Ronco

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Ronco is a company that manufactures and sells a variety of items and devices, most commonly those used in the kitchen. Ron Popeil founded the company in 1964, and commercials for the company's products soon became pervasive and memorable, in part thanks to Popeil's personal sales pitches. The names "Ronco" and "Popeil" and the suffix "-O-Matic" (used in many early product names) became icons of American popular culture and were often referenced by comedians introducing fictional gadgets.

1 History
2 In popular culture
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

In the beginning, the company chiefly sold inventions developed by Popeil's father, Samuel "S.J." Popeil. Products include the Veg-O-Matic and the Popeil Pocket Fisherman, a product manufactured by S.J. Popeil's company. During the 1970s, Ron Popeil began developing products on his own to sell through Ronco. When the infomercial, a program-length advertisement, was devised, it became one of the most popular forums for Ronco to sell its products.

In August, 2005, Popeil announced his sale of the company to Fi-Tek VII, a Denver holding company, for $55 million. He expected to continue working with the company as spokesman and product developer, but sold the company in order to have more time with his family.

[edit] In popular culture

The Veg-O-Matic was satirized by comedian Dan Aykroyd on the television program Saturday Night Live, as the "Super Bass-o-Matic '76

Ronco used to hold the trademark on the phrase "set it and forget it" [1], used in the commercials for the Showtime Rotisserie Grill. The phrase has gone on to be used in popular culture, including an episode of the comedy news program "The Daily Show" that reported on a Senate debate over catchphrases for summarizing positions on war in Iraq.