Those two decades were highly innovative where toys and gadgets were concerned mainly through the advances in plastics and the emergence of the Far East, in particular Hong Kong for the manufacture of anything that could be made out of the man made material.
In recent years, in the UK, we have been bombarded by quick fire TV Commercials by, mainly, the company JML who specialise in domestic tools and everyday kitchen and living aids which have ranged from beaded car cushions to plastic carrier bag handles, door mounted fly screens to mops and buckets.
However, in my early years this realm of entrepreneurial activity was firmly held by RONCO the American Corporate concern founded by Ron Popeil in 1964. The subsequent stream of marketing commercials for the company's products soon became pervasive and memorable, in part thanks to Popeil's personal sales pitches.
The names "Ronco" and "Popeil" and the suffix "-O-Matic" (used in many early product names) became icons of American popular culture and were often referred to by comedians introducing fictional gadgets.
In the early Corporate years the company chiefly sold inventions developed by Popeil's father, Samuel "S.J." Popeil. Best known and selling products included the Veg-O-Matic and the Popeil Pocket Fisherman, a small reeled angling pole.
During the 1970s, Ron Popeil began developing products on his own to sell through Ronco.
In August, 2005, Popeil announced his sale of the company to Fi-Tek VII, a Denver holding company, for $55 million. He was expected to continue working with the company as spokesman and product developer, but sold the company in order to have more time with his family. Fi-Tek VII changed its name to Ronco, and maintained the right of first look for Popeil's future inventions.
Ronco still holds the trademark on the phrase "set it and forget it" used in the commercials for many of the products. The phrase has gone on to be used in popular culture.
Consumer tastes and expectations do change with time and sadly, on June 14th, 2007, Ronco filed for bankruptcy court with its creditors, the largest of which was Popeil himself, owed US$32.7 million.
The legacy of Ronco was remarkable and although many of the products may not have designed for durability and ease of repair it is likely that kitchens, garages, sheds and lofts spaces in many homes may have a collection of mothballed products, that is of course if they are not still in some form of daily domestic use.
Search your drawers, cupboards and storage boxes for any of the following.
Chop-O-Matic: a hand food processor. In true showman style this was advertised as "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made ... All your onions chopped to perfection without shedding a single tear."
Dial-O-Matic: successor to the Veg-O-Matic (and very similar to a mandolin slicer). "Slice a tomato so thin it only has one side, When chopping onions with this machine, the only tears you will shed will be tears of joy."
Mr. Microphone: a short-range hand-held radio transmitter that would broadcast over an FM radio. Any nearby radio(s) would therefore amplify the sound coming from the Mr. Microphone. In the ad, a convertible rolls past with the FM radio turned up. A young male occupant of the vehicle ,seeing an attractive girl transmits over a Mr. Microphone, "Hey, good-lookin', we'll be back to pick ya up later!" Mr. Microphone is referenced in Police Academy 2, and is parodied in The Simpsons episode "Radio Bart".
Inside-The-Shell Egg Scrambler: A simple but ingenious innovation ."Gets rid of those slimy egg whites in your scrambled eggs." Popeil said the inspiration for this product was his lifelong revulsion toward incompletely blended scrambled eggs.
Showtime Rotisserie: a small rotisserie oven designed for cooking smaller sized portions of meat such as chicken and lamb.
Solid Flavour Injector: used to inject solid ingredients into meat or other foods. A similar product, called the Liquid Flavor Injector, allowed for the injecting of liquid ingredients into meat, e.g., lime juice into chicken.
GLH-9: hair in a can (Great Looking Hair Formula #9)
Drain Buster: I think it was a sort of syringe type device to clear toilet blockages.
Smokeless Ashtray: a device which used an integrated fan to draw smoke away from the materials in the ashtray.
Electric Food Dehydrator: The strapline was "Instead of giving kids candy, give them apple snacks or banana chips. And it's great if you're a hunter, fisherman, backpacker, or camper. Makes beef jerky for around $3 a pound, and you know what went in it, because you made it yourself!"
Ronco Popeil Automatic Pasta Maker: Sounds a bit boring but very useful.
Ronco Rhinestone Stud Setter: A bit of an era-specific product but at the time marketed as changing everyday clothing into exciting fashions.........................and you don't have to spend a fortune."
The Cap Snaffler: a multi-functional bottle opener. "Snaffles caps off any size jug, bottle, or jar ... and it really, really works"
We should not forget the Glass Froster, Bagel Cutter, Donut Maker, Buttoneer, Record Vacuum and French Fry press.
Even if you have never owned or used any of the extensive catalogue of products it is clear that Ron and his Co certainly made a great and valid contribution to lessen the monotony and mundanity of our everyday chores and tasks.
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