Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,
Speaker 1: Lauren Fogbaum. Here, there are very few products that have
Speaker 1: the simultaneous kitchy appeal and staying power of the nineteen
Speaker 1: eighties American classic the chia Pet. But exactly what is
Speaker 1: the story behind these sprout growing figurines, Where did they
Speaker 1: come from? And who exactly are the people buying the
Speaker 1: more than fifteen million chia pets that have sold over
Speaker 1: the past forty years. Well, first things first, the actual
Speaker 1: chia planter is made of terra cotta and they were
Speaker 1: originally made in Wahaca, Mexico. In late nineteen seventies, Joe P. Dot,
Speaker 1: founder of Joseph Enterprises, Incorporated, purchased the rights to chiapets
Speaker 1: after finding them at a trade show in Chicago. He
Speaker 1: began marketing the product mainly to drug stores and discount
Speaker 1: department stores. We spoke with Michael Hirsch, vice president of
Speaker 1: Joseph Enterprises, which was acquired by the National Entertainment Collectibles
Speaker 1: Association in Hirsh said would ties it on television at
Speaker 1: different times of the year. We discovered that the best
Speaker 1: time of the year was the holidays. That's how we
Speaker 1: did it for years hers She explained the company's first
Speaker 1: sales demographic was mostly women and children who wanted to
Speaker 1: grow plants indoors. He said, they wanted something in the
Speaker 1: wintertime that they could grow inside. It's a planter. People
Speaker 1: loved to plant. It was fun and educational. Chia is
Speaker 1: a flowering herb related to mint and sage. The seeds
Speaker 1: are a popular food item, partially because they swell up
Speaker 1: with water, grabbing uselage that adds a jellylike texture of
Speaker 1: foods like pudding, and like other plants in the family,
Speaker 1: they grow pretty easily. But how do the terra cotta
Speaker 1: figurines grow sprouts? Is it really as simple as water
Speaker 1: and watch it grow? As the ads imply almost. There
Speaker 1: are four basic steps to successfully growing a chia pet. First,
Speaker 1: you soak the planter. It's important to soak correctly and
Speaker 1: completely for best results. Soak it for several hours. Then
Speaker 1: you soak the cheese seeds and water before you spread
Speaker 1: them on the plant. Her out about two teaspoons of
Speaker 1: seeds to about a quarter cup to three quarters of
Speaker 1: a cup of water, and stir the water occasionally so
Speaker 1: the seeds don't congeal as they release. That gel. Next,
Speaker 1: spread the seeds on the planter. Use a plastic knife,
Speaker 1: a rubber spatula, or your fingers to apply the seeds
Speaker 1: evenly against the grooves of the planter. Finally, put your
Speaker 1: chiapet in a sunny spot and water it every day.
Speaker 1: And just remember, like any other house plant, chia pets
Speaker 1: should be on a plate or dish to collect water
Speaker 1: and protect the surface it's on. And don't expect overnight growth.
Speaker 1: You won't see sprouts for at least a week. With care,
Speaker 1: feeding and good sunlight, the chiapet should achieve maximum height
Speaker 1: after four to six weeks. The first chiapets were the
Speaker 1: Chea Bowl and Chia ram, although there was a Chia
Speaker 1: guy too, and while the chia animals were and still
Speaker 1: are popular in two Hersh says, the company began licensing figures,
Speaker 1: beginning with three iconic Looney Tunes characters, Tweety Bird, Taz,
Speaker 1: the Tasmanian Devil, and Elmer Fudd. Licensing truly raised the
Speaker 1: status of the chiapet from quirky gift to iconic pop
Speaker 1: culture collectible. Hersh said, we look at trends, and we
Speaker 1: look at what looks good growing as a chia pet
Speaker 1: because not everything makes the grade. We look for things
Speaker 1: we think people would love to have. We've had good
Speaker 1: luck with some. He's not kidding. Among some of the
Speaker 1: company's biggest hits are Shrek and the Fellows from Duck Dynasty.
Speaker 1: Hersh said they actually came to us. Bob Ross has
Speaker 1: also been phenomenal. The company typically licenses about three to
Speaker 1: four new products each year to go along with the
Speaker 1: stable of puppies, kittens, hedgehogs, Lamas, and other chiapet favorites.
Speaker 1: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been immortalized in the
Speaker 1: pantheon of chiapet planters. President Barack Obama was once presented
Speaker 1: with two fully grown chiapets of himself by the then
Speaker 1: president of Joseph Enterprises. After crowing, Hey, I've got green hair,
Speaker 1: he delightedly accepted the planters. According to Hersh, Chia Joe
Speaker 1: Biden is on its way. Of course, chia pets are
Speaker 1: all so used as promotional items by sports teams and
Speaker 1: other companies for giveaways, similar to bubbleheads and logo emblazoned kitch.
Speaker 1: Hersh said, we've done chiapets for the Major League Baseball
Speaker 1: Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants, the Washington Nationals,
Speaker 1: and the National Basketball Association Chicago Bulls. Chia pets are
Speaker 1: collected by people all over the world, hersh said. People
Speaker 1: send us emails telling us they're missing X, Y, and
Speaker 1: Z and ask whether we're still making them. But we
Speaker 1: also like coming up with great new ideas. They're releasing
Speaker 1: the child chia pet, which, if you didn't know, is
Speaker 1: the official name for the baby Yoda from Disney's television
Speaker 1: series The Mandalorian. These whimsical planters have become such a
Speaker 1: part of Americana that in two thousand three, p Dot
Speaker 1: was asked to donate his television advertising tapes, a selection
Speaker 1: of chia pets, and his company papers to the Bearing
Speaker 1: Center Archive at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Speaker 1: in Washington, d c. At Chia pett was also included
Speaker 1: in the special exhibition Capturing Time the New York Times Capsule,
Speaker 1: in which artifacts from the twentieth century were placed in
Speaker 1: time capsule that will remain closed until January one. Today's
Speaker 1: episode was written by Patty Rasmussen and produced by Tyler Clang.
Speaker 1: For more on this and lots of other quick growing topics,
Speaker 1: visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production
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