Prolon Advertiser (6:35)

You're under the influence.

Terry O'Reilly (6:50)

Anna Marie Grocholz was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1761. While not much is known about her family, her father came from a long line of executioners. The guillotine was steady business back in those days, a topic that will raise its head again later in this story. Her father died before she was born, so her mother took Anna Marie and moved to Bern, Switzerland, where she found work as a housekeeper. Her employer was a prominent physician named Philippe Curtius. He also taught anatomy and had a sideline producing wax models of the human body. He was quite skilled. The finished wax figure was then touched up and painted. Glass eyes and wigs were applied and teeth sourced from tooth pullers were inserted. Young Annemarie took it all in and became his apprentice. Curtius soon expanded his wax work and began sculpting notable people. He eventually moved to Paris and opened an exhibition space there in 1770. Annemarie and her mother followed. Learning from Curtius, Annemarie became quite skilled at creating wax likenesses by the time she was 16. Then, in 1789, the French Revolution began. Anna Marie was arrested as a royalist sympathizer and sentenced to the guillotine. Just before her execution was to take place, authorities learned she was a skilled wax modeler. She was spared the blade and recruited to make wax recreations of the most notorious guillotine victims. The grisly severed heads were delivered to her studio and Anna Marie honed her skills making recreations of them. The wax heads were then put on pikes to show the public the evil oppressors had been brought to to justice. During the Revolution, her mentor Curtius died, leaving all his property, including his collection of wax figures, to Anna Marie. Not long after, she married Francois Tussaud. The marriage didn't last, and Anna Marie, now called Madame Tussaud, fled to England to start a new life, where she created a traveling waxwork museum. Spending 36 grueling years on the road touring the country, she would personally circulate thousands of handbills and posters to promote her wax exhibit in every town she visited. It was exhausting, but profitable, a rare business feat for a woman in that era, and especially remarkable as she spoke no English when she began. Then in 1802, she rented Exhibition space in the Lyceum Theatre in central London. There were two reasons why Madame Tussaud's exhibition was so successful. First, she focused on celebrities, glamour and sensationalism. And second, she didn't just create wax heads. She created fully formed bodies with exacting costumes. The British public lined up around the block. In the era before photography, the sight of life, size, royalty and infamous villains created intense fascination. In the 1820s, Tussaud opened her first permanent exhibition on Baker street in London. Over the next 30 years, Madame Tussauds wax museum became more and more popular, rivaling other famous British attractions. Madame Tussaud was an amazing entrepreneur and a visionary. She died in 1850 at the age of 88. By the way, it takes over four months, 500 exact measurements and 150 photos to create a wax figure. Since the 19th century, celebrities have campaigned to have their likeness added to the museum. Very few turned the opportunity down, except for Mother Teresa. Who declined. The wax figures of the Beatles were loaned out for the COVID of Sergeant Pepper in 1967. When they were later replaced with more up to date likenesses, the Fab 4 heads were put into storage then auctioned off in 2005, selling for $135,000, which sounds like a bargain to me. Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum is still one of the most visited attractions in London. It now has 20 locations all around the world and 10 million people visit annually. It is a brand that has existed for nearly 200 years. Sherb Noble was born in 1908 in Clemens, Iowa. After high school, he took a two year dairy course in university. He managed a creamery for a short time, then moved to a small town called Kankakee, Illinois, south of Chicago. Noble saw a future in ice cream and by 1938 was running three ice cream parlors. He served hard packed ice cream supplied by a man named J.F. mcCullough. One day, McCullough came to Noble with an idea. He believed that hard packed ice cream was so cold it literally froze people's taste buds so they couldn't fully enjoy the flavor. Instead of serving ice cream at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 17 Celsius, he maintained it was more delicious served at 23 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 5 Celsius. McCullough invented a unique freezer that could dispense this semi frozen ice cream. He called it soft serve ice cream that was meant to be served at a milder temperature, thus making it softer. McCullough was convinced soft serve ice cream would be a hit, but he had no idea how to market his innovation. Noble suggested they test soft serve ice cream at his store. He promoted an all you can eat for 10 cent sale on August 4, 1938. The soft serve ice cream was such a success, Noble and his staff ended up selling 1,600 ice cream cones in just 90 minutes. So many people crowded into the store for seconds. Noble was afraid they were going to break through his storefront window. Not long after, Sherb Noble decided to specialize in soft serve ice cream and together with J.F. mcCullough opened a new store in Joliet, Illinois. He called it Dairy Queen. Just as he was opening a second location, World War II interrupted and Noble went off to serve his country. When he returned, he picked up where he had left off and continued opening Dairy Queen locations. Soon Dairy Queen became a pioneer in the franchising business. There were 10 by 1941, 100 by 1947 and over 1400 by 1950, the first dairy Queen in Canada opened its doors in Saskatchewan in 1953. Two years later, there were over 2,600 locations across Canada and the U.S. if you've ever been to a Dairy Queen, you'll know their ice cream cones have a distinctive curl at the top. That curl, which employees call the queue, is not just a cute Dairy Queen signature, it's a registered trademark. That's why you don't see a curl on cones at McDonald's or Wendy's. And Dairy Queen has gone to court to fight and protect that little ice cream curl. By the way, that soft serve ice cream recipe is like the Colonel's Blend of 11 different herbs and spices. It's a closely guarded secret kept in a safety deposit box and only a few people have a key. Today, Dairy Queen has rebranded as DQ in part to remind customers they sell more than ice cream. Now There are over 7,000 Dairy Queen locations in Canada, the US and 18 other countries. It serves 35 million customers every day. The Blizzard is its most profitable item. Texas is the state with the most DQ locations. Ontario is the province with the most. Back in 2012, the busiest DQ location in the world was in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The Noble family still owns Dairy Queens in Kankakee, Illinois and the original location has been designated a historical landmark. Dairy Queen has survived for over 80 years and for that it makes our list of enviable brands. Another one of our enviable brands was actually named after a hill.

AT&T Business Advertiser (16:47)

And now a next level moment from AT&T business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep day. You've got AT and T5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding and International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily, AT&T 5G lets you deal with any issues with ease so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly. Especially you. ATT 5G requires a compatible plan and device coverage not available everywhere. Learn more@att.com 5G Network.

Prolon Advertiser (17:17)

Ever wonder why so many people regain weight after stopping a GLP1? Up to 40% of the weight lost can come from lean muscle. This weak weakens the body, slows metabolism and makes it easier to put the pounds back on, creating a cycle of dependency. Prolon's five Day Fasting Mimicking Diet offers a drug free way to maintain results and support long term metabolic health in just five days. It activates fasting pathways to burn fat, protect muscle and rejuvenate cells, all while letting you enjoy real food. Get 25% off plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe@prolonlife.com start that's pro.

Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile Advertiser (18:02)

Why Choose a Sleep Number Smart bed.

Terry O'Reilly (18:03)

Can I make my sight softer?

Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile Advertiser (18:05)

Can I make my site firmer?

Terry O'Reilly (18:07)

Can we sleep cooler?

Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile Advertiser (18:08)

Sleep number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side. Your Sleep Number setting Enjoy personalized comfort for better sleep night after night. It's our Black Friday sale recharge this season with a bundle of cozy, soothing comfort. Now only $17.99 for our C2 mattress and base plus free premium delivery price is higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Check it out at a Sleep number store or sleepnumber.com today.

Terry O'Reilly (18:44)

One day James Bond went to pick up his Bentley at the R D branch of British Secret Service and was given some news. Where's my Bentley? Oh, it's had its day, I'm afraid.

AT&T Business Advertiser (18:55)

But it's never let me down.

Terry O'Reilly (18:56)

M's orders 007. You'll be using this Aston Martin DB5 with modifications, bulletproof windows, revolving license plates left and right, machine guns, radar scanner, retractable tire slashers, and best of all, an ejector seat. Ejector seat? You're jockeying. I never joke about my work. 007 Yep, Q wasn't a jokester, but he sure knew how to invent some cool gadgets. That Bond film Goldfinger put Aston Martin on the map Aston Martin has a long history dating back to 1913. The auto company was started by engineer Robert Bamford and racing enthusiast Lionel Martin. They worked out of a small garage in West London where they sold and modified cars built by Singer Motors, a small 10 horsepower automobile brand sold in Britain. One day, Lionel Martin entered a prototype car he and Bamford had built and raced it in the Aston Hill climb. Aston Hill was a renowned motoring venue and Martin achieved success racing there in 1914. That win and their growing reputation encouraged the pair to start designing and building their own cars just as the company was getting off the ground. The First World War abruptly halted their plans. By the time the war ended, Bamford had left the partnership. Martin continued on, built his first new car the following year and needed a name for it because there was a growing number of car manufacturers at that time. Martin's wife Kate wanted the company to be listed first in alphabetical directories and cashing in on her husband's racing success at Aston Hill, suggested the name aston Martin. In 1922, Martin produced cars to compete in the French Grand Prix and set world speed and endurance records at racing circuits in the uk. But production was expensive and Aston Martin went bankrupt in 1924, prompting Lionel Martin to leave the company. Because the Aston Martin brand name still had value. It was rescued by investors, producing 700 vehicles before being interrupted yet again by World War II. After the war, the business would go bankrupt several more times and was sold again, this time to the David Brown Company, a gear and machine tools manufacturer. That's when The Aston Martin DB's began production. The DB standing for David Brown. Which brings us to James Bond's famous Aston Martin DB5 in 1964. Aston Martin and James Bond have become synonymous in pop culture. And it's the Goldfinger DB5 that is the most famous of all the Bond vehicles. When I was a kid, I owned the Corgi toy version of Bond's Aston Martin. I remember being disappointed that it was gold colored, not the cinematically authentic silver. Apparently Corgi thought silver looked like an unpainted toy, so it chose gold to play off the popularity of gold Finger. Boo. But the Corgi did come with a lot of the cool Bond gadgets, including a fully functioning ejector seat with quite the kick to it. And I lost the little gun toting bad guy it came with when I ejected him across our front lawn, over the fence and into the bushes on day two. Not long ago, one of the gadget filled Aston Martin DB5s used in the Bond films was purchased at auction for $6.4 million. As we've mentioned before, Sean Connery owned a 1964 Aston Martin DB5. Surprisingly, he purchased the car at the age of 88. When he passed away two years later, his estate sold it for 2.4 million. If you think that's a lot of money, know this. Several vintage Aston Martins have sold for over $20 million each. That's how powerful the Aston Martin brand is. It has survived two world wars, seven bankruptcies, multiple owners and massive competition over the last 100 years. Like Bond, it has chosen to die another day. Don't go away, we'll be right back.

Verizon Advertiser (24:07)

This holiday, Verizon is helping you bundle up incredible gifts and savings. You'll get the latest phone with a new line on MyPlan and a brand new smartwatch and tablet. No trade in needed even on our lowest price plan. That's two gifts for your family and one for you. Or two for you and one for someone else. Or three gifts for you and only you. Either way, you save big on three amazing gifts at Verizon, all on the best 5G network. Visit Verizon today. Rankings based on Root Metric Truth score report dated 1 2025. Your results may vary. Service plan required for watch and tablet.

AT&T Business Advertiser (24:35)

Additional terms apply and now a next level moment from ATT Business. Say you've sent out a gigantic shipment of pillows and they need to be there in time for International Sleep day. You've got AT and T5G so you're fully confident, but the vendor isn't responding. And International Sleep Day is tomorrow. Luckily, AT&T 5G lets you deal with any issues with ease, so the pillows will get delivered and everyone can sleep soundly, especially you. AT&T5G requires a compatible plan and device coverage not available everywhere. Learn more@att.com 5G Network.

Prolon Advertiser (25:07)

Busy work weeks can leave you feeling drained. Prolon's five day fasting mimicking diet works at the cellular level to rejuvenate you from the inside out, providing real results that include fat focused, sustainable weight loss with no injection needed. NextGen builds on the original Prolon with 100% organic soups and teas, a richer taste, and ready to eat meals. Developed at USC's Longevity Institute and backed by top medical centers, Prolon supports biological age reduction, metabolic health, skin appearance, fat loss and energy. Get 25% off plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe@prolonlife.com start that's prolonlife.com.

Terry O'Reilly (26:04)

When I was a kid, I would get my allowance and skip down to the corner store. Then I would peruse the candy counter with big eyes and buy my favorite treats. And part of that haul always included Bazooka bubblegum. They were $0.01 each, so I loaded my pockets. Bazooka was introduced by the Tops Company just after the war in 1947. The word bazooka, by the way, was coined by a musician named Bob Burns. He had created an instrument that had a long tube and a wide funnel at the end, not unlike the look of a trumpet. He named it a bazoo, then added the letters KA to the end of the word so that it sounded more like a legitimate instrument, like a balalaika or a harmonica. So the bazooka became a bazooka. When the military was demonstrating a new rocket gun, a captain said, that thing looks just like Bob Burns Bazooka. The name stuck, and Tops borrowed it for its bubble gum. The first bazooka gum came in a roll. Like a Tootsie Roll. It contained six pieces of gum in a white, blue and red Wrapper that sold for a nickel. It also came with a small comic strip. The main character was Bazooka the Atom Bubble Boy. He would blow big pink bubbles that would float him off to various adventures. The character didn't prove to be popular, and the public preferred spending a nickel for a full sized chocolate bar. So Tops changed their strategy. They started selling single pieces of Bazooka Bubblegum for a penny and created a new character for its comic strips. Enter Bazooka Joe. Bazooka Joe had a very unusual look. He wore a baseball cap and for some reason never explained in the comic strip. He sported a black eye patch. But there is a reason. Back in 1947, a man named Harold Ruth wrote a book titled Attention and Interest Factors in Advertising. One of Rudolph's rules was that a photo with a story element grabs attention. Ad man David Ogilvy read that book. It influenced one of his most famous ad campaigns of the 1950s. Ogilvy created a character called the man in the Hathaway shirt. And to give him some mysterious story appealing, Ogilvy put a black eye patch on him. It was a strange choice, but that eye patch made the campaign and Hathaway shirts a runaway success. So in 1954, the Topps creative team satirized the Hathaway campaign and gave Bazooka Joe his iconic eyepatch. The resulting Bazooka Joe comics were an instant hit and ignited sales of Bazooka Bubblegum. Each comic was a sequential story containing three or four frames. Each told a silly joke and a wise cracking. Bazooka Joe usually had the punchline. The Canvas was just 2.5 inches, but the Bazooka team pulled it off. The bottom of each comic also contained a one line fortune. Like a fortune cookie, they were pretty amusing and specific. For example, one said, you'll use your love of flying to become an airline pilot. Alrighty. Then Tops did extensive advertising to retailers persuading them to stock Bazooka Gum. The company sweetened that offer by figuring out a way to encourage brand loyalty. It began offering prizes to kids that could be redeemed with comics. For example, you could get a necklace by sending in 100 Bazooka comics or a pocket knife for 375 comics. Before long, kids were buying half a billion pieces of Bazooka gum every year. Topps created 1500 Bazooka Joe comics over the decades and came to realize they could recycle them every seven years. The main target for Bazooka was kids 6 to 13. And every seven years, a new generation arrived who were fresh to the comics. Every so often, Bazooka Joe was updated to keep pace with the times. His look changed, first in the early 60s, then again in the 80s. In the 90s, he began wearing low slung, baggy jeans and his baseball cap was worn backwards, but the eye patch remained. Then, in 2012, Topps faced a crisis. Sales dropped 48%. So after 59 years, the company decided to discontinue the famous Bazooka Joe comics. The Bazooka packaging was completely redesigned, a new flavor was added, and brain teasers replaced the comics. The next few years saw a resurgence in all things retro, especially in the candy industry. Topps responded to the trend by finally answering the number one request. They kept hearing from customers, bring back the comics. So in 2019, Topps announced a limited edition throwback pack. It featured the nostalgic packaging and original flavor Bazooka Bubblegum wrapped in classic Bazooka Joe comics. Last year, Bazooka bubblegum celebrated its 75th anniversary. After all this time, the bubble still hasn't burst. So few companies last 50 years. They have to survive shifting tastes, crippling recessions, intense competition, and an ever evolving door of executives. And through it all, some companies managed to find a way not just to survive, but thrive. Madame Tussaud was a pioneering female entrepreneur who figured out a shrewd marketing plan. She focused on celebrities, a fascination that hasn't ebbed in over 200 years. Dairy Queen has survived in the brutal fast food category for more than 80 years and is now owned by legendary investor Warren Buffett, who knows a sweet deal when he sees one. Aston Martin has been driven for over a century in spite of multiple bankruptcies and a parade of ownership, proving you can't keep a good brand down. Many of the Bazooka gag writers went on to write for Ronan Martin's Laugh in the Carol Burnett show and Saturday Night Live. And with half a billion Bazooka gum pieces being sold every year, by the late 1960s, those bazooka writers could be considered the world's best selling authors. Unlike Phantom of the Opera, which rarely made dramatic changes from its original version, each of these brands today survive because they did change. To keep up with the times, Tussauds museum always features the most current celebrities. Dairy Queen ventured into hot food. Aston Martin is about to launch its first electric model, and Bazooka Bubblegum looks nothing like the good old days. And that is the secret to a long life. Keep your core in, but roll with the punches when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly this episode was recorded in the Tear Stream Mobile Recording studio producer Debbie O'Reilly sound engineer Jeff Devine Research Patrick James Aslan under the Influence Theme by Ari Par Posner and Ian lefever Music provided by APM Music Follow me on Social errioinfluence if you're enjoying this episode, you might also like last season's Brand Envy Show Season 11, Episode 22. You'll find it in our archives on your favorite podcast app. You can now listen to our podcasts on the Apostrophe YouTube channel. See you next week. Fun Fact Ever wonder why Bubblegum is Pink? Back in 1928 when bubblegum was first invented, pink was the only food coloring the factory had on hand.

Prolon Advertiser (35:22)

Ever wonder why so many people regain weight after stopping a GLP1? Up to 40% of the weight lost can come from lean muscle. This weakens the body, slows metabolism and makes it easier to put the pounds back on, creating a cycle of dependency. Prolon's five day Fasting Mimicking diet offers a drug free way to maintain results and support long term metabolic health in just five days. It activates fasting pathways to burn fat, protect muscle and rejuvenate cells, all while letting you enjoy real food. Get 25% off plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe at prolonlife.com start that's prolonlife.

Knox from Podcast with Knox and Jamie (36:07)

Hi, this is Knox from the podcast with Knox and Jamie and maybe like us at the podcast you also know people who have been smokers or vapers and Zyn is the one product it seems like everyone is talking about because there are many good reasons to make a change to Zyn nicotine pouches reasons like Zen, nicotine pouches are still America's number one choice for smoke free hands free nicotine satisfaction and you can choose between 10 varieties, each variety available in either 3 or 6 milligrams. Check out zen.com find to find Zen at a store near you. Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

Hannah (36:41)

You know Hannah and I love a good bedrotting session, reality TV snacks nearby. And now I've leveled up with my self care game with this Shark Beauty Cryoglow, the number one skincare facial device in the us.

Unidentified Female Speaker (possibly Hannah's friend or co-host) (36:53)

Wait, I'm obsessed with it. I've had it for a while actually and it's the only mask that combines high energy LEDs, infrared and under eye cooling. I really need this because nothing wakes me up in the morning. You could do four treatments in one better aging Skin Clearing, Skin Sustain and my favorite the Under Eye Revive with Insta Chill ColdTech. You put it on and it just feels so good under your eyes. Like I actually feel like I got eight hours of sleep.

Hannah (37:17)

It's truly like a luxury spa moment while you're literally horizontal. It's perfect for post workout Sunday scaries or when you just want to glow while rotting.

Unidentified Female Speaker (possibly Hannah's friend or co-host) (37:26)

To treat yourself to the number one LED beauty mask this holiday season, go to SharkNinja.com and use promo code Giggly Squad for 10% off your CryoGLOW. That's SharkNinja.com and use Promo code Giggly Squad for 10 percent off your CryoGLOW.

Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile Advertiser (37:40)

Why choose a Sleep number Smart bed.

Terry O'Reilly (37:41)

Can I make my site softer?

Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile Advertiser (37:43)

Can I make my site firmer?

Terry O'Reilly (37:45)

Can we sleep cooler?

Ryan Reynolds / Mint Mobile Advertiser (37:46)

Sleep number does that cools up to eight times faster and lets you choose your ideal comfort on either side your Sleep Number setting. Enjoy personalized comfort for better sleep night after night. It's our Black Friday sale. Recharge this season with a bundle of cozy soothing comfort now only 1799 for our C2 mattress and base plus free premium delivery prices higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Check it out at a Sleep Number store or sleepnumber. Com today.