McGruff the Crime Dog arrived on the scene at the dawn of the 1980s, just as a firehose of anti-drug PSAs was inundating the youth of America. These messages didn’t always work as intended—but they did work their way into the long term memories of the kids who heard them.In the second episode of our <a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2026/08/mcgruff-the-crime-dog-psas-war-on-drugs-just-say-no" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">two-part series</a>, originally released in 2022, on the weird world of PSAs and very special episodes, we look at how McGruff’s Smart Kids Album influenced everything from straight edge hardcore to a couple’s wedding playlist. We’ll hear from <a href="https://www.sarahhubbardmusic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sarah Hubbard</a>, <a href="https://www.tinymediaempire.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Daniel Danger</a>, <a href="https://www.asc.upenn.edu/people/faculty/joseph-n-cappella-phd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joseph Cappella</a>, <a href="https://history.ku.edu/people/david-farber" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Farber</a>, Mike Hawes, Robin Nelson, <a href="https://slate.com/author/daisy-rosario" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Daisy Rosario</a>, and <a href="https://www.ushcc.com/about-the-ushcc/ushcc-team/tatiana-peralta/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tatiana Peralta</a>.This episode was written by Willa Paskin, and produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. It was edited by Jamie York. Decoder Ring is produced by Max Freedman and Evan Chung, our supervising producer. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director. Our intern is Phoebe Mulder.Thank you to Derek John, Ari Merkin, Wendy Melillo, Dan McQuade, Dale Mantley, Larissa Zargeris, Dave Bledsoe, Larre Johnson, Duane Poole, Eric Greenberg, Charles and Karen Rosen, Jennifer Holland, Orla Mejia, Andres Martinez, and everyone else at the Rutgers University Library.You can listen to Daniel Danger’s McGruff cover album in its entirety or purchase it <a href="https://xcrimedogx.bandcamp.com/album/1984-1986" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. If you are interested in hearing the full McGruff educational program or any of Puppet Productions productions, they are available for purchase at <a href="http://puppetsinc.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">puppetsinc.com</a>.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at <a href="mailto:DecoderRing@slate.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DecoderRing@slate.com</a> or leave a message on our hotline at (347) 460-7281.Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoder-ring/id1376577202" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3vYNA0Ki5sUHnYC9QwQnKl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. Or, visit <a href="https://slate.com/podcast-plus?utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=plus_pod&utm_content=Decoder_Ring&utm_source=episode_summary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slate.com/decoderplus</a> for access wherever you listen.Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our <a href="https://slate.com/podcastfaqs#plusbenefits" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQ</a> at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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