This Korean infomercial has sat unloved on YouTube for a year and a half, then suddenly galloped to fame this week. It pushes a product meant to simulate the great full-body workout that you get from riding a horse. “Horseback riding,” however, is not the first activity that most viewers think of while watching the product demo. [More]
new and exciting products
Olive Oil ‘For Kids’ Is Apparently A Thing
By 5.22.12 — Updated: 11.20.13
Marketing material for Zoe brand organic extra virgin olive oil targeted at kids brags that it is “at the forefront of the burgeoning children’s health food market.” While it’s good news that there is food targeted at children that doesn’t contain alarming shades of food dye, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, or even “cheez,” it’s still Olive Oil For Kids, and we’re still going to snicker at it. [More]
Happy Hot Dog Man Turns Your Frankfurter Into An Edible Stick Figure
By 6.16.11
Infomercial products are all about solving problems that you didn’t realize you had. Did you know, for example, that the hot dogs you and your family eat are incredibly boring? It’s true. That’s why someone created the Happy Hot Dog Man. For only $10.99, you can create the unholy spawn of a frankfurter and a gingerbread man in your very own home. [More]
Slobstopper: Your Coffee And Donut-Blocking Poncho
By 4.12.11
Have you ever sipped coffee while driving, and spilled it down the front of your shirt? Man, we’ve all been there. What if there were a product that could prevent such mishaps? Perhaps a massive synthetic backless poncho of an adult bib, with a handy homemade-looking infomercial, and with a gross name. Yes! That’s perfect! [More]
Crayola's Colorful Bubbles Delight Children, Stain Everything
By 4.5.11
How would you like to blow bubbles in bright colors? Sounds awesome, right? Crayola’s new washable Colorful Bubbles seem like an amazing idea, especially if their bright colors don’t stain. Except some parents are complaining online that they kind of, um, do. [More]
"Forever Lazy" Describes Either A Product Or Its Target Market
By 1.13.11
Do you long for the warmth and comfort of a Snuggie, but would rather look like an overgrown infant than a demented cultist? Perhaps the Forever Lazy is what you’ve been looking for. It’s a fleece onesie that comes in toddler through adult sizes. While it doesn’t come with attached feet, it does have zippered flaps so you can go to the bathroom without getting cold. [More]
Holy Crap, The Electric Heated Snuggie Really Exists
By 1.6.11
I’ve never found the Snuggie all that appealing. “Call me when they make an electric, heated version,” I’ve always said. Yesterday, our man on the ground at the Consumer Electronics Show called. The Coz-E, an electric blanket with sleeves, debuted this past fall, and somehow nobody gave me one for Christmas. Or even told me. [More]
The Fuel Doctor FD-47 Is More Of A Fuel-Savings Quack
By 12.8.10
A basic understanding of physics should tell you that the Fuel Doctor–a small device that you plug into the 12-volt power outlet in your car–will not work. The gadget claims that by “conditioning” your car’s electrical systems, it increases power and gas mileage. But…why have none of the major automakers thought of this? Is it all a plot between the car and gas companies… or is the Fuel Doctor just automotive snake oil?
To find out, Consumer Reports plugged the device in to cars set up with sensitive fuel mileage meters, and also tested the vehicles’ power with and without the Fuel Doctor. Their verdict? Well, there are some pretty lights on the Fuel Doctor, so it makes a nice decoration.
Babycakes Makes Baking Cupcakes More Convenient, More Stupid
By 11.12.10
This isn’t really a “new” product–it’s been around since at least this past spring, but it just recently came to our attention. Yes, if you are too impatient to wait the fifteen minutes or so that it takes to bake cupcakes and other small baked goods in a regular old oven, this monotasking, space-hogging glorified George Foreman grill is here to help you expand your waistline. [More]
It's Sort Of Like A Flowbee For Dogs, Except Not
By 11.4.10
My dog thinks that I’m always looking for new and innovative ways to torture her, such as toothbrushes, ear drops, and baths. She should be grateful that I don’t have a Dyson vacuum, since the company is launching a carefully designed pet-vacuuming attachment, which will go on sale in the U.S. in January 2011. [More]
Start Your Child's Beer Pong Training Early
By 7.16.10
Rounding out our trilogy of beer pong posts this week, here’s an exciting product that commenter Nic715 pointed out: Hasbro’s game Cuponk. Throw the ball into the cup, and lights go off and electronic noises sound. It’s a way to have some family fun and hone your kids’ skills long before they leave for college. [More]
Beware The Sleeping Bag That Finds You
By 5.11.10
Too lazy to dig through your closet to find your sleeping bag? Just cut yourself shaving and lie down and this bad-boy will find you. [More]
Better Marriage Blanket Protects Your Partner From Noxious Farts
By 5.5.10
If you are emitting such noxious gas that you require a carbon filter blanket in order to prevent divorce, you may have some kind of underlying medical condition that you should get checked out. But if you don’t have health insurance, maybe you should try the Better Marriage Blanket instead. [More]
It's Never Too Early To Get Your Child Her First Cubicle
By 4.14.10
If you have a child, you want him or her to be prepared for the future. So why not begin their dreary cubicle farm confinement before they even learn how to read? That’s what the Little Tykes Young Explorer does, combining a home cubicle and child-sized seating with a computer loaded with kid-friendly software, all at a rather inflated price. Which is a lot like real office furniture, come to think of it. [More]
Consumer Reports Tests 3D Televisions, Goofy Glasses
By 3.12.10
We might have all of the cat pictures here at Consumerist, but our sibling publication, Consumer Reports, gets to play with very cool toys. Right now, the folks in the TV-testing lab have some of the exciting new 3D televisions from Panasonic and Samsung, and they made a preliminary video to show them off and weigh the pros and cons of being an early 3D TV adopter. Sorry, the video is only in 2D. [More]
If You Have Difficulty Operating Eggs, Try An EZ Cracker
By 3.7.10
You know what piece of technology confuses a lot of people? Eggs. At least that’s the impression I get from the existence of the EZ Cracker, a device which cracks and separates eggs for people who are probably too helpless to be allowed near a stove. Oh, and their commercial has–why not–Wendy from the old Snapple commercials. [More]
The iMaxi Is A Disturbingly Appropriate iPad Case
By 2.26.10
There are a lot of people who don’t like the name of the iPad, Apple’s upcoming device that will save the news industry, destroy the nettop market, cure cancer, and save the princess. This is because the name makes them think of feminine hygiene products. An Etsy seller took the product’s name as inspiration, and has produced the iMaxi: a handmade, utilitarian case designed to protect your iPad and look exactly like a gigantic menstrual pad. [More]
