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Products That Became Better Over Time

Author Steve Vassalotti

People are always complaining about how things used to be made better. We all do it. It must be something about yearning for the past. For somethings it’s true, for most it’s not. New tech, advances in science and manufacturing progress has made things better. Every once in a while you can find a good list on the internet. Full list check out Reddit.

Sneakers – Hell yea. Ever wear Chucks? Ever think about playing sports wearing them? Goodbye everything below the ankles.

Shoelaces – This one made me think how long it’s been since I actually broke a shoelace. What did they start doing differently? Is it that most sneakers now have rounder laces as opposed to the flat ones we used to have?

Televised sports – At one time the new big thing was that they could show a replay during a broadcast. Now we’re looking at replays frame by frame. Going to games will always be exciting and cool, but the watching experience is better. Think about the NFL watching at home is a much better experience than in person. I remember the first time I saw a Phillies game on an HD TV. I felt like I could see the people’s pores of the fans behind the plate.

GPS/maps – I remember sitting in the front seat holding a big atlas for my dad while he was trying to figure out where to go. This was the 90’s!

Garbage bags – It must have been scientists who figured out how to make them stretchy right? Is it the same science behind jeans that have a little stretchiness to them?

Cash readers on vending machines – Everyone has had to fight a vending machine to take your perfectly crisp dollar bill. Adding card readers to the machines was a whole new ballgame. Now if only the vending company who supplies the stations would stop price gouging people!

Call it advances in science, human ingenuity or a learning process we have made many products better over time. Those who complain, “everything was better when they were a kid” are wrong. They’re just complaining to complain, because things weren’t better.

10 Most Iconic 'As Seen On TV' Items

Suzanne Somers died yesterday (October 15) at age 76. She was, of course, known for acting in hit shows like Three’s Company and Step By Step, but she also became ubiquitous thanks to the ThighMaster.

The iconic piece of fitness equipment is one of many items that took off thanks to infomercials. These “As Seen On TV” items range from the aforementioned fitness products, to kitchen gadgets, to cleansers and everywhere in between.

While infomercials aren’t as prevalent as they were in the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s, there’s still a large market for outside-the-box, unique items. In fact, many “As Seen On TV” items we all know and love from decades past are still around. For some of these items, their popularity grew to the point that they’re now sold in stores the world over.

Here are ten of the most iconic “As Seen On TV” items. We bet you have at least one of these in your home!

  • ThighMaster

    The ThighMaster was a pop culture phenomenon and a massive cash cow for Suzanne Somers, the star of the product’s infomercial. She shared on the Hollywood Raw podcast in 2022 that about 15 million ThighMasters were sold. Somers also noted, “We had partners—50/50—and they got drunk on money when it all started selling. They overspent to the point where they could no longer afford to be in their side of the business so we bought them out. We have 100%.”

  • Magic Bullet

    The Magic Bullet was marketed as the end-all, be-all product you just had to have for your kitchen. It also had one of the strangest infomercials of all time, as examined by Gabi Belle

  • Showtime Pro Rotisserie Oven

    “Set it and forget it!” Ron Popeil was an infomercial icon helping sell countless items, including the Pocket Fisherman and the Veg-O-Matic. However, few products truly captured the zeitgeist of late ’90s/early 2000s informercials quite like the Showtime Rotisserie Oven.

  • The Snuggie

    It’s a blanket with arms! Honestly, The Snuggie is the perfect item that walks the line between stupid and brilliant. However you feel about The Snuggie, its creators at Allstar Products Group laughed their way to the bank. Per CNBC, over 30 million Snuggies have been sold since its launch in 2008 netting the company over $500 million.

    https://youtu.be/masVbx2a5IY?si=sb7bW9fT_xqbU9jX

  • George Foreman Grill

    How successful was the George Foreman Grill? According to Yahoo, the boxing legend made at least $250 million from the product, which is way more than he ever made in his boxing career. In total, over 100 million George Foreman Grill products have been sold.

  • Proactiv

    Proactiv is now readily available in a variety of stores, but it got its start as an “As Seen On TV” product. It’s had many celebrity spokespeople/endorsements, including Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Diddy and Kendall Jenner. However, its first celebrity spokesperson was Judith Light.

  • Chia Pet

    Can you believe the Chia Pet has been with us since 1977?! (We were shocked it’s been around for that long, too!) Between its general absurdity and its infectious catchphrase (“Ch-ch-ch-chia!”), no wonder the Chia Pet has had such longevity.

  • OxiClean

    Late pitchman Billy Mays helped introduce the world to the wonder that is OxiClean, beginning with infomercials that first launched in 2000. Now, there are a variety of OxiClean products that are available in stores everywhere.

  • Sweatin’ to the Oldies

    There has never been a fitness personality quite like Richard Simmons, so of course, he’d create at-home aerobics videos that millions fell in love with. In total, there are five installments of Simmons’ Sweatin’ to the Oldies series. Many of the workouts are now available on his YouTube channel.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRqMG_T7mN8

  • Any of the “Flex” Seal/Tape Items

    The “Flex” items can apparently do it all! Regardless of whether you purchased any of the “Flex” items, there’s a good chance you’ve seen ample memes about them, specifically “Flex” Tape.

Steve Vassalotti is co-host of “The Matt Cord Show with Steve Vassalotti” weekday mornings 6a-10a on 102.9 WMGK. He has been with the station since 2015. For WMGK he writes about inane nonsense that surrounds our daily lives, sports, food and other various topics. Steve writes about Philadelphia lifestyle content, the Philadelphia Eagles culture and trending topics.

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