1. The Thighmaster
   Nutrisystem Diet Free Bonus Offers
2. Max Trainer by Bowflex 14 Minute Workout
   Marie Osmond Nutrisystem Commercial – Turbo Shakes and Bars

Susanne Somers' success with the Thighmaster is legendary. Her commercials moved millions of units and perhaps made the nation's thighs a little stronger. Either way, it made Ms. Somers a lot of money with which she purchased what she dubbed "The Thighmaster Mansion."

1. Sweatin' To The Oldies
   Liberty Lantern Solar Lamp and Mobile Charger
2. Lateral Thigh Trainer Mini Stepper
   LuxSauna Far Infrared Home Sauna

Richard Simmons' original workout video made $200 million in sales and introduced the world to working out at home. Millions of couch potatoes purchased these videos, but as to whether or not they got much sweating done, no one will know.

1. Tiddy Bear
   Magic Tap Spill Proof Drink Dispenser for Bottles
2. Met-RX 180 Fitness Ball Program
   Nail Perfect Salon Perfect Nails at Home

Tiddy Bear was a strange infomercial product designed as a sort of cushion meant to slip onto the top portion of a seatbelt to save you from the feeling of ... the seatbelt. It looked like a tiny stuffed animal groping you. Still, there were people who purchased it.

1. The Snuggie
   Mr Lid Never Lose a Lid Cover Again
2. My Lil’ Pie Maker Makes Perfect Pies
   Phantom Saucer Magic UFO Saucer Toy

Who would have thought cutting some holes in a blanket would make for $400 million in sales? The creators of the Snuggie, of course! This product's much-maligned ads have proven a cultural touchstone for the 2000s, and many a couch potato has been kept warm by their product.

1. The Shake Weight
   Perfect Tortilla – Bowls are Baked Not Fried
2. Salad Chef Fast Salad Maker
   Tower 200 Home Gym Fits On Any Door

The Shake Weight is one in a long line of seemingly useless "fitness" devices that do very little. The idea of toning your arms by making an apparently obscene gesture is very funny though, and the many parodies of this product on shows like South Park and SNL likely propelled its success.

1. The Ped Egg
   Trendy Top Wrap Ultimate Layering Accessory
2. Ultimate Detangler Brush by Michel Mercier
   Vitalize Regrowth Hair System – Say No To Hair Loss!

The Ped Egg is one of those rare products that started on infomercials and eventually made its way to the corner drug store. Essentially a cheese grater attached to a small bin, the Ped Egg was a product designed to slice away at callouses, shaving them off into a heap of dead skin flakes. At $450 million in sales, that's a lot of dead skin.

1. The Comfort Wipe
   UV Ultra Vac Removes Bugs and Bacteria
2. Vidalia Chop Wizard Portable Manual Food Chopper
   Snuggle Up Fleece Comfy Reclining Chair Cover

The Comfort Wipe seems like it should be a successful niche product for the physically disabled, but it was marketed as a product for everyone. Essentially a mechanical grabber designed to hold toilet paper, the device was intended for bathroom use to clean ... yourself. Perhaps more difficult than using it was explaining it to household guests.

1. Showtime Rotisserie
   Rotorazer Saw
2. Perfect Pie Cutter – Cut Perfect Pie Slices
   Omni Dual Power Saw

Ron Popiel's Showtime Rotisserie is one of the few infomercial products that most people could look at and think "Yeah, I could use that." Essentially a toaster oven designed for cooking meat as large as a turkey, this was a toaster oven on steroids, and those steroids made Ronco $1.2 billion in sales.

1. The Wearable Towel
   Natural Solutions Guide Safe and Easy Pest Solution
2. MSA 30X Sound Amplifier 30 Times Sound Amplification
   SnoreRx Mouthpiece Device Solution to Stop Snoring

Perhaps conceived by the same thought train that resulted in the Snuggie, the Wearable Towel was an "improvement" on the towel, enabling those who could not be bothered to wrap a towel around themselves the traditional way to actually wear it like an evening dress. Knowing our culture, it is likely it was worn out of the house on more than one occasion.

1. Bowflex
   Atomic Beam Glove with Two Powerful Lights In Your Palm
2. Control Pests – 1001 Pest Free Property
   Emery Cat

The Bowflex did $193.9 million in sales since it was introduced in 1986, and continued to make sales today. It is actually a pretty decent home workout device, though many people who buy such machines find themselves using them as garage decorations, an implicit promise to get into shape someday.

1. Bark Off
   Epi Smooth Precision Epilator Easy Hair Removal
2. H20 Ultra Steam Mop
   Harry's Razors

The Bark Off was a nonsense device that didn't really work. It was intended as a humane solution to training dogs not to bark all the time, but didn't do what it purported to do, and was audible to humans as well as dogs.

1. George Foreman Grill
   Tree Dazzler Vertical Christmas Tree Lights Tangle Free
2. Zip Sox Compression Socks
   Ultra Sonic Solar Animal Repeller Bell & Howell

The George Foreman grill was essentially a panini press intended for cooking everything from healthy strips of chicken to out and out barbecue. The device worked well and sold well, doing over $202 million in sales. Muhammad Ali never beat George Foreman for sales.

1. The Slap Chop
   The Shamwow
2. Trillion Dollar Coin – 2013 Trillion Dollar Proof
   Shmoozee Plush Toy and Earring Holder

The USA was introduced to pitchman Vince Shlomi via the Slap Chop, a device for cutting smaller vegetables into smaller pieces. In his pitch, Mr. Shlomi claimed that the difficulty in keeping a healthy diet was somehow a product of the difficulty of cutting up small veggies. This product did move for a while, but soon there were competitors made by the likes of Oxo, which ate the Slap Chop's lunch.

1. The Total Gym
   Shinju Blade Ceramic Knife That Stays Sharp Forever
2. Rox Ice Ball Maker
   Pawggles Pet Furry Slippers As Seen On TV

A new generation comes with its own home workout machine. The Total Gym sold over $1 billion of units, and made its pitchmen a lot of money. Unlike the Bowflex, the Total Gym came into existence at a time when gyms were proliferating and getting a gym membership was cheap.

1. Ginsu Knives
   Obsidian Slide Board Fitness Workout – Slide Boards
2. Optic 1050 Binoculars 1000x Magnification
   Bedtime Buddies Bedtime Story Stuffed Animal

The name Ginsu may sound Japanese, but it is in fact a made-up word meant to sound Japanese. Ginsu knives were perfectly well-made knives sold on TV, but while they demonstrated their power by cutting up metal cans, almost any sharp kitchen knife could do that. Banking on the association of Samurai, the Ginsu knife sold well, and even today the name is a recognized as a brand.

1. P90X Beachbody Workout
   Big Boss Blender Set Exclusive Offer
2. Ponilox Pivoting Hair Comb
   Red Copper Square Pan – All Purpose Non Stick Pan

Tony Horton's home workout system didn't come with a Swiss army knife machine, instead relying on the use of a few relatively cheap pieces of kit. P90X will indeed sculpt you into a muscular behemoth, but only if you stick to it. If you throw the DVDs on the shelf, unless you do 100 sets of 50 reps, it will do little for your body.

1. Mighty Putty
   Rebounding – Urban Rebounder
2. Schticky Lint Rollers – Original, Mini & Giant Sticky Cleaners
   Side Socket Swivel Surge Protector

Mighty Putty is an epoxy putty advertised as an emergency measure for leaking pipes and the like. It changes color as it sets, and has a lot of competitors on the market today, but none with the cool commercials.

1. Proactiv Acne Skin Care System Solution
   Shark Rotator Lift Away Professional Vacuum
2. Shimmer Glitter Kids Body Art Tattoos
   Orbitrek Elite Elliptical Fat Burning Cardio Machine

Proactiv is a suite of products intended for facial skin care. Its many pitchmen, from Jessica Simpson to Britney Spears to Katy Perry, all complained that their skin was spotty until they embraced this product. It moved a lot of units, making $1 billion in sales.

1. Doc Bottoms Spray
   Multi Stor Stacks Drawer Organizer
2. Music Bullet Mini Portable Speakers Big Sound
   Plaque Attack Spray for Pets Teeth and Bad Breath

One of the few products advertised on television that most people wish did not exist, Doc Bottoms Spray was a deodorant for people who can't be bothered to wash themselves. Intended for using the armpit and on the butt, it claimed to reduce the smells of all body parts. Most people who saw this ad probably wished it were an ad for a bar of soap.

1. Rejuvenique Electric Facial Mask
   Rocket Copters Incredible Light Up Slingshot Helicopters
2. Micro Smores Campfire Treat Indoors
   Riddex Power Plus Pest Control System

Want to spend $140 on a mask that makes you look like a character from Saw while making your face twitch? This product, which claims to reduce wrinkles by electrocuting your face, is made by people who are happy to relieve you of that $140 and give you just such an item!

1. GLH Hair System
   New Finishing Touch Elite Hair Remover Wand with Pivoting Head
2. NoNo Hair Pro Removal TV Product Pain Free
   Pearl Hair Remover 30 Risk Free Trial Offer

The Great Looking Hair (GLH) Hair System was a "hair thickener" which was basically hair-colored Krylon that you sprayed onto your balding pate. Popular in the 1990s, this product could only exist in a time when a shaved head definitely meant you were part of a hate group. Today, medicine has provided balding people with enough options that this product is irrelevant, or you could just shave your head.

1. The Hawaii Chair
   Step 360 Total Body Step Aerobic Fitness Workout
2. Met-RX 180 Fitness Ball Program
   Cardio Twister Twist Fitness Workout

The Hawaii Chair looks like a swivel chair, but the only thing it will swivel is your pelvis. Intended as a sort of core workout, the Hawaii chair was a particularly difficult-to-use home workout device with only one function. It probably didn't do much good for your fitness, but it let you think you were working out while sitting in front of the tube.

1. Aluminum Wallet
   Dura Wallet Paper Thin RFID Wallet Slims and Expands
2. Lock Wallet Portable RFID Protective Shield Sleeve
   Wonder Wallet Amazingly Flat RFID Wallet

The Aluminum Wallet is an infomercial product that isn't alone on the market. Lots of companies make this type of wallet, but the claim is always the same: It's a tough wallet that will physically protect your cards, while blocking RFID readers from stealing your credit cards' RFID tag identifiers.

1. Big Top Cupcake Bigger Cakes
   The Electronic Waving Flag Plays 2 Patriotic Songs
2. Titanic $2 Bill 100th Titanic Ship Anniversary
   Pajama Jeans Denim PJs

Big Top Cupcake Bigger Cakes is not a cake itself. It is in fact a gigantic cupcake pan. Make big cupcakes, then hop on your Bowflex.

1. Bright Time Buddies Night Light Friends for Kids
   Paint Zoom Power Sprayer As Seen On TV
2. Nuwave Oven Pro and Nuwave Mini Infrared Cooking
   My Lil’ Pie Maker Makes Perfect Pies

This infomercial product is an old product given a TV push. Night lights are little lights you plug into an outlet to provide enough illumination to see, but not so much that it would keep you up at night. Bright Time Buddies Night Light Friends for Kids are friendly looking night lights for children who are afraid of the dark, or adults with strange taste.

1. Zipit Bedding
   Minden Anytime Indoor Grill – Barbecue Grilling Taste
2. InVinceable Tablets All-In-One Cleaner Promoted by Vince
   Hairdo Clip In Bangs by Jessica Simpson

Zipit Bedding is perhaps best known for its appearance on Shark Tank. Are you tired of nagging your kids to make their beds? Are you tired of making beds? Do you not care if your kids forget how to make their beds? Try Zipit Bedding! It's like a sleeping bag on your mattress!

1. Hooked On Phonics
   Fabriclear Spray Get Rid of Bed Bug
2. EZ Moves Furniture Lift and Sliders
   Edge of Glory Best Knife Sharpener – Dull Knives Sharpening

Hooked On Phonics was one of the very few infomercial learning products that really worked. Phonics-based reading systems have become very popular, and Hooked On Phonics can take credit for putting the trend on late night TV for years.

1. XHose Pro Extreme
   Flexzilla Garden Hose with Swivel Grip Connections
2. Garden Groom Hedge Trimmer Trimming Tool
   Garden Joy Folding Kneeling Bench

The XHose Pro Extreme is the kind of product you would expect to find in Home Depot, not on late night TV. It was a brilliant idea. Garden hoses usually need to be coiled up around a drum, all of which robs garages across America of valuable storage space. The XHose Pro Extreme was made to collapse to a shorter length and narrower size when not in use, saving space and expelling extra water as it retracted after use.

1. The Woof Washer 360
   Instant Trainer Dog Leash Perfect Training Walker
2. Knot Out Pet Grooming Brush for Dogs and Cats
   Doggie Bright Dog Collar with Safety Light

The Woof Washer is a garden hose attachment that sprays a comb-like array of little spouts of water from its side, allowing dog owners to wash their dogs without moving their hands around in circles. Was it necessary? No. Did people buy it? You bet they did!

1. Walkfit Platinum Orthotics
   Easy Stride Inserts Stop Foot Pain and Align Body
2. Blood Type Workout with Resistance Ball and Foot Pump
   Futzuki Foot Pain Relief Reflexology Mat

Walkfit Platinum Orthotics on one hand purport to help with posture. On another hand, they purport to help make people stronger. On another hand they purport to help with pain. At $19.95, how could anyone go wrong with a pair (or two)?

1. The Ab Rocket Abs Chair
   Rockin Abs Pilates Exercise Machine
2. Slendertone Abdominal Muscle Training Belt
   Slim Away The Fat Slimming Abs Waist Belt

Want to rocket your abs to fitness? You could join a gym, or you could just rock back and forth on what is essentially a beach chair crossed with a rocking chair. It isn't clear how the Ab Rocket Abs Chair helps people tone their abs, other than perhaps motivating use by the cost of the product ($88.95!) but if you want to do crunches on the floor, but don't like the floor, this product could save you from contact with that most mundane of surfaces.

1. Teeter Hang Ups
   Awesome Auger Yard Tool
2. Garden Groom Hedge Trimmer Trimming Tool
   Hang Rite Tool Hanging Pictures Straight & Even

Teeter Hang Ups are a modern incarnation of an old device, the inversion table. Gravity boots and inversion tables have been around since the 1970s, but the implicit reference to the teeter-totter makes the Teeter Hang Up seem friendly. Does hanging upside down help with circulation or back pain? Who knows? Is it fun to watch TV while hanging upside down? Not really.

1. The Think & Lose Weight Loss Program – Mind over Matter
   IdealShape Weight Loss Shakes – Meal Replacement Protein Shakes
2. Jillian Michaels 90 Day Body Revolution Weight Loss Plan
   Nutrisystem Diet Foods Lean 13 Weight Loss Plan

Listen to a CD and lose weight? Hmmm ... can we get that as an MP3? The Think & Lose Weight Loss Program – Mind over Matter is a series of hypnosis CDs. The idea is that you listen to the CDs, get hypnotized, and no longer eat the way you did before. Banking on the effectiveness of hypnosis over the biological signals sent to the brain by the body seems a dicey bet, but hypnosis can work for some people, so why not give it a try?

1. Pearl Cream
   Pearl Hair Remover 30 Risk Free Trial Offer
2. Perfect Pearl Necklace and Akoya Oyster
   Tag Away Skin Tag Remover – Remove Your Skin Tags

In the 1990s, Pearl Cream ads starred a heavily accented Asian woman who said the source of the "beautiful skin of Asian women" was the product Pearl Cream. Essentially an exfoliate, Pearl Cream is actually popular in Asia and Latin America in one form or another. Rather than just saying what it was, advertisers decided playing on Americans' ethnic preconceptions seemed the ideal salesmethod, and it worked well enough that the band Pearl Jam based their name on the product. Hooray for clear skin and flannel.

1. Ninja Bulb Bug Zapper and Led Bulb in One
   Ninja Kitchen Blender Ultimate Kitchen System
2. Ninja Mega Multi Cooking System Meals Faster and Healthier
   Magic Mirror the Anti-Fog Amazing Bathroom Mirror

The Ninja Bulb is a big zapper bulb you can fit into a normal light bulb socket. It doesn't dress in black, but it doesn't need to. Insects are attracted to it, and like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, the bulb kills the insects. This is perhaps the most perfect infomercial product, because it both does what it says, doesn't require much effort to use, and costs a pittance to manufacture.