Episode 36: Ginsu Knife Was a Lie: The Real History of As Seen on TV

The Ginsu knife was sold as Japanese. It was made in Ohio.

That's how As Seen on TV began, and the playbook never really went away. In this episode of Lies We Bought, I follow infomercials from a 1949 blender demo on Cleveland TV to the Ginsu knife, Billy Mays, the Snuggie, and the FTC cases that came after. Then we get to where the pitch lives now. QVC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2026 as shoppers moved to TikTok Shop livestreams, and the same "but wait, there's more" urgency followed them into their feeds.

Plus the federal trade court case that decided whether a Snuggie is a blanket or a robe. The answer changed what it cost to bring one into the country, and it came down to the way the Snuggie was marketed.