They’ve long been associated with crime and blight. Now, the investors are moving in. Zachary Crockett follows the trail. SOURCES:Paul Bradley, president of ROC USA.Blaer Roberts, former chef and mobile home resident.Frank Rolfe, co-owner of Mobile Home University.Cheryl Streberger, retired nurse and mobile home resident. RESOURCES:"‘We’re All Afraid’: Massive Rent Increases Hit Mobile Homes," by Abha Bhattarai (The Washington Post, 2022)."Investors Are Buying Mobile Home Parks. Residents Are Paying a Price," by Sophie Kasakove (The New York Times, 2022)."Mobile Home Parks Move From Mom-and-Pop to Corporate," by Jennifer Brown and Kevin Simpson (A.P. News, 2019)."The Cold, Hard Lessons of Mobile Home U," by Gary Rivlin (The New York Times, 2014)."Goldman Alum Gives Up Funds to Become Trailer-Park Mogul," by Anthony Effinger and Katherine Burton (Bloomberg, 2014)."Carlyle Jumps Into Niche Space," by Dawn Wotapka (The Wall Street Journal, 2013).
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100. Podcasts
What goes into creating an episode of The Economics of Everyday Things? And how do shows like this one make money? Zachary Crockett turns the mic on himself. SOURCES:Gabe Tartaglia, vice president of podcast and satellite monetization at SiriusXM.Gabe Roth, editorial director of the Freakonomics Radio Network.Sarah Lilley, senior producer of The Economics of Everyday Things.Jeremy Johnston, audio engineer at the Freakonomics Radio Network.Daniel Moritz-Rabson, fact-checker at the Freakonomics Radio Network. RESOURCES:"Digital Ad Revenue Surges 15% YoY in 2024, Climbing to $259B, According to IAB," (International Advertising Bureau, 2025)."Cost per Thousand (CPM) Definition and Its Role in Marketing," by Will Kenton (Investopedia, 2024)."Podcast Statistics You Need To Know," (Backlinko). APM Music — Licensing .
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99. Emoji
We send 10 billion of them every day. Where do they come from? Zachary Crockett hearts this topic. SOURCES:Jennifer 8. Lee, co-founder of Emojination. RESOURCES:"Apple Removes The Gun Emoji, Replaces It With A Squirt Gun," by Carl Franzen (Popular Science, 2021)."Ford’s secret fight for a pickup truck emoji," by Mark Dent (The Hustle, 2019)."The WIRED Guide to Emoji," by Arielle Pardes (WIRED, 2018)."How the iPhone won over Japan and gave the world emoji," by Sam Byford (The Verge, 2017)."About Emoji," (Unicode Consortium).
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98. Police Sketches
When security cameras and facial recognition tools fail, law enforcement investigators fall back on a witness's memory and an artist's hand. Zachary Crockett's nose was a little bigger than that. SOURCES:Lois Gibson, forensic artist.David Sarni, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. RESOURCES:"Fighting Crime With Pencil and Paper," by J. David Goodman (New York Times, 2013)"Something Sketchy About Identifying Suspects," by Stephen Owsinski (National Police Association)."Forensic Art Certification Scope and Role," (International Association for Identification)."Forensice Art Composites," (Samantha Steinberg).
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EXTRA: Fireworks Stands
How does an industry built on roadside pop-ups make billions of dollars in two weeks of the year? Zachary Crockett gets pyrotechnical. SOURCES:Alex Zoldan, vice president of Phantom Fireworks. RESOURCES:Phantom Fireworks 2025 Wholesale Price List."The Explosive Growth Of The Fireworks Market," by Greg Rosalsky, Darian Woods, and Julian Ritchey (NPR, 2023)."Directory of State Laws for Consumer Fireworks," (American Pyrotechnics Association).
Who decides which snacks are in your office’s vending machine? How much is a suburban elm tree worth, and to whom? How did Girl Scout Cookies become a billion-dollar business? In bite-sized episodes, journalist Zachary Crockett looks at quotidian things and finds amazing stories.
To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
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