Sleeping on the wrong pillow can make you pretty miserable, but that doesn’t mean that sleeping on the right pillow is a magical medical treatment. MyPillow, a $90 pillow that could be yours if you ordered it from direct-response television ads, has had some legal problems ranging from false advertising to knowing failure to collect sales tax to class action suits. [More]
infomercial products
These Ads Use Infomercial Tropes To Sell Shelter Pets
By 3.25.15
Pet owners know that domestic animals have many uses around the home. Thousands of years ago, that’s why we welcomed them into our dwellings in the first place, and we’ve come to appreciate them for their other skills as well. Cats were originally welcomed inside to catch vermin, and now they are also alarm clocks and are fur-covered laptop cozies. Dogs now guard our houses and clean up crumbs on the floor. [More]
Mississippi Small Town Has The Bacon Bowl Blues
By 9.19.14
It’s easy to seek out and mock infomercial products that solve a need that consumers never knew they had. What jerks like us may not realize, though, is that behind every silly direct-response ad are the hopes of thousands of people. In one case, the future of an entire town in Mississippi could have changed thanks to a single laughable kitchen product: the Bacon Bowl. [More]
New And Exciting Products: Bacon Bowls Are What They Sound Like
By 7.24.13 — Updated: 9.19.14
Products sold in direct-response ads usually target a very specific problem, make consumers aware that they have the problem, and then present a product that solves that problem. The Bacon Bowl follows this pattern, except that we weren’t aware that Americans lacked ways to cram more bacon into our faces. [More]
Proactiv Has My Box Of Skin Cream, Sends Collections After Me Anyway
By 1.3.13
Eric wanted to give the Proactiv system of skin creams a try. Well, that shouldn’t be so hard: they’re advertised everywhere and apparently very popular. The flaw was that the package didn’t have his office number on it. UPS didn’t know that they could just send it to the mailroom, and instead they dispatched it back to Proactiv. Now the box is allegedly hanging out somewhere on the company’s loading dock, and they’ve sent collections after Eric to pay for the box of creams that he never received. [More]
Flowbee Like A Pro
By 10.14.11
I’ve always been intrigued by the Flowbee, the hair cutting vacuum attachment heavily promoted on late 80’s late night infomercials, but I was never quite sure how it worked. Now a new, edited for maximum comedic impact, version of the original instructional video has surfaced and all my questions have been answered. [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]
What's The Worst Infomercial Product Ever?
By 3.14.11
Ever bought an infomercial product that just completely sucked? Didn’t work at all? Maybe it injured you like the fictional “Cornballer” from Arrested Development? If so, we’d love to hear about it. No, we’re not lawyers looking to represent you. As we’ve mentioned previously, Consumerist is working with ABCNews on a project about infomercials. [More]
PowerBalance Admits There's No Proof It Works
By 1.4.11
PowerBalance was forced to announce in Australia that there’s no proof its magical wristbands work. These bands contain holograms, yes, frickin’ holograms, that are “designed to optimize your natural energy flow.” Did we really need an announcement? Apparently, because the bands are selling well and have been showing up on celebrities’ wrists. And you know they only use products when they are effective and reasonably-priced. [More]
Video: Too Weak To Move Your Arms? The Food Lift Feeds You!
By 4.9.10
We’ve all experienced the the age-old quandary, “I’m hungry, but I’m too weak/lazy to move my arms, whatever shall I do?” Enter the Food Lift! It’s a revolutionary new product that takes the work out of eating! Simply place the food in the trough and then the dynamo-screw lifts the meal through the tube into your mouth, “like a waiter climbing a staircase.” Try one today! [More]
