The other day, I heard Kate yell from the living room, “Mom!! We need to buy Wonder Hangers!” Then she came running to me and said breathlessly “We need to buy Wonder Hangers! You can hang FIVE shirts in the same space it takes to hang ONE on a regular hanger!”
Do you know what she’s talking about? These:
Apparently they show infomercials on Nickelodeon.
Later, I was bemoaning the state of her room, and she reminded me that her closet would be MUCH more organized if she only had Wonder Hangers.
She’s also convinced that her dad is going to buy her a Snuggie for her birthday.
A few days ago, she asked my grandma if she would buy her a BumpIt.
Because every five-year-old needs a beehive.
And so it begins. We can’t really hold her responsible for her inclination to be interested in anything marked “As Seen On TV!” The poor girl comes from a long line of people who are suckers for infomercials.
Case in point: Yesterday I actually considered buying her a BumpIt. (And yes, I can see you all cringing.)
I was somewhat concerned about the message I’d be sending to her if I did buy one, though, so I sought counsel from my BFF Jess. I emailed her:
Kate’s the flower girl for the Miss Basketball ceremony at the high school basketball game. The other day she told me she wanted a Bump It and I’m thinking of getting her one for tomorrow night, to give her a cute little hair do. Is that ok or is that crossing the line into cheerleading wigs and high school breast implants??
I knew Jess would give me good advice, and as I suspected she stopped me from hitting the “Buy It Now” button with her response:
Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY THE BUMP IT! I think it’s a fantastic idea in theory, but those things are a piece of junk. I bought them and could not get it to work right and it looked so silly. You should try “making” a bump it by teasing her hair… look online or YouTube or something!
Crisis averted. I did not waste any money or risk taking the first step toward Kate’s debut appearance on “Toddlers and Tiaras.”
So as you can see, Kate’s predisposition toward getting ripped off is an unfortunate side effect of her genetic make up. Need more examples?
My dad is the proud owner of a Swivel Sweeper.
Andy’s mom has given us the Pasta Pro 
and the Moving Men 
(both of which we still use, I might add), and just this Christmas she was the happy recipient of a Perfect Brownie pan 
(I totally want one of those – I love corner brownie pieces!).
This little “issue” we all have goes back even further in the family tree – recently our grandma told Jenny she wished she had a credit card because they sell a lot of things on TV that she’d really like to have. I’ve made a mental note to keep credit card applications away from her and Kate.
Speaking of credit cards… where is mine? I really want an InStyler.
I am ROLLING! Nice work, cousin!
Snuggies are not as great as they seem on the infomercial. Don’t ask me how I know.
My husband is a huge sucker for As Seen on TV Products. HUGE SUCKER. We even visited the “worlds largest as seen on tv store” last year. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hdcW-bhVv_5W87VuvM3NyQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCPWO_ODN8_2BIA&feat=directlink
*eyeroll*
But seriously- don’t get a snuggie- they are flimsy and crappy. Get a Slanket- it’s soft and very comfy. 😉
hahahahaha…this is adorable. little girls love the bump-it. i was doing maggie’s hair for xmas eve church and she asked me if i would make it look like a bump-it. and then julie walked into the bathroom and maggie said to her, “ooohh…you look so pretty…did you use a bump-it?” julie was highly offended until i told her that maggie loves the bump-it. oh yeah, and mia got the brownie pan for xmas. she had been dying for it. it makes great little brownies. mia puts caramel in her brownies so that helps them, too.
I love Infomercials. I really, really, really want the new Magic Bullet PRO Juicer/Blender/Slicer. I swear I saw the commercial for it over the weekend, but can’t find a website for it anywhere. It looked absolutely AMAZING!!! 🙂
I want an instyler too Emily!!!!! My Mom-in-law has one and they are fantastic! too bad they are so darn expensive!!!!!!!
Every informercial my kids see is something they have to have. I bought a perfect brownie pan and it worked really well. The latest infomercial that my kids have seen is the Pillow Pet.
A trip to the “As Seen on TV” store will cure you of this malady. Most of it is truly crap. But it is fun to shop a whole store of it all at once! Make a field trip.
Too bloody funny! Yesterday at Walmart I saw the Bumpits…and I did consider buying one for Paige. Great minds think alike…right?
We too have been on the receiving end of the Pasta Pro. Which went right into the trash the first time my cooked noodles went down the drain with the water.
If you do get the In Styler, let us know how it works…mmmm’kay? I’m curious.
🙂
I just had to have a snuggie so my husband got me one. It is huge- the abominable snowman could wear it. I hemmed up the arms and bottom with liquid hem stuff(no needle and thread for me) so you can imagine how good it looks. I saw a guy in CVS looking at them one day and I told him not to buy it. I don’t mind my own business,obviously.
I included this post in my Week In Review links:
http://blog.upspringbaby.com/2010/01/15/week-in-review-friday-january-15-2010/
I literally laughed out loud when I was reading it. I am totally guilty of buying made for tv products only to be disappointed. I’m not giving up on the Snuggie, though.
Loved this post Emily. Kate should be my daughter! I have a snuggie (which my whole family uses), got Bumpits (from my daughter), the brownie pan works great (Scott got it for me for Christmas), and I love the “As Seen on TV” section at Walmart!
ohmyword – my kiddos are the exact same. the other day, i wasn’t feeling well and my 7-year-old said, “do you need some levitra?”
Everytime I use the “Pasta Pro” I end up in the emergency room with scalds! What a piece of “crappe”.
As to the hair straightner, well, just don’t need that…see…www.rednecklatte.com today
UP
Lucy wanted the “Touch and Brush” toothpaste dispenser for Christmas. I don’t know where she saw the commercial since we don’t have tv.
Oh, and the wonder hangers are WONDERful! I did splurge and get some of these… at Bed Bath and Beyond (which has a lot of as seen on tv stuff)… and I used my coupon!
Do not get that brownie pan! It’s junky. Get the BAKER’S EDGE pan. It’s revolutionary, and it’s heavy-duty.
I must say I am a As Seen On TV nut. I have tried so many things from them. True enough more often then not its junk, but you get what you pay for.
I like the brownie pan, my 13 yr old son LOVES it and has made many pan of yummy fatty brownies so far.
The tooth paste dispenser has been a wonderful addition to the downstairs bathroom. The Snuggie I was dissapointed its only half os a blanket.
Four words:
HOODIE FOOTIE SNUGGLE SUIT! I laughed so hard when I saw the commercial a few minutes ago…
Thanks for making me laugh, girls!!
I swear, there is subliminal SMACK in those infomercials.
Nate is OBSSESSED with all things infomercial. I think you had left TCF the other night when we started talking about our kids & infomercials. It’s not just Kate.
Case in point #1: When Billy Mays died last year, Knute and I had a long conversation about how to break the news to Nate.
Case in point #2: Nate’s Aunt T’s Christmas gift to him? A Snuggie. His reaction? Squealing for JOY.
Subliminal SMACK! I’m convinced!
What is it with kids and infomercials. Both BMan and Sm told me I needed a Bumpit and heeltastic…..
By the way – We have that brownie pan and it rocks!
Have you guys seen infonotmercial.com yet?
I think they’re still pretty new, but they’re suppose to be unbiased real-life reviews of these as-seen-on-TV products.
They actually don’t have most of the ones you posted about, but according to their twitter feed, Bumpits and Snuggie are coming up next.
Worth a look if you actually are considering this stuff:
http://www.infonotmercial.com
When I married my husband he brought into the marriage a freshsaver (circa 1998) bought via infomercial. I bought those vacuum bags that do not work. I have always wanted an instyler. And just the other day we had the opportunity to use my MIL’s new perfect brownie pan (which does not make them all corner pieces, sadly).