Allie Rowbottom’s great-great-great uncle bought the patent to Jell-O from its inventor in 1899 for $450, then sold it in the 1920s for $67 million — nearly a billion dollars in today’s money. Lately, Allie’s been obsessed with how all that Jell-O money shaped America, and her own family. It’s funded generations of Rowbottom women, including Allie, but it’s also been a shadow they can't escape. Jell-O became a twisted metaphor for all the bad things that happened to them, to the point that they started to wonder: Are we cursed?

Please note: This episode deals with eating disorders. If you or someone you know is affected by an eating disorder, you can get more information from the National Eating Disorders Association online or by calling their helpline: 800-931-2237.

This episode originally aired on September 24, 2018, and March 21, 2022, and it came to us from the podcast Household Name. It was produced by Clare Rawlinson, Sarah Wyman, Dan Bobkoff, and Anna Mazarakis, with help from Anne Saini, Aviva DeKornfeld, Dan Pashman, and Johanna Mayer. Peter Clowney and Gianna Palmer edited the episode, and Casey Holford and John DeLore contributed sound design and original music, with additional engineering by Dan Dzula. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Jared O’Connell, and Kameel Stanley. This update was produced by Gianna Palmer.

Interstitial music in this episode by Black Label Music:

• "Kenny" by Hayley Briasco
• "Asphalt Gods" by Kenneth J. Brahmstedt
• "Private Detective" by Cullen Fitzpatrick
• "Soul Good" by Lance Conrad. 
• "Legend" by Erick Anderson

Photo courtesy of Rakesh Rocky, licensed under CC BY 2.0.