Ronco’s Sit-On Trash Compactor
Again, exactly what it says on the tin: a combination trash compactor and kitchen stool that crushes your garbage when you sit on it. It’s one of several home appliances that Ronco, the company credited with adding “-O-Matic” and other infomercial buzzwords to the American lexicon, pushed out throughout the ‘60s and ‘70 that helped popularize the kind of weirdly specific, single-use gadgets we have today.
Priced at just under $20, Ronco marketed it as “the trash compactor everyone can afford!” In a 1977 infomercial, the company claims it can fit two to three days’ worth of a family’s trash into a single bag and comes with a deodorizer. My favorite part is that it’s billed as “a practical gift.” Practical to whom, Ronco?? Where was the demand for this? I need to know!
