Betty Boop, Excel Olympics, Penny-isms: Our 2026 Valentines

Key takeaways

This year’s Valentine’s episode highlights the significance of works entering the public domain, making them more accessible for public use.
The love for spreadsheets and data reflects a cultural appreciation for skills related to technology and analysis.
The penny, while being phased out of circulation, embodies a rich cultural language worth celebrating.
Uniqlo’s aesthetic self-checkout design illustrates how thoughtful technology can improve customer experience.
Accountability journalism remains vital in providing crucial insights into how government technology impacts society.

Summary

Valentine's Day Celebrations and Public Domain

In this whimsical Valentine's episode of Planet Money, host Kenny Malone surprises co-host Jennifer Jenkins with a physical Valentine celebrating the newly liberated intellectual properties entering the public domain, including famous works like Betty Boop from 1930. Jenkins highlights the significance of these works going into the public domain, as they were locked away for decades due to copyright extensions influenced by corporate lobbying. With this year's list exceeding past releases, audiences can look forward to a trove of creative content now free for use.

The Love of Spreadsheets

Co-host Jess Zhang brings attention to the joy of spreadsheets, presenting a Valentine dedicated to an article covering the Microsoft Excel collegiate competition. The competition showcases the skill involved in navigating Excel, akin to an esports event. Jess reflects on how Excel has become an essential tool in various industries, not just finance, emphasizing its accessibility and the language of data it embodies.

An Ode to the Penny

Erica Baris expresses nostalgia for the penny, lamenting its discontinuation by the Federal Reserve. She charmingly discusses penny-related idioms and cultural significance, arguing that the penny represents a connection to the past in an increasingly digital world. The discussion also focuses on the practical reasons for eliminating the penny, such as minting costs interrupting its financial viability.

Innovative Self-Checkout Experiences

Alexi Horowitz-Gazi presents a Valentine to Uniqlo for their streamlined self-checkout system, which utilizes RFID technology to simplify the check-out experience. This reflects on broader issues with self-checkout technology and customer experiences, highlighting Uniqlo’s approach as a model for minimizing inconvenience in retail.

Celebration of Data Journalism

Nick Fountain shifts focus to the world of investigative reporting, giving a Valentine to 404 Media for their important work covering the tech used by ICE. They illustrate how accountability journalism holds powerful entities responsible, emphasizing the unique challenges faced by smaller media outlets in upholding truth and transparency in governmental affairs.

Show notes

Book tour event details and ticket info here.

An iconic cartoon character liberated from copyright, journalism from the world of competitive spreadsheeting, a controversial piece of US currency. Each year the Planet Money team dedicates an episode to the things we simply love and think you, our audience, will also love.

In this year’s Valentine’s Day episode:

The Public Domain Day list from Jennifer Jenkins’ of Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain and her colleagues.
Jesse Dougherty’s article “Between the sheets at the college Excel Championship” which is behind a paywall. Here is Jesse’s substack.
404 Media’s excellent journalism on the tech that ICE is using
An ode to the language of the penny, including songs like Pennies from Heaven.
The only self-check out that doesn’t waste your time.
And we made public domain Valentine’s cards.

Download THE OFFICIAL Planet Money valentine here.

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This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Kenny Malone. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, engineered by Cena Loffredo & Kwesi Lee, and edited by our executive producer Alex Goldmark.

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