There’s something about a captive audience that makes them willing consumers, and something about high altitude that makes people irrational. In a similar vein as my page about the Oriental Trading Company catalog, this page is a showcase of even MORE things you didn’t know you didn’t need. But the Skymall magazine, available on domestic airlines right next to that safety card you never read, takes irrelevance a step further by making an earnest effort to make you think you DO need this stuff. You might think your life is pretty grand, but you simply don’t realize how messy, difficult, boring, or ugly it actually is. Many of these products even solve multiple problems.
If you suffer from any of the maladies below, fear not- you can visit skymall.com to place your order. (yellow highlighting is mine)
Problem: Wish there were more piercing electronic tones played at regular intervals in my life; find washing my hands to be boring and tedious
Solution:
Problem: Have turbo stainless steel and titanium blades spinning at a terrifying 6,000 RPM, but have no place to put them
Solution: Nostrils!
Problem: Not having enough nightmares about being watched by decapitated primates; need another place to store hats and sunglasses
Solution:
Problem: Open and closing microwave door is exhausting; would like slower, harder-to-clean method for preparing hot dogs
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Problem: Pet is getting too much exercise; would like new and interesting way to terrify and humiliate indoor pets
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Problem: Not fat or lazy enough
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Problem: Would like more futuristic devices to mount on my skull
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Problem: Interested in a more awkward, confining way to tailgate; also would like to exponentially increase likelihood of a spectacular public injury
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Problem: Tired of using eyes to locate credit card and then using fingers to remove it from my wallet; would prefer to use eyes to locate tiny black & white credit card logo button, then using fingers to press the button, then using fingers to remove the card from a rigid plastic wallet-like box
Solution:
Problem: Have an embarrassing shortage of cheeseburger-shaped remote controls
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Problem: Wish furniture and beds had more dog hair on them
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Problem: Wish furniture and beds had less dog hair on them
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Problem: Woefully unprepared for emergency situations that will require electronically magnified yelling
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Problem: Having trouble sneaking up on the roadrunner; need better disguise
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Problem: Want a false sense of security regarding the safety of trampolines and a blatantly misleading marketing campaign about the source of trampoline injuries
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Problem: Fatigued by the messy, time-consuming chore of lifting a cardboard box and turning it approximately 90° to pour cereal; would like a way for kids to dump cereal on the counter and floor at the touch of a button
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Problem: Need something super-fabulous to wear to office parties, dinner dates… actually, any situation
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Problem: Struggle to fall asleep while my feet are being crushed by the suffocating weight of my bedcovers
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Problem: Would like to simultaneously tell the cutie behind me that I’m single and demonstrate why
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Problem: Would like to improve my golf game- details of how or why not necessary
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Problem: Am ready to subvert the dominant towel-folding paradigm, but am unsure how to go about it
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Problem: Wanted to be an astronaut when growing up; am not an astronaut; have not yet told parents
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Problem: Landscaping not very intimidating
Solution:
