[music]
You know you want them.
And it's not just because it's 3 a.m..
How much would you pay for a knife like this?
Before you answer, listen.
It even comes with a matching fork to make carving up pleasure.
Welcome to WatchMojo.com.
And today we're counting down our picks for the top ten best infomercial products.
Now grow a whole collection of fun with Chia teddy bears, puppies, kittens,
rams, bulls, turtles, bunnies, and a Chia tree to keep your pets company.
For this list, we're looking at those products that graced our TV
screens and managed to pique our curiosity.
While the infomercials themselves may have been a little bit on the corny side,
the products themselves
either became commercially successful or a notable part of pop culture.
Either way, they're worth a mention.
The Snuggie keeps you totally warm and gives you the freedom to use your hands.
So now you can work the remote or read a book in total warmth and comfort.
Number ten, Thighmaster.
Like I've been saying,
some people are born with great legs, but the rest of us have to work at it.
Thank goodness there's a Thighmaster.
Even if you weren't in need of an inner thigh workout, this classic 90s
infomercial itself was pretty, um, interesting.
Spread eagles and Spandex aside,
Suzanne Somers may have played a ditzy blond on TV,
but she was a shrewd businesswoman in reality.
Remember, we may not have been born with great legs, but now we can look we were.
[clapping]
She saw an opening in the market, so to speak,
and decided to help creator Joshua Reynolds fill the hip adbuctor-
specific exercise void, and thus she bestowed upon the world
a highly successful and surprisingly versatile piece of exercise equipment.
It's easy to squeeze, squeeze your way to shapely hips and thighs.
I thought I'd never fit into these jeans again.
Thank you, Thighmaster.
Number nine, ShamWow!
Hi. It's Vince with ShamWow.
You’ll be saying wow every time you use this towel.
If the dude speaking enthusiastically into the headset
mic in the wee hours of the morning didn't capture your attention,
certainly the efficiency of this cleaning tool should have.
I can't live without it. I just love it.
Oh my gosh, I don't even buy paper towels anymore.
If you're gonna wash your cars or any kind of vehicle,
you'd be out of your mind not on one of these.
All I can say is sham. Wow.
You could basically clean up a two liter bottle of soda
and then towel your boat off and still be able to soak up some more.
Or something like that. Doesn’t drip.
Doesn’t make a mess.
You ring it out, you wash it in the washing machine. Made in Germany.
You know, the Germans always make good stuff.
But it actually does hold ten times its weight in liquid.
They know. They've done tests.
Either way, it looks like a good way to conserve those expensive paper towel
funds.
You can spend $20 every month on paper towels anyway. You’re throwing your money away.
Number eight, Ginsu knives.
The Ginsu can cut a slice of bread so thin you can almost see through it.
The Ginsu is so sharp,
it can cut through a tin can and still slice a tomato like this.
It can chop wood and still remain razor sharp.
If you ever needed to cut through a can and then immediately
slice a tomato, these are the knives to turn to.
The more you use it, the better it cuts.
How's that for sharp?
That's what we call multifunctional.
The genius behind the marketing of this late 70s, early
80s tool wasn't that they were actually Japanese. It's
the idea that they were foreign sounding that made them much more appealing.
In Japan, the foot can split wood,
but it can't split a watermelon.
This is Ginsu II, a complete set of knives, like this Ginsu chef's knife.
That, combined with their innovative
and groundbreaking hard sell infomercial approach, seemed to work.
The knifes sold like crazy, thanks in large part to the impressive knife-
wielding commercials.
You get the Ginsu knife, the matching carving fork, the versatile
6-in-1 kitchen tool, a set of six steak knives, and the spiral slicer.
You get them all, guaranteed in writing for 50 years for only $9.95.
Number seven, The Clapper. [song] Clap on, [clap, clap] clap off. [clap, clap]
We love our simple conveniences.
Like, instead of getting up to turn off our lights,
sometimes we'd like the ability to just clap our hands together
and get the job done.
Just plug it in. Turns things on. [clap, clap. radio comes on]
Turns things off, [clap, clap] just by clapping.
First sold in 1986 with help from a clappy jingle,
[song] Clap on [clap, clap], clap off. [clap, clap]
The Clapper is an ingenious invention, not just for convenience sake, but
also for individuals with limited mobility who still want to conserve electricity.
Plus, who wouldn't feel like nobility entering their house
and clapping their appliances on. The Clapper Plus
works from anywhere, even through windows and walls.
[song] Clap on! [clap, clap] Or switch on. The Clapper and the Clapper
Plus. Number six, LifeCall.
You just press this button and speak into the air and “I'm having chest pain.”
I'm calling paramedics and your family, Mr.
Miller.
If you've ever fallen and couldn't get up,
this handy product would have been helpful.
I’ve fallen! And I can't get up!
We're sending help immediately, Mrs. Fletcher.
See? For folks in their golden years
and plenty of people
in need of immediate medical care,
this commercial wasn't just an unintentionally comical product pitch.
It was a godsend.
Protect yourself with LifeCall
and you're never alone.
Having the ability to call for help while you're stuck on the floor
can save a life. Or at least a hip.
Unfortunately, it couldn't save this company,
which went out of business, only to be replaced by the similar Life Alert.
But their ads are far less amusing.
Help! Somebody please helpm!
Number five, Bowflex.
What happens between consenting adults in the privacy of their own
home is their business.
Even if it's working out together on a Bowflex home gym.
Want to get ripped?
Want to quit the gym because you have social anxiety
Or just don't like hearing gym rats giving themselves hernias?
Do you have an extra bedroom to dedicate solely to the majesty that is the Bowflex?
Then this company
has got plenty of not so subtle pieces of exercise equipment just for you.
With ten simple exercises, you can work your chest, abs,
arms, legs, back, and more in no time.
Launched in 1986, Bowflex provided an alternative to bulky
and heavy exercise machines, as demonstrated in many commercials
and infomercials. With features like a built-in aerobic rowing exercise,
convertible grips, and convenient folding capabilities,
it's easy to see why a Bowflex was selected by Fitness Magazine
as the best home gym for 1997.
Of course, most of us probably watch them while bingeing on
sliders and cheese puffs, but that's another story.
Here I am, 50 and I can keep up with my 24 year old daughter.
I can even keep up with my five-year-old granddaughter.
Being
healthy and fit is very important to me.
And yes, I'll be fit all my life.
Number four, Oxi Clean.
It cleans, it brightens and eliminates odors all at the same time.
Don't just get it clean, get it Oxi Clean.
It's always cool when you find a cleaning product
that's powered by the magic of oxygen, because oxygen is magical.
Watch how Oxi Clean unleashes the power of oxygen,
making tough stains disappear like magic
without fading or bleeding the colors.
Founded in 1997, this invention was famously promoted
by the ever enthused Billy Mays until his 2009 death.
Don't just clean it,
Oxi Clean it.
And Oxi Clean is not just laundry detergent either.
You could use it for almost anything.
Actually, the most impressive aspect of this infomercial product
is its ability to remove stains, including blood.
Smeared on or dried up, it doesn't matter.
Oxi Clean lifts away stains detergents can leave behind.
Cause, you know, sometimes a crime scene needs a good cleanup.
It'll make your whites whiter.
It'll make your brights brighter.
As a stain remover, it's the best. Grass stains.
Clay stains.
Long live your laundry.
Oxi Clean, the stain specialist.
Number three, Magic Bullet.
But the bullet-fast magic that we like best:
Frozen drinks.
Sometimes you just want a single- serving of frozen margarita,
not a whole pitcher.
And if you're the type of individual who doesn't want to make enough frozen
margarita for their friends, then this product is right up your alley.
Now you can hoard all the delicious beverages in your bedroom,
making smoothies, guacamole, and scrambling eggs all by your lonesome.
Any chance of getting a real breakfast? How about an omelet?
Friends and family?
What's that? It's the Magic Bullet.
The personal, versatile countertop magician.
This single-sized blender-slash-food processor-
slash-juicer is all you need for a party.
Or apparently, the morning after.
Good morning, Berman!
God, not so loud.
Hey, what about a bit of the hair of the dog that bit you?
Number two, Proactiv.
Come on, let's be honest.
When you're dealing with breakouts, you don't just want clear skin.
You want really great, fabulous, amazing, perfect skin.
And you deserve that.
If you ever feel ashamed because your face looks like it's exploding on
itself, fret not, for you are not alone.
I tried everything to get rid of my acne, but nothing worked.
Justin Bieber, acne riddled? Jessica Simpson with pimples?
Could it be? Apparently, yes.
And they also apparently managed to get it under control with this three-piece kit.
Why make things harder than they need to be?
Problem: acne.
Solution: Proactiv.
It’s that's simple.
Developed by dermatologists and launched in 1995,
Proactiv features benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid as active ingredients.
This is a benzoyl peroxide product, the same as the cleanser,
which is benzoyl peroxide in fine grains.
Use it over the entire face every evening and you'll stay clear.
And while that's not spectacularly different than many drugstore brands,
the celebrity advertising has worked like gangbusters, ensuring
this company makes upwards of $850 million a year.
There's some things that just come with being a teenager.
Feet grow like crazy.
You can’t stop that. Hormones kick in.
I don't want to stop that.
And then there's zits.
I can stop that.
That's why I use Proactiv.
Because there's no way I'm going to let a bunch of zits get in my way.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions
It’s sweating time!
[music] Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
My blankets are okay, but they can slip and slide.
And when you need to reach for something, your hands are trapped inside.
Now there's the Snuggie, the blanket that has sleeves.
There's a new pet. [song] Cha cha cha Chia!
Chia Pet. The pottery that grows.
Bending over to put your shoes on is a back-breaking chore.
One wrong step,
you could end up on the floor, and trying to get them off can hurt even more.
Well, now the Shoe-dine,
the world's first shoehorn that lets
you get your shoes on and off with ease.
Number one, the George Foreman Grill.
Knock out the fat with a George Foreman lean,
mean, fat-reducing grilling machine. It has my name on it.
It's a winner.
This innovative, lean, mean, fat- reducing grilling machine is a tabletop
grill that allows the health conscious and tons of college students
to cook burgers in their bedrooms, or whip up paninis in their office.
Paninis? Easy. Salmon?
My specialty. Vegetables? Naturally.
Some frozen.
You bet.
Enjoy wider variety and reduce the fat with a lean, mean, fat-reducing
grilling machine from George Foreman.
Foreman himself became an ideal celebrity spokesman
and even influenced the grill's design after he regained the heavyweight
title at age 45 and attributed his success to healthy eating.
That signature, George, tells us what? I guarantee yes.
Yeah. You put your name on it,
it better work. While draining off the fat
appealed to those looking to shed pounds,
the ease of use and idiot- proof design made it a no brainer
for over 100 million since its launch in 1994.
It's really quality and it makes you proud.
And I've done many endorsements of a lot of things, but never have I signed
my name.
Sign your name. You're going to have to answer that.
This is a good answer for those who want to knock out bad.
Do you agree with our list?
What's the best infomercial product you've ever used?
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Here's how to order.
[music]