American good luck symbols EXPLAINED

What's the story behind all the different Lucky Charms symbols? A look at American symbols of good luck.

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[JJMcCullough]

Is no one going to notice my cool shirt??

[theclockworksolution]

He’s back at it again, answering questions no one had, but now we’re all curious about.

[ryanyesman]

Seeing JJ nonchalantly throw his perfect 5 pointed star on the floor to proudly present his disfigured paper waste made my day. Had to replay 5 times.

[Mogswamp]

I would love to see you do a break down on how the different symbols on slot machines came to be. I've always been curious about the odd mix of fruits, 7's, horseshoes, etc.

[EnigmaticLucas]

I've heard that the Irish luck thing was originally just sarcastic, based on the fact that Ireland historically had horrible luck

[MyKingoflol]

I’d never heard blue moon referring to the second full moon of the year. I grew up understanding that a blue moon refers to when you have two full moons in the same month. That’s what made it rare and therefore lucky.

[milcsa]

In Hungary the green trabant (which is an old east german car) is considered as a symbol of luck. I think it’s because in the old socialist times, in order to get a car you needed to sign up for a list and wait (sometimes years) for a car. So you were not in a position to choose a color, most of these cars were blue or grey. A green trabant was considered really rare, so if you saw one it was a sign of luck. 😃 Some people even had a green trabant keychain.

[notoriouswhitemoth]

There's another element to the horseshoe: wrought iron was historically thought to ward off evil spirits, hence wrought-iron fences around graveyards and D&D's "cold iron"

[JackWesClay]

I live in the state of Arkansas, and here at least, blacksmiths, ranchers, and others will nail horse shoes to their door posts. During some period of time (when it rains, if I remember correctly?) They will point the open ends up, supposedly collecting luck like in a bucket. When the rain stops, or whenever they feel like they need the extra luck, they will point the open end down, symbolically pouring luck into the places they work/live. Just what I've seen around here!

[theprofessionalfence-sitter]

For Germany, apart from the four-leaf clover and horseshoe, there are also ladybugs, mushrooms (particularly, stylised fly agarics), pigs, chimney sweeps, as well as coins (traditionally the 1 penny/0.01 German marks coin). Two of them even made it into idioms: "Schwein haben" (literally to have [a] pig) means to be lucky and someone particularly lucky might be called a "Glückspilz" (good luck mushroom).

[howHumam]

Sugar used to be advertised as good for kids because it gave them energy. The only sources I have are what boomers told me, but I've been told about it by several people at different times throughout my life.

[PhoenixRiseinFlame]

9:48 I love that J.J. uses the hilarious sketch created for the Crichton Leprauchaun. Basically a bunch of people in Alabama claimed they saw a leprechaun in their neighborhood. The craze spread and wacky hijinks ensued including a couple people claiming to be “professional” leprechaun hunters. The whole situation was absolutely wild.

[pyschologystudent]

Crossed fingers always strikes me as a weird symbol representing luck (or wishing for luck?). In the UK, the logo for the national lottery is a stylised hand with crossed fingers, with the ring and pinkie fingers used as its eyes.

It would be interesting to see what different hand symbols represent both in the US and other cultures. It always fascinates me how we have come to the conclusion that holding our fingers in certain ways can be representative of something (thumbs up etc), or even offensive (middle finger) and where these gestures originate.

[CynicalHistorian]

The Ottoman usage of the star and crescent came from Constantinople using it as a city symbol. They long aspired to conquer the city before finally doing so I'm 1453, and so used the symbol beforehand. Interestingly, it was a common symbol throughout Anatolia and Mesopotamia for millenia before that. My episode about stars on flags covers this in more detail

[LiquorWithJazz]

Watching JJ cutout a star is the most wholesome thing I’ve seen today and it was definitely needed.

[seanmurphree]

I wonder if JJ has ever thought about covering more of the 'artificial flavors'. You know, blue raspberry, bubble gum, Dr. Pepper, flavors that don't have a 'natural' equivalent yet are very well established.

[Jackbutcool]

This is the type of content we need more of. Combination of the great food, cereal, and deep dives into cultural meaning. Bravo.

I edited a typo and accidentally got rid of my heart. So sad

[RolyWestYT]

This is why I have lots of love for your channel such a random topic but actually incredibly interesting! 🥰

[aaronj_girv]

J.J. accidentally discarding the star and then confusedly unraveling the scraps. 🎖Award-winning

[SlugcatEmporium]

The unicorn marshmallows seem like they're sticking around for longer than originally advertised.
I think there have been some temporary 'charms' over the years as well, like hourglasses and other items iirc.