Summary
Overview
Planet Money's 2025 Valentine's Day episode celebrates things the team loves, from Jennifer Jenkins' annual public domain list to innovative journalism and beloved technologies. The episode features multiple hosts presenting valentines to cultural phenomena, technology, and reporting methods they admire, while also creating an official Planet Money Valentine's Day card using the newly public domain Betty Boop character.
The Public Domain Revolution and Betty Boop
Jennifer Jenkins, Planet Money's copyright expert, receives a custom Betty Boop valentine celebrating her annual Public Domain Day list. Betty Boop from 1930 entered the public domain on January 1st, part of a wave of works now flowing into public use after a 20-year freeze caused by copyright extensions lobbied for by Disney. The discussion explores how legislators kept extending copyright length, freezing the public domain from 1999-2019, and why we're now seeing annual releases of classic works including The Maltese Falcon, Georgia on My Mind, and All Quiet on the Western Front.
- Betty Boop from 1930 (originally a dog-person hybrid) entered the public domain on January 1st, 2025
- For 20 years leading up to 2019, basically nothing entered the public domain due to copyright extensions
- Disney lobbying contributed to keeping copyright terms extended and the public domain frozen
- Jennifer Jenkins publishes an annual list of newly liberated intellectual property entering the public domain
" She is one of the first comic book characters who was not defined by her relationship to a male character. So Minnie Mouse is Mickey Mouse's girl. Olive Oil is Popeye's girl. Betty Boop's just her own woman. She's fiercely independent. She's unapologetically sexy. "
" The public domain was frozen for two decades. And so all of the material that was set to go into the public domain from 1923, we had to wait 20 years for it to finally start entering the public domain in 2019. "
Creating the Official Planet Money Valentine
Throughout the episode, hosts Kenny Malone and Jennifer Jenkins work to create an official Planet Money Valentine's Day card using the newly public domain Betty Boop image. After rejecting economics puns like "boop boop ba-doom loop" and "boop boop ba-dumping," they settle on "Boop Boop-a-Duopoly" (referencing two companies controlling a market together). The final tagline chosen is "I'll never bust your trust," playing on antitrust regulation while expressing romantic commitment. The completed valentine will be available as a downloadable file for listeners.
- The team brainstormed economics-themed twists on Betty Boop's catchphrase, rejecting 'doom loop' and 'dumping' as unromantic
- They settled on 'Boop Boop-a-Duopoly' because a duopoly (two companies controlling a market) represents partnership
- Multiple tagline options were considered including 'you dominate the market for my heart' and 'together we are everything'
- The winning tagline was 'I'll never bust your trust,' playing on antitrust regulation
" It's like, honey, will you be mine and we'll own everything. "
" You plus me equals hopefully not so much potential consumer harm to warrant regulatory intervention. "
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