The Strange Case of the ShoeDini Shoe Horn Infomercial
February 15th, 2010 Paul Lucas
The infomercial for the ShoeDini sells a shoe horn with a long telescoping handle. Very often short-form infomercials show people in black and white having unbelievably difficult struggles with common tasks (such as boiling eggs or cracking eggs). But the ShoeDini commercial just may take this impulse to a new level:
You gotta love the old man’s loud, desperate shout at the beginning. People, if grandpa and grandma are having this much trouble putting on shoes, then maybe it’s time to consider a nursing home or full-time caregiver instead of spending $14.99 for a shoe horn on a stick.
You might recognize the woman doing the voice-over from the Snuggie commercial. The ShoeDini ad begins with a similarly cutesy rhyme. And the name “ShoeDini” has to be one of the cheesiest ever, even by DRTV standards. (Shoe + Dini for Houdini because it works like magic at putting on your shoes! Get it?) But apparently the producers didn’t think the ShoeDini commercial was nearly annoying enough, so they created a new version with obnoxious comedian Gilbert Gottfried doing the voice-over!
I assure you that is not some clever YouTube parody. That is an actual commercial for the ShoeDini being broadcast on TV. They even feature this version on the official website at www.BuyShoeDini.com
I have no idea why anyone would think the shrieking voice of a pissed-off-sounding Gilbert Gottfried would be better at selling shoe horns to senior citizens.
Gottfried is great, it’s sad to see him lowered to infomercials as well :(.
Comment by TimNRA757 — February 15th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Haha!
For some reason, infomercials aimed at old people always make me laugh more than any other!
Lifealert, Jitterbug, and now this XD
Going ino my list of funniest old people infomercials ever!
Comment by Yami — February 15th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
It may sound hilarious, but Gilbert Gottfried was a perfect person to pitch this product. He actually sounds a lot like an old, cantankerous man complaining about how hard it is to squeeze into his orthodontic loafers.
Comment by Bob — February 16th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
*ahem*, I meant “orthotic”……. my mistake.
Comment by Bob — February 16th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
I actually don’t think its that ridiculous of a product, however the infomercials are extremely ridiculous.
Comment by Mike — March 1st, 2010 at 3:35 pm
if you ever get old may your children be the same as you scumsuckers may bend over and kiss your ass goodbye
Comment by rocky — March 3rd, 2010 at 6:09 pm
“It’s not just a shoe horn it’s a shoe horn on a stick!” well say hello to Jeff Dunham’s new puppet, he can be to Jalapeno on a Stick’s cousin
Comment by Rachel — March 8th, 2010 at 10:56 am
I normally would not do this, but I hope they all rot in hell for torturing us with this!
Comment by retired — March 18th, 2010 at 10:12 am
“I can already hear you *screaming*, `But I’m already busying buying the spray-on hair!’ Come on, no! No! Get the shoehorn! ‘Cause what’s the use in having hair if you don’t have shoes!” Logic like that deserves to be found in a fortune cookie! It’s no worse than “Maybe you can live on the moon in next century”!
“`But does it have a hook?’ Of course it has a hook!” And the hook makes it easy to pick your shoes up off the floor, ’cause there’s no better place to keep your shoes than on the top shelf of your closet!
Next product will be a shoe tree that sticks to the ceiling of your closet and holds the shoes upside down so any rocks, lint, or cat shit trying to accumulate in them will instead fall out of the shoes onto your vacuum-sealed shirts hanging on your cheap plastic space-saver hangers!
Why can’t people just buy shoes that *fit*?
Comment by G. James — March 19th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Mike, I don’t think it’s that ridiculous of a product either, and intend to buy one for my 80 year old mom, as soon as it’s available at Walgreens or Rite-Aid.
People can make all the jokes they choose, but let something happen to your back, or other areas where arthritis might strike, and I guarantee you won’t think it’s so funny then.
If this thing works, I’d consider it to be a God-send, especially for those who really need it.
Comment by Bea K. — March 27th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Oh FFS people, Mike is making fun of the commercial and the actors in said commercial, not the stupid product or old folks in general. If can’t have the teeniest bit of a sense of humor, stop looking at humorous websites.
Damn…there’s always gotta be some crybaby who talks about their old ass mom and tries to lay on the guilt. Lighten the hell up.
Comment by Olivia — March 28th, 2010 at 1:00 am
Yes - a clever name - that has been used previously for a shoe store web site in Richmond, VA. Saxon Shoes. Could they legally use this name?
Comment by MTingle — March 28th, 2010 at 8:34 am
How the hell did the old bastard get his socks on?
Comment by howard hempel — March 30th, 2010 at 1:56 am
LMAO @ Howards comment. Good point.
Comment by Tracy — March 31st, 2010 at 7:16 am
I have a son who is a dwarf trying to become independent. I plan to buy him one because he nearly has to lay on the floor to reach anything down there. So make all your jokes, what goes around, does also come back around. I hope you doubters aren’t going to be in need of one of these later in life and eat your words. I’m sure my 86 year old dad would like it too.
Comment by Barb — April 6th, 2010 at 9:25 am
Your commercial for the shoedini is so obnoxious and irritating that I would never buy any of your products just because of it.
Comment by P Spears — April 7th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
I just saw it on tv
Comment by Michael H — April 11th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
i had to make sure i didn’t accidentally have the tv on adult swim - this seemed like a spoof infomercial. ha, i just imagine the parrot from Aladdin talking
Comment by lauren h — April 11th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
I hate dumbasses who overuse and use incorrectly “The case of …) You are not witty, and your lame attempt to validate your own existance with this banal blog is absurd. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR OBSERVATIONS. BTW ITS THE CASE FOR… not “of”… Go back to digging ditches, flipping burgers, and squeezing anal glands.
#FAIL
Comment by Maggie Webster — April 25th, 2010 at 8:41 am
Hey Maggie, not all of us are bright and witty enough to post angry comments on humor blogs and incorrectly try to correct their grammar. Have a little compassion. (It is too bad that Robert Louis Stevenson isn’t still alive, so that you could tell him his story should be titled “The Strange Case FOR Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”)
Comment by Paul Lucas — April 25th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Thanks, Cinco.
Comment by The Pancake — April 27th, 2010 at 11:56 am
I just saw the commercial and immediately recognized the voice of the lawyer from “Beverly Hills Cop” who tried to bribe Eddie Murphy not to arrest his wife for non-payment of parking tickets. I think it’s also an unintentional joke that older people are harder or hearing; thus, the screaming, obnoxious voice-over of Gilbert Gottfried.
I can’t believe they released that version to the general public. Luckily, it isn’t shown on Network TV; because the sellers could never afford network time, for such a cheesy commercial. And I’m sure most networks would have rejected the ad, outright.
Comment by Ophelia — May 7th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
A little bit of Gottfried’s horrid voice goes an excruciatingly long way - and this is a really hellishly long commercial. Listening to this ad is nothing short of torture, in the most literal sense. I’m appalled that Gottfried is actually making money off of this.
Comment by jdg — May 7th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
My mom’s 74 and disabled and she laughed her ass off at this commercial!
Comment by Pearl — May 14th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
I thought Gilbert Gottfried was perfect and hilarious for this shoe horn commercial, and I bet you he had a good time doing the voice over. If you ever get the chance to see him in person, he is a funny guy.
Plus, Ikea sells an extra long shoehorn that you can use standing up that I bought some years ago. It’s just a super long shoehorn. It’s AWESOME. Don’t knock it until you try it.
Comment by Bubby D — June 5th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Barb, sorry to hear you have short genes. Obviously your short-comings have made you bitter. I think you need a double-dose of Gilbert’s voice at 6 AM to get your morning going. Thank you Weather Channel!
Comment by ssswwwffffl — June 15th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
I agree with Bea K and Barb. Hopefully, Olivia, your “old ass mom”, dad, spouse, or other loved one will never need to try out something out. Maybe some day you personally will need one!! My husband had a stroke and is paralyzed on the left. I put his socks, underwear, everything else on for him but, hopefully, he can put on his own shoes when I can find one of these.
Not whining, just stating fact. God bless and keep you safe!
Comment by MJ — July 3rd, 2010 at 3:03 pm