If there’s anything that I need in my life, it’s eggs cooked in a flexible tube like a sausage without casing. Here I am, cooking my eggs in a frying pan like a sucker. Then I learned about the Rollie. [More]
From The Museum Of Failed Informercial Products: Fushies
By March 12, 2013
For every Snuggie and Slap Chop, products that transcend direct-response ads to become cultural touchstones, there are many, many more flops. Once they were new and exciting products that filled a need you never thought you had, but they never caught on. Their web sites sit empty and even the trademarks have been abandoned. But thanks to YouTube, the ridiculous ads will live forever. [More]
This Exists: Wax Vac, The Ear Canal Sucking Machine
By March 1, 2013
The best infomercial/direct-response ad products solve problems that you had no idea you had. The Chia Pet? The Topsy Tail? The Shake Weight? The Snuggie? The Comfort WipeAll things that your life would have continued just fine without, but they make so much sense that you simply must have them. We’re not sure that’s the case with the Wax Vac, which combines the glamor of an ear thermometer with all of the fun of sticking an electric sucking machine in your ear while grinning. [More]
Putting Jay Glazer’s Perfect Punch And Other Infomercial Workout Systems To The Test
By December 27, 2012
If those jeans you got as a gift this holiday season don’t fit because of the all the food you devoured in the last few weeks, you might be tempted to buy one of those exercise devices advertised on TV. But some of these products aren’t worth the price — or effort. [More]
Ab Circle Pro Hit With $15-25 Million Settlement Because 3 Minutes A Day Won't Give You A Six Pack
By August 23, 2012
Have you ever seen those ads for the Ab Circle Pro and said to yourself, “Maybe it will help be get rock hard abs with only a few minutes of workout a day”? Well, it apparently doesn’t, as the company behind the device has agreed to pay up to $25 million in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations of deceptive advertising. [More]
Who Wins In The Battle Of The Schticky Vs. The Sticky Buddy?
By August 13, 2012
As you may recall, everyone’s second-favorite infomercial pitch guy Vince Offer/ShamWow Shlomi resurfaced earlier this year, selling a reusable silicone roller called the Schticky that claims to pick up everything from pet hair to food particles to coins. Meanwhile, English pitchman Anthony Sullivan has been pushing the similar Sticky Buddy to people who can’t sleep and don’t feel like finding something on Netflix. But which of these items is better? And are either of them any good? [More]
You Don’t Need The Perfect Tortilla Pan. No One Does.
By July 25, 2012
Every time I look at a TV during the last few weeks, I see ads for the Perfect Tortilla, a wavy mold designed to help you make lovely edible bowls out of a regular store-bought tortilla. At home, visiting family, even at a sports bar: the ad is everywhere. What makes it annoying isn’t the spokesman who resembles a bald Billy Mays. It’s that this product is useless, even by the rarified standards of as-seen-on-TV merchandise. [More]
FTC Wins Judgment Against Makers Of 3 Get-Rich-Quick Infomercials
By May 1, 2012
We don’t know why people still fall prey to infomercials promising easy paths to riches. And yet, the Federal Trade Commission says a trio of popular get-rich-quick programs — all backed by the same two people — took consumers for a total of $450 million by misleading them into believing they could quickly earn piles of cash in real estate or Internet marketing. [More]
TV's "Green Millionaire" No Longer As Wealthy, Must Refund $2 Million To Customers
By April 16, 2012
Back in 2010, we warned you about how those late-night infomercials for The Green Millionaire appeared to just be a way to trick people into incredibly expensive magazine subscriptions. Looks like those suspicions were right, as the people behind the scheme have agreed to refund around $2 million to bilked consumers. [More]
The Six Million Dollar Man Is Hawking $300 Hearing Aids
By November 17, 2011
We have evidently not been paying close enough attention to the world of as-seen-on-TV products. Because if we had, we would have reported that Lee Majors, star of the ’70s series “The Six Million Dollar Man” was hawking bionic ears over-the-counter hearing aids. [More]
Self-Described "King Of Infomercials" Found Dead In Jail Cell
By October 3, 2011
If, like me, you’re not a stranger to scanning through the meager offerings on late-night TV, you will more than likely recognize TV pitchman Don Lapre, whose numerous get-rich-quick ads became so infamous he was spoofed on Saturday Night Live. They also landed Lapre in an Arizona jail on charges of, among other things, mail fraud and promotional money laundering. And this is where the 47-year-old was found yesterday morning, dead of an apparent suicide. [More]
"EDGE Performance Chips" Are Stickers Purporting To Heal Pain
By June 30, 2011
Okay, now they’re just messing with us. You’ve seen the Q-ray “chi-balancing bracelet” and the PowerBalance bands, now here are “EDGE Performance Chips.” These are little silver stickers that say they help relieve your pain and enhance your athletic performance. [More]
FTC Sues People Behind "Winning In The Cash Flow Business" Infomercial
By June 3, 2011
For the last decade, the late-night TV airwaves have been home to a series of infomercials hawking a get rich quick system called “Winning in the Cash Flow Business,” in which some guy named Russell Dalbey explains over and over again how easy it is to make money by finding, brokering, and earning commissions on seller-financed promissory notes. Now, the FTC and the attorney general of Colorado are calling Dalbey’s bluff, suing him and his partners for allegedly defrauding an awful lot of insomniacs. [More]
Lame Settlement Reached In Kinoki Foot Pad Class Action Lawsuit
By May 20, 2011
If you purchased Kinoki Foot Pads and were totally shocked when they didn’t “suck out” toxins from your body, have heart. Thanks to a recent class action settlement, you can get ten bucks in cash if you can show your receipts. You can also instead opt for twenty bucks worth of gift products from the same maker for each box of Kinoki Foot Pads you purchased. That sounds like a better deal to me, especially considering one of the alternate products is the “Criss Angel Money Printer.” [More]
Catch Consumerist On 20/20 Tonight And Meet A Real Life Infomercial Junkie
By May 13, 2011
Tonight’s episodes of 20/20 (10 p.m. ET) features self-proclaimed infomercial junkie, Marisa Woolsey, and her obsession with all things “as seen on TV.” She has the “Ninja Blender, the Magic Bullet, the George Foreman Grill and the Han Steam Sanitizing Mop. Under every sink in her home, you’ll find ShamWow towels.” [More]
Check Us Out On 20/20's "Infomercial Nation" Special On May 20!
By May 13, 2011
As we recently mentioned, Consumerist and Consumer Reports have teamed up with ABC News for an upcoming 20/20 special called “Infomercial Nation,” that will air next Friday, May 20. [More]
Tajazzle Bedazzles Your Intimate Areas
By April 14, 2011
This is an incredible infomercial for “Tajazzle,” a “3-step system of personal confidence” whose third step is a crystal tattoo that you place in an area “only your lover can find.” Everything from the product itself, to the cheesy actors super committed to being super sensuous, is hilarious. [More]
Which Infomercial Products Actually Work As Promised?
By March 23, 2011
In our post about the worst infomercial products ever, we mentioned that Consumerist is working with ABC News on a project about as-seen-on-TV items. So now it’s time to focus on those infomercial items which are better than not-awful and actually do what the ads say they will do. [More]
