Oprah's Favorite Things

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oprah’s Favorite Things is the title of an annual segment that appears on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the annual segment, which is typically aired during the holiday season, the talk show hostess shares products with her audience that she feels are noteworthy or that would make a great gift. In addition, the audience members present during the taping of the episode receive items from that year’s list for free. The term is also mistakenly used to describe a similar feature in O, The Oprah Magazine, though this list is actually entitled "The O List".

Contents

[edit] Episodes

The Oprah’s Favorite Things television episode is the most watched episode each year of The Oprah Winfrey Show. The episode has traditionally been aired around Thanksgiving, though its producers do not announce when the special episode will be taped. Furthermore, the audience members of these episodes are commonly selected based on a specific characteristic, which means tickets can be difficult to obtain.

2002

The items presented in the 2002 episode were included in one of four categories: food favorites; beauty and body care; books, music and home; and high-tech discoveries. The items included on the list were:

  • Key lime pie
  • Croissants
  • Fat Witch Baby Gift Tin
  • Good Karmal Mini Crates
  • Holiday tin of Garrett Popcorn
  • Mariebelle Hot Chocolate Powder
  • Cranberry Creations by Nantucket Clipper
  • Piper-Heidsieck Champagne
  • Pillsbury Homebaked Classics
  • BlissLabs Glamour Gloves and Glamour Gel
  • Origins A Perfect World White Tea Body Cream
  • Kiehl's Limited Edition Gift Box
  • What to Wear
  • DreamTime Foot Cozys
  • J.Lo Velour Sweatsuit
  • Karen Neuburger Pajamas and Socks
  • Silver Ox Cuff Watch
  • Tube Readers and Case
  • Fashion Active Labs Perfect Tee
  • Books, Music and Home
  • Everyday Grace by Marianne Williamson
  • Johnny Mathis The Christmas Album
  • The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
  • Together Book and CD Collection
  • Jay Strongwater Picture Frames
  • O, The Oprah Magazine subscription
  • High-Tech Discoveries
  • Four-in-One Camera
  • Samsung mobile phone/camera
  • Talking Photo Album
  • Wafer-Thin CD System[1]

2003

The 2003 episode had 350 people in its audience. The items featured in this episode included:

  • Frontgate’s Portable DVD Player
  • Ralph Lauren Black Label Cashmere Slim Fit Crewneck Sweater
  • Melted Chocolate Cake Batter
  • Greenberg Smoked Turkeys
  • Barefoot Dreams Robes, Adult throws
  • Cliff and Buster Macaroons
  • The Gingerbread Man by Philosophy
  • Pure Simplicity Pumpkin Purifying Mask
  • Davies Gates Allspice Cinnamon Powder Sugar Soak
  • O, The Oprah Magazine
  • M.A.C Cosmetic Carrying Case
  • Nike Dri-FIT Workout Outfit
  • FoodSaver Vac 800 by Tilia, Inc.
  • Cambio Jeans
  • BlackBerry Wireless E-mail Device
  • Frederic Fekkai Crème Luxeuse, Apple Cider Clean
  • Shampoo & Conditioner
  • UGG Classic Short Boots
  • Judith Ripka Two Necklace
  • Philip Stein Teslar Watch
  • Sony DCR-DVD200 Handycam
  • The Neiman Marcus Cookbook[2]

2004

The audience for the 2004 episode consisted of teachers. Items included on the list were:

  • Quilted Jacket and Cashmere Scarf by Burberry
  • Dell 30” Wide-Screen LCD TV
  • Bouriois Lip Products
  • Eileen Fisher Waffle-Weave Merino Stretch Zip Cardigan and Pant
  • Maytag Neptune Top-Load Washer and Drying Center
  • Lollia Lifestyle Collection
  • Hand-Blown Crystal Champagne Glasses by Deborah Ehrlich
  • Dooney & Bourke Leather Duffle Bag
  • Mirayal Resort and Spa – Life in Balance
  • Orbitz
  • Apple Bottom Jeans by Nelly
  • Museum Automatic Arte Watch by Movado
  • Gourmet Florida Key Lime Bundt Cake
  • VIETRI Water Garden Tea Service
  • SpecialTeas Fine Tea Gift Certificate
  • Williams-Sonoma Home Bedding
  • The Magellan RoadMate 700
  • Dell Pocket DJ
  • OfficeMax Gift Certifiate
  • Sony VAIO S260 Notebook computer
  • Bebe Winan’s A Christmas Prayer & Starbucks Gift Card[3]

2005

In 2005, the audience for the taping of the Oprah’s Favorite Things episode consisted of volunteers from Hurricane Katrina. The listed items were:

  • Philip Stein Teslar Diamond Watch
  • Burberry Coat
  • Burberry Purse
  • UGG Australia’s Uptown Boot
  • Garrett Popcorn Shops’ CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn Tin
  • The Apple iPod
  • "The Oprah Sweater" by Ralph Lauren
  • Pure Color Cords
  • Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker
  • Blackberry 7105T from T-Mobile
  • Brownies from Moveable Feast Geneva
  • Nike Free 5.0 iD
  • Kashwere Shawl Collar Robe
  • Croissants from Williams-Sonoma
  • Hope in a Jar from Philisophy
  • "Grace" Basket from Philosophy
  • Oatmeal Cookie Dough from Fox & Obel Market
  • The Oprah Winfrey Show 20th Anniversary Collection DVD
  • Sony VAIO FJ Notebook[4]

2006

In 2006, the Oprah’s Favorite Things episode took on a different slant as the audience members each received a credit card valued at one thousand dollars each. Each audience member also received a camcorder and was given instructions to use the money to do something kind for someone else while using the camcorder to videotape the good deed. Oprah told her audience she wanted them to feel the joy of giving in the same way she has felt over the years when filming the Oprah’s Favorite Things episodes. Later, Oprah referred to the 2006 episode as her "favorite giveaway ever."

2007

The Favorite Things show aired November 20, 2007.[5] It returned to the original format in previous years. The 2007 episode was filmed in Macon, Georgia in the Macon City Auditorium on November 17, 2007.

  • Samsung HD Camcorder (SC-HMX10C)
  • Ugg Australia Cassic Crochet Boots
  • Toywatch Crystal Watches
  • Perfect Endings Cupcakes by Williams-Sonoma
  • Melamine Bowls by Williams-Sonoma
  • KitchenAid Artisan Mixer
  • "Planet Earth" DVD Set by The Discovery Channel
  • Kai Body Butter & Buffer
  • Clarisonic Skin Care System
  • Claus Porto Soaps from Lafco New York
  • "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett
  • Breville Ikon Panini Press by Williams-Sonoma
  • Ciao Bella Sorbetto
  • Rachel Pally Swing Turtleneck and Sailor Pants
  • Scrabble Premier Edition from Hasbro
  • United Artists 90th Anniversary Prestige Collection
  • Shaklee Get Clean
  • O's Guide to Life
  • Josh Groban Noel CD
  • LG HDTV Refrigerator

[edit] Controversy and Criticisms

After being featured on the Oprah’s Favorite Things segment, businesses typically experience a large boost in their website traffic and in visits to their stores. For small businesses with limited resources and a small staff, the resulting boost in customers can cause the business to become overwhelmed and unable to meet customer demands. According to Scott Schroeder, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Garrett Popcorn Shops, being featured on the episode resulted in over 100,000 hits to the website on the afternoon the episode was aired and sales increased in December by over 100%. This caused the business to go from "making popcorn eight hours a day to 24 hours a day."[6]

The episodes have also met with controversy when businesses that were not featured on the episode made claims that they were. According to show insiders, this is one reason why the format was changed for the 2006 season.[7]

Website AV Club made fun of the uselessness and blandness of Oprah's 2007 list by posting a feature called 'Oprahs Favorite Thing or Symptom'. [1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Oprah's Favorite Things 2002. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.[dead link]
  2. ^ Oprah's Favorite Things 2003. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.[dead link]
  3. ^ Oprah's Favorite Things 2004. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.[dead link]
  4. ^ Oprah's Favorite Things 2005. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.[dead link]
  5. ^ Oprah's Favorite Things 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.[dead link]
  6. ^ Seid, Jessica (2006-11-20). Oprah's Favorite Things: A Blessing and a Curse. CNN Money. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  7. ^ Seid Dickler, Jessica (2006-11-22). Oprah Ditches Favorite Things in Favor of Donations. CNN Money. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.

[edit] External links