Ep 5 | Popcorn Pops Up

How old is popcorn? Older than the pyramids! Frank and Biscuit hop on the Chrono-Cart to find ancient popcorn cobs in Peru, tiptoe through New Mexico's Bat Cave, and learn why every kernel is a tiny steam explosion. Then they meet Charles Cretors and his steam-powered popcorn machine in Chicago, watch the Rueckheim brothers fight a giant sticky brick to create Cracker Jack, and ride the subway with a songwriter who wrote "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" before he'd ever seen a game. Plus Myth or Fact?, a trip behind the ballpark popcorn kettle, and a brand-new number one in the Hall of Fame. Chapters 0:00 Cold open 1:27 Welcome to Corny Dogs 1:49 The Origin Story 2:07 Ancient popcorn in Peru 3:44 Bat Cave, New Mexico 4:51 Why does popcorn pop? 6:26 Popcorn at the first Thanksgiving? 7:17 Charles Cretors and his steam popper 9:10 The 1893 World's Fair 10:03 The Rueckheim brothers and Cracker Jack 13:36 "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" 16:38 Behind the Booth 20:03 The Corny Dog Scorecard 23:24 Next time and sign-off Make it at home: Kettle-style popcorn and molasses popcorn with peanuts Grown-up required. Hot oil and hot sugar syrup can cause serious burns. An adult handles the stove and the syrup. Kids can measure, shake (with oven mitts and the lid on, with a grown-up's help), and toss. Popcorn and whole peanuts are choking hazards for children under 4, and check for peanut allergies before serving. A. Stovetop kettle-style popcorn (about 10 cups) Ingredients - 3 Tbsp coconut oil (or any oil that handles high heat) - 1/2 cup popcorn kernels - 1/2 tsp very fine salt (whirl regular salt in a blender for a few seconds) - Optional: 2 to 3 Tbsp melted butter Steps 1. Grown-up: put the oil and 3 kernels in a large, heavy pot with a lid. Heat over medium-high. 2. When those 3 kernels pop, add the rest of the kernels and the salt. Put the lid on and take the pot off the heat for 30 seconds, so all the kernels warm up evenly. 3. Grown-up: put it back on the heat. When popping starts, gently shake the pot. Tip the lid open a crack so steam can escape (that keeps the popcorn crisp). 4. Grown-up: when the pops slow to 2 or 3 seconds apart, pour it into a big bowl. Drizzle with melted butter if you like, and toss. B. Molasses popcorn and peanuts (oven method) Ingredients - 10 cups popped popcorn, unpopped kernels picked out - 1 cup roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup butter - 1/2 cup brown sugar - 1/4 cup molasses - 1/4 tsp salt - 1/4 tsp baking soda Steps 1. Heat the oven to 250°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out the popcorn and peanuts. 2. Grown-up: in a saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Bring it to a boil and let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes without stirring. This syrup is extremely hot. 3. Grown-up: take it off the heat and stir in the baking soda. It will foam up. Pour it over the popcorn and peanuts and toss with two spatulas. 4. Grown-up: bake for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. The slow bake dries out the coating so the pieces stay separate, instead of turning into one giant sticky brick. 5. Let it cool completely, then break it apart. For fun, tuck a little paper "prize" (a joke or a riddle) into each serving bag. Next time on Corny Dogs: Easy, Freezy, Lemon Squeezy. Stay corny, Dawgs! Lines spoken by real historical people in this episode are dramatized for storytelling. They are not real quotes. How this show is made: Corny Dogs is made by a family with four kids around the target age range of the show. The voices of Frank, Biscuit and every other character are generated with AI voice tools, and the scripts are written with help from AI and fact-checked before release. © 2026 720 Connections LLC