Now It's Ruined

Kate Bridal and Larkin Harrington
  • 4.7 (12)
  • Society & Culture

Hello! We're Now It's Ruined, a podcast that reveals questionable facts about everyday objects, activities, and people in the hopes that you will never be able to truly enjoy them again. Hosts Kate Bridal and Larkin Harrington answer seemingly innocent questions like "Where did hammocks come from?" and "Who invented the chainsaw?" with distinctly unpleasant facts. We talk about the dark side of things we tend to take for granted and highlight the people who are often left out of the narrative. While we are a comedy podcast, we discuss some very disturbing and violent things, so listener discretion is always advised.

  1. Oct 21

    Episode 44. Halloween

    Larkin runs over the history of Halloween, including some fun (and not so fun) LGBTQ+ traditions, the appropriation of the holiday by the Church, and the surprisingly sexy origin story of Jack ‘O’ Lanterns. Sprinkled with a little human sacrifice and capped off with a discussion of racism and sexism, this episode contains all the miserable Now It’s Ruined hits that will have you going, “Oh my god, and but of course.”  CONTENT WARNING: Gun violence References THEM: “The Long History of How Halloween Became a Sacred Queer Holiday” Oliver Haug, Oct. 26, 2023https://www.them.us/story/halloween-gay-christmas-lgbtq-history  Halloween in the Castro: How violence destroyed the best party San Francisco ever had Andrew Chamings,Editor-at-Large Updated Oct 25, 2023https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/halloween-castro-history-violence-san-francisco-15661253.php  Halloween: Origins, Movies and Traditions|HISTORYhttps://www.history.com/articles/history-of-halloween  Britannica Editors. "fili". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Feb. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/art/fili-ancient-Gaelic-poets  Britannica Editors. "bard". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Mar. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/art/bard  Term: Vateshttps://www.etymonline.com/word/vates  Pagan Federationhttps://www.paganfederation.org/what-is-paganism/  Term: Paganhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan  Empire Versus Tribe: The Roman Empire and the Celtshttps://historynet.com/empire-vs-tribe-the-roman-empire-and-the-celts/  Ancient Festival of Beltanehttps://www.history.com/articles/beltane  Britannica Editors. "Beltane". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Beltane  Irish Folklore: Pucahttps://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/irish-folklore-puca/  BBC - All Hallow’s Evehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/halloween_1.shtml  Dillon, Myles, Cana, Proinsias Mac. "Celtic religion". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celtic-religion Nangia, Tamanna. "Halloween". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Sep. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Halloween  Preston, Charles. "Samhain". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Samhain  CNN Target Apologizes https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/24/business/target-apologizes-halloween-costume-backlash-hnk  “Samhain to Soulmass: The Pagan Origins of Familiar Halloween Rituals” Beverly D’Silva, Oct 31, 2024 https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20241030-samhain-to-soulmass-the-pagan-origins-of-familiar-halloween-rituals  “The True History of Halloween Is Even Darker Than You Imagined: Discover what lurks beneath the candy and costumes” Hadley Mendelsohn, Oct 27, 2025https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a69149873/halloween-history-origins-evolution/  “Empire Vs. Tribe: The Roman Empire and the Celts”  O’Brien Browne, Jan 25, 2017https://historynet.com/empire-vs-tribe-the-roman-empire-and-the-celts/  “How British colonialism determined whether your country celebrates Halloween” Max Fisher October 31, 2013https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/10/31/how-british-colonialism-determined-whether-your-country-celebrates-halloween/  Trick-Or-Treating Originshttps://www.history.com/articles/halloween-trick-or-treating-origins  https://www.boreal.org/2024/11/01/470980/over-80-of-halloween-pumpkins-are-thrown-away-each-year-heres-what-you-can-do-instead  https://www.nusconnect.org.uk/articles/the-scary-facts-about-halloween-waste  Archaeology Magazine Archive “Celtic Sacrifice” https://archive.archaeology.org/0201/etc/celtic.html   If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to nowitsruined@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic! Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram. You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  2. Oct 7

    Episode 43. Houdini the Ruiner

    We’re opening spooky month with a brand new episode about a man who loved to ruin people’s spooky fun! Harry Houdini was not only a talented magician and escape artist, he was also a crusader against fake mediums and spiritualists. He spent huge amounts of time, effort, and money debunking frauds and educating the public on their tricks.  Though we do discuss some of his shortcomings, this episode isn’t a true ruin. But this Halloween marks the hundredth anniversary of Houdini’s famous death, so we decided a discussion of his ruinous streak would be appropriate.  CONTENT WARNING: Attempted Suicide References Follow John Cox/Wild About Harry on Insta and Patreon, and check out his website . https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/houdini-biography/  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/houdini-houdin/ https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/p/metamorphosis.html https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/houdini-beck/ https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2011/07/houdinis-pets.html  https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2013/04/the-handcuff-kings-blog-death-of-rival.html https://auctions.potterauctions.com/_Bean_Giant_Handcuff__Patented_in_1887___Escape_pr-LOT92251.aspx https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/houdini-slander-trial/ https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2015/03/houdinis-escape-from-murderers-row.html https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/p/the-chinese-water-torture-cell.html https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2013/12/unpublished-houdini-with-his-baby.html  https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2011/08/culliton-papers-houdini-and.html https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jack-London https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jack-london https://jacklondonpark.com/charmian-kittredge-london-biography/ https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2020/07/houdini-on-equality.html  https://www.britannica.com/topic/spiritualism-religion https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-very-common-delusion-spiritualism-and-the-fox-sisters-97825064/ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/04/arthur-conan-doyle-secretly-resented-his-sherlock-holmes-creation-says-historian https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arthur-Conan-Doyle https://arthurconandoyle.co.uk/spiritualist https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history-you-asked/how-did-sir-arthur-conan-doyle-trick-houdini https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/aug/10/houdini-and-conan-doyle-impossible-edinburgh-festival https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/news/2026/03/18/medium-harvard https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/houdini-margery-pamphlet/ https://www.newspapers.com/article/harrisburg-telegraph-houdini-curse-death/3064669/ https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/p/j-gordon-whitehead.html https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/p/edward-saint.html https://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2014/10/halloween-1936-final-houdini-seance.html If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to nowitsruined@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic! Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram. You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  3. Sep 23

    Episode 42. The Christmas Rebellion (Bonus Patreon Upcycle)

    Our last upcycle before we come back in October is all about The Christmas Rebellion, aka the Baptist War, which started in Jamaica on Christmas Day in 1831. Led by enslaved Baptist deacon Samuel Sharpe, The Christmas Rebellion was one of the largest slave rebellions in history, with 60,000 of the island’s 300,000 enslaved people taking part. It contributed heavily to England’s abolition of slavery, a practice that claimed the lives of millions of Africans. This episode has a bit of information overlap with our full-length hammocks episode (which we put out a few months after recording this), but it is its own unique story! References https://jis.gov.jm/information/jamaican-history/  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus/The-first-voyage  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-were-taino-original-inhabitants-columbus-island-73824867/  https://www.embassyofjamaica.org/about_jamaica/history.htm  https://nlj.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/CHRONOLOGY_OF_THE_SLAVE_TRADE.pdf  https://www.njstatelib.org/research_library/new_jersey_resources/highlights/african_american_history_curriculum/unit_2_rise_of_afro-americans/  https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/transatlantic-slave-trade-begins  https://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/slavery/against-slavery/black-resistance-against-slavery/the-maroons-of-jamaica/  https://www.britannica.com/topic/buccaneer  https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/article/how-england-became-the-sweetshop-of-europe  https://runaways.gla.ac.uk/minecraft/index.php/slaves-work-on-sugar-plantations/  https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/103864  https://baptist.ca/about-cboq/what-do-baptists-believe/  https://aaregistry.org/story/samuel-sharpe-abolitionist-born/  https://blackpast.org/global-african-history/baptist-war-1831-1832/  https://wiredja.com/index.php/categories/newsberg/culture/that-kensington-fire-which-started-the-sam-sharpe-war-of-1831-32  If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to nowitsruined@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic! Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram. You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  4. Sep 9

    Episode 41. War of the Flies (Bonus Patreon Upcycle)

    Our September upcycle kicks off with the tale of a dramatic ongoing battle to prevent the resurgence of a particularly nasty pest in the U.S. If you’d really like to challenge yourself, we recommend putting this on while you cook. If you’re still able to eat after listening to Larkin describe festering wounds, flesh-eating maggots, and blood mixed with rotting meat and eggs, congratulations! You’re as voracious as cochliomya hominivorax, aka the Screw Worm.  Since recording this episode, there have been new sightings of screw worms in the United States, specifically in Texas. Be careful out there! References Kursgesagt In a Nutshell - How Nuclear Flies Protect You from Flesh-Eating Parasites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxq60I5RSW8   CDC Screwworm https://www.cdc.gov/new-world-screwworm/about/index.html   National Library of Medicine https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6346435/   Zombie Deer and the Scientists Behind the War on the Man Eater Sam Jones, October 24, 2022 https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/zombie-deer-and-the-scientists-behind-the-war-on-the-man-eater/  What to Know About the New World Screwworm D’Lyn Ford, July 30, 2025 https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/what-to-know-about-the-new-world-screwworm/  Lab Identification of New World Screwworm CDC August 23, 2024 https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/resources/pdf/benchaids/NWS-Bench-Aid-2024-508.pdf  Charles Coquerel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Coquerel  U.S. Beef Cattle Industry https://swnydlfc.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=1810&crumb=livestock   Video: The Screwworm, Excerpt 2 https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/stop-screwworms--selections-fr/item/6904  A flesh-eating parasite has almost reached the US border. Should we be worried? BBC Tom Howarth, October 17, 2025 https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/flesh-eating-parasite-us If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to nowitsruined@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic! Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram. You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  5. Aug 26

    Episode 40. The Disappearance of Jacob Wetterling (Bonus Patreon Upcycle)

    On October 22, 1989, a stranger snatched Jacob Wetterling off the street near his home in St. Joseph, Minnesota. For nearly 27 years, nobody knew what happened to him.  The story takes one infuriating turn after another as police missteps kept Jacob from being found for over two decades. Eventually, the full, tragic story was revealed. Kate grew up less than an hour from St. Joseph and has been haunted by Jacob’s case for as long as she can remember. When she realized the anniversary of his disappearance coincided with a bonus episode due date, she decided to dedicate that episode to him.  Content Warning: Child Sexual Abuse, Violence Against Children References In the Dark Podcast, S1: https://features.apmreports.org/in-the-dark/season-one/ https://www.npr.org/2025/07/23/g-s1-78924/etan-patz-missing-kids-children-legacy https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-orders-new-trial-pedro-hernandez-man-convicted/story?id=123933826 https://www.apmreports.org/story/2016/09/07/jacob-wetterling#:~:text=He%20liked%20to%20fish%20with,had%20linked%20to%20the%20case. https://www.fox9.com/news/jacob-wetterling-murder-35-years https://www.apmreports.org/story/2016/12/30/27-years-wetterling-child-abduction#:~:text=As%20they%20biked%20up%20the,been%20that%20rustling%20sound%20earlier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Jacob_Wetterling#/media/File:Jacob_Wetterling_map.png https://www.kare11.com/article/news/timeline-wetterling-cold-spring-and-the-paynesville-incidents/89-596597576 https://today.magazine.mnsu.edu/s/1913/bp21-micro/interior.aspx?sid=1913&gid=2&pgid=1033 https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/support/teamhope https://amberadvocate.org/amber-feature/advocacy-highlights-family-survival-guide-parents/ dearjacobbook.com If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to nowitsruined@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic! Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram. You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. Aug 12

    Episode 39. Recycling (Feat. Forrest Shaw)

    We know we said we were going to upcycle, but instead let’s recycle! Kate and Larkin are joined by comedian and former marine biologist Forrest Shaw (CONAN, Netflix Is a Joke), who enlightens them about plastic and recycling. Plastic has gone from a miracle substance that was meant to save the elephants to the bane of the planet’s existence. But this isn’t all doom and gloom! Forrest wants us all to know that recycling does work (though not as well/often as we’d like it to), and we can all make a real difference by reducing the amount of plastic we use.  Forrest is currently touring with his science/standup comedy show, The Ocean Hates You. Visit https://www.forrestshaw.net/ or Forrest’s Linktree for tickets and dates! Follow Forrest on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Follow The Ocean Hates You on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. References Recycling History https://time.com/4568234/history-origins-recycling/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Propaganda Against Recycling https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/plastics-industry-insiders-reveal-the-truth-about-recycling/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Plastic Origins https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/national-museum-american-history-showcases-celluloid-first-plastic?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.wired.com/story/the-world-is-drowning-in-plastic-heres-how-it-all-started/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Plastic Waste Sources https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/global-plastics-outlook_de747aef-en.html   Recycling Can Work (And Does Work) : Need To Build and Invest In Better Facilities https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/improving-markets-for-recycled-plastics_9789264301016-en.html https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2022/06/global-plastics-outlook_f065ef59/aa1edf33-en.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.epa.gov/smm/us-recycling-infrastructure-assessment-and-state-data-collection-reports?utm_source=chatgpt.com LIFE Magazine - Throwaway Society https://time.com/3879873/throwaway-living-when-tossing-it-all-was-all-the-rage/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Oil Companies Suck (General) https://www.ciel.org/news/fossil-fuel-and-chemical-industry-influence-inc4/ Recycling Stats for PET Bottles https://napcor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Postconsumer-PET-Recycling-Activity-in-2018.pdf Holding Producers Of Plastic Accountable https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj8275 Plastic Problem Solutions https://www.pew.org/en/trend/archive/winter-2022/our-ocean-is-choking-on-plastic-but-its-a-problem-we-can-solve#:~:text=Some%2011%20million%20metric%20tons,by%202040%20without%20ambitious%20action https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/towards_a_treaty_to_end_plastic_pollution___final_report.pdf If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to nowitsruined@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic! Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram. You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. Jul 29

    Episode 38. Cornflakes and Graham Crackers

    Do Cornflakes and graham crackers make you want to touch yourself? No? Good, that’s part of the goal. Kate takes Larkin on a journey through the history of sexual repression and how it led to a health food movement focused on avoiding the “sin of self-pleasure.” Proponents of this movement included Sylvester Graham and John Harvey Kellogg, who we have to thank for graham crackers and Cornflakes (though it was John Harvey’s brother, W.K., who invented the latter).  This was a randy one that contains some graphic sexual content, so CONTENT WARNING:: Sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, rape, religious sexual trauma References Masturbation euphemisms https://mashable.com/article/masturbation-slang-euphemisms-list IVF Ruling https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/the-alabama-supreme-courts-ruling-on-frozen-embryos https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-press-releases/2020/new-figures-show-how-different-people-are-using-ivf/ History of sexual repression, particularly regarding masturbation https://www.jstor.org/stable/27505893?mag=a-brief-history-of-masturbation&seq=1 https://hilo.hawaii.edu/campuscenter/hohonu/volumes/documents/Vol06x17SexualRepressionandMasturbation.pdf https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-sin-of-onan https://hekint.org/2023/11/20/samuel-auguste-andre-david-tissot-1728-1797/ https://archive.org/details/b20442348 https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2020/06/anti-onanism-doctor/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evil-deeds/201801/who-were-the-alienists Hodges FM. The antimasturbation crusade in antebellum American medicine. J Sex Med. 2005 Sep;2(5):722-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2005.00133.x. PMID: 16422831. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1743609515312376 Sylvester Graham https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvester-Graham https://scalar.usc.edu/works/maine-vegetarian-history-project/1834-sylvester-graham-riot-in-portland https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cereal https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/sylvester-graham-and-antebellum-diet-reform Circumcision https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/circumcision-does-not-reduce-penile-sensitivity-research-finds The Kelloggs https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Harvey-Kellogg Loignon, Austin Eli, "Cornflakes, God, and Circumcision: John Harvey Kellogg and Transatlantic Health Reform" (2019). History Dissertations - Archive. 76. https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/history_dissertations/76/ https://adventist.org/en/beliefs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_G._White https://www.battlecreekvisitors.org/blog/post/facts-about-battle-creeks-world-famous-health-spa-in-the-1900s/ https://bentley.umich.edu/about/collections-magazine/spring-2018/citizen-grain/ https://sph.umich.edu/pursuit/2022posts/the-impact-of-dr-john-harvey-kelloggs-stand-for-eugenics.html https://disabilityjustice.org/basic-legal-rights/right-to-self-determination-freedom-from-involuntary-sterilization/ https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/buck-v-bell-1927/ https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/unwanted-sterilization-and-eugenics-programs-in-the-united-states/ https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/w-k-kellogg https://www.thefoodhistorian.com/blog/the-real-kellogg-recipe-granula-v-granola https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2025/06/bloomers-and-breakfast-cereal-james-caleb-jackson-and-the-founding-of-a-health-movement/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shredded_wheat https://www.britannica.com/biography/C-W-Post Kinsey and De-stigmatization https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1447862/ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-15-he-kinsey15-story.html https://www.teenvogue.com/story/national-masturbation-month-history https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/the-debate-over-sex-education-and-its-consequences Good Vibes https://www.goodvibes.com/?source=pepperjam&publisherId=21181&clickId=5545181938&utm_source=pjn&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=21181&cvosrc=affiliate.pepperjam.21181 If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to nowitsruined@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic! Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram. You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  8. Jul 15

    Episode 37. Chocolate

    Larkin blindsides Kate with a truly upsetting ruin regarding one of the world’s favorite treats. Learn how chocolate went from ritualistic beverage to corporate juggernaut, built on the backs of people who will never have the luxury of tasting it.  Content Warning: Violence, torture, child abuse It’s practically impossible to find ethically sourced cocoa products, but here’s the list Larkin mentions: https://foodispower.org/chocolate-list/ References YouTube Video - Carla Martin: Cocoa Crisis https://youtu.be/_a4si2TCw0U YouTube Video - Carla Martin: “What Makes Chocolate Good?” https://youtu.be/Z3M9Vswd6Js?si=r_jbanxQJhELXlVl NC State University Cooperative Extension “The Cacao Tree: From Ancient Mesoamerica to Global Chocolate”  Gene Fox, April 14, 2025 https://beaufort.ces.ncsu.edu/news/the-cacao-tree-from-ancient-mesoamerica-to-global-chocolate/ Cook, L. Russell. "cacao". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Jun. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/plant/cacao Myhrvold, Nathan, Blumberg, Naomi. "chocolate". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/chocolate NIH National Library of Medicine: Samanta, Sharmistha et al. “Dark chocolate: An overview of its biological activity, processing, and fortification approaches.” Current research in food science vol. 5 1916-1943. 15 Oct. 2022, doi:10.1016/j.crfs.2022.10.017  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9589144/ University of California Botanical Garden at Berkley: “Does Chocolate Grow on Trees?” December 5, 2025 https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/learn/garden-stories/does-chocolate-grow-on-trees/ History.com Article “History of Chocolate” History.com Editors. May 27, 2026 https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-chocolate Yucatan Magazine “The Misunderstood History of the Great Aztec Empire” Carlos Rosado van der GrachtMay 19, 2025 https://yucatanmagazine.com/aztec-history/ Indigenous Mexico “Mexica or Aztec: How the Mexicas Were Renamed”  https://www.indigenousmexico.org/articles/mexica-or-aztec-how-the-mexicas-were-renamed Aztlán (Aslan) Tenochtitlan (Tenochiclan) Huizilopochtili (hoo-ee-chlee-oh-potchli) Cornell University Library: Online Exhibitions “When Money Grew on Trees” https://exhibits.library.cornell.edu/chocolate-food-of-the-gods/feature/when-money-grew-on-trees Cornell Botanic Gardens “For the Love of Chocolate”  Sarah Fiorello February 13, 2024 https://cornellbotanicgardens.org/for-the-love-of-chocolate World History Encyclopedia “Sugar & the Rise of the Plantation System” James Hancock, June 18, 2021 https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1784/sugar--the-rise-of-the-plantation-system/ The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University “Chocolate History” 2015 https://ansp.org/press-room/press-releases/2014/chocolate-history Lowcountry Digital History Initiative - College of Charleston “Voyage of the Echo: Trials of an Illegal Trans-Atlantic Slave Ship - Historical Context: Abolishing the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade”  https://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/voyage-of-the-echo-the-trials/historic-context--abolishing-t ResearchGate “The bitter and sweet of chocolate in Europe” Carla D. Martin, January 2015 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290471791_The_bitter_and_sweet_of_chocolate_in_Europe ResearchGate “From Cocoa Farms to Candy Chutes” Dr. Carla Martin & Kathryn Sampeck. January 8, 2021 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375717625_From_Cocoa_Farms_to_Candy_Chutes The Tufts Daily “Dr. Carla Martin discusses politics of chocolate” Abigail Feldman February 5, 2016 https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2016/02/dr-carla-martin-discusses-politics-chocolate-gives-samples-chocolate Digital Commons: Sackett, Marjie (2008) "Forced Child Labor and Cocoa Production in West Africa," Human Rights & Human Welfare: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 34.  https://digitalcommons.du.edu/hrhw/vol8/iss1/34/ The Washington Post “Cocoa’s child laborers: Mars, Nestlé and Hershey pledged nearly two decades ago to stop using cocoa harvested by children. Yet much of the chocolate you buy still starts with child labor.” Peter Whoriskey & Rachel Siegel, June 5, 2019 https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/business/hershey-nestle-mars-chocolate-child-labor-west-africa/ Bureau of International Labor Affairs - ‘The Department of Labor’ Exposing Exploitation in Global Supply Chains  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/supply-chains/cocoa Food Empowerment Project “Child Labor and Slavery in the Chocolate Industry”  https://foodispower.org/human-labor-slavery/slavery-in-the-chocolate-industry/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to nowitsruined@gmail.com. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic! Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram. You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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4.7
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Hello! We're Now It's Ruined, a podcast that reveals questionable facts about everyday objects, activities, and people in the hopes that you will never be able to truly enjoy them again. Hosts Kate Bridal and Larkin Harrington answer seemingly innocent questions like "Where did hammocks come from?" and "Who invented the chainsaw?" with distinctly unpleasant facts. We talk about the dark side of things we tend to take for granted and highlight the people who are often left out of the narrative. While we are a comedy podcast, we discuss some very disturbing and violent things, so listener discretion is always advised.

Information

  • Creator
    Kate Bridal and Larkin Harrington
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Now It's Ruined
  • Show Website
    Now It's Ruined

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