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Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, is shown throwing three balls of gold through a window, providing the dowry of three poverty-stricken maidens in an altarpiece painted between 1433 and 1435 for a monastery in Florence. The design was based on an altarpiece by Gentile da Fabriano of 1425.

Why We Should Bring Back the Tradition of the Christmas Orange

The appeal of a last-minute stocking stuffer

The iconic Barnum's Animals crackers are getting a redesign, thanks to PETA.

After 116 Years, Animal Crackers Have Been Freed From Their Circus Cages

A new redesign of the iconic treats shows animals walking across a savanna

A Piggly Wiggly in 1939.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Bizarre Story of Piggly Wiggly, the First Self-Service Grocery Store

What’s in a name?

A still from the 2015 film The Big Short, featuring actors Billy Magnussen and Max Greenfield.

New Research

From Budweiser to Heineken, Alcohol Brands Are Rampant in Hollywood Films

Over the past two decades, even G-rated films have amped up the booze labels

Cool Finds

Remember These Free AOL CDs? They’re Collectibles Now

1000 hours free! Sign on today!

People Who Bring Their Own Grocery Bags are More Likely to Buy Junk Food

It’s all about perceived virtue

Still from Coca-Cola advertisement

American History Museum Scholar on the History of the “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” Advertisement

The commercial that closed out the series finale of “Mad Men,” explained

Cool Finds

How Halitosis Became a Medical Condition With a “Cure”

Bad breath wasn’t perceived as a medical condition until one company realized that it could help them sell mouthwash

While working for Mattel for over 15 years, Ellen Lutwak had a hand in naming products as recognizable as Barbie.

Meet the Woman Who Gives Products Their Names

A new toy is only as marketable as its name. That’s where Ellen Lutwak comes in

Cool Finds

This Company Sold More Beer by Helping Waitresses Get Home Late at Night

Anthropology can have relevance for the business world—just ask this beer company

A bottle of Guinness's Foreign Extra Stout.

How Guinness Became an African Favorite

The stout’s success stems from a long history of colonial export and locally driven marketing campaigns

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Cool Finds

Cookie Monster’s First Name Is Sid, And Other Icon’s “Real” Names

Many fictional characters have full names, even if you never hear them

The Park Avenue facade of the Pepsi-Cola Corporation World Headquarters, designed by SOM

The Architectural History of Pepsi-Cola, Part 1: The ‘Mad Men’ Years

In the 1960s, Pepsi rebranded with a new slogan, a new look, and a cutting edge modernist building

The annual value of Japan's Manga Publishing Industry is $6 billion.

How Do You Rebrand a Country?

A look at Japan’s attempt to call itself “cool”

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The Story Behind the Lacoste Crocodile Shirt

A 1920s French tennis star put the little reptilian logo onto a white polo shirt

These two identical brands are considered to be distinct based on their location

Decoding the Range: The Secret Language of Cattle Branding

Venture into the highly regulated and fascinating world of bovine pyroglyphics

Singer in pillbox hat, 1958

‘I Remember’: An Artist’s Chronicle of What We Wore

In the 1970s, Joe Brainard wrote a book-length poem that paid heed to fashion

“Where there’s smoke there’s fire” by Russell Patterson, 1920s

The History of the Flapper, Part 5: Who Was Behind the Fashions?

Sears styles sprung from the ideas of European artists and couturiers

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Who Really Invented the Smiley Face?

It’s supposedly the 50th anniversary of the original design of the iconic image, but its history since then is surprisingly complex with millions of dollars at stake

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The Aughts: When People Wore Their Causes on Their Sleeves, Literally

It was a decade of Uggs and excess but also styles meant to further the greater good

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