Not Available in Stores

In my last post I mentioned a product I'd seen on an infomercial.  Some people find these marathon commercials entertaining.  I'd rather avoid all types of  TV ads thank you.

Billy Mays 

Some of the personalities who've hawked products in this way have reached celebrity or notoriety for themselves as well as their products.  One household name was Billy Mays, who proclaimed the wonders of Oxyclean, Kaboom, Orange Glo and Zorbeez.  His death at age 50 was well touted in the media and had he not died the same week as Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett we might have seen his funeral on TV.

Ron Popeil and the Veg -o-matic. 

TV hucksters have been at it as long as there has been TV.  Back in the 60's Ron Popeil sold millions of the VEG-O-MATIC food slicer and dicer.  He ultimately earned two billion dollars with this product and others including the "Pocket Fisherman", "Smokeless Ashtray" and the "Inside the Egg Scrambler".  He was hilariously parodied on Saturday Night Live by Dan Akroyd with the "Bass-O-Matic" (check this out on you tube) and also mocked by the comedian Gallagher with his "Sledge-o-matic" routine.  Weird Al Yankovic recorded the musical salute "Mr. Popeil".

Slice up a beer can with your Ginsu knife

In the early 1980's the Ginsu Knife was on late night TV almost constantly.  Since I worked swing shift I got a lot of exposure to this so I got sucked in and bought a set.  My first ever stitches were from a wound on my thumb slicing turkey with my Ginsu steak knife.  It made a nice little serrated pattern in the skin. The end of my thumb was numb for about ten years.  I still have some of the knives from the set.  One eventually had a broken handle but I threw it out without trying to cash in on the fifty year guarantee.  Call me frivolous.

Crank those skins away with the Rotato

The "Rotato" seemed like a interesting concept.  It is a potato peeler that does the job by turning a crank.  It worked really well on TV but I didn't feel like spending $19.95 on a potato peeler.  Apparently I wasn't the only one who felt this way.  I found one in a liquidation store for $1.99 and brought it home.  I didn't even make it halfway through the first potato before the blade broke.  It had spare blades but I used them all up before I finished the maiden spud.

She loves her Shake Weight

Men take the Shake Weight very seriously

Some concepts are a little suspect in my opinion.  Is it me or does  the "Shake Weight" exercise tool look like a sex toy?

Suzanne Somers and the Thighmaster

  Remember Suzanne Somers and the "Thigh Master"?  Was it her quads she was firming up or something else?  I bought a Thigh Master at a yard sale for 50 cents.  It didn't seem to have much impact on my  thighs.  A machine with a similar action at the gym is almost exclusively used by women.  I'm thinking it was really meant to be used for kegel exercises (google this if you don't know what they are) but they didn't want to say that on TV back in the 1980's.  In the 21st century Headset Vince can hawk the "Slap Chop" with statements like "you should see my nuts" and nobody blinks an eye.

We've seen the "Sham Wow", world's most absorbent cleaning cloth to the "Snuggie", easily the most frequently given Christmas gift of the 21st century.  The infomercial style marketing has sold us the "Garden Weasel", "Chia Pets", "Krazy Glue" and "Liquid Leather".   Have you been tempted or taken in with any of these marathon adfests?  Let me know what item you couldn't resist.  Did the item meet your expectations or did it just earn a drop kick to the dumpster?  I'd love to share your story with my followers.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan