In 2008, Hammacher Schlemmer celebrates 160 years of Innovation and providing customers with "the Best, the Only and the Unexpected." Throughout its history, Hammacher has focused on offering items which are the "only ones that do what they do." It is this merchandising concept that gives the store its reputation as "purveyor of the unusual, provider of the unique," "a paradise for gadget hunters," and "a store as unique as its name."
On June 3rd, Barack Obama secures the 2008 U.S. Democratic Party presidential nomination becoming the first African American presumptive presidential candidate for a major political party. Later that year, Obama is elected as the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first African-American President.
Hammacher Schlemmer introduces The Personalized Whac-A-Mole Game, the familiar arcade game that replaces the standard mole heads with molded caricatures of family members, past managers, boyfriends/girlfriends, or any desired combination of personalities. The game operates exactly like the ones found in amusement parks and carnivals--but this one comes in a walnut veneer cabinet (with hardwood inlays) that automatically opens and closes at the touch of a button. When closed, the game appears like an unassuming bookshelf. It sells for $35,000.
This is a newspaper ad for The Only Stainless Steel Wallet that we introduced in 2008. The only billfold available woven from flexible stainless steel fabric, its unique material gives it a hand as smooth as silk and a strength that surpasses leather.
Our Holiday Preview Catalog pictured The Classic Storefront Rocket Ride on its front cover. An authentic unit refurbished to its original state, this classic rocket ride was usually encountered in front of supermarkets during the 1960s. Made of sturdy fiberglass, the rocket ride uses an electric motor to provide the same one-minute "traveling" motion that it provided nearly half a century ago, including gentle rising, diving, and banking left and right; the speed of motion is controlled by turning the handle bars. It sells for $10,000.
