(Massive) Weekly Round-Up

1. Bistro Bowls. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Producer: Concepts TV. Pitch: "The exciting new way to create delicious homemade edible bowls." Comments: As predicted ... except this one actually makes sense because it's the only remaining type of bowl people are already eating. [ss]
 
2. Bead Fun. Marketer: Edison Nation. Pitch: "Turns [paper] into beads you can wear, show off and share." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail.' (Link goes to spot.) An initial indication that Rainbow Loom is an outlier, not a category. [ss]
 
3. Brite Ball. Pitch: "It wiggles, it jiggles, it bumbles and stumbles." Comments: This appears to be some sort of 'DIY DR' project. It would probably sell well at a mall kiosk, but I seriously doubt there's enough here to sustain a DRTV campaign. [ss]
 
4. Chatter Pals. Pitch: "Cute and fun characters that repeat exactly what you say." Comments: One of three new plush toys in this round-up. Can you find them all? In any case, while this is probably less annoying than an animatronic parrot, it's probably still too annoying for parents to agree to buy it. [ss]
 
5. Cloud Pets. Marketer: On Demand. Pitch: "A message you can hug." Comments: Although a bit pricey, this one has potential -- although no one has found success in the 'app toy' category yet. [ss]
 
6. Crazy Clingz. Marketer: Pillow Pets people. Pitch: "Cute plush design kits that will stick to any wall." Comments: If I had to guess, I'd say this minor variation on a theme is unlikely to be the next best-seller in plush ... if a new best-seller is even possible. This category has got to be nearing the saturation point. [ss]
 
7. Curvex Razor. Marketer: Will It Launch. Pitch: "Curved blade shaver ... closely contours the body's natural curves." Comments: Shaving is the ultimate crowded category, and this shaver doesn't have a strong enough point of difference to overcome that fact. [ss]
 
8. Ear Packs. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "Plush animal backpacks that carry the fun for you." Comments: Allstar has been down this road before. I have no basis for guessing whether this will be successful (see previous comments), so I'm just posting for posterity. [ss]
 
9. Easy Read Ruler. Marketer: Will It Launch. Pitch: "The bright and bold new ruler that makes every measurement fast and foolproof." Comments: Will it launch? Apparently not as the site is already down. Of course, I'm not surprised as this is easily one of the worst DRTV products I've seen. What were they thinking? [ss]
 
10. Go Grill. Pitch: "The foldable, portable grill that travels anywhere you go." Comments: Another apparent 'fast fail.' (Link goes to spot.) One likely reason: Several grills of this type are already on the market. [ss]
 
11. Go Pro Power Blaster. Marketer: Tristar. Pitch: "Transforms any garden hose into a high-powered cleaner." Comments: Yet another 'fast fail.' (Link goes to spot.) [ss]
 
12. Insta Fill. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "Instantly repairs cracks and chips in your home's concrete surfaces." Comments: Still another 'fast fail.' [ss]
 
13. Middle Baker. Marketer: Will It Launch. Pitch: "Ingeniously simple baking accessory provides perfect cooking throughout the dish." Comments: Half of the Perfect Brownie pitch and much less than half as compelling. [ss]
 
14. My Cleaning Secret. Starring: Chef Tony. Marketer: Simoniz. Producer: Dynamic TV. Pitch: "Clean even the messiest of messes in just seconds with no scratching." Comments: A 'fast fail' once again. (Link goes to spot.) No surprise: This is the quintessential Siren category. [ss]
 
15. Smart Weight. Pitch: "The fun, 360-degree arm and shoulder sculpting sensation." Comments: This is Shake Weight without the sexually suggestive motion. [ss]
 
16. Tomato Patch. Pitch: "A new, beautiful and simple way to grow big, juicy, great-tasting tomatoes." Comments: Like eggs, tomatoes resonate with DR buyers in an unusual way (see Topsy Turvy, Tomato Tree). But this planter lacks the uniqueness of Topsy, and tomato claims are likely getting worn, so I think this one is unlikely to succeed. [ss]
 
17. Total Restoration. Starring: Beau Rials. Pitch: "A first aid kit for your home." Comments: Cool concept, but two minutes is too little time to sell a 'kitchen sink' product like this one. Of course, Beau is awesome as always! [ss]
 
18. Wet Block HD. Pitch: "One spray and the wet is blocked away." Comments: Already tried by Phil Swift -- and several others. By my count, this is actually attempt No. 5 after Just Repel It!, Swift's Block Out, Nanodyze and Blox. [ss]
 
19. Quick Dry. Marketer: Ontel. Producer: Concepts TV. Pitch: "The fast, easy, healthy way to dry your hair." Comments: The final 'fast fail' of the week. This is the fourth attempt to bring back Turbie Twist, an 'old gold' item from 2000. InvenTel was the last to try it in 2013 (see No. 6 in this Weekly Round-Up). [ss]