button. And right now Bartisian is having a huge site wide sale. You can get $100 off any cocktail maker or cocktail maker bundle when you spend $400 or more. So if the cocktail lover in your life has been good this year or the right kind of bad, get them Bartesian at the push of a button. Make bar quality Cosmopolitans, Martinis, Manhattans and more all in just 30 seconds. All for 100 off. Amazing toys aren't just for kids. Get 100 off a cocktail maker when you spend 400 through Cyber Monday, visit bartesian.com cocktail that's B A R T E S S I a n.com cocktail.

[Chuck Bryant]

Attention parents and grandparents. Are you searching for the perfect gift for your kids this holiday season? Well, give the gift of adventure that will last all year long. A Guardian Bike the easiest, safest and quickest bikes for kids to learn on. Kids are learning to ride a bike in just one day. No training wheels needed.

[Josh Clark]

Very nice. But what sets Guardian bikes apart? Well, they're designed especially for stability. They're low to the ground with a wide wheelbase and ultra lightweight frames. And they offer superior control and balance in this particular design gives young riders the ability to learn. And again, just one day without any tears or frustration.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. They're assembled here in the United States of America and I gotta say, Guardian Bikes was kind enough to send my daughter a guardian bike. And she loves this thing. It's her first big girl bike. I put it together with great ease and this thing is a great bike.

[Josh Clark]

So join the hundreds of thousands of happy families, including Chuck's by getting a Guardian Bike today. Their holiday sales have begun offering the biggest deal of the year. You can save up to 33% on bikes. No discount code needed. Plus get free shipping and a free bike lock and pump with your first purchase. After signing up for their newsletter, just visit guardianbikes.com and Happy Riding.

[Advertiser]

Chronic Migraine is 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more. Botox Onobotulinum toxin A prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they start. Botox is not approved for adults with migraine who have 14 or fewer headaches days a month. Botox prevents on average eight to nine headache days a month versus six to seven for placebo. Botox is a prescription medicine injected by your doctor. Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue and headache. Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms and dizziness. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions including als, Lou Gehrig's disease, Myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton syndrome and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. Talk to your doctor and visit botoxchronicmigrain.com or call 1-800-44-bot- talks to learn more.

[Chuck Bryant]

Stuff you should know.

[Josh Clark]

Stuff you should know.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, so we know what happened actually. How did he die? I didn't even see that.

[Josh Clark]

I didn't see that either. He died in 2003, but I'm not sure why.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, so he died.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that's true.

[Chuck Bryant]

But he left behind his wife, Yolanda Signorelli von Braunhut.

[Josh Clark]

Did you look her up?

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, she was. She was an actress. She was sort of a. Sort of like a pin up bombshell B movie actress. Is that fair to say?

[Josh Clark]

It's fairish. I'D also seen her movies as described as adult films as well.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sure.

[Josh Clark]

She was in a movie. I got to see this one. It's called Love After Death, and it's a soft core zombie flick.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, that's sweet.

[Josh Clark]

From the 60s. Yeah. But, yeah, she was a pretty interesting person in her own right as well.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And she says, for her, as far as the Aryan Nation stuff, she says, like, I never knew and saw this side of him. So I don't know if she's being on the level or if she's just kind of quashing this and covering for him. It's kind of not clear to me.

[Josh Clark]

I saw. I don't know if it was in that New York Times article or in the 1988 Washington Post article, but his first wife was contacted and interviewed for it, and she was like, what are you guys talking about?

[Chuck Bryant]

Really?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. So who knows? Maybe he did just keep the. He was clearly somebody who could compartmentalize the different parts of his personality. So maybe maybe he really did just leave the wives out of it.

[Chuck Bryant]

Man, how could you not know something that's crazy. Just going to Idaho on my yearly trip.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, that's weird. He always goes to Idaho when the Aryan Nation assembles.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, so Yolanda, Signore Levon Braunhut lived and I think still lives in, or at least as of two years ago when this article came out in the Potomac river estate in Southern Maryland. But she is. She's broke, basically. She has no electricity, no running water, and she has been in a legal battle with Big Time Toys and their chief executive, Sam Harwell, for basically several years trying to get money. Because Big Time Toys says this is our company now.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, Big Time Toys sounds like a guy. I'd be nervous about going into business with them. I'm more of a basic fun guy. Big Time Toys sounds like they're moving too fast for me. You know what I mean?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

So, yeah. So Yolanda Braunhut has. She's got kind of like a Grey Gardens thing going on right now against her will. This is not something she's happy about at all. And her position is, as far as the Times tells it, is that she engaged in a licensing deal, which is how Sea Monkeys have been produced basically since the beginning with a company with that company, Big Time Toys, where they would handle the packaging and the distribution. Distribution. And her company, her own little company, would handle making the actual sea Monkeys that were put into the packaging that Big Time Toys sold. Right. So Big Time Toys would buy the Sea Monkeys that they would put into the packages and then would turn around and sell to the public. That was the arrangement initially.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right. So we have the secret formula that no one else has seemed to been able to crack.

[Josh Clark]

This is Yolanda talking.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. Should I have done my Yolanda voice?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, let's hear it.

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't know what she sounds like.

[Josh Clark]

High pitched Italian stereotype. Let's hear it, Chuck.

[Chuck Bryant]

No, no, no. She. It would offend like three different groups of people if I did that.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, yeah, I think you would.

[Chuck Bryant]

She basically said, we have the secret formula, the only one that works, that can keep these things alive. Everyone else has tried and failed. And so we will sell these to you and you can do everything else and cut me a check. And there was also a side deal that said you can buy this company, including the secret formula, for 5 million bucks up front and then another 5 million in installments. And so Big Time basically called her up a few years ago, probably about five years ago at this point, if my math is right, and said, you know what, all these payments we've been making to you for the licensing deal, we just kind of consider that layaway. And as far as we're concerned, we own Sea Monkeys now.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, we've reached that $5 million point. So they're ours.

[Chuck Bryant]

Which ostensibly should not have been that money. It should have been separate payments.

[Josh Clark]

Right.

[Chuck Bryant]

If I understand this correctly.

[Josh Clark]

But I mean, when somebody does that, what are you going to do? You got to go sue them.

[Chuck Bryant]

Right.

[Josh Clark]

And that's what they're doing. And they're bleeding this lady dry, at least as far as this New York Times profile is concerned. And I mean, if you get into a fight like that and you don't have the money, you can lose. So this is a, this could be a sad end to the Sea Monkey saga. Because here's the other problem. You might be saying to yourself, well, why doesn't she just not sell them the Sea Monkeys anymore? Well, she did. She stopped when they stopped making payments and said they own the Sea Monkey brand. And it turned out that in this court case that Big Time Toys had been buying knockoff sea monkeys from China. And then that's what they were putting into the Sea Monkey thing. So apparently if you buy currently a Sea Monkey package, you're getting Big Time toys packaging and Chinese knockoff Sea Monkey.

[Chuck Bryant]

Packets, which don't work, apparently. I went and looked at Amazon reviews and, and almost all of them for all the products said none of them hatched or they hatched for like a day. These Things stink. When I was a kid, they worked. So it's weird that it's sort of ironic that they ended up creating this special breed, essentially, that worked and that ended up being their undoing. Because in court, in the affidavit, the leader, this Harwell guy, whose wife, by the way, is the head. She's the speaker of the House of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Oh, yeah, yeah. They're a power family all the way around. Not to be trifled with. In his affidavit, he says he outsourced the sea monkeys to China and says there are seven recognized species of Artemia brine shrimp, and this is not one of them. So because they had created their own species, it ended up being their undoing at court, it looks like, because it doesn't officially exist as a real species that these guys are getting.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure he got a patent on the species that they made.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, no, that's what I'm saying, though. But he's not getting that species.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, I see.

[Chuck Bryant]

He's getting these. Well, they're not knockoffs. They're Mother Nature's own.

[Josh Clark]

Sure, sure.

[Chuck Bryant]

From China. But they're not the ones that are working.

[Josh Clark]

Right. I gotcha.

[Chuck Bryant]

So it's just a mess.

[Josh Clark]

But then still, doesn't that, like, raise questions about how you could use the Sea Monkey's name or something?

[Chuck Bryant]

That's what I wondered.

[Josh Clark]

But I guess if they had the license to use the Sea Monkey's name because they were in charge of packaging and distribution, maybe then, yeah, I guess they could say, well, we're not going to use the official ones any longer. We're going to use these natural ones. Man, what a mess.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, and it's a mess, too, because you're like, oh, do I root for the side of this guy who was a white nationalist? But, you know, his wife says she didn't know anything about that and she's going broke and has been. Basically had this company stolen from her, it seems like. It's just. I don't know. I don't know what to think.

[Josh Clark]

Or do you root for the guys who are apparently stealing the company from Big Time Toys? Widow of the White nationalist can't root.

[Chuck Bryant]

For Big Time Toys.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. You know what I predict, though, Chuck? I predict that. That Sea Monkeys, the brand, will ultimately rise above this, that it will survive this somehow and still be around 20, 30 years from now.

[Chuck Bryant]

The sea monkeys will take over.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. They will eventually overthrow the human race like the Aryans plotted to overthrow the US Government.

[Chuck Bryant]

What a story.

[Josh Clark]

It's quite a story. That's a good one, man. Thanks for digging this up.

[Chuck Bryant]

Sure.

[Josh Clark]

Well, if you want to know more about sea monkeys, just start digging around, pulling at the loose threads. You're going to find some interesting, interesting stuff. And since I said interesting stuff, that means it's time, friends, for listener mail.

[Chuck Bryant]

I'm gonna call this Pompeii. Pompeian Lemons.

[Josh Clark]

Okay.

[Chuck Bryant]

Is that how you would say it? Pompeian?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. I thought that was beautiful.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right. Long time listener, first time emailer. Guys recently listened to the Pompeii show. Very informative. And I used to be a tour guide in Europe and led close to 15 tours on the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Mount Vesuvius. I listened to Josh experience with the lemons. They do, in fact, grow to be the size of your head. However, those gigantic lemons are actually called Cedri and are more for show than anything.

[Josh Clark]

They're called Cedri the Entertainer.

[Chuck Bryant]

If you ever cut one in half, the inside is actually about the size of a normal lemon. The rind can be a few inches thick, and boy, are they bitter. Definitely not something you keep around for lemonade. Just something I wanted to share.

[Josh Clark]

Thanks for ruining everything for me.

[Chuck Bryant]

And also, another thought. The other day in the car, have either of you just said no when one of you asked for a commercial break? Thought it'd be funny if one of you just said, nah, we've come close.

[Josh Clark]

We have, haven't we?

[Chuck Bryant]

I don't know.

[Josh Clark]

Did it not make it into an episode? It might not have. We have. And we just edited that part out and kept going, I think.

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, that is from Matt McDonald, who is a software developer at NeoCloud.

[Josh Clark]

Thanks a lot, Matt. I think I was kind of disappointed to read that email originally, but whatever. I guess you gotta just live with reality, right?

[Chuck Bryant]

You've made an enemy today.

[Josh Clark]

If you want to get in touch with us and ruin our reality like Matt did, you can send all of us, including Jerry, an email to stuffpodcastousworks.com and as always, join us at our home on the web, stuffyou should know.com.

[Chuck Bryant]

Stuff youf Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio.

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Not sure what that means.

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[Josh Clark]

The good news is that compared to.

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