Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    The Glitter Hoax and Other Web News

    A young Australian man had an idea for a business like no other: He’d mail your enemies a “glitter bomb,” an envelope full of annoying glitter that would get everywhere and ruin the recipient’s day. The business was an immediate success, thanks to the coverage in media outlets like Time, Huffington Post and Fast Company.

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Jan 29, 2015 • 1 min read

    A young Australian man had an idea for a business like no other: He’d mail your enemies a “glitter bomb,” an envelope full of annoying glitter that would get everywhere and ruin the recipient’s day. The business was an immediate success, thanks to the coverage in media outlets like Time, Huffington Post and Fast Company. He became so overwhelmed with orders that he couldn’t keep up, and he put his website up for sale for $85,000 after just one day in business. Now he says the whole thing was a hoax he played on the media. Was it really? That and more in our weekly web roundup.

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    California Oil Town Runs Dry, Glitter Bomb Hoax and '3 ½ Minutes'
    1. 0:00A Look at The Other Side of the Pump in Kern County
    2. 9:43A Worldwide View of Low Oil Prices
    3. 20:48The Glitter Hoax and Other Web NewsYou’re reading this
    4. 28:28'3 ½ Minutes'
    5. 42:10The University Fundraising Race
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Andrew Walsh

      Too Beautiful to Live

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Meredith Haggerty

      TL;DR

      News

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    California Oil Town Runs Dry, Glitter Bomb Hoax and '3 ½ Minutes'
    1. 0:00A Look at The Other Side of the Pump in Kern County
    2. 9:43A Worldwide View of Low Oil Prices
    3. 20:48The Glitter Hoax and Other Web NewsYou’re reading this
    4. 28:28'3 ½ Minutes'
    5. 42:10The University Fundraising Race
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand