PG’s Playhouse: Puzzles, games, trivia, & general nerdery

55: Diplomatic Immunity (ft. Lingthusiasm)

Is diplomatic immunity really a legal loophole for avoiding parking tickets? Does the land upon which the embassy sits belong to the embassy or the host country? We’re jo

54: The Streisand Effect (ft. Mark Larson)

Whatever you do, don’t listen to this episode. And definitely don’t read these show notes. Because if you do, you might discover that we’re talking about the Streisand ef

53: The Sears Catalog (ft. Aparna Nancherla)

" It spawned the term 'bathroom reading'" There was something magical about cracking open a gigantic Sears Catalog and imagining a life filled with hundreds of pages of

52: Diamonds (ft. Marriage Therapy Radio's Zach Brittle)

Diamonds are formed under a million years of crushing pressure, and for many couples, they're also the ultimate symbol of commitment. Coincidence? Maybe not. That's why w

51: Passports (ft. Lingthusiasm's Gretchen McCulloch)

For centuries, language was one of the great barriers to travelling, to sharing cultures and to humans understanding one another. Even though online tools have now made t

50: Action Park (ft. Hatch Escapes)

It's the summer of 1980. You're a bored teenager in New Jersey with a few bucks, questionable judgment, and an afternoon to kill. At Action Park, you can spend the day hu

49: The Acme Corporation (ft. Mark Larson)

Meep meep! Special Delivery! Warning: This episode may contain falling anvils, plunger guns, painted tunnels, and a stick or two of dyno-MITE, all courtesy of The Acme Co

48: The Chicago Black Sox Scandal (ft. Good Morning From Hell)

In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox took bribes worth somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000 to lose the World Series on purpose. Split eight ways and adjuste

47: The Antikythera Mechanism (ft. David's Dad, Marc Spira)

In the early 1900s, a crew of sponge divers off the coast of Greece stumbled onto a 2,000-year-old shipwreck and the world's first known analog computer. Talk about burie

46: The Petticoat Affair (ft. Marriage Therapy Radio's Zach Brittle)

Today's episode dives into the surprisingly juicy political scandal known as the Petticoat Affair. Also known as the Eaton Affair, it revolved around a young, pretty girl

45: Gadsby (ft. Hatch Escapes)

Tommy Wallach, David Spira, and the novel, Gadsby can come to the party, but Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and Peih-Gee Law aren't invited. What's the rule of the party? It's no

44: Belgian Waffles (ft. David's Mom, Joan Spira)

A vendor shows up to the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens and starts handing out light, fluffy, deep-pocketed waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberr

43: Funeral Strippers (ft. Hello Puzzlers AJ Jacobs)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census!   Funerals are usually pretty somber affairs, right? Everyone wears black and gathers to respectfully mourn the dearly departed. We

42: The Canterbury Tales (ft. Zach Sherwin)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "Canterbury Tales was basically the precursor to Epic Rap Battles of History." The beat drops and freestylin' rappers take to the stage

41: Black Light (ft. Wild Optimists)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! Are you looking to turn your party into a rave? Black light. Trying to find that pet stain you missed? Black light. Hiding secret messag

40: Groundhog Day (ft. Good Morning From Hell)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census!   "A holiday of debatable quality." It's chonky, furry, and oh so cute! The creature slowly creeps out of its burrow, looking around f

39: Salt (ft. Survivor's Rachel LaMont)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "Worth its weight in salt" Salt is a mineral so essential that civilizations literally sprung up around salt and built trade routes to

38: Phylloxera (ft. I Know Dino)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! The wine apocalypse that almost happened. Imagine no more wine bars, no more popping champagne to celebrate special occasions, and no m

37: Gonzo Journalism (ft. AJ Jacobs of Hello, Puzzlers!)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census!   Author A.J. Jacobs is no stranger to gonzo journalism. He often puts himself directly into the story he's writing, whether it's about

36: Spanktown, New Jersey (ft. Zach Sherwin)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! "This game is all about movies with titles that sound dirty but aren't." David goes to Spanktown every day. You might ask Why, or wonde