Remember being a kid, staying home sick from school or staying up way too late, and getting mesmerized by the hypnotic glow of an infomercial? It was a strange, parallel universe of entertainment where all problems—from tragically dull knives to disastrously scrambled eggs—were presented in dramatic, grayscale "before" footage. The enthusiastic hosts, the overly-impressed audience, the legendary "But wait, there's more!" all felt like a bizarre, hilarious fever dream we weren't supposed to be watching. We laughed at the absurdity, not realizing we were being programmed.
Well, guess what? We're adults now, and those grayscale problems are suddenly in full, high-definition color in our own lives. It turns out that chopping a mountain of vegetables is a pain, and finding a place to store 12 different pans is a nightmare. The shocking plot twist of our generation is that the infomercial people... were right. So we took a glorious trip down memory lane to find the products that have stood the test of time, the ones that went from late-night oddities to legitimately useful items we'd actually spend our own adult money on.
#1 You Can Finally Command The Very Air Itself To Do Your Sweeping For You With The Helio Air Broom
Review: "I have a dog who sheds a lot, especially during season changes. I saw a commercial for this and thought I should try it, as my vacuum gets clogged up quickly and I have to clean it out a lot. This broom is amazing and I'm impressed. The picture I included is after about 30 seconds of sweeping on a flat carpet. Highly recommend this product for pet owners!" - Zachary H.
Buy Now: amazon.com
#2 That One Corner Of Your Shower You've Been In A Silent, Years-Long Standoff With Can Finally Be Obliterated With The Bissell Steam Shot
Review: "My kitchen is so clean now. I was able to remove grease stains that I have scrubbed in with every chemical I could get my hands on. Some of the removed grease was there when I moved in. My whole house is going to be clean and sanitized when I'm done. Deep cleaning mode engaged!" - Nancy H.
Buy Now: amazon.com
#3 You Can Finally Achieve That Effortless, Wind-In-Your-Hair Glide You've Only Seen In Late-Night Infomercials With The Gazelle Elyptical
Review: "I have owned a gazelle since 2003. That one was still going strong, but when we sold the house, the buyers wanted it. I just bought this and love it. Total body workout. Stand sideways and work the inner thighs. Pull the handles toward you and works biceps and upper arms. Push handles forward and work the triceps. Stand on toes and work calves. Crouch down and work quads. Just doing it forward works the waistline too. There is no end to the variations to work various muscles, plus the cardio. Buy this and you won't be sorry!" - MaryR
Buy Now: amazon.com
#4 Your Plain Denim Jacket And Every Other Boring Fabric Surface In Your Home Now Live In A Constant State Of Fear Thanks To The Bedazzler
Review: "It has all the necessities to rhinestone. Everything is good quality and functional. You get 3 separate casings of rhinestones, with multiple colors and sizes." - Katelyn
Buy Now: amazon.com
#5 Your Neck's Morning Ritual Of Cracking Like A Glow Stick Is Officially Over Thanks To The Dream Without Pain Cervical Neck Pillow
Review: "This is a great pillow for those who suffer from neck pain while sleeping. The pillow conforms to your neck, allowing you to sleep comfortably. I was able to finally get a good night's sleep without having the pain associated with not having a firm enough pillow to support me. The added cooling effect is an added plus! I highly recommend this pillow!" - LaVetta
Buy Now: amazon.com
#6 The Clammy, Dreadful Handshake You Have To Give A Dirty Mop Head Is A Part Of The Cleaning Process You Can Now Skip With This Self-Wringing Twist Mop
Review: "Great mop. Planning on re purchasing. These types of mops usual don't last or it starts to shed, this one has not so far." - BarbaraRoman
Buy Now: amazon.com
Alright, let's keep this nostalgic train chugging. The next few items on our list perfectly capture that classic infomercial formula we all know and love: the dramatic, grayscale "before" shot of someone failing miserably at a task you didn't know could be failed. As kids, we laughed. As adults, we see ourselves in those black-and-white struggles a little too clearly, and it turns out the ridiculously simple, full-color solution was waiting for us all along.
#7 Your Michael Scott Level Of Desire To Wake Up To The Smell Of Bacon No Longer Has To End With A Bubble-Wrapped Foot Thanks To The George Foreman Grill
Review: "Easy to clean and use. Makes panninies." - Hink
Buy Now: amazon.com
#8 Your Weekly Meal Prep No Longer Has To Include A Designated Crying Session Over The Onions When You Have This Vegetable Chopper And Spiralizer
Review: "I love this food chopper! It makes meal prep so much faster onions, peppers, garlic all chopped perfectly in seconds. It’s super easy to use and clean, and the blades are really sharp (in a good way!). Definitely one of my favorite kitchen tools now. If you’re tired of tearing up while chopping onions, this is your solution!" - Michael E Mueller
Buy Now: amazon.com
#9 Channel The Unshakeable Confidence Of A 90s Infomercial Star Every Time You Sit Down On The Couch With The Iconic Thigh Master
Review: "This is good for legs and arms. It's easy to use, has good resistance and I like better than hand weights for some of my exercising." - SMM
Buy Now: amazon.com
#10 You Can Finally Perform That 'Effortlessly Slide A Perfect Omelet Onto A Plate' Trick You've Only Ever Seen On TV Thanks To T-Fal Non-Stick Cookware
Review: "I have been looking for a nice pan set that would work well with a gas stove. I don't care for cast iron pans myself and the ones I was buying would last about 6 months before the bottoms would wear out and look disgusting. I had tried a T fal set before but if was the grade under this one so I wasn't quite as pleased. This set, however, has exceeded my expectations. Just the right weight...not too light yet not so heavy you can't hold it while full. It's a very attractive set and I love the sturdiness of the bottom on the pans. The lids are also a good weight with good size handles. I would absolutely recommend this pan set. I think it will hold up well for years to come." - sallie
Buy Now: amazon.com
#11 The Legendary Phrase "Set It, And Forget It" Wasn't Just A Suggestion, It's The Entire Instruction Manual For The Ronco Showtime Large Capacity Rotisserie
Review: "Great product. Makes the best moist chicken. Don’t buy rotisseries at grocery stores, make them at home for a healthier and tastier meal. I make a rotisserie and save leftovers for chicken soup. This machine is just as good as the first Ronco I bought over 20 years ago." - M. Young
Buy Now: amazon.com
#12 You Can Practically Hear A Booming "But Wait, There's More" Every Time Oxiclean Resurrects A Garment You Thought Was Lost Forever
Review: "Obsessed!! Smells so fresh and clean on your clothing!" - Markayia Foster
Buy Now: amazon.com
And the journey into our shared, slightly strange TV-watching childhood continues. This next batch of finds really leans into the core promise that was sold to us between episodes of our favorite shows: the idea that with one simple purchase, you could unlock a new level of ease in your life. It's that legendary "set it, and forget it" energy applied to all sorts of daily annoyances, proving that the original life hacks might still be the best ones.
#13 That Chaotic Junk Drawer That Holds All Your Secrets Can Finally Be Tamed By The Oddly Satisfying Clicks Of A Brother Label Maker
Review: "Comes with the case, adapter, and tape — it’s plug-and-play right out of the box. Makes clear, durable labels and has lots of font options. Big fan." - Joseph Blizzard
Buy Now: amazon.com
#14 You Can Officially Enter Your Homesteader-Chic Era Of Making Your Own Beef Jerky And Fruit Leather With The Magic Mill Food Dehydrator
Review: "My 10 year old daughter is a chef in the making! She has been working on her food and nutrition projects for 4H and has been asking for a food dehydrator for a while now. After some research we purchased this for her. The trays are easy to stack and controls are easy to set. The user manual doesn’t have a lot of recipes or actual directions on how to use but they do give you some temperatures and time guidelines. I will say we have had a couple of trial runs and we are learning new techniques to use. For example recommend using parchment paper on the trays as our first trial we had a lot of strawberries stick to the tray but the trays were very easy to clean afterwards. We have also found the longer the time the better." - Denise S
Buy Now: amazon.com
#15 He Sad, Frantic Scraping Of A Single Fried Egg Is Now A Thing Of The Past With The Ridiculously Slick Greenpan Skillit
Review: "Love the nonstick for fried eggs in the morning." - Cynthia Medina-Ortiz
Buy Now: amazon.com
#16 The Sad, Frosty Fate That Usually Awaits Your Bulk-Bought Groceries Can Be Avoided By Entombing Them With A Foodsaver Compact Vacuum Sealer
Review: "Works well for the price." - T
Buy Now: amazon.com
#17 That Random Urge To Cast A Line While You're Out And About Can Finally Be Satisfied With A Telescoping Fishing Rod
Review: "Honestly great reel for the price, I got the second smallest one. So far only used it a handful of times mostly one have caught croaker, crab and some blue gill. Handles braided line like a champ haven't caught anything worth real weight yet so will update when that happens. No complaints so far🤙🏽. Update, still a great rod holds up well against bass, snakeheads, and catfish biggest catch so far 3lb 4oz." - Zach C.
Buy Now: amazon.com
#18 That Complicated Braid You Always Give Up On Halfway Through And Just Turn Into A Messy Bun Is Now Actually Achievable With This Twist Braid Styling Tool
Review: "It is light, my daughter likes it. She simply inserted a small section of hair into the designated slots, pressed a button, and watched as the machine twisted her hair into a neat braid. Over the next few days, she spent hours experimenting with different hairstyles. She added the colorful extension cords to create vibrant braids and used the beads and rubber bands to decorate them further. It was enjoyable to see her creativity flourish as she tried out new looks on herself and even on her dolls. She could use it without much assistance after getting the hang of it, which boosted her confidence." - Amazon Customer
Buy Now: amazon.com
#19 Your Intrusive Thoughts About What Would Happen If You Combined A Vacuum With A Haircut Can Now Be Safely Explored With The Flowbee Haircutting System
Review: "Wow so easy to use and I can't wait for my next haircut!!" - Bill L
Buy Now: amazon.com
#20 You Can Finally Make Peace With The Ghost Of Clumsy Past Because Those "Permanent" Stains Are No Match For Didi Seven Cleaning Solution
Review: "I had a stubborn grease stain that nothing worked on but this stuff did. I used Shout, Tide spot remover etc. They only made it faint. This stuff completely removed it!" - Gavin G. Kirk
Buy Now: amazon.com
