Waterbeds: The Sexiest Bed?

# Stuff You Should Know - Waterbeds Episode Summary

Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly fascinating history of waterbeds, from their invention as a design student's thesis project in 1968 to their unlikely peak as a billion-dollar industry in the 1980s. The hosts explore how inventor Charles Hall's vision of a revolutionary sleep technology got completely hijacked by the sexual revolution, turning what he meant as a legitimate health innovation into an icon of 70s excess. They trace waterbeds' journey from head shop novelties to suburban status symbols, discuss why they became so ridiculously heavy and hard to move, and reveal how modern alternatives like memory foam essentially killed the entire category in the 90s—all while sharing hilarious personal stories about their own encounters with the undulating furniture.