RIP Ron Popeil, age 86

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Some may question the relevance of this to the Off-Topic forum, or even to PE at all, but Ron Popeil was a genius at a very difficult artform: advertising. (One of my favorite quotes from an adman, though I can't now recall the name: "We know that ten percent of what we do produces ninety percent of the results. But we don't know which ten percent.)

But wait -- there's more!

Alice Cooper, Beastie Boys and "Weird" Al Yankovic have all referenced him in their music - Yankovic has an entire song about him.

Operators are standing by to take your call. Set it, and forget it.

[progholio]

Out of all of his hairbrained ideas this one always takes the cake

RIP

[moecurlythanu]

I'm going to listen to my Pocket Fisherman tonight in his honor.

[JKL2000]

I had a Pocket Fisherman for years when I was a kid, and I got a lot of use out of it. It was actually a very handy, little fishing "rod" with a small compartment for tackle.

[Shadow]

Twenty eight years ago they had a 40th birthday party for a friend of mine. He had five kids from two marriages and I didn't just want to buy him one of those gifts you get in Hallmark or Sprncers, so I made up my own gift and it was the hit of the party. I made a Ron Popeil pocket vasectomy kit. It had everything you might think you would need including a small bottle of Iodine and a shot of Jack Daniels.

[nycsteve]

Is that a Popiel Pocket Fisherman in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
I thought he was dead already or much older if alive. It seems so long ago. A fixture on TV in my younger years. RIP.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

^ Yes, truly a ubiquitous presence on TV in my youth. That showtime rotisserie oven will be forever grafted onto my brain matter. Didn't realize the company went into bankruptcy several years back.

RIP

[Frumious B]

Funny thing is that I had Weird Al In 3D on cassette tape in 1983 a few years before I heard The B-52’s. I later became a pretty big fan of The B-52’s but it only fairly recently clicked with me that “Mr. Popeil” is a really good pastiche of their sound.

[proggy_jazzer]

Well, here's a prog connection of sorts:

[ronmac]

But, wait! There's no more!

[Vic2012]

RIP

Remember when Billy Mays died. Someone here at PE said:

....and now millions of TV remotes get a break.....

[pb2015]

Well, here's a prog connection of sorts:

Lisa Popeil, Ron's half sister, nearly joined Zappa's 1981 band and ended up guesting on "Teenage Prostitute" from the Drowning Witch album. She did a solo album soon afterwards where Steve Vai was one of the musicians. Also has worked with Weird Al on and off starting with that "Mr. Popeil" song and going up through his tour with strings in 2019.

[The Gak Omek]

Bass-O-Matic

[Dan Roth]

Anyone ever try his Record Vacuum?