Flashback Friday

I'm proud to introduce a new recurring feature in TWIT - a little something called Flashback Friday.  Each Friday, I'll discuss something from back in the day - a game, toy, song, TV show, food, clothing, fad, etc.  It could be anything.  I got the ball rolling the other week with a look back at the Saturday morning TV show "Lancelot Link."  Today, let's look at the Pocket Fisherman.

The Popeil Pocket Fisherman was brought to us by the good folks at Ronco - the same ones that brought us Mr. Microphone and the Veg-O-Matic.  The Pocket Fisherman was introduced in the late 60s, and became Ronco's best selling item, with almost 40 million sold in the 70s.  Ronco said it best in their TV commercials: "The biggest fishing invention since the hook."  Well, not really, but it sounded good on TV. 

The gadget looked oh so easy to use - just unfold it and it's ready to catch fish.  But even as a young child, I was skeptical of the Pocket Fisherman.  It looked like it would break in two if you tried to reel in a fish.  But that didn't stop me from wanting one.  I remember begging my family to buy me one, but Dad and Grandpa would have no part of it.  Time and again they would tell me "You have a real Zebco rod and reel - you don't need a toy one." And yet I still wanted the Pocket Fisherman.  I even had the perfect sized purse to carry it in, too.  But I never got one.

I hadn't thought about the Pocket Fisherman until last week, when I saw an informercial for a copycat product called the Instant Fisherman.  As I watched the man telling us that using the Instant Fisherman was as easy as saying "Lets go fish" I couldn't help but be skeptical once again.  It, too, looked like it would break apart if you hooked a fish.  A few days later, I saw a Pocket Fisherman one on sale at a Walgreens drugstore.  I guarantee you if they'd sold them at the drugstore when I was a kid, I would have went against my father and grandfather's wishes and bought one.  But there it was - waiting for me to buy it.  I picked up the box and opened it up to check it out, and wouldn't you know it?  It was broken.  And there wasn't another one in the store.  I'll wait awhile and if I still have the urge, I'll get on on eBay.