THE DAILY SMILE

Where’s Willow?

A car is stolen with a beloved calico cat still inside. Nikki and Mr. Malone attempt to solve the Case of the Missing Calico in this episode and — a final farewell to the Daily Smile.

Austin’s Extraordinary Playlist

Nikki talks to TV writer and producer Austin Winsberg about his work, his inspiration, and how he turned heartache into a whimsical, uplifting, and meaningful hit TV show.

70 Years in the Making

Good things take time, right? This week, Nikki tells Mr. Malone two stories about special relationships that have each spanned seven decades.

The Hunt for Happiness series

Everyone wants to be happier, right? But how do you actually increase your everyday happiness? This week, we dive into five different ways to think about happiness.

The Meaning of Happiness

What if chasing happiness actually leaves you feeling unhappy? Nikki talks to author Emily Esfahani Smith about how pursuing meaning in different ways can actually lead to a happier life.

The Atlas of Happiness

Author Helen Russell knows that happiness isn’t just black and white. Other cultures around the world have many different ways to think about happiness that might actually make your daily life happier.

The Aesthetics of Joy

How do tangible things create an intangible feeling of joy? This is the question author and designer Ingrid Fetell Lee pondered while researching the relationship between joy and design.

How to Be a Rebel Girl 💪

How do you instill confidence in young girls in a world that constantly depicts them as damsels in distress? You change the narrative. CEO Jes Wolfe and the Rebel Girls team are doing just that.

A Pandemic Fairytale 🧚‍♀️

Nikki tells Mr. Malone a wonderful story about a lonely little girl and the incredible fairy she befriends during the pandemic.

A Love Letter to the USPS 💌

Mary Welcome has loved snail mail since she was a kid sending letters around the country. As an adult, that evolved into a photo project that pays tribute to the USPS.

Waggin’ in the New Year

To ring in the new year, Nikki tells Mr. Malone two incredible stories — about a dog with lots of business-savvy and another with a keen sense of direction.

A Holiday Trivia Treat

Fellow Wondery co-hosts Aricia Skidmore-Williams and Brooke Siffrinn join Nikki for two rousing rounds of holiday-themed trivia. And this game comes down to the wire!

A Blizzard of Goodwill

Nikki and Mr. Malone tell some snowy stories from around the world and delve into their own stories of Christmases past for this fun holiday episode!

Letters to Santa 🎅🏼

Each year the U.S. Postal Service receives letters bound for the North Pole. Documentary filmmaker Dana Nachman set out to tell the story of what happens to all those letters.

The Boston Typewriter Orchestra… Ding!

All the sounds, beats, and rhythms by the Boston Typewriter Orchestra are made using vintage typewriters. You’ve never heard songs like this!

The Christmas Owl 🦉

What happens when a tiny owl stows away in the most famous Christmas tree in the world? Nikki and Mr. Malone find out in this festive episode.

Animals With Attitude

Animals have been getting angsty during the pandemic too! Nikki tells Mr. Malone about a group of thieving raccoons, a sad grouper in Finland, and an English peacock with a big personality.

A Good Day for Gratitude

Thanksgiving is always a time for reflection. With that in mind, we reached out to family, friends, and you — our wonderful listeners — to find out what folks are grateful for this year.

The Houses of Beirut

When Joe and Gabi took photos in some of Beirut’s historic neighborhoods, they never imagined the meaning their photos would take on after a tragic event devastated large parts of the city.

To Grandmother’s House We Go

Kids do the darnedest things! Today, Nikki shares three incredible stories about kids who went the extra mile, literally and figuratively!

Mr. Malone for Mayor

Not all election stories are stressful. Nikki and Mr. Malone have the 2020 election coverage you’ve been craving, including stories about animals running for office and an unexpected candidate who cleans up at the polls.

Week of Women

This weeklong series includes five untold stories of incredible women throughout history. With author Marie Benedict, Nikki talks about the legacies these women left and what they mean for today’s modern women.

The Other Einstein

Mileva Marić Einstein was a rare and gifted scientific mind. But as her husband Albert went on to define modern physics, she was left out of the story. Was Mileva the true Mother of the Atomic Age?

Master of Mystery

Before she became a world famous author, 36-year-old Agatha Christie disappeared in a way only she could have written. The mystery caused the largest manhunt in English history and changed the course of her life.

Abandoned Beauty

Abandoned buildings can be pretty creepy, right? Not for Irish photographer Rebecca Brownlie. For the past decade, she’s made it her goal to showcase the beauty that can be found in the forgotten buildings of Ireland’s countryside.

Sounds Like Magic

Adam DeCoster is a member of a secret Hollywood club. He’s one of the 40 Foley artists in the industry, and it’s his job to make sure that everything you hear in movies and TV shows sounds perfect.

A Very Malone Halloween

In a special spoooooooky episode, Nikki and Mr. Malone go house-haunting and “visit” a one-of-a-kind haunted experience in Japan. Don’t forget your flashlight — there are ghosts in this episode!

Accidentally Wes Anderson

Sometimes the places in movies are incredible, but not at all real. But two longtime fans have found a way for adventurers to explore very real places that look like they belong in one of Wes Anderson’s movies.

The Otter and the Rat

A lonely otter searches for love and a life-saving rat is rewarded for his hard work in this fun episode featuring Nikki and Mr. Malone.

A Glitter of Aricias

What is it called when our host Nikki Boyer and Wondery’s Even the Rich co-host Aricia Skidmore-Williams decide to play animal-related trivia? A whole lotta laughs…

Nina Draws Scientists

When Nina Chhita moved to London, she started drawing famous residents from the city’s history. But a trivia night sparked a brand new idea and set her on a new path.

The Candyman Can… And Did

Thought buried treasure was the stuff of movies? Think again! Nikki and Mr. Malone venture on some real-life treasure hunts in this adventurous episode.

Little Smiles 😄

In celebration of World Smile Day, Nikki tells Mr. Malone a bunch of small, smile-worthy stories from around the world. Get ready to grin!

Simran Jeet Singh Keeps Going

As a kid, Simran Jeet Singh always looked for books with Sikh-Americans like him but never found any. So he vowed to write one.

What Goes Around Comes Around

A message-in-a-bottle travels over 4,000 miles in the ocean and a precious item goes missing in a garden for nearly four decades.

A Smile for RBG

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was iconic. And her journey to the highest court in the land was just as incredible as the woman herself.

Let’s Get This House!

Demi Skipper has been trading one thing for another for months now, trying to trade her way to a house. And it all began with one small bobby pin. 

A Real Life Parent Trap

When Catherine and Allison realized that their mom and dad were perfect for each other, they set a scheme in motion that’s straight out of a romantic-comedy.

Hamburglar and Wonder Woman

What do emu siblings, a Chilean Batman, chocolate rain, and a lazy sloth have in common? Find out in this wacky conversation between Nikki and Mr. Malone.

In Used Books

Emma Smreker searches through used bookstores on the weekends. But she isn’t looking for an amazing deal… she’s searching for things hidden within the pages of secondhand books.

The Adventures of Tucson & Clawdia

Nikki and Mr. Malone share stories of a lost pup who finds his dream job and a blue lobster who doesn’t have the blues anymore.

The First Piper

Ross O’Connell Jennings has pipes. Bagpipes, that is! What started as a hobby has become a passion, and now he’s on a round-the-world mission to do something big. 

My Friend Fungie 🐬

A woman forged a special relationship with a dolphin more than 20 years ago. Little did she know, a dolphin halfway around the world would play such a vital role in her life.

The Land of Misfit Bags

Ever wondered where lost luggage ends up? Turns out… Scottsboro, Alabama. In this episode, Nikki learns all about the Unclaimed Baggage Center. 

Lost And Found

A family discovers an unexpected time capsule and clothes mysteriously disappear from a Louisiana neighborhood. Nikki and Mr. Malone are on the case.  

The Magic of Cooking

Jennifer has always loved cooking up new creations, but had no idea that time spent in the kitchen would lead to a new and better life.

House Hunters

Ever imagine leaving your life behind, moving to an exotic locale, and starting a new life? Nikki and Mr. Malone go house-hunting in four amazing locations around the world.

Finding Joy at the Hollywood Bowl

When Gil Roscoe needed something to take his mind off his grief, he applied for a new job with no idea it would lead to a whole new world that would reopen his heart.

The Case of the Missing Bear

A beloved teddy bear is stolen in Vancouver, Canada, and an A-list celebrity offers to help.

Ice Cream Dreams

Dr. Maya Warren has the sweetest job in the world. Traveling the globe, with only one thing on her mind. And it's probably not what you think.

The Adventures of Justin & Yip Yip

Nikki and Mr. Malone take a wild ride down the river as they discuss the tale of a Canadian man and his animal sidekick.

When a Chicken Goes to COSTCO

What happens when the chicken crosses the road and ends up at the local COSTCO? Nikki and Mr. Malone are going to find out... 

RE: Do Not Tell Mommy 🤫

Bing and Joji Mendoza had a beautiful marriage. But when it came time to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, Bing had a plan that no one in the family expected.

Made from Scratch

When Michelle Brenner was put on furlough, she decided to use her extra time and some tomato sauce, ground beef, and noodles to provide comfort to her Washington community.

A Mysterious Letter

You get a letter in the mail asking you to call. You don’t know the person who sent it. What would you do? When Nikki gets one of those letters, she follows her curiosity to a surprising end.

Tiny Adventures

When adventurer and travel photographer Erin Sullivan is forced to stay at home, she finds a unique way to continue exploring without even leaving her apartment.

Notes in the Walls

There must be something about the houses in England. Nikki and Mr. Malone discuss two separate cases of people finding hidden notes in the walls of their homes decades after the messages were written.

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Doing Good

Forty years ago, Merlin Clarke left his job and his life in New England to hitchhike around the country. The experience inspired him to create a trip where people can do good together.

Yelitsa’s Dream Doll

When Yelitsa Jean-Charles was growing up, she didn’t have dolls that looked like her. But a project in college set her on a path to make sure that doesn’t happen for the younger generation.

Nine Ducks and the Seven Dwarves

What would you do if a baby duck fell into a sewer? That's just one of the crazy real life stories Nikki and Mr. Malone explore in a conversation about the deep, dark depths and the things we find when we get there.

Notes from Dad

When Chris Yandle noticed that his daughter was anxious about starting yet another new school, he did something simple and special to make her feel better. Not only did it make them closer, it also made him a better dad.

Cheers to the Class of 2020!

From principals going the extra mile to make sure students get their diplomas to parents who threw home graduations, these 2020 graduation celebrations are unlike any other.

Mystery Money Bags

A Virginian family was out for a drive when they found two bags full of cash in the middle of the road. What would you do if this had happened to you? A conversation featuring Mr. Malone.