I’m a devotee of the unique New York store, Hammacher Schlemmer. I’ve purchased a number of things from them (reasonably priced things, i.e., not stuff like the personal submarine, or the genuine fire-breathing dragon, the thought of which still gives me nightmares) and everything I’ve bought has been as they bill it–“the best”–and pretty much unavailable anywhere else, as far as I can tell.
Everything I’ve bought from them is as effective as they promise. The upper body isometric exerciser, the headache band, the John Lennon glasses that you dial to precise focus for each eye…and I’m about to buy the combo audio thingee with a turntable, CD converter, CD player and amp in one object, designed to look as if it came from the ’40s.
For all of you unlucky enough not to live in New York, you can order from this store on line, via their catalog.
So that’s my unsolicited advertisement for one of life’s great and odd stores.
Today, they emailed me this amazing offer for The World’s First Inflatable Automobile – Hammacher Schlemmer. You’ll want to watch the entertaining video, right through to the end. Where, if you have sharpish eyes, you’ll see a license plate reading “April 1.”
Here’s my dilemma: is this product real or an April Fool’s joke? (There’s an answer and depending on what you do when you click on the link, you’ll find out, too.)
If it is a joke, why can’t it be real?
UPDATE 4/2/2015. Oh foo it was a joke. I suppose an inflatable car might suffer the same fate as did an old inflatable bed which deflated very slowly during one night when a friend was sleeping on it.