WEBVTT - How Do Chia Pets Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Fogbaum. Here, there are very few products that have

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<v Speaker 1>the simultaneous kitchy appeal and staying power of the nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>eighties American classic the chia Pet. But exactly what is

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<v Speaker 1>the story behind these sprout growing figurines, Where did they

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<v Speaker 1>come from? And who exactly are the people buying the

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<v Speaker 1>more than fifteen million chia pets that have sold over

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<v Speaker 1>the past forty years. Well, first things first, the actual

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<v Speaker 1>chia planter is made of terra cotta and they were

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<v Speaker 1>originally made in Wahaca, Mexico. In late nineteen seventies, Joe P. Dot,

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<v Speaker 1>founder of Joseph Enterprises, Incorporated, purchased the rights to chiapets

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<v Speaker 1>after finding them at a trade show in Chicago. He

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<v Speaker 1>began marketing the product mainly to drug stores and discount

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<v Speaker 1>department stores. We spoke with Michael Hirsch, vice president of

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<v Speaker 1>Joseph Enterprises, which was acquired by the National Entertainment Collectibles

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<v Speaker 1>Association in Hirsh said would ties it on television at

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<v Speaker 1>different times of the year. We discovered that the best

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<v Speaker 1>time of the year was the holidays. That's how we

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<v Speaker 1>did it for years hers She explained the company's first

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<v Speaker 1>sales demographic was mostly women and children who wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>grow plants indoors. He said, they wanted something in the

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<v Speaker 1>wintertime that they could grow inside. It's a planter. People

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<v Speaker 1>loved to plant. It was fun and educational. Chia is

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<v Speaker 1>a flowering herb related to mint and sage. The seeds

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<v Speaker 1>are a popular food item, partially because they swell up

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<v Speaker 1>with water, grabbing uselage that adds a jellylike texture of

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<v Speaker 1>foods like pudding, and like other plants in the family,

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<v Speaker 1>they grow pretty easily. But how do the terra cotta

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<v Speaker 1>figurines grow sprouts? Is it really as simple as water

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<v Speaker 1>and watch it grow? As the ads imply almost. There

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<v Speaker 1>are four basic steps to successfully growing a chia pet. First,

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<v Speaker 1>you soak the planter. It's important to soak correctly and

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<v Speaker 1>completely for best results. Soak it for several hours. Then

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<v Speaker 1>you soak the cheese seeds and water before you spread

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<v Speaker 1>them on the plant. Her out about two teaspoons of

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<v Speaker 1>seeds to about a quarter cup to three quarters of

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<v Speaker 1>a cup of water, and stir the water occasionally so

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<v Speaker 1>the seeds don't congeal as they release. That gel. Next,

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<v Speaker 1>spread the seeds on the planter. Use a plastic knife,

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<v Speaker 1>a rubber spatula, or your fingers to apply the seeds

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<v Speaker 1>evenly against the grooves of the planter. Finally, put your

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<v Speaker 1>chiapet in a sunny spot and water it every day.

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<v Speaker 1>And just remember, like any other house plant, chia pets

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<v Speaker 1>should be on a plate or dish to collect water

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<v Speaker 1>and protect the surface it's on. And don't expect overnight growth.

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<v Speaker 1>You won't see sprouts for at least a week. With care,

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<v Speaker 1>feeding and good sunlight, the chiapet should achieve maximum height

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<v Speaker 1>after four to six weeks. The first chiapets were the

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<v Speaker 1>Chea Bowl and Chia ram, although there was a Chia

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<v Speaker 1>guy too, and while the chia animals were and still

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<v Speaker 1>are popular in two Hersh says, the company began licensing figures,

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<v Speaker 1>beginning with three iconic Looney Tunes characters, Tweety Bird, Taz,

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<v Speaker 1>the Tasmanian Devil, and Elmer Fudd. Licensing truly raised the

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<v Speaker 1>status of the chiapet from quirky gift to iconic pop

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<v Speaker 1>culture collectible. Hersh said, we look at trends, and we

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<v Speaker 1>look at what looks good growing as a chia pet

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<v Speaker 1>because not everything makes the grade. We look for things

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<v Speaker 1>we think people would love to have. We've had good

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<v Speaker 1>luck with some. He's not kidding. Among some of the

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<v Speaker 1>company's biggest hits are Shrek and the Fellows from Duck Dynasty.

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<v Speaker 1>Hersh said they actually came to us. Bob Ross has

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<v Speaker 1>also been phenomenal. The company typically licenses about three to

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<v Speaker 1>four new products each year to go along with the

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<v Speaker 1>stable of puppies, kittens, hedgehogs, Lamas, and other chiapet favorites.

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<v Speaker 1>Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been immortalized in the

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<v Speaker 1>pantheon of chiapet planters. President Barack Obama was once presented

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<v Speaker 1>with two fully grown chiapets of himself by the then

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<v Speaker 1>president of Joseph Enterprises. After crowing, Hey, I've got green hair,

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<v Speaker 1>he delightedly accepted the planters. According to Hersh, Chia Joe

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<v Speaker 1>Biden is on its way. Of course, chia pets are

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<v Speaker 1>all so used as promotional items by sports teams and

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<v Speaker 1>other companies for giveaways, similar to bubbleheads and logo emblazoned kitch.

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<v Speaker 1>Hersh said, we've done chiapets for the Major League Baseball

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<v Speaker 1>Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants, the Washington Nationals,

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<v Speaker 1>and the National Basketball Association Chicago Bulls. Chia pets are

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<v Speaker 1>collected by people all over the world, hersh said. People

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<v Speaker 1>send us emails telling us they're missing X, Y, and

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<v Speaker 1>Z and ask whether we're still making them. But we

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<v Speaker 1>also like coming up with great new ideas. They're releasing

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<v Speaker 1>the child chia pet, which, if you didn't know, is

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<v Speaker 1>the official name for the baby Yoda from Disney's television

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<v Speaker 1>series The Mandalorian. These whimsical planters have become such a

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<v Speaker 1>part of Americana that in two thousand three, p Dot

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<v Speaker 1>was asked to donate his television advertising tapes, a selection

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<v Speaker 1>of chia pets, and his company papers to the Bearing

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<v Speaker 1>Center Archive at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

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<v Speaker 1>in Washington, d c. At Chia pett was also included

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<v Speaker 1>in the special exhibition Capturing Time the New York Times Capsule,

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<v Speaker 1>in which artifacts from the twentieth century were placed in

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<v Speaker 1>time capsule that will remain closed until January one. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Patty Rasmussen and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and lots of other quick growing topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of my heart Radio. For more podcasts from My heart Radio,

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