A lot of the Shark Tank folks have made their way to tv to hock items, and it worked, and people are happy! So there has to be some truth to a few things. Let's see what items we should all look for...
The Cleanse
cleaning up mr clean GIF by ADWEEKGiphyOxy-Clean is pretty amazing.
I no longer consider Oxy-Clean an ASOTV product. It is a part of everyday life.
I mean, when name brands are bragging that they have the cleaning power of Oxy-Clean, it has made it to the big time.
FLEX
Flex tape.
I work for an HVAC supplier and our delivery box truck struck the awning of a restaurant and put a 6"x6" hole in the 'box' part. Threw some flex tape on that witch and it's been sealed for over eight months so far, including a rough winter.
Gutted
That leaf filter thing for your gutters. Haven't worried about them in awhile and even set up my parents house with them so they didn't try to climb a ladder.
These have been around in various forms for years, but in my experience they pop out, animals get in them, crapt gets under/through them, and within a couple of years they're just a crooked eyesore that make gutter cleaning that much harder. Are these newest ones actually better? Have you checked under them since installing? No gunk? How do you clean roofing gravel out, or does it really not accumulate?
For the Pets
Well Done Applause GIF by MOODMANGiphyThose gloves that you pet your dog with and it desheds them. They really do work, and true to the commercial the hair also comes off in one clean pull. My dogs love them too.
Spun Up
I was given a Hurricane Spin Mop. I really liked it. That was years ago. I considered buying another one, but damn, $30 for a mop is a lot. They do work nicely though.
Mops take a lot of abuse, if you buy cheap ones you'll have broken/shredded mops pretty fast. $30 for a mop wouldn't kill me if it lasted multiple years.
Actually that brings me to mine, which isn't infomercial level, but the Swiffer Wetjet is pretty awesome because I don't have to mop anymore at all. My whole house is 120-year-old hardwood. I used to do Murphy's or white vinegar, but dragging a mop bucket up and down stairs every week sucks hardcore. Wetjet gets the floors truly clean, dries super fast, and doesn't involve buckets. I wish they'd make a Murphy's scented Wetjet but that's probably just me.
I'm getting that dog shedder thing. And well... Oxy Clean is a miracle. But that is old news. Maybe I need to be watching more TV at 3am. Or at least set the DVR for the sales. What else is being missed?
Hugs...
So Excited Dancing GIFGiphyThe Snuggie was a freaking damned miracle. You can argue that it's just wearing a robe backwards but have you tried that? the arm holes are all wrong.
Damn. I had a Snuggie when I was a teen. I'm 60+. I need to look out for one. It was great for relaxing with a book.
Clogger
Green Gobbler. My bathroom sink was all clogged up and I remembered laughing my butt off to Penguinz0 dubbing over the Green Gobbler commercial. So I figured why not buy some at Home Depot and try it out.
That stuff unclogged my barely functioning sink like nobody's business, my God.
For the Girls
cancer bras GIFGiphyThose little circle things you can use to turn your regular bra into a racer back bra. They're amazing.
Slank Me
I have a Slanket (same concept, different brand) and use it every winter. During the pandemic, I was working from home in a room that gets very cold. I could run a heater, but that tends to just make the room too warm and gives me headaches. I tried a blanket, but couldn't use my hands on the keyboard without opening myself to the cold air.
So I grabbed the Slanket and used that. It kept me warm while I typed away without giving me headaches. If I had a meeting that required video, I simply took out my arms and pulled the Slanket below the camera view.
Of course, now it's getting warm so it's time to put the Slanket away until the cool air returns.
Mince Me
GiphyThe slap chop. Admittedly, I don't own THE slap chop, I have the pampered chef version, but for mincing garlic or onions it saves a ton of time.
The Snuggie saved my life. I lost it and now I have to re-order as soon as I finish this piece. Trust me, if you haven't Snuggied, you haven't lived. Looks like product sales have stepped it up a bit. I'm watching.
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fashion
Snow Shaking GIF by funkGiphyTemperature regulating clothing. Like, ahhh it's too cold, and the clothing gets you warm. Or later it's like ahhhh it's too warm, then the clothing automatically goes woosh woosh and you're back to normal.
Yum Yums...
The perfect snack food. I want a savory, trailmix-esque food that tastes like a regularly meal (rice bowl, beef stew, French fries, etc.) with the protein content of regular trail mix and the nutritional value of a multivitamin.
I've wanted this for years. I think that's why I eat chicken broccoli and rice so often.
Staying Afloat....
Zero gravity rooms. Who doesn't wanna just go inside a room and float for fun?
They do have zero gravity rooms but the zero gravity only lasts 30 seconds at a time and costs about $5,000. Look up "vomit comet". It's a plane that flies in a sinusoidal up-and-down flight path. It's like skydiving while still inside the plane but you never reach terminal velocity because the plane dives with you.
Space Force
space floating GIF by Tomas BrunsdonGiphyPeople on Mars. Seriously it's been 50 years since we got to the moon? I want to be able to see the first humans on Mars before I die.
For the Boys....
Birth control pills for Men.
I read that the problem is actually to do with assessing the risk of side effects. In men, you're comparing the side effects to their "normal body". That means its difficult to get medication passed as easily. But in women without birth control, you are then facing all the potential life threatening complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
So the risk assessment is framed completely differently, and that's why more options for women are available.
The science is there for male contraception. And its not just some "men couldn't handle the side effects women put up with" situation. Its more complicated.
In the Air
Low emission commercial air travel.
I always find myself wishing that blimps and dirigibles were commonplace these days. It's like taking a train through the sky! I also wish train travel was common here in the US like it used to be.
Shelter
A way to get away from your abusive parents without going into the crappy foster care system. Maybe just let the kids choose their own parents or rent a room like anyone else or stay in the school classroom each night.
Milk Infomercial GIFThe Menu....
The perfect 2000 calorie diet in frozen meal form without 200% of your DV of sodium.
I don't understand why a company hasn't made a meal plan that is actually healthy and affordable. Something like 15 dollars a day for perfect macros and micronutrients with a double protein option for lifting.
Freaking cooking. Ugh.
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Unprotected.
GiphyA case for the Nokia phone. blackbeltgamer7
it doesn't protect the phone from the ground.
it protects the ground from the phone. King_of_Spicy_Meems
venomous agent x....
Most chemical/biological weapons. TonerLowDown
The worst of all of them is possibly vx nerve agent (venomous agent x) , it's the worst and most brutal poison ever created. Causes your muscles to lose control and crack your own bones. ElCannibal
I love them as long as they're limited to cosmetics.
Microtransactions. teeth_03
I love them as long as they're limited to cosmetics.
I get to play free games, and if I really like a game and want something interesting in the store I can drop up to $60 and I'm still at the same price if there weren't microtransactions. boomheadshot7
JARRED!
That peanut butter and jelly that's in the same jar. litebritebby
My grandfather buys the pickle relish and mustard in the same jar... when I ask him about it he sees nothing wrong. Volwrath_
Once is Enough.....
GiphyA second Paul Blart Movie. StationaryApe
Wherein we learned that Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 syncs up unnervingly well with Dark Side of the Moon. emolga587
Cigarettes. ShahiTandore
These appear to help people with schizophrenia cope with stress short term. otherwise why would 80% 90% of people with schizophrenia smoke? UndercoverRussianBot
The Horror.
Kardashians. spyder631
This scene from American Crime Story is really poignant. It's worth watching the whole scene but from this time-stamp is the important part. It's Robert Kardashian talking to his children about fame and integrity, which contrasts against their impression of what fame is. omza
The Formula....
Indian TV soaps. They are profoundly annoying! major_roy
They have been using the same old formula for storylines since decades yet my grandparents like them very much for some reason. shreyas16062002
Snap!
Giphy"Who's been a fan of Youtubers name before 2019?!"
Instagram and Snapchat. ProfanityPlease
Snapchat is important since SOMEHOW in 2020, its still physically impossible to text a video in a res higher than 144, apparently. I use snapchat solely to send videos to friends that i would normally just text, if only my $1000 pocket computer could send a damn semi-clear video over text. locofspades
Stung!
Killer bees.
It's a story right out of a B-Horror movie. Scientist playing around with genetics, and the monsters escape from the lab. Scrappy_Larue
No mouth cancer....
GiphyThere was a toothpaste that sold in Germany before world war 2 that had thorium in it, and the advertisement was that the radioactivity would clean your teeth. Gave a lot of people cancer. It was called doramad (look it up). forrestyohh
No Shag Please....
Carpeted bathrooms. wandlust
I moved from Norway to Oklahoma in the late 90's(back in Norway now) due to my dads work. The house the company provided had long shag carpet in the bathrooms (and rest of the house) from the previous tenants, even around the toilet. We strongly suggested that they rip out the carpets and put down tile before we moved in, luckily they did just that.
I don't get how people think when they put carpet in areas like that, it's not like it was left over from the 80's either, the carpet had only been installed like a year previous. roffvald
So. Bad.
The live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" movie. I've never seen a series get such positive critical acclaim only to see its movie get torn to pieces so badly. makeupthrowaway678
MEOW.....
GiphyCats (2019). froaln
But it produced reviews of Cats, which were some of the funniest things I read recently. They got me through busy weeks at work. Lyeta
Norman?
Remake of Psycho, it was Bad , awful, Anthony Perkins would have been rolling in his mothers grave. Bucketmouth3
I agree about the movie, but I loved Bates Motel. I though that series was great! Bromogeeksual
Low Health....
"Low fat" foods. They just add a lot of sugar which is more unhealthy. Theres research that shows that the spike in obesity correlates with the trend of low fat foods in the market. TokioHighway
Overstuffed....
GiphySeriously every holiday card is doused in the stuff now and it gets everywhere, can't stand it. TheJadedSF
So good....
Napalm. Burns for 10 minutes and can melt the flesh off a person no problem. 8BitUserName
But it smells so good! Imissyourgirlfriend2
Just Once....
GiphyK-cups, single use plastics. Anthonybrose
He also helped develop cheap reusable k cups to cut down on the use of the disposable ones, even though it has a direct negative impact on how many disposable k cups Kuerig sells. I think we should celebrate companies and people who make honest attempts to do the right thing, especially when it is not in the best interest of their bottom line. technicolored_dreams
Signals....
Microwave transmitters were originally created to transmit radar signals in WWII. When a worker noticed that being near the transmitter melted a candy bar in his pocket, it led to the development of the microwaves that we use in our homes today. DeathSpiral321
Slinked.
GiphySlinky was originally meant to be used as springs inside sensitive boat devices.
"Mechanical engineer Richard James invented the Slinky by accident. In 1943, he was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea. After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully "walked" down instead of falling. Along with his wife Betty, James developed a plan to turn his invention into the next big novelty toy."
Source: National Toy Hall of Fame GuavaGila
Useless TV.
MTV, a.k.a. Music Televison. clofas1
And TLC, or "The Learning Channel." Not a lot of learning happening on that channel these days, unless you enjoy "learning" about the daily lives of morbidly obese people, and idiots marrying morons from different countries in a matter of weeks. HorseMeatSandwich
It's Magic.
Hitachi magic wand. It was originally intended as a massager. MechanicalHorse
Hitachi still explicitly sells it as a massager and nothing else. It also gets upset at people claiming it's a sex toy (which is also why they have ceased putting their brandname on it).
Hitachi ceased production of the device in 2013 because of concerns about having the company name attached to a sex toy. Vibratex persuaded the company to continue manufacturing it under the name "Original Magic Wand", omitting the Hitachi name. In 2014, the company used the name "Magic Wand Original".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitachi_Magic_Wand That-General
So many Options.....
Viagra. It was invented as a blood pressure medicine. Dilettante
It's still used to treat a form of high blood pressure called pulmonary hypertension in both men and women. It's sold under another name, Revatio, for marketing purposes. Both Viagra and Revatio are the same drug, sildenafil. MuffinMedic
In my Heel...
GiphyHigh-heeled shoes. They were originally for men and used for horse riding, as the heels were supposed to keep the feet more secure in the stirrups.
Now, they're just fancy women's shoes. Vyzantinist
Leave a message.
Benadryl was developed as a sleep aid but it's antihistamine properties were better.
Also, and maybe this has been said, but the pound sign (#). Started as shorthand for "pound weight", then commonly used in the 80's for voicemail access, now it's used to light fires on social media. fergusoniv
zesting....
The microplane was initially developed as a wood rasp, but now it's used pretty much exclusively for zesting lemons and grating parmesan cheese. t_robthomast
Eek.....
GiphyLysol. It was invented in the 1920s as a vaginal cleaner. It was marketed to married women to cure the "marital grief" caused by a stinky hoo-ha. This article from Smithsonian Magazine (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lysols-vintage-ads-subtly-pushed-women-to-use-its-disinfectant-as-birth-control-218734/) has great ads showing poor, beautiful, glamorous ladies whose husbands have totally lost interest in sex with them until they put Lysol up their vaginas. Eek. 1pennygadget
Clean Away....
WD-40 aka Water Displacement the 40th attempt. WD-40 was invented to keep the outer skin of missiles from rust and corrosion.
(heh, missile skin). HomegrownMO
No need paint people....
Paintball guns; they were originally called paintball markers and were invented as a way for loggers and park rangers to mark trees for trimming, cutting down, etc. without having to walk up to each tree with spray paint. A couple of dudes who were using them started shooting at each other for fun and paintball as a sport was born. In fact some people still call them 'markers' to avoid the stigma some associate with the word 'gun'. nyeark
Best of the Best....
The best man at a wedding was the best swordsman the groom could afford. If anyone objected to the wedding, the best man would duel him.
The honeymoon lasted a whole month after the wedding, where the bride's father would supply the groom with all the mead he could drink. proc89
Drink.
Nalgene bottles - the plastic water bottles that are popular with hikers/campers/other outdoor activity folks were originally created for use as medical/scientific lab equipment as a lighter, shatterproof alternative to glass. VictorBlimpmuscle
Sneeze Away....
GiphyKleenex. Its original purpose was to act as insulation in gas masks during World War I. After the war, its parent company advertised it as a way to remove makeup. Dilettante
From Wikipedia.....
Aspartame was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist working for G.D. Searle & Company. Schlatter had synthesized aspartame as an intermediate step in generating a tetrapeptide of the hormone gastrin, for use in assessing an anti-ulcer drug candidate.[53] He discovered its sweet taste when he licked his finger, which had become contaminated with aspartame, to lift up a piece of paper.
Torunn Atteraas Garin participated in the development of aspartame as an artificial sweetener. Limp_Distribution
The Elixirs....
Maybe it's been said already:
Coca-cola and Dr. Pepper were originally marketed as medicine and health tonics. I believe Dr. Pepper's original name was something like "Dr. Pepper's health elixir." Extrovert3d
Super.....
Superglue, I think it was originally an instant suture in med kits for soldiers in Vietnam.
the further explanation of what superglue was supposed to be. I based my guess on the hard hat guy swinging from the I-beam commercial. bolshiabarmalay
Jäger is a big one here.
Jägermeister used to be a cough/cold medicine to help keep mountain climbers in the alps warm. To be fair, it still can keep you warm and it still tastes like cough/cold medicine. jimmyneyugn
Jäger is a big one here. It is actually a kräuterlikör, a kind of bitter alcoholic drink used to aid digestion in small quantities, and used to be seen as a drink for old people until a huge remarketing campaign.
Now it's what college students get wasted off of. Vinniam
