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Remembering An Inventor Who Sold Dreams In The Form Of Pocket Fishing Poles
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ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Insomniacs, gadget lovers, shopaholics and fans of dehydrated beef are all in mourning today.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: The appliance that can slice, dice, chop...
SHAPIRO: America has lost the infomercial star and inventor Ron Popeil.
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RON POPEIL: Just four easy payments. And it makes a great gift.
Sponsored message
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Popeil, who was 86, died Wednesday.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
POPEIL: But wait. There's more.
CHANG: He came direct into our living rooms to sell us gadgets we didn't even know we needed until we had to have them, like the Bagel Cutter, the Hav-a-Maid Mop and the Whip-O-Matic.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: I got one.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: I got this microphone, and I love it.
SHAPIRO: Generations of TV viewers saw Popeil pitch his Pocket Fisherman.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: There's never been anything like it - Popeil's Pocket Fisherman.
SHAPIRO: And hawk everything from the Veg-O-Matic to the Chop-O-Matic.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
POPEIL: I'm going to show you the greatest kitchen appliance ever made. It's called Chop-O-Matic.
Sponsored message
CHANG: But wait. There's more. His biggest moneymaker was Ronco's Showtime Rotisserie and Barbecue. Popeil sold millions of the ovens and delivered his most memorable catchphrase.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
POPEIL: Just...
UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: Set it and forget it.
SHAPIRO: Set it and forget it.
CHANG: (Laughter).
SHAPIRO: Popeil and his gadgets were widely parodied, like in the song "Mr. Popeil" by Weird Al Yankovic.
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(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MR. POPEIL")
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC: (Singing) You get a Ginsu knife and a smokeless ashtray.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Now how much would you pay?
YANKOVIC: (Singing) Now how much would you pay?
WEIRD AL YANKOVIC AND UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Mr. Popeil, Mr. Popeil.
SHAPIRO: And most famously, he was parodied in the Bass-O-Matic skit on "Saturday Night Live" with Dan Aykroyd.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
DAN AYKROYD: That's the whole bass into the Super Bass-O-Matic 76. Now I'll adjust the control dial.
CHANG: Yummy, yummy. But Popeil was in on the joke. He even voiced a version of himself for the animated series "Futurama."
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "FUTURAMA")
POPEIL: (As Ron Popeil's Head) I'm your host, Ron Popeil, inventor of Mr. Microphone, the spray-on toupee and, of course...
SHAPIRO: Really, Popeil was more beloved than mocked. For example, take this birthday tribute posted to Popeil's Facebook fan page last May.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: (Singing) Your spray-on hair really worked, but some people thought it was a joke. Bought a Showtime Rotisserie. Works like a champ, it's true. Now that you turn 85, I wish happy birthday to you.
CHANG: Ultimately, you didn't watch a Ron Popeil infomercial so much as get mesmerized by one
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POPEIL: ...Spend $400 or 350 or 320...
SHAPIRO: From Mr. Microphone to the smokeless ashtray, Popeil's infomercials introduced us to problems we didn't know we had.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
POPEIL: The Inside the Eggshell Egg Scrambler perfectly blends...
SHAPIRO: But a low, low price in four easy payments, he offered us solutions. And for that, we are grateful. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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