They are all the creations of Ron Popeil. The inventor, gadget guru, marketing icon and infomercial star died July 28, 2021. According to a release from a family representative at The Ortner Group, Popeil peacefully passed away at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 86. During the 1970s, long before QVC and 24-hour shopping channels, Pompeil, founder of Ronco, became famous for selling myriad products on late-night TV. In 1994, The New York Times called him, “The Amazing Human Selling Machine!” Pompeil began his craft on Chicago’s Maxwell Street where he sold kitchen products. His knack for connecting with audiences and selling became must-see live entertainment as hundreds gathered each day to delight in his sales shows in the marquis booth at Woolworth’s flagship store in Chicago. In 1959, he transferred from state fairs to TV as he did his first infomercial for the Chop-o-Matic. “He lived his life to the fullest and passed in the loving arms of his family. The father of the television infomercial, Ron Popeil, was a trailblazer; he rose from a modest upbringing in a fractured home to become a ubiquitous name and face in direct-to-consumer marketing and inventing,” said the release from the family’s representative. Popeil not only appeared in many movies and TV shows, in 1976, he was famously portrayed by Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live. He is known for his phrases: “But Wait There’s More,” “Set it and Forget it,” “Less Shipping and Handling.” He was also profiled by Malcolm Gladwell in his his bestselling book, What The Dog Saw. All of Popeil’s inventions are archived by The Smithsonian Institute. The Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ is said to have grossed more than $1 billion in domestic sales. But what was most important to him was his family. Popeil is survived by Robin Popeil, his wife of 25 years. He also had five daughters and four grandchildren. “I ask myself, ‘What can I give people that they don’t already have’?” Mr. Popeil told The New York Times. “Who wants to make a toaster? Not me.”
Ron Popeil’s Most Popular Products
The Chop-O-Matic
Chop-O-Matic is among the first products Popeil created and trademarked using the hyphen-O-hyphen branding. This non-electric, handheld food processor promised home cooks they could have “All your onions chopped to perfection without shedding a single tear.”
Mr. Microphone
Although simple by today’s standards, Mr. Microphone was a groundbreaking product that introduced the much of the U.S. to karaoke. A short-range, hand-held transmitter would broadcast singing over an FM radio.
Popeil Pocket Fisherman
Never get caught without a fishing pole! Ron Popeil marketed his pocket-size fishing pole as “the biggest fishing invention since the hook … and still only $19.95!”
Inside-the-Egg Scrambler
A lifelong hater of improperly blended scrambled eggs, Popeil created this unique device that, as the name imples, scrambled eggs inside the shell.
GLH-9 Hair in a Can Spray
If you’re looking for great-looking hair, look no further than Ron Popeil’s Great Looking Hair Formula #9.
Rhinestone Stud Setter
Popeil’s Rhinestone Stud Setter may not have had the best name, but a rebrand as the Bedazzler made it a household name that you can still buy today. The pitch: “It changes everyday clothing into exciting fashions and you don’t have to spend a fortune.”
Popeil Automatic Pasta Maker
Making pasta at home could not be easier with Popeil’s automatic pasta maker.
Ronco Electric Food Dehydrator
Ron Popeil was ahead of his time in his support of minimally processed, natural foods. “Instead of giving kids candy, give them apple snacks or banana chips,” was his pitch for the iconic dehydrator. Another claim: “Makes beef jerky for around $3 a pound, and you know what went in it, because you made it yourself!”
Ronco 6 Star Plus Knives
These all-purpose knives could slice, dice, chop and featured a stay-sharp edge. The real selling point to ’70s housewives: “never needs sharpening.”
Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ
This small rotisserie was designed to cook the now-ubiquitous grocery store rotisserie chickens at home. Pompeil came up with one of his most popular phrases to describe the convenience of this mini oven: “Set it, and forget it!” Next, The 10 Best Shark Tank Products of All Time
