What happens when you Mail a letter?

Summary

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Who Smarted? | Episode: What happens when you Mail a letter?

Date: October 15, 2025
Podcast by: Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media
Host: Adam Tex Davis (and friends)

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Overview

This episode of "Who Smarted?" takes listeners on an entertaining, fact-filled journey through the process of mailing a letter or package. The show educates kids on the history and science of the postal service, how modern mail is sorted and delivered, and some truly surprising (and sometimes wacky) things people have sent through the mail. True to Who Smarted's tone, the episode blends playful storytelling, interactive trivia questions, and memorable characters (including Stella the Stamp) to teach young listeners how the mailing system works past and present.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Setting the Scene

• [00:03] Adam opens with a playful riddle using the words "letter," "stamp," and "window," tricking listeners into guessing that he's at the post office, not just talking about the alphabet or household windows.
• [00:50] Adam prepares to mail a package of Who Smarted? commemorative plates to Aunt Analog, joking about mailing himself instead.

  "I often joke with her that I should just mail myself to her so I can perform all the episodes live."

• The premise launches: Adam is the package, guided by Stella the Stamp and Sweetiek the postal worker.

2. The Inner Workings of Mail: From Post Office to Processing Plant

• [04:19] Adam gets whisked away to a massive mail processing plant.
• [04:32] Stella explains the U.S. Postal Service is the world’s busiest, moving about 3,600 pieces of mail per second; 318 million pieces daily.

  "Try more than 3,600 pieces of mail per second. And every day, the Postal Service processes and delivers about 318 million pieces of mail." – Stella the Stamp [05:15]

• [05:55] The first postal systems date back over 4,000 years to ancient Egypt, originally only carrying government messages.

3. How Ancient Mail Worked

• [06:43] Listeners are taken back in time, with Adam "stuffed in a leather sack on horseback" as part of the ancient Roman postal relay—mail traveled 170 miles in 24 hours by switching horses and riders (like a relay race, not a discus throw!).

  "The ancient mail system worked like an Olympic relay race. Except instead of passing a baton, they passed a sack of mail." – Adam [08:09]

• [08:32] In America’s Wild West, the Pony Express carried mail by horse but lasted less than two years.

  "While the Pony Express was fast for its time, it became obsolete or outdated by something much faster. The telegraph." – Stella [09:15]

4. The Modern Mail Journey

• [09:36] Adam returns to a modern mail plant. Machines read addresses and check postage, moving items by conveyor belt and sorting them en masse.
• [10:08] The importance of the zip code is explained:
  • ZIP stands for "Zone Improvement Plan"
  • First digit = region (east to west, 1–9)
  • Next two = smaller regions
  • Last two = specific post offices or delivery zones
  • Extra four digits = super-specific delivery blocks

  "There's a lot of information in that little number." – Adam [11:15]

5. Sorting, Binning, and Delivery

• [11:21] Mail is sorted by destination, loaded onto trucks, and bounced through various shipping points before being handed over to a mail carrier for final delivery.

6. Junk Mail and Money Makers

• [16:36] Adam encounters persistent junk mail, or "direct mail ads," humorously personified:

  "Junk. One person's junk is another person's treasure." – Junk Mail [16:38]

• [16:47] Six out of ten pieces of mail are "junk." It's a vital revenue stream for the U.S. Postal Service.

7. The Weirdest Things You Can (Legally) Mail

• [17:29] Stella reveals you can mail some foods (like potatoes or coconuts) with just an address and proper postage.

  "If you write an address on a potato and get the right postage for it, you can just drop it in the mail." – Stella [17:29]

• [18:03] Even live animals: "The Postal Service has transported baby chicks, worms, goldfish, bees, even baby alligators."
• [18:40] The strangest mailing: Children—a real-life story from the early 1900s when a baby was sent in the mail to his grandmother (safely, but quickly outlawed).

  "One time, parents sent their eight-month-old baby by mail... The postage stamp cost only 15 cents. The baby was safely delivered. But after that, the Postal Service created new rules to stop parents from mailing their children." – Stella [18:40]

8. Wrapping Up and Listener Shout-Out

• [19:09] Adam muses that "mail is better for packages than people" and puns:

  "But as far as you and the Postal Service go, you get my stamp of approval." – Adam [19:09]

• The episode ends with a listener shout-out and credits.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the scale of US mail:

  "If you counted two pieces of mail every second, it would take over five years to count all the mail the US Postal Service delivers in a day." – Adam Tex Davis [05:29]

• On the ancient relay system:

  "The ancient mail system worked like an Olympic relay race. Except instead of passing a baton, they passed a sack of mail." – Adam Tex Davis [08:09]

• On the ZIP code:

  "ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan, and its numbers are very not random." – Stella the Stamp [10:32]

• On junk mail's persistence:

  "Six out of every 10 pieces of mail in the US qualifies as junk mail. Other countries have outlawed it, but for the U.S. postal Service, it's a big money maker." – Stella [16:47]

• On weird mail:

  "Are you saying instead of a greeting card, you can send a greeting spud?" – Adam Tex Davis [17:45] "That's what I'm saying." – Stella the Stamp [17:49]

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Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------| | 00:00-02:14 | Fun intro & Adam gets mailed | | 04:19-05:29 | US mail statistics and scale | | 05:55-07:30 | Ancient postal history & relay concept | | 08:32-09:15 | Pony Express & technological evolution | | 09:36-11:15 | How modern mail is sorted, what is a ZIP | | 16:36-17:15 | Junk mail & how it funds the USPS | | 17:29-19:09 | Wild stuff you can mail (incl. animals, food, children) | | 19:09-End | Listener shout-out & closing jokes |

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Tone & Language

Lighthearted, humorous, and highly engaging—designed to keep kids entertained while sneaking in lots of learning. The episode features a blend of silly banter, puns, call-and-response questions for listeners, and zany sound effects, all in the spirit of making learning about mail systems memorable and fun.

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For Listeners Who Missed The Episode

This episode hilariously answers how a letter (or a podcaster!) travels from a post office to your home, uncovering ancient and modern delivery methods, why ZIP codes exist, and some of the very weird things you’re actually allowed to mail. Interactive trivia keeps kids engaged, memorable tales (like mailing a baby) add surprise, and a parade of silly characters makes the facts stick. Whether you’re curious about the journey of your own parcels or just love history with a side of humor, this Who Smarted? adventure guarantees you’ll never look at your mailbox the same way again!

Transcript

[Adam Tex Davis]

And now it's time for Who Smarted?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Next. Psst.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Oh, hey, smarty pants. I'm gonna say three words. See if you can guess where I am. Ready?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Letter. A, B, C, D, E. Stamp.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Window.

[Jerry Colbert]

I told you kids not to play ball near the house.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Did you get it? I heard some of you guess it. Hopefully you didn't cheat by looking at the name of the episode. But, hey, I was trying to trick you, too, by using the words differently than how they're used where I am. For example, I didn't mean letter as in the Alphabet. I meant a letter you mail. And to mail it, you need a stamp. And you give your letter or package to the person at the window.

[Sweetiek Kim Overnight Delivery Davis]

Next.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Now, did you get it? Why, of course I'm at the post office. I need to send a package to my aunt Analog. She doesn't stream podcasts, so I'm giving her a collection of who Smarted? Commemorative plates. Each plate has a picture of a different episode on it. There's pizza, wombats, Minecraft, Lego bricks, dragons, beatboxing. All her favorites. Of course, I. I often joke with her that I should just mail myself to her so I can perform all the episodes live so she can hear them.

[Sweetiek Kim Overnight Delivery Davis]

You want to send yourself? Normally, we don't send people through the mail, but since this is a podcast, I'll make an exception. Get on the scale.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Excuse me? I was just.

[Sweetiek Kim Overnight Delivery Davis]

Get on the scale.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Getting.

[Sweetiek Kim Overnight Delivery Davis]

Stay right there.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Listen, I wasn't suggesting I actually, uh. What'd you just put on my forehead?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Hi, there. I'm Stella, the stamp. I make it possible for you to travel through the postal system.

[Sweetiek Kim Overnight Delivery Davis]

Ugh.

[Adam Tex Davis]

We're really doing this?

[Sweetiek Kim Overnight Delivery Davis]

Okay, toss them in the bin.

[Adam Tex Davis]

The bin?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait.

[Adam Tex Davis]

What about my plates?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Don't worry, trusty. We're going to take good care of you. And by morning, you'll be traveling to your aunt's home by mail. Wow.

[Adam Tex Davis]

I must say, it is amazing how you can send a package to just about anyone, just about anywhere. And it'll get there in not a lot of time. But, Smartypants, how does the postal service work? When did it start? What's the secret behind those digits on your address? And what crazy things can you actually send through the mail? It's time for a whiff of history and science on who smarted?

[Jerry Colbert]

Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun, but who's smartett?

[Adam Tex Davis]

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[Sarah Forever Stamp]

That's because we are inside a mail processing plant. This is where the magic happens. Did you know we'll be traveling through the postal service that delivers more mail than any other postal service in the world?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Hmm. Smartypants, do you know where that postal service is located? Is it A, China, B, India, or C, the United States? If you said India, you're close. India has the most post offices with nearly 155,000. But it doesn't handle the largest volume of mail. That's because almost half of all the mail in the world goes through C, the United States Postal Service.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Can you guess how many pieces of mail go through the US Post Postal Service every second?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Hmm, I don't know, smarty pants. What's your guess? 100? 500? 1,000?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Try more than 3,600 pieces of mail per second. And every day, the Postal Service processes and delivers about 318 million pieces of mail.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Yikes. Imagine having to count all of that if you counted two pieces of mail every second, it would take over five years to count all the mail the US Postal Service delivers in a day.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

That's a lot of mail. Of course, it wasn't always this way. These days, anyone can send a package or letter, but the first postal systems delivered mostly messages from government officials.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Smartypants, how long ago did people start sending mail? Five hundred years ago? A thousand years ago? Two thousand years ago? Longer. Believe it or not, the ancient Egyptians had postal systems about 4,000 years ago. Back then, it was the only way for one place to communicate with another. Today, with our phones, computers and the Internet, we can send messages across the entire globe in seconds. But back then, it would take days to reach someone in the same country.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Even so, mail moved pretty quickly back then. But it required a lot of teamwork and horsepower.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who turned out the lights? Uh, Stella.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Yeah.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Where are we?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

We're now part of one of the most advanced postal delivery services of ancient times.

[Adam Tex Davis]

What is this? Leather? Am I in a sack?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Good guess. Don't forget, you're still a piece of mail, but now you're traveling in a leather sack. By horse. Through the ancient Roman Empire, Roman mail was one of the fastest in traveling about 170 miles or 270 kilometers over 24 hours by horse. Yuck.

[Adam Tex Davis]

But a horse can't run like that throughout the day and night. It needs to stop, eat and rest. And so do certain human sized pieces of mail.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Good point, trusty. That's why ancient postal systems worked like another ancient invention. The Olympics.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Uh, how so? Smartypants, what do you think? What Olympic event is similar to the way mail moved in ancient times? The discus throw, the pole vault, or the relay race? I sure hope it's not the discus throw. I don't want to be tossed like a frisbee. Oh, goody, we've stopped. We must be there.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Nope.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Here we go again.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Yep. Only we're on a different horse with a different rider.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Did someone.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

No, the horse and rider were waiting for us. We were past to them, and now we're galloping towards another waiting horse and rider.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Oh, I get it, smarty pants. Do you get it? The ancient mail system worked like an Olympic relay race. Except instead of passing a baton, they passed a sack of mail.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Exactly. That's how mail moved so quickly across continents. And Romans made it faster by building special roads just for mail delivery.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ooh.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Back when the United States expanded westward, it also had a horse driven independent postal service like this one. Do you know what it was called, Smartypants?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Do you know, was it A, the Oregon Trail mail, B, the Roadrunners, or C, the Pony Express? Why, a horse is a horse, of course. So it's C, the Pony Express. And do you know how long it lasted? A, less than two years, B, about 12 years, or C, it's still in use today. The answer is A, Less than two years, huh?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Yep. While the Pony Express was fast for its time, it became obsolete or outdated by something much faster. The telegraph. The telegraph took just minutes to send a message. But that's okay. Postal technology has only improved since then.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ah, it's good to be back in this modern mail plant on a conveyor belt. Whoa, we're going through a tunnel?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Relax, trusty. It's just checking the address written on your forehead. And me, the stamp. Most times, a package's weight determines the cost of a stamp. The heavier the package, the more a stamp costs. This machine makes sure the person sending the package got it right. We're good. As for the address, there's a five or nine digit number that helps the machines figure out where you're gonna go.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Smarty pants. Do you know what that number is called? Is it A, the area code, B, the zip code, or C, Morse code? The answer, of course, is B zip code. Other countries have similar codes called postal codes that may contain letters, while the zip code in the United States has only numbers. But why a zip code? What does zip stand for?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Zip stands for Zone Improvement Plan, and its numbers are very not random. The first digit represents sections of the country and they go from east to west. So a zip code starting with one might be for New York, Pennsylvania or Delaware. A seven could be for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas or Louisiana, while a nine is heading to California, Oregon or Washington State. The next two numbers narrow the destination to smaller regions, while the last two are for specific post offices and delivery zones within that region. Sometimes there are four more digits which can tell a postal sorter just what block a package needs to go. Wow.

[Adam Tex Davis]

There's a lot of information in that little number. Okay, we're out of the tunnel, but we're still moving along.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Not for long. Now that the machines know where you're going at the right time, they're gonna boot you off the belt. Woohoo. And into a nearby bin full of all kinds of mail going to the same part of the country or overseas. That bin then gets loaded onto a truck, which will take you to a shipping port, airport, or another processing plant or post office. These trucks work through the night, so the mail moves quickly. Once you're at the right post office, you'll be sorted again by zip code and eventually given to a person called a mail carrier, who will deliver you to your destination.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Uh, Stella, why is there a coconut in the pile?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

As I said, there's a all kinds of mail in this bin, including some crazy stuff, which we'll learn all about.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Right after this quick break. And a word from our sponsor. This show is sponsored by Wayfair. Okay, so the holidays are coming up fast, and I'm already thinking about all the hosting I'm going to be doing. You know that feeling when you look around your place and realize, yeah, we need some upgrades before people start showing up? So here's the thing. We just got new chairs from Wayfair, and I'm not exaggerating when I see that, like, every single person who's come over has commented on them. Like, where did you get these level compliments? These are amazing level compliments. They look incredible. They're way more stylish than our old ones. And honestly, they're so much more comfortable. I actually want to sit at my dining table now, which is saying something. And that's the beauty of Wayfair. They have everything you need to get your home holiday ready. We're talking holiday decor, bedding for the guest room, cookware that'll actually impress people, and furniture like you wouldn't believe. Plus, delivery is free and super easy. In fact, Wayfair covers delivery for you, even on the big stuff like couches and tables. So what are you waiting for? Get organized, get refreshed, get ready for the holidays. For way less, head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W A Y-F A I R.com Wayfair every style, every home. WhoSmarted is brought to you by Squarespace. Now, you know I'm good about creating new adventures and episodes of Whosmarted, but you don't know that I procrastinate on other stuff, like a website for one of our new projects.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Oops.

[Adam Tex Davis]

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[Jerry Colbert]

Hey, pal, you ever considered switching to a better phone service?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Uh, no, I'm. I'm happy with.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Psst.

[Jerry Colbert]

Hey, you need life insurance, car insurance, boat insurance, pet insurance? How about a beach vacation? New curtains? Window shades? Hey, we're having a sale on socks.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Sorry. I'm good. Stella, what's going on? Who's trying to get me to buy stuff?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Oh, that's junk mail.

[Jerry Colbert]

Junk. One person's junk is another person's treasure. You sure I can't interest you in a high rate, low limit credit card?

[Adam Tex Davis]

How can we make it stop?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Good luck. The Post Office delivers ads and offers at a discounted rate. Six out of every 10 pieces of mail in the US qualifies as junk mail. Other countries have outlawed it, but for the U.S. postal Service, it's a big money maker. And it can use the money right now as things like email and texting have greatly cut down the number of letters going through the mail.

[Jerry Colbert]

Yep, I ain't going anywhere except to your mailbox. Here's a packet of coupons.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Believe it or not, junk mail actually works for the companies that send it. But if you don't want to, you can just ignore it and toss it.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Okay. Ow. It's hard to ignore this. Why is there a coconut in here?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Simple. Not everything that goes through the mail has to be in a box. Certain foods can be sent as is, such as coconuts or potatoes. If you write an address on a potato and get the right postage for it, you can just drop it in the mail. Whoa.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Are you saying instead of a greeting card, you can send a greeting spud?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

That's what I'm saying. But if you live outside the U.S. check the rules of your Postal Service first.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Wow. What other weird things can you mail? Smartypants? True or false? You can send animals in the mail.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

The answer is surprisingly true. The Postal Service has transported baby chicks, worms, goldfish, bees, even baby alligators.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Is that safe?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Oh, there are strict rules and special boxes that make it perfectly safe. You can't just slap a stamp on a baby alligator and send it on its way. After all, it's not a coconut, you know.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ow.

[Jerry Colbert]

Wow.

[Adam Tex Davis]

I can't imagine it getting any weirder than mailing a baby alligator. Right, smarty pants?

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Actually, did you know some people have mailed their children? What? Yep. Back in the early 1900s, one time, parents sent their eight month old baby by mail a few miles away to his grandmother. The postage stamp cost only 15 cents. The baby was safely delivered. But after that, the Postal Service created new rules to stop parents from mailing their children. Phew.

[Adam Tex Davis]

I'm happy to hear that. As someone who's been mailed, let me just say it's much better for packages than people. But as far as you and the Postal Service go, you get my stamp of approval.

[Sarah Forever Stamp]

Aw, thanks, trusty. Ooh, and look, your plates made it too.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Great. There's just one problem. This isn't my Aunt Analog's house. Oh, boy. I think I put the wrong zip code. A big shout out to smarty fan Declan in Laranger, Louisiana. Thanks so much for writing to tell us how funny you think who smart it is, and how much you love learning new facts with the trusty narrator. That's what I'm here for. Thanks, buddy. This episode, the Postal Service was written by Dave Barcode Beaudry and voiced by Sarah Forever Stamp, Sweetiek Kim Overnight Delivery Davis, Adam Bulkrate Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hazardous Materials Hahn. Our associate producer is Max First Class Kamowski. The theme song is by Brian Self Mailer Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.

[Jerry Colbert]

Who Smarted.