Endless Thread Starter Pack

Welcome, future Endless Thread listener!

Endless Thread is a general interest podcast featuring amazing stories found on Reddit. In each episode, co-hosts Ben and Amory present one or more stories in a narrative style with rich sound design. One listener called us a "happier, peppier This American Life." We agree!

You do not need to listen to Endless Thread episodes in order (though yes, completists, we see you and we love you). The show's archive is a treasure trove — you can Scrooge McDuck however you like! We have stories spanning science, history, pop culture, technology, mystery, relationships, and much much more.

Below are some of our favorites — a starter kit for the show if you will. And don't forget to subscribe to Endless Thread in your favorite podcast app so you don't miss any new episodes.

Happy listening!

If you want to jump right in with some Endless Thread classics...

If you like internet mysteries...

Listen to "Geedis."

What is Geedis? This is the question that thousands of internet sleuths had been trying to answer for more than two years. The strange, furry character and his buddies in The Land of Ta have remained a mystery of 80's fantastical proportions. We go down the rabbit hole…and make a discovery.

If you like medical mysteries...

Listen to "Brain Melt."

Redditor Stephanie Graham started feeling a bit off in the third trimester of her pregnancy. Then things got weird. Really weird.

If you like crazy cool animals...

Listen to "Doom Jelly."

Imagine sitting in a hospital room for 24 consecutive hours in the most agonizing pain you can possibly imagine. You feel a sense of impending doom. You have a feeling this won't end well. Then, the pain subsides and you walk away. Jamie Seymour has had that experience eleven different times. He's a leading expert on one of the world's most frightening creatures and he's paid the price.

If you like relationship stories...

Listen to "The Rest... Is History."

Every relationship has a story. Samantha and Laura's is extraordinary. This is a story of love in transition.

BONUS: "Cupcake."

Chris and Kim have been married for 13 years and things have been going really, really well. So well, in fact, that they wondered... what's next? Their answer: consensual non-monogamy. They think of their additional sexual partners as "cupcakes," sweet additions to the healthy hearty "meal" that is their marriage.

If you like the environment...

Listen to "That Old Chestnut."

One of the nuttiest stories of near extinction and resurrection ever seen in the United States. It involves genetic engineering, warring factions of tree enthusiasts, and a mysterious, destructive power that started at the Bronx Zoo.

If you like inventors...

Listen to "The Greatest Squirt Gun Ever Built."

One of the bestselling toys of all-time, the Super Soaker, was invented by a rocket scientist nicknamed "The Professor." This is the story of the man, the legend: Lonnie Johnson.

If you like internet trolling...

Listen to "Turning Hate Into Humor."

An elite unit of trolls is engaged in an existential battle against hate speech on the internet. This is their story.

If you like porn...

Listen to "Gone Wild Audio."

Audio erotica is blowing up right now, from Silicon Valley-backed startups to the rise of erotic ASMR — not to mention a huge growth in podcasts. But the hub for audio erotica can be found on Reddit in a community of more than 300,000 devoted fans and amateur performers. We dive into this world to understand audio erotica's surprising moment in the cultural spotlight and the unexpected ways it's transforming people's lives.

If you like memes...

Listen to "I, Ken Bone."

What happens to a meme deterred? We talk to the meme — I mean, MAN — himself, Ken Bone. (You know, the guy in the red sweater who asked a question during one of the 2016 presidential debates?)

If you like stories of resilience...

Listen to "Kickin' It."

More than 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. Alex from Brockport, New York is determined not to be one of them, and Reddit is one of the resources that has helped him get, and stay, clean. Ben and Amory go to Brockport to talk to Alex and to the family and friends that have supported him along the way.

BONUS: "Shipwrecked."

When someone close to you dies, it can be a struggle to feel normal again — and to have people TREAT you normally again. When T.J.'s long-time partner died suddenly in 2017, she found a sense of normalcy and healing from strangers in the r/Widowers community on Reddit.