As Seen on TV infomercials have quite the history. Anyone who’s a fan (probably no one these days) of TV infomercials has undoubtedly spotted inventor Ron Popeil peddling his wares on air sometime during the last couple of decades. The guy who started it all is Ronco founder Ron Popeil. As much as we mock those crazy infomercials and tacky products, they have been immensely popular throughout the decades. Who can forget the Chop-O-Matic, the Sit-On Trash Compactor or the Pocket Fisherman? The Popeil family brought America those amazing products and much more.
Remember those As Seen on TV Christmas gifts?
The History of As Seen on TV Products
Ron Popeil and his dad Samuel Popeil started humbly in the 1930s and ’40s. These are the guys who would stand at a table at the county fair or on the boardwalk with a product and just through the nuances of voice and gesture could get people to reach in their pocket and buy something they had no intention of buying. On the right is the young Ron Popeil. I’m sure he won over a few ladies with his charming accent and those good looks!
Ron’s father, Samuel Popeil, was an inventor who sold his inventions through major department stores and chain stores throughout the U.S. Ron’s role was to help his dad in that endeavor by demonstrating the products in these stores. His purpose was to persuade the managers, store owners, and buyers that customers would purchase these unique inventions in large quantities. Ron used to drum up business for his father’s company by showing how easy it was to sell his products. Because sales were significant, the stores would jump on the bandwagon and order more products from his father.
In the 1950s, TV was becoming a popular medium for advertising. The Popeils wondered if the classic pitch technique would work on TV. Popeil was one of the first to understand it’s potential. He bought local time for a commercial for the Ronco Spray Gun. It was a great success. Next, he produced commercials for his father’s Chop-O-Matic cutting device. In no time he was hooked. By the early 1960s he was selling products exclusively over TV.
How about a Ronco Record to add to your collection?
Remember those 70s infomercials for Ronco records? Ron Popeil would take a group of hit songs that were a couple of years old, and make a record out of it. They were always various artists. I don’t think Ronco produced any records featuring just one artist. They also had accessories like record vacuums. How tacky can you get?
The Very First As Seen on TV Products
Ron went on to produce a stream of successful products through the 1960s -1970s. Creative names like the Minc-O-Matic, Dial-O-Matic and Veg-O-Matic.
Here Ron at the age of 21, hawking the Chop-O-Matic: “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made… all your onions chop to perfection without shedding a single tear.” It worked remarkably well and they actually couldn’t make Chop-O-Matics fast enough! My favorite pitch line of the whole infomercial. “Everyone likes coleslaw – except Mother. She’s the one who’s got to make it on that old grater. Oh, the scrapes on her poor knuckles.” I think even my grandma actually had the ol Chop-O-Matic in her pantry.
But the Veg-O-Matic, which debuted in the early 1960s, really put the Popeils on the map. “Now you can slice a whole can of prepared meat at one time! Isn’t that amazing!” The Veg-O-Matic was even featured in the Smithsonian institute along with Ron’s original infomercial. Have a look here! The Chicago Cultural Center even put on display more than 150 of Ronco’s finest lines.
A bit of Popeil trivia: The infomercial never used the phrase most associated with this product: “It slices! It dices!” It’s just a popular misconception.
In 1976, Dan Aykroyd sent up Ronco ads on Saturday Night Live where he dressed in a tartan blazer and sported a moustache to demonstrate the fictitious Bass-O-Matic… a machine that blended a fish with just one flick of a switch. This is one of the things that probably as much as the products themselves made the Popeils famous. As you can tell, whoever put this infomercial up kind of turned it into a beer commercial.
As Seen on TV founder Rob Popeil is now in semi-retirement and has left most of the arduous operating tasks of Ronco to others. Although he still creates product for the company. His As Seen on TV Electric Food Dehydrator and Yogurt Maker… all the same invention BTW… brought him back into more active marketing in 1990. So, how many Ronco products did your and your family own as a kid? What were your favorite pitch lines? 
Related posts:
- Consumer Reports Magazine Scrutinizes the Infomercial Pitch
- “Cheers to You” – The Most Ineffective Motivational CD in the World
6 responses so far ↓
1 The Ginsu Knife And Your Business | Talk Business With Howard // Apr 7, 2009 at 1:13 am
[...] genius of the infomercials, is Ron Popeil. Everyone remembers the “pocket fisherman”, “the chop-o-matic” (that started it all for Ron), “the smokeless ashtray” and countless other products [...]
2 Joe // Aug 19, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I miss the old Ronco commercials. And then maybe i just miss the days of the old Ronco commercials. That was a great era.
3 Claudia // Nov 4, 2009 at 7:28 pm
omfg I LOVE THESE COMMERICALs!!!
4 Theresa // Nov 4, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I know aren’t those classic? Check out Joe’s blog there if you’re into the 70s nostalgia. It’s pretty hilarious. Bring back those memories…
5 Harry Whitehouse // Aug 10, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Does anyone know who now owns the rights to the Ronco records? I’m trying to trace the rights-holders with a view to licensing tracks from one of the LPs.
6 Theresa // Aug 14, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Harry, I know that Ron Popeil’s company filed for bankruptcy but another company bought them out. I would try contacting someone over there at Ronco.com.
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