As Seen On TV products are well-known as innovations that solve problems.  Sometimes, they even solve problems you didn’t know you had until you see the perfect product to eliminate all hassles involved with whatever task or chore is at hand.  Though infomercial products are generally creative inventions that make life easier, occasionally, a product comes along that attempts to solve a problem that doesn’t even exist.

Enter the Katsak.

Katsak was promoted on QVC in the early 1990s as an As Seen On TV cat toy designed to keep your family’s feline entertained.  If you’ve ever owned a cat, you know that an unentertained cat is a fat cat, and that finding a toy to keep your cat busy can be a chore.  Cats are definitely finicky.  The Katsak was created to appeal to a cat’s natural instincts:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rChjMRfi40c

As a cat owner and reformed Crazy Cat Lady, I can speak with full authority when I say that cats do, in fact, love bags and crinkly noises–preferably in the middle of the night.  However, I can also say with full authority that Katsak, at $24.35, does not fill any need.  Crinkly sounding bags are freely available whenever you buy your groceries or stop at your local discount store.  I’m sure my cat would totally dig Katsak–preferably in the middle of the night–but I could easily save my $25 and leave a plastic WalMart bag or brown paper grocery sack on the living room floor.

We’ve talked before about pitchmen and how their sale techniques can really create a desire to buy.  I’m thinking perhaps Mike Rowe, who is selling Katsack in the above QVC video, could take a lesson or two from Anthony Sullivan.  I mean, you can tell that Rowe thinks the Katsack is a ridiculous waste of money, and he seems to be completely bored with his job.  Of course, if I were making a living pitching overpriced sacks, I might be a little uninspired by my work as well.

Despite the ludicrousness of the Katsak, there are a number of infomercial products for your cat or dog that are well worth the money.  From grooming to safety to play, infomercial pet care products can keep your dog or cat healthy, fit, and entertained.   For a full listing of the infomercial pet products we offer, please visit our As Seen On TV pet product catalog.

Last winter was brutal.  BRUTAL.  This winter, I was expecting more of the same, but instead, it has been remarkably mild.  Perhaps some of that unspeakable heat from the summer is still lingering, because today it is more than 70 degrees outside.  In February.  Wow.

All of this warm weather is really starting to give me Spring Fever.  Last week, we talked about ways to get your lawn ready for spring and summer with As Seen On TV garden tools and grass seed.  This week I’ll be sharing with you some new offerings we have just in time for spring planting.  We’ve recently added three new As Seen On TV plants to our catalog, and we still carry some of our infomercial favorites from previous seasons.

No matter what kind of garden you have, infomercial plants are available to make it hardier and more unique than ever before.  We have fruits, vegetables, and flowers, so whether you want to spruce up your landscaping or eat fresh, organic foods without paying a fortune at the store, you can find a plant that will add a little something extra to your garden.  Our latest As Seen On TV home and garden plants offer one each of floral, fruit, and vegetable.

• Popcorn Garden - The Popcorn Garden lets you grow delicious, organic popping corn at home.  By growing your own popcorn, you make sure that the popcorn you eat is fresh and free from chemicals, you save money over organic popcorn at the store, and you create an educational experience for kids at home.  The Popcorn Garden is an easy-to-cut coconut shell fiber growing mat pre-seeded with organic popcorn seeds.  Popcorn Garden comes with complete growing instructions, a popcorn brochure, and a 6″ pot.   With the special Popcorn Garden Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer, you’ll receive two kits for one low price.
• Strawberry Giant – Last year we brought you the Little Giant Blueberry plant that allows you to grow 16,000 blueberries from one plant.  Little Giant Blueberries are still available, but if that’s just not enough berries for you, try adding Strawberry Giant as well.  Strawberry Giant can be grown outdoors in your garden or in pots inside your home.  Strawberry Giant is cultivated to grow in as little as 60 days.  Because it can be grown indoors or outdoors, you can enjoy strawberries all year long.  Strawberry Giant also carries a Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer.
• Hummingbird Vine - Add a splash of color to your landscaping with the super resilient, easy-to-grow Hummingbird Vine.   Hummingbird Vine is a brilliant trumpet vine blooming in yellow, orange, and red.  The colorful trumpet blossoms are filled with nectar, and the vibrant colors and sweet nectar attract hummingbirds to your yard.  Hummingbird Vine grows easily even in poor soil, full sun, or shady areas.  Hummingbird Vine carries a Buy 2 Get 2 Free offer, giving you four plants for only ten dollars.

Popcorn Garden, Strawberry Giant, and Hummingbird Vine are only the latest in our As Seen On TV plant catalog.  To see a full listing of available plants, visit the SeenOnTV Express As Seen On TV garden catalog.  Get growing!

The groundhog may have predicted a long winter earlier this month, but that means that Spring is just around the corner.  Whether March comes in like a lion or a lamb, you need to have your lawn ready to grow.  As Seen On TV garden tools and grass seeds can prepare your lawn for the season ahead, giving you a beautiful lawn that your neighbors will envy.

What steps can you take to ensure you have great landscaping without breaking your back in the summer heat?

First, make sure you have a lush, green lawn that is sturdy and resistant to traffic and weather extremes.  Patch Perfect Grass Seed is, well, perfect for quickly growing sturdy grass on spots that have been left bare by heavy foot traffic, extreme shade, or blistering sun.  Each Patch Perfect seed is encapsulated with fertilizer, helping your grass grow quickly and covering barren places on your lawn.

Next, you’ll want to ensure that your entire lawn is thick and green.  Don’t just take care of bare spots; you’ll want a lush, gorgeous lawn from porch to curb.  Quick Lawn is designed to start growing hardy four-season grass in as little as seven days.  Canada Green Perfect Grass Turf grows in as little as ten days and is cultivated to be weed-resistant, insect-resistant, and resilient against both high traffic and extreme temperatures.

When your lawn is in shape, it’s time to start looking at your  flowerbeds.  Even before spring planting, there are things you can do to get your beds and bushes ready for landscaping.  Awesome Auger can be used to cut roots, dig holes for planting, aerate the soil, and more.  Use Awesome Auger before planting to destroy weeds at the root, and use it during planting to dig holes without sacrificing your back.

Finally, don’t neglect your bushes and hedges.  During the winter, your manicured hedges may lose their shape, and bushes become overgrown and scraggly.  The Garden Groom is a safe, yet powerful hedge trimmer that collects debris as it works.  You won’t have to pick up branches, leaves, and twigs after trimming your hedges, because the Garden Groom shreds and collects clippings, which can in turn be used for mulch.

It may be cold outside now, but it’s time to start thinking about warmer weather.  Enjoy curling up by the fire, because yard work will be here before you know it.  Fortunately, As Seen On TV lawn and garden products can make the job easier and will have you quickly enjoying the fruits of your labor.

As an As Seen On TV products blogger, I’m constantly introduced to the amazing new inventions brought to us through direct response television marketing.  I generally think most of these infomercial products are pretty good ideas, but every so often, a product emerges that I am pretty sure I just absolutely cannot live without–I may have mentioned my affinity for my Instyler or my desire for a Forever Lazy.  A new product available through SeenOnTVExpress.com has just climbed to the top of my infomercial wish list:  the Trendy Top.

Low-rise pants long ago replaced the high-waisted jeans preferred by Steve Urkel and your mom in the eighties.  Though some people make it a point of pride to have their underwear hanging out several inches (or feet) above the belt line, not everyone appreciates showing off their skivvies in public.  You may remember General Larry Platt’s scathing musical criticism on low-hanging pants on the hit series American Idol:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMwhl4IrPNc

Now, not all of us have our “Pants on the Ground,” but with short, form fitting shirts that ride up and low-rise jeans that slide down, some of us end up showing more than we intended when we wear our favorite fashions.  That’s where Trendy Top comes in.

Trendy Top is billed as “the top that’s not.”  Trendy Top is a fabric tube that fits over your hips to provide coverage when movement creates a gap between your top and bottom.  When you’re not in the mood to moon the entire office staff, Trendy Top keeps your back side covered.  It prevents the unsightly display of your muffin top when you reach overheard.  Because it is made of a soft, natural cotton blend fabric that provides multi-directional stretch, Trendy Top stays put even when your clothes don’t.  Trendy Top provides the layered look that is so popular right now without the heat and bunching that come with wearing two shirts.

When you’d rather look like this . . .

. . . than this . . .

Trendy Top is the perfect solution.

Keep it covered, girls.

It has been a while since the SeenOnTV Express blog looked at some of the famous faces of infomercial products.  Ron Popeil may have been the biggest name in infomercials for the previous generation, but more recently, Billy Mays was the name most people associated with As Seen On TV marketing.  However, Mays’s death in 2009 left DRTV marketing looking for a new spokesman, and Mays’s friend and colleague Anthony Sullivan quickly became a household name by selling As Seen On TV household products.

Born in 1969 in Devon, England, Anthony “Sully” Sullivan perfected his pitch on the streets of London, modeling his techniques after the street vendors of that famed city.  When he came to the United States in the 1990′s, he became a product demonstrator and pitchman for the product that would come to be known as the Smart Mop.  When Home Shopping Network (HSN) executives spied Sully, they quickly hired him and launched the Smart Mop into a top-selling As Seen On TV cleaning product.

Before long, Sully was so successful that HSN promoted him to prime time.  After he fulfilled his one-year contract as network show host, Sully realized that he was destined for greater things.  He left HSN to launch his own business, Sullivan Productions.  Sullivan Productions is the creator of commercials for some of the hottest selling infomercial products:

• Swivel Sweeper
• Kaboom
• OxiClean
• Aluma Wallet
• Jupiter Jack
• Heeltastic
• One Second Needle
• H20 Mop
• and more

In 2009, Sully co-starred in the Discovery Channel series Pitchmen, for which he was an Executive Producer, along with fellow infomercial star Billy Mays.  After Mays’s death, Sully continued the series alone in 2010 and 2011.  The series is now available on DVD.

Though Mays’s death left a void, Sully was quickly able to fill his friend’s shoes, becoming the new face of OxiClean, and in fact, the most recognizable face of infomercial products today.  Sully is the main spokesman for A.J. Khubani’s Telebrands, leader in direct response television marketing and creator of the “As Seen On TV” logo.

According to his website, Sully has “launched over twenty products, sold hundreds of millions of millions of dollars worth of merchandise and has been recognized a record breaking three times for making the best commercial of the year by the Electronic Retailing Association.”   He has appeared on The Late Show with Conan O’Brien, and he has been featured on NBC’s 20-20, ABC’s Nightline , CBS, USA Network , BBC, Fox News, Rachel Ray, and Access Hollywood.

In an industry that has recently been rocked by scandal (Vince Offer’s legal troubles and Don Lapre’s federal fraud charges and suicide, for example), Anthony “Sully” Sullivan offers a sense of trust and security.  Along with his reputation and charm, Sully’s personable quips have the audience loving him.  It seems like he’ll continue as one of the industry’s leading pitchmen for years to come.

After all, as Sully says, “Life’s a pitch, and then you buy.”