Author Name: BoingBoing
       This story was originally published on Boingboing.net. [1]
       License: CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0.[2]


Made-for-TV super salesman Ron Popiel has passed away
Date: 2021-07-30 00:00:00

Star of so many commercials from our childhoods, infomercial innovator Ron Popiel suddenly, and peacefully, passed away at age 86.

Rest in peace, Ron.

CNN:

In 1959 he appeared in his first TV commercial, hawking the Ronco Chop-o-Matic food dicer. Debuting the earnestly dramatic style that became his trademark, Popeil said, "I'm going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made."

Popeil followed with a flurry of other made-for-TV inventions, dizzying in both their number and variety. They included the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Electric Food Dehydrator. Popeil said he was not just a salesman, but also an inventor who designed many of the products himself.

Although his company Ronco was already a household name in the 1970s, Popeil's fame exploded in the 80s when looser federal regulations on TV ads allowed him to go from brief commercials to 30-minute self-contained "infomercials," which soon dominated late night and weekend schedules.


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