I can’t get enough Cathy Mitchell, the Julia Child of the cooking infomercial (and someone who richly deserves a real Wikipedia article). Cathy is the most engaging and credible pitchwoman in the business, and she won my heart forever when she agreed to spoof herself on my favorite comedy TV show. Ms. Mitchell’s newest invention is the Sideshow Skillet, a really simple product. It’s just a skillet divided into two cooking areas, one large and one small. Certainly not an original idea, but Cathy pitch is convincing. My favorite Sideshow Skillet use is for baking brownies, where it creates an extra piece (“for sneaky snackers”) you can break off and gobble up while leaving the main chunk untouched. Only someone who really loves food would think of that!
After featuring Cathy Mitchell on yesterday’s post, your Savvy Shopper thought some of you might be amused by this clip from Adult Swim‘s Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!, where Cathy pitches the fictional Griddleman along with actor John C. Reilly playing Dr. Steve Brule (now star of his own Adult Swim show Check It Out!). Who knew that Cathy could do comedy? Smells like horse!
How does a DRTV marketer “freshen up” an As Seen on TV product when it’s been on the market for a couple of years and sales have cooled? If the marketer is Telebrands, and the product is Cathy Mitchell’sPasta N More, you change the name, change the color, lower the price and add more freebies. The result: the kinda-new Pasta Boat. Don’t get me wrong, as your Savvy Shopper is not dissing this product. It’s a very useful microwave pasta maker that lets you cook, drain, serve and store in the same container. And personally, I think pasta looks much more appetizing viewed through clear plastic rather than translucent aqua.
I can’t get enough Cathy Mitchell, the Julia Child of the cooking infomercial (and someone who richly deserves a real Wikipedia article). Cathy is the most engaging and credible pitchwoman in the business, and she won my heart forever when she agreed to spoof herself on my favorite comedy TV show. Ms. Mitchell’s newest invention is the Sideshow Skillet, a really simple product. It’s just a skillet divided into two cooking areas, one large and one small. Certainly not an original idea, but Cathy pitch is convincing. My favorite Sideshow Skillet use is for baking brownies, where it creates an extra piece (“for sneaky snackers”) you can break off and gobble up while leaving the main chunk untouched. Only someone who really loves food would think of that!
