Oct. 5, 2022, 4:45 p.m.
Our very own word game, the sounds of Mexico City, and more
Projects from The Pudding about Chinese media censorship, street vendors in Mexico City, WNBA sneakers, and our very own word game.
The Pudding
The Pudding is a journal for visual essays. You may have stumbled upon some of our projects, such as Women’s Pockets are Inferior, How Bad is Your Spotify or Apple Music?, or A People Map of the US.
In this issue, we put a spotlight on people and things that often get relegated to the shadows, including censored media in China, informal street vendors in Mexico City, and the signature sneakers of the WNBA.
But first, we celebrate the launch of our very own game, words against strangers.
words against strangers
Russell (and Michelle) initially set out to create another word game to add to Russell’s mother-in-law’s daily rotation. They eventually landed on this fast-paced, head-to-head, realtime-ish challenge where you play against a daily “stranger.” You too can showcase your word game prowess by signing up to be the opponent that everyone on the internet plays against!
The Big [Censored] Theory
What media content does the Chinese government censor, and why? In 2014, American TV series The Big Bang Theory disappeared from Chinese streaming platforms. When it resurfaced, it was full of weird jumps and cuts. Author Manyun Zou re-watched the first 100 episodes and found fascinating patterns in the missing clips.
For an economic angle on Manyun’s piece, listen to her interview on Marketplace from last month:
The Sounds of Mexico City
Tamale vendors. Knife sharpeners. Organ grinders. In this audiovisual piece, authors Aaron Reiss, Oscar Molina Palestina, and illustrator Diego Parés share the unique sounds of informal street vendors in Mexico City. Find out why street vendors are so vital to the city’s culture and economy, yet lack the same protections as most workers.
WNBA Kicks
It’s a special year for WNBA fans and sneakerheads. For the first time since 1999, three women from the WNBA are releasing signature shoes. In celebration, Jan made a morphing illustration of every shoe from the 1995 Air Swoopes I to this year’s Stewie 1’s. As the shoes morph, learn about the badass women who shaped the sport.
Get this project in poster form (along with others) at our online shop. WNBA great Rebecca Lobo’s already got hers!
BONUS: How the digital age shrunk music
Are you following us on social media? Last month we teamed up with Chris Dalla Riva for an Instagram-exclusive look at the shrinking titles, lyrics, and song lengths of Billboard #1 hits. Make sure to follow us on all platforms so you don’t miss out!
Watercooler moments at The Pudding
Here are some stories and projects that our team can’t stop talking about. Join the chat in realtime on our patron-only Slack channel #stuff-we-love:
TikTok Audio Memes Are Everywhere. How Do They Work? — New York Times
It's 5 AM and it's over 20 degrees: tropical nights are multiplied by four in Spanish cities — elDiario.es (Spanish)
Hot pants for girls, shorts for boys —Süddeutsche Zeitung (German)
The 90km journey that changed the course of the war in Ukraine — Financial Times
That was a lot! Thanks for taking it all in and for continuing to subscribe. ❤️❤️❤️
P.S. questions? comments? email us at sup@pudding.cool
P.P.S. have a cool essay idea that you want to make? Check out our pitch guidelines and email us at pitches@pudding.cool
P.P.P.S. Want to hire our team to produce data-led, visual stories? Check out our sister studio, Polygraph.