Snuggies
Posted: January 7th, 2009 | Filed under: Featured, Pop Culture | 249 Comments »
As everyone here certainly knows, I love infomercials. It’s a sickness, I know, but I’m turning 42 this week, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m probably not changing much from here on in. And I love infomercials. I have spent way too many hours in my life sitting in a recliner and watching someone sell:
(1) The miraculous pasta pot, that has little holes on top so that you can drain the boiling hot water without ever taking the pasta out of the pot! Sure, I bought one. It’s great. Only trouble is that the top really doesn’t stay on all that well, and also your chances of scalding yourself while trying to to pour out the water is roughly 1 in 2. Current use: Planter.
(2) The revolutionary wok-like pan device that allows you to cook fast in the steam. Make pasta dishes in a snap! Steam the greenest vegetables ever! Sure I bought one. It’s great. Only trouble is, it really doesn’t work any differently from the actual Wok we have other than it’s more cheaply made. Current use: Space eater in pantry.
(3) The Magic Bullet. Little tiny blender allows you to make awesome smoothies, delicious cheese cake and the famous six second scrambled eggs! Sadly, my family has never let me buy one.
(4) The Infinity Razor. This was, by far, my favorite infomercial-type item — I blogged about this already. It’s the razor that comes with a lifetime guarantee, meaning you will NEVER need to replace it. Ever. And it will always stay sharp. Forever. And, by far my favorite part of it, was that if you bought one they would give you one free. Even I wasn’t stupid enough to buy one/two.
(5) The magical-white stuff that makes scratches on your car disappear forever. Say you have a scratch on your car. Well, you put this white goop on top of it, buff it with this incredibly flimsy shammy-type device that rotates the soft pad at speeds up to 1 revolution per minute — seriously, this thing moves around about as fast as those plastic little kiddie toy windmills * — and, voila, the scratch is completely gone, your car is just like new. Current use: Lost in garage.
*I never understood why these toy windmills were supposed to be fun. Hey, look, I can make this thing go around! I mean, how many minutes of entertainment can even the smallest kid get out of that? It’s like those party favors that you blow, and the little paper unwinds and you hear that kazoo sound … really, you do that twice and haven’t you more or less drained all the possibilities?
But, after being set straight by Holly and Mechelle, I now have a new favorite infomercial-type commercial. I appreciate that I’m a bit late to the party … but let me be the millionth person to say it: That Snuggie Blanket has to be the most amazing commercial I’ve ever seen on television. I know you have seen this thing over and over already, but just in case, here is the idea: The Snuggie is a blanket with sleeves. I’m not saying that as some vague description, that’s their slogan. Snuggie: The Blanket With Sleeves.
Now, at first glance, you may think: Hmm, a blanket with sleeves. Sounds like, I don’t know, a SWEATSHIRT. Or a SWEATER. Or a FLEECE PULLOVER. But the brilliance of the Snuggie is not in the innovation. It is in the way they sell it. The commercial (which you can see at the end of the post, though I suspect you won’t) is pure brilliance from beginning to end.
Scene 1: Woman sitting on couch in thin white sweater of some kind. She appears to be cold based on the way that she is shivering while crossing her arms. The narrator says, quite reasonably: “You want to keep warm when you’re feeling chilled but you don’t want to raise your heating bill.†The raising of the heating bill is symbolized by a cartoon arrow with dollar signs on it going up in the air and the sound of a cash register bell going off. Tension has already been set in motion. This early scene is shot in stark black and white, like it’s “Double Indemnity.â€
Scene 2: Woman laying down on couch, only now she’s trying to cover herself in a thread-bare blanket … and she’s having one heck of a difficult time with it. The blanket simply will not cooperate. The narrator says: “Blankets are OK, but they can slip and slide.†I love the early concession — Blankets are OK. This is not an attempt to put blanket people out of business, they want that clear up front. There is a cordless telephone next to the woman … this will play a key role in our next scene.
Scene 3: Woman TRIES to reach for the phone. But the blanket will not allow her to get it immediately. It takes at least .8 seconds for her to get the phone. The narrator says: “And when you need to reach for something, your hands are trapped inside.†This has to be the single greatest moment in television history; this moment when an actress is attempting to demonstrate how difficult it is to reach for a telephone when your hands are trapped inside a blanket. She makes O.J. trying on the glove look like Coppola in Godfather III. She tries to reach for the phone, but she can’t quite get it right away, and then she has the most priceless look in the world, this look that says: “Oh, wow, haven’t we all been here, trying to get that doggone phone when we’re wrapped in a blanket, oh, if they can put a man on the moon and find a cure for polio, why oh why can’t they find a way to free my hands from a blanket.â€
Scene 4: Everything bursts in full color! And the narrator says: “Now, there’s the Snuggie. The blanket that has sleeves!†The woman demonstrates by putting on this very red robe type thing that you put on the same way that you put on hospital gowns. Narrator: “The Snuggie keeps you totally warm, and gives you the freedom to use your hands.“ The woman then demonstrates how easy it is to reach for the phone while wearing the Snuggie — it is easy. And she has this wonderful smile on her face, one that says: â€Yes! American technology!“ It seems a tad bit unfortunate that she is using a cordless phone that looks like it’s right out of 1989, but I’m guessing people with 1989 cordless phones would probably be the target audience.
Follow-up scenes: Man in Snuggie who looks a lot like Friar Tuck sits in a recliner and shows conclusively that the Snuggie does not constrict remote control freedom of movement … Older woman in Snuggie reads a book (but you say: Isn’t it too dark there to read a book? We’ll get back to you on that one!) … Fairly young man wearing Snuggie goes to work on his computer while the narrator says, â€Use your laptop without being cold!“ … Friar Tuck is back, this time he’s hungry and wants to have a bowl of popcorn — and he CAN because the Snuggie has sleeves.
Product Close-up of Snuggie: A hand goes lightly over the top while narrator tells us about the Snuggie’s softness.
Older woman is back, now she’s knitting with the Snuggie which seems an odd thing to do since I thought the whole point of this commercial is that actual CLOTHES have become obsolete. … Original woman is back now, and she’s reading a book to a young girl who looks absolutely nothing like her but is apparently supposed to be the daughter. The daughter is wearing a Snuggie too. A new slogan, â€Wrapped in Warmth!“ appears on the screen.
And so on. There are some amazing follow ups — a man and a woman standing next to each other, both wearing Snuggies, looking like they are in some kind of monastery; a woman proving she could hold a baby OR a dog with her Snuggie; a campfire scene right out of the â€Blair Witch Project With Snuggies;“ a young woman sitting in her college dorm room wearing a Snuggie, apparently content to live a dateless life on campus and so on. And then, believe it or not, there are two scenes that top all the rest:
1. There’s a scene of the family — the guy who was working on his laptop, the woman who was so frustrated reaching for the phone, their daughter who looks nothing like either one — all of them at a ballgame, surrounded by people dressed in normal clothes like coats. And the three of them are sitting in the middle of it all, wearing these preposterous Snuggies, looking, seriously, like they are in some sort of very frightening fleece cult. It’s no wonder the people around them are trying desperately to ignore the dangerous Snuggie Family and just watch the game. It’s like a Cohn brothers movie.
2. The narrator says: â€Similar products sell for up to sixty dollars.“ I appreciate that every infomercial must have the â€similar products“ line in it. But in this case, well, one — similar products? Really? There have been previous unsuccessful attempts to sell the blanket with sleeves? And two — these failed entrepreneurs decided that sixty dollars was about the right price point? The narrator then offers the Snuggie for the amazing price of $14.95, which really is an amazing price. And it comes in three colors.
The commercial reiterates the many features of the Snuggie — you can use your remote, it will keep you warm, it has sleeves — and then they offer the bonus prize … a â€compact, press-and-open book-light,“ apparently so Grandma in her Snuggie can read the third Twilight book without raising her electricity bill.* That’s a $15 value absolutely free.
*I often wonder how they decide which cheap contraption gets to be the main item and which one has to be the lousy bonus prize. Like, couldn’t this have been a whole commercial about the â€press-and-open book-light,“ and as a bonus you get the blanket with sleeves? I’m sure they have market analysts who study it.
For people like me who love infomercials, this is Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, this is The Contest, this is Starry Night, this is the best there has ever been — utterly worthless product based on entirely absurd premise sold by actors who are apparently from outer space. It’s a masterpiece. And I should add that my 7-year-old daughter Elizabeth just came in her and watched the infomercial and said, â€I want a Snuggie.“ I’m beaming. Like father like daughter.
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Big fan of the magic bullet. Those smoothies are delicious.
Snuggie is like the bastard child of a blanket that was impregnated by a robe during a one-night stand…
The commercial I saw included a scene of the Snuggie family around a campfire, which really did make them look like nothing so much as Satanists, or at least Druids. Then it cut to the ballgame, so the impression of them as a strange cult-family was even greater.
I’ve been telling people about this ad for weeks; now all I’ll have to do is send them the link to your post. . . . You know, similar posts cost up to $60, I hear.
i’m just happy i’m not the only person that saw the old dude in the recliner and thought to myself, “i didn’t know monks were allowed to watch late night tv!”
same with the cult thing, good to know i’m not any more warped than, well, at least one other person.
i think my wife was in the room the first time i saw this (or at least the first time i paid attention to it) (and she was on the couch, under a blanket, and i could tell she was thinking, “hey, that might be a good idea…”) and i wondered aloud if these folks were related to those guys out in san diego who committed mass suicide during that comet pass so they could board the ufo, etc. my wife noted they did not appear to be wearing sneakers or drinking spiked punch… so i think our alien family is safe for now. at least i hope so, for the kids’ sake, whoever those kids may actually belong to remaining undetermined for now.
Great article. I couldn’t stop laughing. My kids seem to be the only ones sold on the idea of the blanket with sleeves.
Jim Rome had some hilarious takes on the “Snuggie” yesterday as well. The first time I saw this commercial I seriously laughed out loud at the woman who just couldn’t reach the phone because she had a blanket on…oh if only there was some magical fix…wait…THERE IS! The Snuggie!
Since basically the Snuggie is just a fleece art class smock or hospital Johnnie , the similar $60 products they mention must be the high end smock/Johnnie market.
I attempted to research the expensive smock market further, but when you google “expensive smocks” it thinks you meant expensive stocks.
I do wonder if the Snuggie is just the result of a failed cult trying to deal away its inventory.
Oh, and around my house we’ve been calling it the Slanket. Seems more appropriate. Unless that’s an actual, competing product and we’re confused?
Magic Bullet is where it’s at. Two other as seen on TV kitchen gadgets that actually work and save a ridiculous amount of time: Vidalia Chop Wizard and MagiPeeler.
Laughing so hard at work people are walking by my office wondering if everything is ok, nice Joe, nice. You should really get the magic bullet, works pretty well.
You have to check out the Netti Pot!
levi stahl – druids… i think you hit on what i was looking for.
and i haven’t seen one with a cut scene of the cult hitting a ballgame. maybe teams can start selling these as merchandise.
i bet if you made one of these a bit brighter red and put a cardinals logo on it, you could sell a million of these things.
can you imagine a stadium full of weird cardinal cult people (i mean, i kind of can, i have been to a cardinal game before and those people were very fanatical yet oddly serene…)
Brought to you by the makers of the original hospital gown, because why wear real clothes when the can always be showing your …
Hey now, don’t be mocking my Cardinals *sips from Cardinals coffee mug* *Reads from Cardinals page-a-day calendar*
Its true though, I know many a people that would be 50% more likely to buy this with a Cards logo. But I already have a Cardinals blanket, so I’m set.
I think the Flowbee still takes the cake as the world champion greatest infomercial invention ever…
I spent an unusual amount of time in front of the TV over the holidays and there were a bunch of items I came “this close” to buying. One was the Chop Wizard mentioned by a previous comment. There’s also the Razor Blade Sharpener, which unlike the infinite razor only portends to increase the life of normal, mortal razor blades. There’s this special egg steaming contraption that’s supposed to take all the skill away from hard and soft-boiled eggs.
I actually own a Magic Bullet, and it does a fine job of making smoothies and tomato sauce and guacamole. I have not gotten fine minced garlic out of it though; it just ends up as a paste.
The campfire scene in the Snuggie infomercial is definitely the weirdest. I mean, they’re all wearing robes with giant extremely flammable fleece sleeves, and they’re within inches of an open flame. If the company lasts long enough to actually sell some, I smell lawsuit in the near future…
The Infinity Razor…It’s the razor that comes with a lifetime guarantee, meaning you will NEVER need to replace it. Ever. And it will always stay sharp.
I think this overstates it in an important way: It is guaranteed to stay *as* sharp as it when it first arrives. But since it isn’t very sharp to start with, that’s little consolation.
i won’t mock the cardinal fans too much.
i haven’t been to the new digs yet… but i did get the opportunity to see a few games at the old place. one april i was in town for business and picked up tickets to a rather chilly night game… i was amused by the number of people under cardinals blankets, wearing cardinals scarfs and cardinals gloves and cardinals hats. for some reason, they struck me as the target market here… if anyone would buy the team branded snuggie, it would be them.
is the singular snuggy or snuggie?
perhaps it was just because the snuggie is reddish…
Yes!….my thoughts exactly! The snuggie informercials rule! “Similar products”? Ummmm….how about a sweatshirt? Fleece Pullover?
My son watches Qubo in the mornings for a little while every now and then, and they pretty much only have commercials like the snuggie. Of course, my son wants all of these products. One day he tried to sell my wife and I on the pancake puffer mentioning that you can use it for birthday parties and brownies. Oh, the magic of the infomercial.
You will love this blog. I can’t believe Vince (of ShamWow! and now SlapChop! fame) didn’t make your list.
http://threeeasypayments.blogspot.com
I get a kick out of the “ShamWow” informercial. That product is another “must get” for Joe’s garage!
You guys are on to something with the stadium full of fans all wearing this thing. I don’t know about baseball, but if I were a football player, and instead of a rocking stadium of cheering fans, I looked up and saw 80,000 people all wearing this thing (the red one) and looking on silently and disapprovingly, I’d wonder if I hadn’t blundered into a Klan rally, and whether I’d be getting out alive. And I’m white.
Really funny post.
(I myself keep getting thisclose to getting the Wonder Hanger.)
These things have been around for years — didn’t the Emperor wear one in Star Wars?
Anyone have a ShamWow? I really want to buy one, but I can’t bring myself to make it happen. They do look fantastic…
Joe, if you could pick one up and post a report I’d appreciate it.
FYI, in a major disappointment, the As Seen on TV Store does not carry the Snuggie (at least, the Mall of America location doesn’t).
Shaun,
Sure, you already have a CArdinal blanket…. but how do you keep score? Huh? How do you hold your beer, your hot dog???
YOU NEED A CARDINAL SNUGGIE.
Awesome stuff! I’m in tears right now…
I confess that I purchased the Miracle Razor That Never Needs Resharpening And Stays Sharp Forever. I am a college graduate. I swear.
And the Snuggie? Don’t you think the San Diego Padres should get in business with these people? Put the logo on the Dijon mustard-hued Snuggie and you’ve got an instant winner.
Joe, you’re totally off base on the kazoo/blower/noisemaker thingies. Walk up behind someone with one of those, tap them on the shoulder, then when they turn around blow the kazoo and hit them in the face when it unfurls. Never gets old.
No love for the ShamWOW? You could keep one in the RV and another in the boat. Look Joe, you were going to spend $20 on paper towels this month anyway, so think smart and go with the ShamWOW.
You’ll even get an extra one for the kitchen. That new replacement sponge you’ve been eying will only last a week, but ShamWOW lasts 10 years!
OK, I admit that I, too, was fascinated by the Snuggie. Our family room is actually a “sun” room that gets very cold in winter. If we are going to watch a movie as a family, we have to each find a blanket to cover us up. As it turns out, this does make eating popcorn difficult!
But when I discovered that the shipping and handling costs for the Snuggie were about as much as the Snuggie itself, I did an online search for a similar product. I found the Cuddle Wrap – a blanket with a zipper and snaps so it stays on you and allows your hands the freedom to eat popcorn. It works great, and we use them all the time now. So thanks, Snuggie company, for helping us find a product that really does enhance our lives, even if it isn’t your product.
Joe,
I think you need to read this hard-hitting expose. It’ll completely change your worldview*.
http://ph4h.blogspot.com/2009/01/snuggie-vs-slanket-investigation.html
* assuming your worldview has way too much to do with sleeved blanket products.
The thing with ShamWOW! is that it may actually be useful. That’s a frightening thought.
You can get the Magic Bullet at Costco, btw. (Well, you can likely get all sorts of magic bullets at Costco, but that’s an idea for a different post.)
I guess this is one of the previously unsuccessful attempts. They also sell these in skymall, which is where I discovered it last week. http://www.theslanket.com/
I can see the Royals giving away snuggies as some kind of September giveaway.
Is the Snuggie an informercial? I always thought it was just an annoying, overly long, commercial. Thank God for DVR’s.
Took a sip of my morning coffee, read the line:
“This has to be the single greatest moment in television history; this moment when an actress is attempting to demonstrate how difficult it is to reach for a telephone when your hands are trapped inside a blanket”
And narrowly avoided doing a spit take all over my monitor. I didn’t think those things happened in real life, but it was a very close call.
Thanks, Joe. This is amazing. Both the Snuggie and ShamWow spots had me waiting for the punchline (followed by a pitch for a REAL product) until about 30 seconds it dawned on me that someone was actually trying to sell us on this.
The Snuggie family at the ballgame just kills me every time. Somebody, somewhere, came up with the idea that they should market Druid garb for use not just in public, but at a sporting event. I keep wondering what the actors in that scene are thinking–shouldn’t being in the crowd for that shot cause an epiphany that maybe, just maybe, Spielberg isn’t going to call, and it’s time to re-evaluate your acting career? And then there’s the little kid doing the raised-arms cheer while wearing the preposterously oversized (for him) Snuggie, which causes him to look like some sort of demon.
I also can’t believe Billy Mays isn’t involved.
Whoa, I get a profile picture now (I guess from using another Wordpress site)? Weird…
Who spends $20 a month on paper towels? I don’t know if I spend $20 a year. I don’t have kids, so I’m sure that would send the useage way up, but thats a lot of paper towels!
I know a lot of people who bought ShamWOWs for Xmas. I can’t explain it either. It’s the same material that swimmers and divers have been using for years to dry themselves off.
For the sake of anyone wearing a Snuggie at a ballgame I hope it is also waterproof to ward of the beer/soda they will also be wearing.
This was a perfect summation of my thoughts on the Snuggie ad, which hit me as a weird blend of pop culture, unintentional comedy, bad acting and the occult since the first time I saw it. And I’ve seen it far too much. Is it just me, or is this ad on every channel at every commercial break?
And yes, my kids want one too.
I have a Netti-Pot but I did not purchase it thru an infomercial. Damn!
Oh, is it not Coen brothers or did I miss a joke somewhere?
I’m a huge fan of any infomercial that presupposes massive incompetence on the part of the viewer by showing the challenges they somehow associate with the use of everyday items that six-year-olds could master.
Narrator: “Tired of everyday mops?”
Cut to: Various scenes of a person struggling to squeegee water out of mop but just sort of flailing uselessly, kicking over the water bucket, falling over while trying to mop a floor, poking themselves in the eye with the mop handle, accidentally walking outside and sticking the mop into the spikes of a passing cyclist’s bike causing the cyclist to go flying over the handlebars, accidentally swallowing the mop head and choking…
Of course, my infomercial-watching ways were tempered somewhat when I got married to a woman who can see an ad for any contraption, no matter how inane, and somehow convince herself that she “needs” it.
If the Royals were to use the Snuggie as a giveaway, they wouldn’t give it away in September or April when it might be useful. It’s more likely to be a Royals giveaway on one of those Thursday afternoon games in August when it’s 105. I guess you could at least use it as tent to block the sun.
For my wife and I the funniest thing about the whole concept is the name Snuggie. When we were growing up a snuggie was something else entirely. I won’t go into detail but let’s just say it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
My favorite part of the Snuggie commercial is the part about blankets slipping and sliding. They show the woman struggling to keep that tiny blanket over her feet. Because it’s just so difficult to stay under a blanket when you’re on the couch. How does anyone manage it? How have we gotten along without the Snuggie?
Somehow accidentally posted that last one before finishing…
My aforementioned wife “needed” the Magic Chopper, a weird box device that allows you to dice onions, cheese and other foods in a matter of seconds.
It really is a fascinating invention. You can save five minutes on chopping up foods for the low, low price of spending an extra five minutes cleaning the chopper as opposed to simply washing a knife and cutting board. It works great for her, given that she likes cooking and hates cleaning, so we worked out a system where she prepares the food and I do the dishes.
I have a Snuggie…except I call it a robe.
I am very happy that I am not the only one that got the cult vibe from the commercial. In the scene around the campfire I keep expecting the kid to say “Mommy, after the comet do we get to drink the magic punch with the leader?”
The only thing that would make this better is if Billy Mays was the one telling–excuse me, YELLING AT US–about the product. He should be the spokesman for every TV deal. I’ve taken to re-telling every ad in the voice of Billy Mays, much to the chagrin of my family. My wife tells me she’s filing papers.
Hilarious! Funniest. Blog. Post. Ever.
My favorite scene…the family sitting and cheering at the football game and since The Snuggie is “one size fits all,” the way the sleeves hang over the hands of the smallest family members so when they put their arms up to cheer, they appear to be oddly hand-less.
What about the Amish Heating Mantle – the miracle invention to help home heating bills hit rock bottom?
Would an Amish businessman steer you wrong?
I don’t have one…Anybody…?
Another part I forgot to add:
Has anyone seen the commercial about the female “massage device” that often comes up shortly after the snuggie commercial?
That commercial is more mildly disturbing than the snuggie, especially since one of the characters is very Angela Lansbury-esque.
I this this commercial took away some of the wholesomeness from my childhood.
My favorite infomercial is from 20 years ago for Blublocker sunglasses. I remember staying up after midnight and this half hour sales pitch on the Blublocker sunglasses with a myriad of testimonials from “regular” people. I may never have laughed harder, except for last night when watching Brian Regan talk about the phrase, “We can put a man on the moon …” Just think how happy people would be if we hadn’t put a man on the moon he says. I don’t mind this minor inconvenience, we can’t even put a man on the moon!
When my best friend’s daughter was 3 she made them buy me the pasta pot for my birthday. “Nanny loves to cook and we always have pasta!” It is one of the sweetest gifts I have ever received. I used it once, which made her beam with pride. Now it is filled with water living on top of the wood stove, lid long since lost.
The Billy Mays ad for ESPN 360® is actually pretty funny. He’s kinda making fun of himself … I think. I don’t know if he’s aware of the premise.
My wife called it:
the Snuggie is a bathrobe, worn backwards
Joe – How many Sham-Wows do you own?
Count me in on the ‘I can’t believe Joe hasn’t written about/bought a Shamwow! I actually got a set as a joke gift (as far as you all know), and then had to spend the next half hour trying to keep the kids and niece and nephew (ages 5-9) from spilling stuff on the counter to ’see how it worked’. Still haven’t used it…
I like to think that in the future, each individual person will have his or her own infomercial.
Mine will be The Meat Re-Hyrdrator, for when you find that you have turned too much of your spare beef into delicious jerky. It will be sold in coujunction with the Amazing NuWave® Oven Pro to ensure that the desired moisture level can be achieved according to each individual’s meat preference. My incomercial will star Ed Begley Jr.
Boy, I feel dumb now, but I saw the Slanket in the Skymall catalog and thought it was pretty neat (and I never buy anything stupid). So I am going to defend the Slanket/Snuggie (maybe we should call the whole product line the Sluggy).
So, the two big benefits of a Sluggy:
1. It covers your whole body, not just your upper body. Take that, sweater!
2. You don’t have to run upstairs to get it if you’re cold while on the couch watching TV and working on your laptop. And you can throw it aside if you get warm, say at the ballpark. Who would take off their authentic cap and sweater at the ballpark, just to have to put the cap back on?
C’mon, people.
Whoawhoawhoa…has anybody mentioned the awesoming rhyming at the opening? (A quick search for the word rhyme tells me no!)
You wanna stay warm when you’re feeling chill
But you don’t wanna raise your heating bill
Blankets are OK, but they can slip and slide
And when you need to reach for something, your hands are trapped inside.
Wow. They must have hired Longfellow’s bastard great-great-grandchild (who, incidentally, ate a lot of paint chips as a yougnster) to come up with that one.
This post is hilarious Joe!
Also, you shouldn’t give up on the miraculous pasta pot. Scald yourself often enough and your hands should become rugged enough to handle it!
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Joe, I’ve gotta give it to you. I’ve forwarded many of your posts and given copies of your book ($5.99!) to friends and family who appreciate great sports writing. I’ve been cracking up for weeks after being blasted by Snuggies ads, and you hit the nail right on the head. All the best in 2009, hopefully your hands don’t get trapped in a blanket as you finish The Machine.
One more thing about the girl in the dorm room. You think it’s Paris in 1890 and she’s living in a garret, or a cold water flat in London in the 1940s. But no! It’s one of those drafty American dorm rooms of the 2000s.
What happened to the infomercials with studio audiences? I always thought those were the best. Plus, where do you find people willing to be the studio audience for an infomercial? Regardless, I haven’t seen a good “live” infomercial in a while. Maybe America’s inventor Ron Popeil just set the bar too high with the Showtime Rotisserie.
Gotta give the vote of confidence to the Slanket guys – they were there first, have the better name and the better product. Sorry, Snuggie. You do have a nice commercial though, and I suppose that counts for something, kinda like the gritty white guy who has guts but posts mediocre numbers.
@carol- I noticed the same thing about the “one size fits all” scene at the ballgame. It has a very Mad Magazine/Don Martin-esque look to it.
Joe- please tell me you didn’t get suckered in by the singing trout commercial a few years back.
Oh, and before anyone asks, yes, I have several pieces of Cardinals paraphernalia.
Ahh. You missed my favorite part!! The ad clearly states that “One Size Fits All”, and then in the “sports fan” scene it shows the little girl with the Snuggie’s arms about 2 feet too long!! This specifically PREVENTS HER FROM USING HER HANDS!!
Love it
Cannot stop laughing. Thanks for making my morning!
My mom bought a snuggie in early December, but oh no, she bought another for only $(insert ridiculously cheap price here) and gifted it to my granny. By all indications they love it, but it just looks dumb. Blankets, hooded sweatshirts, and other like items have always sufficed…
Matt in Toledo, you are the man. I think the news should do an expose on the hidden risks of a blanket. How many people have suffered under this overly complex, mummifying tool of so called warmth? This is important people, lives are at stake.
Between the Shamwow, Snuggie, and 8 trillion dollars, our economy couldn’t be in better shape.
I think we’re all missing the most important thing here, and that’s this:
If I murdered Billy Mays, is there a jury anywhere that would convict me?
The Magic Bullet truly is magic. I highly recommend you get yourself one, they’re fabulous.
In a very personal way, the best part of the “snuggie” phenomenon is that “snuggy” was our family’s term for what the rest of the world calls a “wedgie”.
Therefore the whole idea of a child saying “I want a snuggie” carries an extra dose of ironic humor for me.
If that request were voiced when I was growing up, there would have been many siblings only too happy to oblige.
TR
I used to work for a man who claimed to have invented the infomercial. He also claimed to have invented the Time-Life compilation albums and the word “ginsu.”
BTW I also love the Magic Bullet.
So if you’re laying on the couch with the Snuggie on, do you have to lay on your back? What happens when you turn on your side? I think the Snuggie needs to add an arm hole to the mix, so you can put it on and still have coverage for the relaxing on your side, regardless of what side you choose. Implement that and throw in some 4-legged snuggies for my dog and I’m in!
Next year’s Halloween costume with my friends: weird Snuggy family.
Next time you see the ShamWow commercial. Listen closely to the point where he states the line “this lasts ten years” he is holding the ShamWows infront of his mouth and the “ten years” phrase is dubbed in?
Listen closely. I do not think it is Vince’s voice during the “ten years” comment.
Total cover-up. This is a sham.
Three weeks ago my daughter saw the commercial and said “Dad, you should get that for Mom for Christmas!” Ended up that I did go buy her a blanket, but not a Snuggie. What can I say, I was out of ideas.
I’ve been talking about the Snuggie since the first infomercial, because of the unintended comedy. After a few glasses of wine my fiance disappeared upstairs after an ad. She has the money to burn and now we have two Snuggies and two transformer lights on the way.
It will be the funniest thing ever when we show up for dinner in our matching attire.
I can feel the jealousy already.
I noticed the “10 years” dub on the Shamwow commercial too. I’m sure it helps that I’ve seen the spot so much I notice every nuance at this point.
I wonder why it was dubbed. Did he say 20 years and they did some extensive, time-lapse tests that proved it wouldn’t last that long?
Or maybe it’s something else, like he knew it wouldn’t last 10 years after a dozen of them fell apart filming the cola scene and he refused to make the claim. So, it’s dubbed over allowing him an out when the inevitable class action lawsuit pops up. This is probably less likely.
If only this were sold along with a bedazzler then life would be perfect.
At least Friar Tuck is reading a newspaper while wearing a Snuggie. You’ve got to respect anything that shows someone still reading a newspaper.
Great LOL post Joe!
However, the ‘Snuggie’ is only my second favorite infomercial running right now. ‘Loud ‘N Clear’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8RW6bxmkyA) takes the cake. The scene about a minute in cracks me up every time I see it. You know in real life the hot girls are saying “look at that goober across the room with that thingy on his ear” as he nods approvingly. The hunter without a weapon is pretty good as well.
Berman from the Magic Bullet infomercial is still the greatest infomercial character ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY6EyQ_ihOI
The Magic Bullet was pretty good. Ours lasted 5 years.
I do think this could be a good way to sell “The Soul of Baseball,” though. Make a great infomercial, Joe.
ShamWow rocks!!! We bought ours at the Home & Garden Show three years ago. I carry one in the trunk of my car, for those impromptu car washings. We have dried our dog after her monthly bath. And once it warms up I’ll be carrying one on my scooter in case I ever get caught in the rain!
I was never a huge fan of informercials really, but a number of years ago, if I was flipping through the channels and saw the Tilla Foodsaver infomercial, I was done flipping channels. I would watch that thing over and over and over and . . . then I finally got one!!! Best product I ever bought.
The other infomercial that really sticks out was a RonCo rotisserie cooker. The tag line was great: “Just set it – (crowd joins in) AND FORGET IT!!!”
I am glad most people thought the old man looked like a Friar. That was the first thing I said to my girlfriend upon seeing the ad.
Oh, and we have been calling it a Slanket too . . . .
The ShamWow commercial is undoubtedly the highest form of comedy on TV. Everytime my wife reaches for the paper towels, I exclaim “You’re just throwing your money away.”
Joe, the Snuggie commercial has been very fortuitously timed for my upcoming birthday…my 4 year old daughter is entranced. A blanket with sleeves???? She can’t get enough. I’ve been assured I’ll be receiving a Snuggie for my birthday in a couple weeks. When I do, I’ll post a review fo reveryone’s enjoyment.
There is nothing the Magic Bullet can do that a hand blender cannot.
I, too, was blown away by the Sham Wow commercials, and then I realized that I don’t spill things THAT often. And I have a 19-month old daughter.
Joe, since FJM went off the air a few months ago, I haven’t read anything on the internet that made me laugh so hard I was afraid my co-workers would come by my cube to check on me. This ended that streak. Man was that funny. Thanks!
Great stuff. I’m partial to the Neti Pot myself, having purchased one, used it, and then reported on the harrowing details for comedic purposes. Sadly, I’m no Joe Posnanski. I should have picked a funnier product.
Has anyone ever gotten drawn in by the Magic Veggie Bags that absorb the vaporous chemicals that are responsible for rotting food? They also have a variety for bread products! I see them in fine discount/dollar stores everywhere! Why throw money away when you can keep your fruits and vegetables fresh for weeks?
You forgot the Barack Obama plate and the Barack Obama coin. Joe, we know you voted for him so perhaps we should all chip in and buy you one of each? I love how the guy in the plate ad is writing at his desk and then pauses to look over at the plate and smile before resuming his writing. What a doofus.
I think perhaps you are more like Opus the Bloom County penguin than J.P. Riccardi.
the cult comment is eerily similar to the reaction i had upon viewing the snuggie infomercial. these people look like some sort of strange sci-fi movie characters forced to wear snuggies by some sort of government order that has deemed uniforms necessary to keep the public in line. creepy… very creepy.
Hmm, the Snuggie looks suspiciously like what Homer Simpson wore in the episode where he gained a lot of weight and the Power Plant had to accodomate his “disability” by allowing him to work from home. I think it is usually called a muu-muu.
“The Contest” was on last night. I love treating my body like an amusement park.
@#90
funny, funny post
Haha! Priceless! My brother and I saw a commercial for the Snuggie recently and just about died laughing…and then when I read your post, I had to laugh all over again. It really is the most ridiculous commericial ever.
And my brother nailed what the Snuggies look like. The people wearing Snuggies, especially when up and walking around with the Snuggies on, look just like they’re wearing robes from Harry Potter. It’s just really weird…
Heres the best–these darn things are on back order–everywhere!!! Off the companies web site–off Ebay–off EVERYWHERE!! Welaugh and some guy or gal in Bangladesh is making a fortune–if only the Royals could have come up with thgis idea and used it to sign Furcal!!
Don’t have time to read all the comments so someone else may hav mentioned this, but…in my opinion the Citizen Kane of all infomercials is definitely Ronco knives with their half hour spot starring Ron Popeil et al. That spot includes about 60 different knives, Ron cutting a hammer, an Asian man telling us that the knives are sharper than Samurai swords (and believe you me, this fella knows from Samurai swords), and even a solid flavor injector! Not to mention the fact that similar knife sets from GERMANY (boo, screw the Germans! damn Nazi jerks) cost around $800, gasp!
This one will send you back in time, but it also leaves you waiting for the punchline that never comes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQAT2rKugIs
I mean, aside from the fact the whole darn thing is a punchline.
What — no mention that the voice-over for the opening scene is in rhyme??!?
Joe,
Great read and so glad you brought this up, but I think you missed the best part of the ad! My favorite scene is the family huddled up by the campfire in their Snuggies. I believe they are cooking hot dogs. Every time I see that, alternative endings come to mind. I don’t want to say too much, but it usually involves a renegade ember, a lot of rolling around on the ground, and a sprint to the kitchen to get water and a bucket. Other times it’s a Snuggie sleeve that’s hanging just a little too low to the flame, with more or less the same results. Maybe it’s just me, and also #16, but I REALLY don’t think Snuggies and the campfire are a winning combination.
I saw #16 was already on it with this, but I wanted to add my 2 cents. I think that’s the money scene in the whole ad. I loved your post here, but I was waiting for you to bring this up too. Just a bit disappointed you didn’t!
I know this is nitpicking, but isn’t the Snuggie ad technically a commercial vs. an infomercial? Don’t get me wrong, both it and the write up are great, but doesn’t an infomercial have to be program length or close to it?
Similar columns have made me laugh out loud once. But this column made me laugh out loud on four separate occasions. But wait, there’s more! It also made my friends laugh out loud!
“Doug” –
I want a “Wunder Boner!”
And I don’t fish!
I love the “Deliverance” cast, the Ned Beatty look-alike who says, “My wife would love a Wunder Boner!”
Loved the voice-over fella at the end. I can imagine him waiting in the wings, microphone in hand, as the action plays out and a sweep-second hand on a giant clock ticks off the time.
Standing alongside is his handler, massaging his neck and whispering encouragement. “You can do it big guy. They promised me she’d be finished at the 1:50 mark — that gives you ten seconds; all the time in the world.”
Then, when he brings it in — 1800 number, process and handling mention, resume of the package deal — with a second to spare it’s high fives all round and a wipe of the brow with a ShamWow.
Evidently the Snuggie is also great as backgammon attire.
When I first saw the Snuggie commercial, I thought it was a cheap rip-off of the Slanket…which my QVC-addled wife bought a month ago!
She bought Slankets for both of us actually, and while I know it’s silly, the Slanket is quite comfortable and handy.
Tonight NPR is running a story on infomercials thriving during the economic downturn… including ShamWow and Snuggies.
You can listen to the story here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99087867
A couple recommendations
1) Shamwow. Goes without saying
2) SLAPCHOP. The same guy from Shamwow, but in the kitchen. Highlight is him launching a chopper over his shoulder into the sink with a loud clang
3) CILLIT BANG. Oh my lord, Cillit Bang. Its British, and features the pitchman SCREAMING AT THE CAMERA. Amazing.
Joe,
The original one is called the “Slanket”, so that is their one competitor. It comes in more colors.
Whenever I see the Snuggie commercial, which is often, I encounter the irrestible urge to yell, “WWWWWIZARD!” at the television. Wizard, of course, being a direct quotation from one of those really annoying cell phone commercials that star the four geeky guys who represent the four geeky cell phone companies that aren’t paying for this commercial.
“WWWWWIIZARD!”
Do you think I watch too much TV?
[21]
Thanks for the awesome link. I just watched the commercial for “Loud and Clear” That was awesome. I love the new guy in the building that overhears the ladies talking about him
Not sure of the name of this product, but it involved vacuum-sealing your clothes in a plastic bag so you can fit more in your suitcase. Sounds like a good idea, right? Great idea until you find yourself searching for Lupe the maid at the Holiday Inn so you can beg her in broken Spanish to borrow her vacuum while making sucking sounds and pointing at your pile of soiled underwear just so you can pack your suitcase so you don’t miss your flight. Not that this happened to me…
Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi you’re my only hope.
I already have sleeves, and I already have an afgan, but my hands still get cold.
What can Snuggie do for me?
Everyone in that commercial wearing a Snuggie looks like they are a member of some creepy cult….or choir.
Dave (#25) the Emperor in Star Wars didn’t wear one himself, but his royal guard definately did. In fact, the Maroon Snuggies could practically be the faded costumes from Return of the Jedi …
You also have to love how they package an auto-unfolding reading light with something designed to help you use your hands. Maybe you’re supposed to pack the reading light for those times when you’re away from home and don’t have a Snuggie, which allows you to unfold a normal reading light.
This is completely unrelated, and buried in a huge pile of comments, but it’s a question that’s dying to be asked.
Will Mark Grace be the only guy to lead a decade in hits and NOT make the Hall of Fame?
Love the Snuggie, but can you really top Mighty Putty? I mean, you have a coffee mug that you paid $3 for, the handle breaks off. Good Lord, how the hell will I drink coffee???? (First off, I have 243 assorted coffee mugs in my cupboard, and I have been through a divorce) I’ll just send off $19.95 plus shipping and handling to get putty and mold myself a new handle.
Ahhhhh, now that’s a refreshing cup of rip-off.
My wife bought her father the ShamWow! for Christmas. The look on his face when he opened the box was just priceless. It was, interestingly enough, very similar to the expression he had when she told him we were getting married.
The Snuggie commercial almost matches Billy Mays’ “Mighty Mendit”. What should you do if you tear your clothes? Not buy a new pair of clothes. Instead spend $19.95 to fix your $3.00 split in the ass pair of pants. The best part is the parachute repair. How much would it take to get someone to jump out of a plane with a parachute held together by Mighty Mendit? I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t do it. Well maybe for a free bottle of Mighty Mendit.
It’s too bad you aren’t allowed to buy a Magic Bullet. I love mine. When my kids were babies, I made all of their baby food in the MB. Seriously.
Don’t get it at Walgreen’s, though. For the same price you can get two from the informercial. I am not at all exaggerating when I say that it would make a super baby shower gift.
I’ve bought other crap from infomercials and it’s all crap, but the Bullet is really great. Really.
Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com
Did anyone else notice that “Frier Tuck” also appears in “The Mircle Ear” infomercial? Central casting for products.
For some reason the football scene was the most amusing. One can almost imagine the voiceover, “Monks love it too!”
Count this as another reader who is appalled at the lack of any Shamwow mention. Come on, Joe, you know the Germans always make good things.
Someone earlier mentioned the Obama plate. On the back of the plate they listed the Electoral College results and something like 35 of them were listed as undetermined. Really guys, couldn’t we have waited a couple more weeks before going to the printer?
Also on the front they have Obama listed as the 44th President-Elect. Which, of course, he’s not. Gerald Ford was never elected, to say nothing of the VPs who assumed the office upon the death of the President and then won re-election. But hey, who cares about facts, we’re selling plates here.
And all I can think about is Dan Ackroyd pitching the Bass-O-Matic on Saturday Night Live back in, what? 1976? 1977?
Being a veteran of nearly 50 Texas State Fairs, I can tell you that LIVE infomercials are the best. Ever since my 21-year old daughter was a little girl, she has been fascinated by these. She will still stand or sit there forever watching while somebody makes juice from “every part of the fruit” or picante sauce from “items you might find in your pantry”… or knives that continue to cut smoothly despite first abusing a piece of lumber or an aluminum can… or mops that clean up messy stains effortlessly. In fact, the Texas State Fair (and my daughter) are why we now own a real, official – not a cheap knock off – made in Germany where they KNOW absorbency, ShamWow (well, actually TWO ShamWows because we bought it RIGHT THEN and therefore got the bonus ShamWow, not to mention the two bonus hand-towel ShamWows (blue) for no additional cost.)
If you wear your robe backwards, is it not the same as Snuggie?
By the way, Costco has the Magic Bullet for $39.99 now….
I was worried that the campfire snuggie family would burst into flame…
I’m afraid of the snuggie…very afraid!
snuggie = greatest unintentional comedy TV commercial of all time
Joe,
My wife and I are in stitches over the video. I just have to convince her to NOT get me a Snuggie now. It probably doesn’t help that I sent her this link.
Why don’t they make a Snuggie out of a Sham Wow? I can see the commercial now…
“Tired of wasted time drying off after showers? Sick of choosing between being warm or dry? (Shows man falling over in shower trying to dry off with towel) Introducing the revolutionary Snuggie Wow!”
If I murdered Billy Mays, is there a jury anywhere that would convict me?</I.
That’s pretty funny, because the last time I was at my dad’s and Billy Mays came on, he commented, in all apparent seriousness, that he was rather surprised someone hadn’t killed that guy.
If I murdered Billy Mays, is there a jury anywhere that would convict me?
That’s pretty funny, because the last time I was at my dad’s and Billy Mays came on, he commented, in all apparent seriousness, that he was rather surprised someone hadn’t killed that guy.
(grrr. Lets hope this one works)
I must live in the wrong part of the country or don’t stay up late enough because I’ve never seen the ShamWow ad…
My favorite informecial I’ve seen recently is for the Body Shaper, which is basically an elastic corset-type device to be worn underneath clothing. What it does is basically squish fat rolls into smoother shapes to create the appearance curves and hips and get rid of love handles, backfat and the like. It’s like a tanktop, ending at the waist but the front of the piece ends just below the bust line.
So who do they pick to advertise this product for larger women other than a gorgeous thin model with amazing curves and a pair of breasts that would make Heidi Klum jealous?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDZ3I4F7NBs
The Snuggie works great. Except for the fact that when I wear it to football games, my ass and back get really cold. I wonder if I should have purchased two and worn one backwards.
The Snuggie is the poor man’s Slanket.
http://www.theslanket.com/
I cannot believe this post — well as it was crafted — has generated 147 pre-eleven-a.m. comments. Amazing.
The main question is, How can I blog about this without hurting my Father-In-Law’s feelings… he just bought TWO of these!!!
Greg
http://www.denvertvguy.com
I think when historians look back on the late-20th and early-21st centuries, they will all agree that American culture reached its zenith in the form of the infomercial.
Although, it may be starting to go downhill now that Billy Mays is parodying himself to do work for ESPN.
Really, I think the very best thing out there now is the ShamWOW ad. Not the regular version; the Spanish version, which I highly recommend searching for on Youtube.
Vince actually does the entire thing, frame-by-frame essentially, speaking Spanish.
High comedy.
Oh, Joe! I love how you think! You think right, buddy. And of course, so do I. I have been watching that commercial for weeks, covered by my afghan, thinking “I bet for $14.95 that is really cheap material. I bet I could make one better.” Except that sitting there with my afghan watching TV, I can’t quite reach my sewing machine. And don’t you think that for ballgames, your Snuggy should have a hood?
I learned in junior high school that nothing called a “snuggie” is good. No matter what your friends try to tell you.
[...] I was reading this amazing post by the legendary Joe Posnanski about the Snuggie infomercial and laughing my ass off when I found [...]
[...] Check it out by clicking here. [...]
I am usually sold when an actor is trying to sell me a wrinkle cream but have been able to resist, but this is the holy golden grail of infomercials. I must have one!
Magic Bullet is the only infomercial item my wife ever bought that did not quickly become useless. I took one to work and use it a least once a day.
The Snuggie has been conquered already. Last night I saw an infomercial for a squeegee/sponge like contraption called (I’m not kidding), the
shamWOW
towel.
Emphasis on the WOW. It’s made in Germany, and you need to be aware of impostors!
This thing is like death to liquid. You can spill coca cola all over your carpet, and you put the shamWOW on top of it, and it will actually suck all the coca cola RIGHT OUT OF THE CARPET without you even doing anything. You don’t have to press or anything. It just absorbs ever known milliliter of moisture that exists in the known universe.
If you were to put it on your body, it would suck you dry of bodily fluids in 3.072 seconds, and all the homicide squad will find is your dry, dessicated husk.
And it had this announcer who was desperately trying to be some kind of 70s hipster who wanted to create a bond of familiary with both the viewers AND the camera man who kept showing us what amazing things the shamWOW towel can do, and would then narrate himself showing us what amazing things the shamWOW towel can do.
Then, ofcourse, came the kicker. shamWOW costs 19,99. Ofcourse it does, everything costs 19,99. If I called an assassin and asked him to terminate the owner of the St Louis Cardinals, the assassin would charge me 19,99.
For that money, you get not one, not two, not three, but FOUR shamWOWs! What would you need four for, you wonder? Well, two for the office, one for the kitchen and one for the living room! They even come pre-sorted for all your needs!
And, ofcourse, if you called “in say the next ten minutes, we can’t keep doing this forever you know” (as quoted from hipster announcer/host), we’ll give you four more FOR FREE!
So then you have EIGHT shamWOWs, which I guess would equate to four for the office, two for the kitchen and two for the living room.
It never fails to amaze me how advertisers are allowed to blatantly LIE about a product’s ability on American TV. Rather than the crusade against boobies, shouldn’t THAT be something the FCC worries about?
Jeez, and here I thought I was being topical. Apologies to the EIGHT THOUSAND of you who have already mentioned the shamWOW!
Don’t get a wonderhanger. The reason I found your blog was because I was google-ing “wonder hanger” and “lawsuit.” Those guys screwed me!
I would like to direct everyone’s attention to the Nuddle (nap + cuddle = nuddle!). It makes the price tag on both the Snuggie and the Slanket look downright reasonable. http://www.nuddleblanket.com/product/nuddle-blanket.html
[...] By the way, Dan, my favorite internet writer du moment is a man named Joe Posnanski. He is a sports columnist for the Kansas City Star that writes a blog at the address linked in the previous sentence. He’s smart, funny, self-deprecating, relevant. I’ll read what he writes no matter the topic. (Here’s where I come back to the subject at hand.) The other day, just after posting the Slap Chop video and accidentally inspiring two hundred more views by our fearless vocalist, I discovered that Joe was writing about Snuggies. [...]
I gotta agree with an earlier post. The Flowbee set the standard and the bar has never been reached. I’m pretty much in agreement with the following set of all-time greats.
http://www.epinions.com/review/tele-TV_Channels-All-Commercials/content_33783516804
There actually is a “similar product”. Skymall sells a blanket with sleeves called the Slanket.
[...] only thing I enjoy more than Joe Posnanski writing about baseball is his writing about infomercials. I mean, who hasn’t had their hands restrained by a blanket when trying to answer the [...]
Just wanted to throw in that after a few months of light use, my Magic Bullet started smelling like burnt rubber. The reason for this, simply enough, is that there are a bunch of cheaply made rubber pieces that all rub against each other at high speed. Since that’s just how they’re built, I don’t see how the thing can ever be expected to hold up, but obviously YMMV.
I would estimate that toy windmills can be found in someone’s hand being used 1% of the time, and lying on the ground 99% of the time.
One size fits all, and yet, it’s obvious in the ballgame scene that the snuggie’s sleeves are way too long for the little girl. It’s a sham! It’s a mockery! It’s a shamockery!*
*in keeping with the “combine two words to make one” theme of this post**
**nuddle, slanket, etc.
I’m all about the one that let’s you make 5 burgers at once. That thing is awesome.
Also, why is Billy Mays screaming at me all the time?
maybe your best post ever.
ps. i like the next post arrows on the bottom of each article
nothing but tears…and more tears.
Great post and great comments.
Bought the shamwows at Bed bath and beyond on the third of january for 16 bucks plus tax…..19.95 with 20% off coupon. I commented to the cashier as I was checking out that I was mildly embarrassed and felt that I was a bit of a sucker in falling for Vince’s pitch. Her comment “at last you didn’t spend 20 plus S&H”.
A very average product that does most of what he SAYS. You must however completely ignore the entire visual….edited cut and distorted. It worked great as a dog towel after washing the mutt and does a very credible job as a bathmat.
Minda Haas mentioned the NUDDLE. I have to confess to having had the NUDDLE on my clipmarks wishlist for over a year – maybe even 2. I just wasn’t willing to spend $110 for it. So, similar items actually sell for $110.
I still like the NUDDLE better — I think the foot pocket is genius! Plus, it’s sleeveless, which makes for faster egress. I would not like to rush to answer the door in the Snuggie due to the whole cultish look of it.
Nuddle is NOT the best name, but Slanket makes me think of SKANK and SLACKER.
I just can’t believe that no one commented on the fact that the little girl was flipping the pages of the book the WRONG DIRECTION…
My husband sent me this link, I couldn’t stop laughing. We have seen the Snuggie and thought how bizarre it was, but your description was ultimately superior.
However, my personal favorite from many years ago was the Cap Snaffler (by Popeil), it snaffles caps! It was a thin circular piece of rubber that you placed over a cap to help you unscrew it. One size fits all! I’m sure a dishtowel worked just as well. Or perhaps the Shamwow…
They look like Jedi!
Formatting problems, Joe. This paragraph is cut and pasted from your article:
(2) The revolutionary wok-like pan device that allows you to cook fast in the steam. Make pasta dishes in a snap! Steam the greenest vegetables ever! Sure I bought one. It’s great. Only trouble is, it really doesn’t work any differently from the actual Wok we have other than it’s more cheaply made. Current use: Sp
Only the last part of each line is obscured by the poll. So the first line jumps from “allows yo” to “Make pasta” without displaying the “u to cook fast in the steam.” Okay, half of the “u” in “you” is visible. But each line is missing a chunk of text obscured by the poll, using Firefox 3.0.5.
And I have no idea what this item’s Current use is. Spaghetti cooker? Spa strainer? Speed skating helmet? Not a clue.
And a typo, Joe: “And I should add that my 7-year-old daughter Elizabeth just came in her and” where I strongly suspect that “here” is missing its second “e”.
I confess to being mostly immune to television commercials and infomercials. I have purchased exactly three things (if a set can count as one thing) from television ads/infomercials. I got a German Cuckoo Clock with pendulum, and it was pretty nice for $30, and yes, the cuckoo came out, and after the cats knocked it off its shelf going for the cuckoo it became trash in less than a month of ownership. Stupid cats. Then I bought a set of classic cartoon video tapes, which most would have considered a mistake/ripoff, but I’m a big fan of cartoons, and this was the first set I saw of Underdog and stuff from his studio. Still have them, mildly amusing. Finally, I bought some bags that were supposed to make cooking things in the microwave a lot more like cooking in the oven. They sort of worked, but my wife does most of the cooking and does not approve. Still in a cupboard, unless she threw them out when I wasn’t looking. I have no interest in a snuggie; we have afghans aplenty, mostly purchased from thrift shops for $1 each or so. And most of the year I can’t stand having my arms trapped by sleeves.
Finally, for the person who wears sleeves and everything else and still has cold hands, may I suggest ski gloves? I frequently wear them to bed in the winter, when my wife’s on a major economizing kick. Blankets: check, down comforter: check, long sleeves: check. But my hands get cold sometimes. Seems kind of obvious to me (from my boy scout days) but maybe it’s not.
Be very careful of the PROCAULKER, the PRO is not included, My shower now looks like a Glazed donut!
You can go to one of those horrible stores in the mall to buy this stuff or to Bed, Bath & Beyond where some of these products are also sold. That way you don’t have to pay shipping & handling and you don’t have to ask your family for permission. The more you buy, the more laughs you can provide us with.
I have really enjoyed these comments, especially # 122, which had my wife and I laughing hysterically at the visual. Speaking of which, I love the fact that the comments are numbered in this new format- whatever you do keep that!
As far as the snuggie goes, about 5 years ago I bought my wife and my Mom “snuggle sacks” a much higher end more fitted version from Land’s End. They were a hit and are still used every winter.
The Popeet was tremendous.
Does anyone remember that one?
I bet you there is a warehouse somewhere filled with dusty crates of Popeets (a la Raiders of the lost Ark). I am reasonably sure no one bought these.
This truly was one of the funniest things I have ever read. I laughed until I cried. Before Christmas, my husband and I were at our best friends’ house for dinner and the Snuggies commercial came on. I commented on how incredibly stupid this product was, and, having never seen the infomercial before, they both thought Snuggies were a great idea. As BFF’s in the vein and age spread of Denny Crane and Alan Shore from Boston Legal, they immediately thought that they could wear these to enable them to sit outside on the patio and smoke their banned-from-the-house cigars comfortably in the winter. They also thought the “free” reading lights would be perfect to clip on their hats to be able to tie on flies for night fly fishing. Yes, these grown men think that it’s not a bad idea to fish at night after consuming a few adult beverages at dinner.) While I hate to encourage them, I thought their enthusiasm for these products deserved to be honored, so I ordered them before Christmas. They haven’t arrived, but I’ll keep you all posted as to the quality of these products. And hopefully, they won’t melt when their ashes fall onto the Snuggies from their cigars!
Trust me when I say I’m slinking behind my monitor as I type this… I bought the ShamWow from a Vince-like-wanna-be at the KC Home & Garden show probably 5 years ago. I still have it (and the bonus sham)rolled up in it’s original packaging. The last thing “Vince” said to me as I walked away was, “Don’t put it in the washing machine, it will suck up all the water”. Hmmm… do you think he was making a funny? ( I knew I should have finished college!)
Unreal! My favorite part of the commercial had to be the football scene. I’m glad we see eye to eye on this. I just love infomercials. The one with the guy trying to caulk his bathroom tile with his finger, and is just smooshing it everywhere. It’s just great how they show people bumbling around with some of the most simple things. Alright, so caulking a tub isn’t simple, but it’s alot easier than he made it look.
The Snuggie has become legend at my school…
I love when I’m sitting in a room by myself and reading something that makes me laugh out loud so hard that I’m actually disappointed there’s noone around to share in the hysteria. I, too, love am mesmerized by infomercials and you’ve officially inspired me to start reading blogs about them. I’m a med student and my study group (2 guys) saw the commercial and we couldn’t control our laughter, but it’s been a running joke for a month now that we were going to be one for each other for Christmas. I’m 2 seconds from actually buying them, partially as a joke and partially because I think all three of us actually want one! haha. I look forward to more fabulous infomercial blogs!
The SHAMWOW actually works. Perfectly. Exactly like the commercial.
We went to a home and garden show and there was a booth selling shamwows. They did the same demo from the commercial (with the pop and carpet, pie pan, etc.) and it all REALLY WORKED. We bought one, got one free.
And now swear by it. Go get your shamwow today folks.
I placed an order on line and figured it would arrive in a few weeks but when several went bye I went and checked it out.First of all if you ever try to contact a live person at customer service,you,d have a better chance to blow out the sun…. you,ll get nothing but call this number then it,s call that number etc.etc.When I went back on line and put my phone number in to chk. the status I saw the bill saying SUB TOTAL $39.90 S/H $31.80 (are they serious) so then I went and chk by phone thinking I,d get lucky and get a person,(really) when I heard the amount this time there was an added $51.96 for OTHERS what ever that was.In truth all I ordered was 1 snuggie only.For this they hit my bill @ $91.69 and I believe this is a scam because you can,t stop,talk,or cancel it in anyway,at least none I know of.If someone does I,d be greatful if you,d post it or even e/m me. Watch out people
[...] I feel like less of a shill: there are shills and then there are hilarious disections of a the most sublime shill. That is [...]
[...] 25, 2009 by eric I hadn’t seen the “Snuggie” infomercial before reading this assessment by columnist Joe Posnanski. The ad is every bit as hilarious and creepy as Posnanski [...]
The Snuggie is a SCAM. Make one yourself… http://www.sissonfamily.com/Sewingroom/images/2006projects/thesnuglet.pdf
I am not an ambulance chaser, but I am a lawyer, and as soon as I saw the Snuggie I thought, “LAWSUIT!” There’s the happy family sitting around the campfire toasting marshmallows when, sure enough, one of the kids reaches in a little too far and one of those drooping sleeves catches the flame and faster than you can say “whoomph” (or whatever an instantaneous fireball sounds like) it’s stop-drop-and-roll time!
Any cable company that carries these ticking time bomb commercials ought to check their insurance right away!
So my 7 year old does not watch cartoons in the morning like normal children. She is all about the infomercial. She got bendaroos for Christmas and has been hassling me for the Snuggie, the wonder hangers and the food dehydrator so that we can make our own beef jerky…even though she has never actually eaten beef jerky. I was in the NC mountains vacationing this past weekend and saw a store that had a sign on the front that said “AS SEEN ON TV”. Inside the store was EVERY item that has ever been informercial worthy. I promptly bought her the Snuggie as a Valentine’s Day gift. Who wouldn’t want the gift of a blanket with sleeves???
Also, post #177 is probably the funniest thing I have ever read…
OK, I’m an old duffer who went to college in the 60’s, and I was wondering… do they wear clothes under the Snuggie?
If that girl in the dorm was in OUR dorm, she would have been very popular when we got cold. Just snuggle up with Betty… or whatever her name is.
And we went to college in North Dakota.
You’sa You’sa, Baby !!
…. So it could be a cult of nudists, who like to stay warm when they read the bible?
After seeing the infomercial, I immediately ran to the bathroom and put my robe on backwards. The snuggie people are genius!!!!
The Snuggie stole their idea from me and my husband. We started the Freedom Blanket about 5 years ago. We sold hundreds but never had the funding behind our business to do what the Snuggie is doing now. They stole everything from us and are now making millions off our idea!
I was suckered into ordering the turbo cooker. The worst. I used it once and made an inedible meal and then sold it at a yard sale. But I too am fascinated by the infomercials. Lately, it’s been the Shamwow that has fascinated me.
Snuggie = Wearing your robe backwards.
The snuggie is the next crocs, but i also heard about the slanket which came out first with more colors.
The funniest line in the Slapchop infomercial “you’ll love my nuts” Didn’t anybody else think that was hillarious!!! I wonder if they knew what that looked like on tv?
It’s amazing that, despite all the criticism these things take on the Internet, their sales remain so strong. Infomercials have their audience, and it’s not online. . . Unless people are buying it just for the ridiculousness of the whole thing like this guy: http://www.seanpercival.com/blog/2009/01/15/snuggie-unboxing/
Still, these things make for great social commentary.http://itsunboxed.com/?p=180
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I am with you. This infomercial is hilarious! I thought it was funny on a whole other level…see my post. Have fun watching infomercials.
http://meganandthomas.blogspot.com/2009/02/snuggie.html
Hahahahaha, I just happened to Google snuggies after watching the ridiculous info-merical.
My only question is…what happens if my hands get cold? Gloves…
i actually bought a snuggie at bed bath and beyond. hey it keeps me warm and i didnt have to pay shipping costs.
I ordered Snuggies.I thought I was getting a robe. What I got was a bathrobe and even then, it didn’t even go around me like a bathrobe. It only covered part of my back. I thought I was paying $19.00. My bill was $58.31 and on top of that, I had to pay an additional $16.00 at the post office. What a rip off.
they should send out Snuggies in addition to stimulus checks to help everyone feel financially and emotionally comforted
funny stuff…i just peed all over my snuggie
Great stuff man. I wish I could a read a lot more amazing stories like this.
thank you for this, i hadn’t laughed this hard in a long time! you really brought out the hilarity of that infomercial.
I thought I was the only person on the planet unreasonably annoyed by Billy Mays. I call him the “shouty man” or Bluto. His hair is way too black for my liking! I have to mute him when he comes on. If we all get together we could hire a hit man……
Yes, the Snuggie commercial has been analyzed in detail at my house. I particularly like the older gentleman you call “Friar Tuck” who always looked to me like a wayward extra from the mansion scene in “Eyes Wide Shut” and the scene at the baseball game. Indescribably hilarious.
The family at the ball game looks like they just came from a KKK rally without the hoods.
By the way it also looks like something Clint Eastwood was wearing in “Fist Full of Dollars” but only it wasn’t red.
We died laughing at the family at the baseball game only to find that my 7 year old also desperately wanted one for Christmas. So much so, that she copied the number and web address down on a piece of paper for us to order. Then she asked Santa Claus for one. She also said she would give me the book light since I am always reading. Wow! That did it. I called to see if I could have it rush delivered for Christmas, but couldn’t get a live person so never did order one. Luckily my grandma gave one to my 34 year old 6′5″ brother????? who graciously donated it to my daughter. Crisis solved.
I think my daughter is now looking at the magic bullet thing too for the smoothies that she can eat in her snuggie.
Joe, that was hilarious.
The funny thing about these infomercials is that no matter how crazy they are,we GOTTA have them.
The Magic Bullet is pretty amazing though.
I remember when I was little and used to stay home from school when I was sick, I would wake up at 7 in the morning just to watch that commercial over and over again until I fell asleep.
Damn you — I actually want one of those and now you’ve made me feel even worse about it.
(To be fair, I haven’t been able to bring myself to get one precisely because of how ridiculous the infomercial is.)
i agree with Wes, that was hilarious.
got my transplanted Southern wife a Slanket for our Northern winters, and I’m still reaping the benefits. She loves it. They’re long, you see, and a Slanket is nice fleece and not cheapo crap like the Snuggie. Just sayin’.
If you call now, you’ll get a Snuggie with +2 Wisdom and Permanent Invisibility Buff! Order now!
Wand and Necronomicon not included
I still say the “bidet-spa” infomercial is the most entertaining/amusing. A toilet seat that sprays and blow dries…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4MHdDGiYGs
worth watching.
I didn’t read every comment, but I just have to add this in case it wasn’t provided above. This kills me:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1897842
I was at a night game when the Yankees were in KC. I was sitting in the upper deck and there was a lady there with a Snuggie. She got a standing O from the surrounding sections.
http://www.nuddleblanket.com/index.php
The Cadillac of Snuggies.
Genius!! Ok, My favorite part of the “whole family” scene…the little girl is engulfed by this blanket with sleeves…she looks so uncomfortable trying to find her hands (buried deep inside of the Snuggie sleeve) to wave and cheer! Cracks me up every time!
Magic Bullet – One of the best purchases ever!
and…confession – I am dying to buy a Snuggie.
Sorry, can’t find this amusing as Snuggie is a disreputable company. I order buy one/get one free from Snuggie. Turned out to be buy one order of two, give one order of two free and they charged $8 shipping for each Snuggie. I cancelled the order the same day and they said it wouldn’t be billed until shipped anyway. And ship they did, and charge they did. It took months to get a credit, through my Visa, not Snuggie. It is galling to me that they are so popular. Just a robe.
Masterful mise en scen. Note the “PEACE” poster in the College scene.
Ever notice that the girl, while reading the book with her mother, is turning the pages of the book in the wrong direction?
“Real Time with Bill Maher” was clever enough to come up with this parody combining two of my favorite infomercials – the Snuggie and the Sham Wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXqtMkBipIs
This comment is a little on the delayed side, but it must be stated.
“And the three of them are sitting in the middle of it all, wearing these preposterous Snuggies, looking, seriously, like they are in some sort of very frightening fleece cult.”
THANK GOD SOME ONE ELSE SAID IT! Every time I see this commercial, I wait for this scene and think: “So the people in the cult came to the local children’s sporting event today. Well, isn’t that just the creepiest thing to ever happen.”
Joe Posnanski: ultra-hero.
The Snuggie Craze is driving me CRAZY! I just recently found out that there was such a thing as a Snuggie Pub Crawl. I think these people could all use a hug and more friends. Sorry I just don’t get it. I am never going to become on of these Snuggie fanatics, me personally I am always too hot. Which by the way reminds me, what are these people going to do when summer rolls around? I myself am a freak for infomercial products. The other day I was surfing on youtube and I found a new one! It seems to be new and caught my attention right from the get go. One of the most SEXY infomercials I’ve ever seen. I wish I’d thought of this…
Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjdyjL0dbG8
What do you think Joe?
[...] Weezer played KROQ’s annual Weenie Roast, taking the stage atop a couch bedecked in custom Snuggies. But Rolling Stone says that was just the beginning of a much more sinister plan: Like the rest [...]
LOL, laughed so hard when I read this article. Almost every thought I had regarding the commerical and the blanket seemed to be all said here. Well done. What’s facinating is my 5-year-old daughter watched the commerical, then went to her room and came out wearing her night robe backwards saying she was wearing the snuggie. Smart girl. Worked just the same.
Found this recently–looks like the blanket industry is fighting back against the Snuggie insurgency!
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/66e1375486/blanket-snuggie-parody
Even though the Snuggie makes a person look like a Hale-Bopp fiending Applewhite-follower, it’s still better than the full-zip adult onesie with feet.
I actually have a snuggie and I love it, It was quite perfect for doing HW in when you are freezing but have to read a text book and type a paper…I know everyone is saying well you’re a college kid just through on some sweats but honestly this lets you wrap up and still get stuff done, my complaint is the stupid thing is just made out of cheap fleece so its so frickin staticy that you get soo frustrated with the static created you give up on it. And of coarse a better free gift woulda been gloves that allow you to still operate a laptop mouse…cause your fingers are always the first to freeze!!
Thanks to a good explanation ..
I also LOVE the snuggie commercial, and have bought my fair share of useless products off of TV. I’m reading rolling stone magazine last month and lo and behold…..the band Weezer, all decked out in their own line of snuggies…..
http://www.buzzgrinder.com/media/weezer_snuggie_wuggie.jpg
Yet another reason why Weezer is so cool….but yet so warm.
You have to admit the snuggie marketing people really made an impact with their ridiculous ads!
thank you very much
For more on Snuggie, visit Pointless Planet:
http://www.pointlessplanet.com/2009/08/snuggie-sleeves.html
The miraculous pasta pot, that has little holes on top so that you can drain the boiling hot water without ever taking the pasta out of the pot! Sure, I bought one. It’s great. Only trouble is that the top really doesn’t stay on all that well, and also your chances of scalding yourself while trying to to pour out the water is roughly 1 in 2. Current use: Planter.
Mine actually had the handles loosen and scalded me, have a scar on my arm now.
i love the snuggie!
really how dumb
(oo) What you want
(oo) Baby, I got
(oo) What you need
(oo) Do you know I got it?
(oo) All I’m askin’
(oo) Is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit)
Hey baby (just a little bit) when you get home
(just a little bit) mister (just a little bit)
I ain’t gonna do you wrong while you’re gone
Ain’t gonna do you wrong (oo) ’cause I don’t wanna (oo)
All I’m askin’ (oo)
Is for a little respect when you come home (just a little bit)
Baby (just a little bit) when you get home (just a little bit)
Yeah (just a little bit)
I’m about to give you all of my money
And all I’m askin’ in return, honey
Is to give me my profits
When you get home (just a, just a, just a, just a)
Yeah baby (just a, just a, just a, just a)
When you get home (just a little bit)
Yeah (just a little bit)
—— instrumental break ——
Ooo, your kisses (oo)
Sweeter than honey (oo)
And guess what? (oo)
So is my money (oo)
All I want you to do (oo) for me
Is give it to me when you get home (re, re, re ,re)
Yeah baby (re, re, re ,re)
Whip it to me (respect, just a little bit)
When you get home, now (just a little bit)
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB
Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me,
sock it to me, sock it to me)
A little respect (sock it to me, sock it to me,
sock it to me, sock it to me)
Whoa, babe (just a little bit)
A little respect (just a little bit)
I get tired (just a little bit)
Keep on tryin’ (just a little bit)
You’re runnin’ out of foolin’ (just a little bit)
And I ain’t lyin’ (just a little bit)
(re, re, re, re) ’spect
When you come home (re, re, re ,re)
Or you might walk in (respect, just a little bit)
And find out I’m gone (just a little bit)
I got to have (just a little bit)
A little respect (just a little bit)
[...] to the Snuggie specifically in the quote above, but it certainly applies. Fewer products have been loved, mocked, and the subject of pub crawls as much as the Snuggie. And as much as I appreciate being [...]
It has been amazing to watch the growth of this product. It is the pet rock of our generation. I wonder what will happen with it following the holidays. Can such a silly, simply product really sustain the momentum it has gained over 2009? We’ll see, but I doubt it…
I am convinced that the ‘Snuggie’ is nothing more than a costly manufacturing error and they are banking on the ‘fool born every minute’ theory to cut the losses. The reason that the girl is turning the pages backward is the same for THIS family clearly, and sadly, supports that theory. For those that inexplicably defend this nonsense, try your bathrobe. For those that prefer the sleeves in front, wear your bathrobe inside out. For those that prefer their, heaven forbid, ‘Snuggie’ with sleeves in back, do the same. Though the commercials and product are funny jokes, they are agitiating at the same time to think that there are people who actually buy this junk.
Well lucky, lucky me (insert tongue in cheek emoticon here;)
I received, what I assume is, a “regift” from the daughter-in-law & family this year of a “pepto bismal pink” snuggie.
Never wanted one since most of the time I am turning the heat down.
BUT the “Special bonus: Compact ‘Press ‘N Open’ Booklight” looked good to use to light my keyboard at night.
Unfortunately when I opened the box (which was no longer factory sealed) the light was not in it, so the “lovely garb” is in the cellar along with all the other “stuff” that will be going on freecycle.
Oh!
On the “regift” mentioned above, forgot to add that the things look dangerous to me.
The drooping sleeves could easily catch on fire (as someone mentioned).
AND how do people walk around without tripping and falling over the length of the thing???
This line in the web ad:
“Perfect for:
• Night Time Pub Crawls”
really had me ROFL.
I think it would be VERY dangerous to go to a pub wearing something that ridiculous.
I like the Snuggie so much I started selling them to get them at a decent price. Check out the little website I made called SnuggieTime here: http://www.snuggietime.com/