Comments

  • Huh. That...makes a lot of sense.
  • Munch munch, chomp chomp...
    Yeah that's a good point, I am glad to know this. Although I still find some of them entertaining for the same reason silly commercials get reworked on r/wheredidthesodago (as brought up here even if not as the focus).
  • that reblogging comment person has spoken well

    i mainly linked that post because of the key piece of information as opposed to the additional commentary
  • Munch munch, chomp chomp...
    That's what I guessed. I figured, though, definitely worth linking. As might be any others? Though I haven't checked them beyond that one.
  • kill living beings
    I'm not sure it's actually true. not that things can't be useful for disabled people, I'm sure they are, but that that's intentional. eg, Wikipedia sez a sleeved blanket was commercialized in 1998 by a professional snowboarder who got the idea from his mom
  • fair enough, not surprised that OP chose a non-example, this is tumblr after all

    but it is definitely the best explanation i've seen for bizarre infomercial products that seem like nobody would need them but continue to exist
  • Shit. Those commercials suddenly get a lot less funny when you realize it’s pretty much just people ineptly trying to mimic disability.
  • kill living beings
    Car Cane helps you get in and out of your car with ease! Car Cane as seen on TV is the portable handle that slide into your door latch and locks in place, the non-slip grip handle provides secure grip and the leverage you need to lift yourself up. Withstands up to 350 pounds of pressure yet it’s compact enough to be stored in door pocket or glove box. Features built-in flashlight. The Car Cane is ideal for seniors who suffer from body pain and stiffness, and anyone who has chronic pain due to a medical condition or is recovering from an injury. Even if you're perfectly healthy, if you live in an area that gets icy in the winter, Car Cane can be used to help prevent slips and falls.
    well the first thing on as seen on tv that doesn't seem immediately useful to me definitely seems to fit this mold
  • BeeBee
    edited 2016-03-30 02:47:05
    At least they come right out and say it's primarily for seniors or injured.

    What surprises me is that they put in like, a window breaker, flashlight, seatbelt cutter, and all kinds of other crazy Swiss Army shit too, because why the fuck not
  • I have cut a caper with the dancing mad god
    To be honest, I feel like it's mostly incidental that they're very helpful for disabled folks. Sure, some of them probably were designed with the disabled in mind, but I feel like the majority are just some guy's idea on how to Get Rich Quick, ya know?

    Admittedly, I have done zero research  on this topic. That is merely my gut reaction based on what I know of people. 
  • yeah, upon further reflection, most probably are

    especially the redundant ones like the cheap-ass ceramic nonstick pans

    that said, i am always delighted to find possible alternative explanations for things i had never considered before, so i jumped at this quite eagerly
  • kill living beings
    looking through this catalog is weird

    top ten sellers:
    1. a cold "welder" that deposits an adhesive which solidifies in the presence of a provided UV light
    2. dashcam
    3. a screen net with a gap to walk through, the twist being that it's magnetized so it doesn't hang open - the commercial definitely does the "have you done this stupid shit?" thing
    4. some kind of mildly terrifying motorized nail clip/file with 700 rpm tungsten blades
    5. digital tv antenna for people who don't want cable
    6. car cane
    7. thing you put in fucked up couches so you don't sink into the abyss. commercial emphasizes back pain and an old dude unable to free himself from the maelstrom. not sure how this is different from the literal board some peeps i know use
    8. liquid grass seed (i do not understand the idea of having to maintain, rather than periodically cull, a lawn)
    9. same thing as #1 but different brand
    10. a cover for a recliner, with some pockets

    now if you look at a more random sample, like the new products, it's kind of more all over the place

    1. some kind of fancy water balloons for kids
    2. food coloring for same balloons (must be popular)
    3. kitchen cleaning fluid
    4. waterpoof sealant
    5. heat resistant cooking gloves
    6. ergonomic neck pillow thing, now featuring chiropraxy
    7. straightening hair brush
    8. bluetooth mic/speaker with voice software stuff for handsfreeness
    9. drumpf bobblehead
    10. 2400 rpm nail buffer (??) (between this and the clipper pretty glad basic hygeine doesn't require motors)

    so from this scientific analysis my conclusion is that successful infomercial products are basically marketed to my grandparents as they slowly watch the most boring television and rot to death

    Sure, some of them probably were designed with the disabled in mind, but I feel like the majority are just some guy's idea on how to Get Rich Quick, ya know?

    tbh my basic idea is the pickles dad from the rugrats

    he didn't do infomercial shit that i recall but you know, "inventor", kinda doing some wacky shit and having all these great ideas
  • Can't tungsten like, straight up kill you.
  • kill living beings
    well i mean if you're bludgeoned with it? or, cut

    it's just a metal. its most notable property is that its really fucking hard to melt. it's not radioactive or nothing
  • kill living beings
    poison's in the dosage baby

    i mean i'm sure you could die from it in many ways, e.g. aforementioned trauma, or if it's in granular form breathing it could probably destroy you

    but i do not think it is especially unique in this respect, liike, it's gonna be pretty much like iron? it's rly common in alloys because it can... uh... make them gooder, i don't know how metallurgy works. but there's probably some tungsten shit in your house and it's probably not decreasing your life expectancy too much.

    ACUTE TUNGSTEN POISONING

    This is an extremely rare presentation. Much of the information on human toxicity comes from case reports of a purported acute toxic reaction to tungsten dissolved in alcoholic drinks following a tradition of French army artillery recruits drinking wine/beer which had rinsed a recently fired gun barrel.

    sick....
  • some kind of mildly terrifying motorized nail clip/file with 700 rpm tungsten blades

    So, instead of being marketed to the disabled, it's marketed to the soon-to-be-disabled.
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