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- Hook-its. Marketer: Harvest. Pitch: "The fast and easy way to hang anything big or small on your wall." Comments: I have a sneaking suspicion that Hercules Hooks, a 2007 hit, was an outlier and not a category. Hampton's Insta Hang from 2012 could be used to disagree with that statement, but otherwise I have only logged failures (e.g Nano Hooks, Tap Hooks, Incredible Hooks). Even an attempt to bring back Hercules Hooks itself last year doesn't seem to have gone anywhere, and this product lacks a lot of the wow that Old Gold item had. I do think this item solves a problem, but it's low on the scale. [ss]
- Just Right Pillow. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "The only pillow that transforms for comfort in every position." Comments: Pillows didn't make my recent list of bad categories, but it was close. With this Website already down, my list of reasons grows longer. [ss]
- Magic Gate. Producer: Blue Moon Studios. Pitch: "The ingenious new mesh gate that keeps your dog where you want him." Comments: A few variations of this idea have been tried (e.g. No. 7 in this Weekly Round-Up) without success. My guess is that credibility is a barrier to purchase. How likely is it that a $15 DRTV product is going to be sturdy enough to be effective? Plus, pet owners aren't afraid to spend money and will likely spring for one of the higher-quality gates from their local PETCO if this is a concern. [ss]
- Pop Clocky. Producer: Hutton-Miller. Pitch: "The fun way to pop out of bed." Comments: This doesn't really have any play value, but it looks like enough fun to generate some pester power. [ss]
- Portion Right. Producer: Monte-Brooks. Pitch: "Eat in the right portion size to lose weight the simple way." Comments: I considered an item similar to this one years ago. (Actually, it was more like the Skinny Plate item below.) Anyway, some basic market research revealed that half of people had no interest in a 'nanny plate' while the other half thought it was a great idea, but mostly for other people. A common comment: "People need to learn proper portions, and this is a great way to teach them." So in other words: nannies loved it! [ss]
- Scour Power. Marketer: Edison Nation. Pitch: "The scrubbing brush made specifically for cleaning stinky kitchen sinks." Comments: This strikes me as a solution in search of a problem. I can't see people getting off the couch for a cleaning brush, either, let alone one as specific in purpose as this. [ss]
- Skinny Plate. Marketer: Will It Launch? Pitch: "Easy portion control for everyday life." Comments: See my comments above. Incidentally, I did not declare this a duel because those require major players to be interesting -- and items that are likely to roll out. [ss]
- Snuggins. Producer: Concepts TV. Pitch: "The hot new slipper socks for snuggly comfort and warmth." Comments: This attempt would have been understandable back in 2009 at the height of the Snuggie craze. Now it's just a total flyer. On the bright side, it's certainly in season. Overnight temps in New York tonight are expected to dip below zero! [ss]
