SkyMall Still King of Selling Screwy Things InFlight

April 29, 2014 -- intro: SkyMall, which for 24 years has been the go-to place to buy a garden gnome at 30,000 feet, is facing competition. As WiFi becomes more common aloft, fliers have more things to occupy themselves and more choices where to buy their gnomes.

When SkyMall got its start, the only phones on planes were corded ones found on the back of the seat in front of you. And SkyMall was pretty much the only inflight catalog urging you to take that phone and start placing orders.

Gogo wants you to text and make calls at 30,000 feet

Despite today’s changed technological playing field, SkyMall still delivers one thing better than any other in-flight retailer: whimsy. Its gifts still have the power to surprise, amuse, even shock.

SkyMall’s director of marketing, Jinine Martin, tells ABC News that among the catalog’s all-time best-sellers is the Garden Yeti (available in heights up to and including 6-feet). Lots of other new products, she says, have made their debut in SkyMall before going on to become hits in brick-and-mortar stores, including Keurig coffee systems and SodaStream soda-makers.

To find new products, SkyMall scouts visit trade shows, inventors’ conventions and new-product fairs. When they spot a winner, they sign a contract with the inventor/creator: He or she pays a flat fee, plus a share of sales, to be promoted in the catalog.

Lightning struck for inventor David Guillot two years ago when he took his sail-for-roller-skaters to a trade show, where somebody from SkyMall took note. Guillot now has sold 2,000, he tells ABC--about 2/3 through SkyMall, about 1/3 through Amazon.

'Nightline' Video: Inside SkyMall

Here are some of SkyMall's most popular products from their current online catalog.

quicklist: 1title: Squirrel Tree Climber Sculpturecategory: $34.95media: 23506328text: Why would you want a trompe l'oeil sculpture of a squirrel dressed in climbing gear and wearing a little helmet? If you have to ask, it's best to move on. "This item is not discountable," says SkyMall; and we can see why. A squirrel dressed like a professional utility company lineman ought to command full price. Hand-painted outdoor-safe poly-resin "with a 26" climbing rope for authenticity."

quicklist: 2title: "Thanks For Everything" Picture Framecategory: $22.95media: 23507794text: If your deceased Cocker Spaniel could say something to you, surely it would be jaunty and upbeat. This memorial frame says it for him: "Thanks For Everything. I Had A Wonderful Time."

quicklist: 3title: Insta Slim Compression Shirt/ Waist Control Briefcategory:$24.95 and upmedia: 23506177text: "Nothing to lose but your lumps," says SkyMall's description for the Insta Slim Compression Shirt (left). Its revolutionary Spandex fiber blend promises to confer the look of health without the wearer's having to endure any unsightly sweating or grunting. "Look up to 5 inches slimmer, firmer, younger." Breathing? Not addressed. At right: The High Waist Control Boxer Brief ($37.00), which "controls [the] entire abdomen."

quicklist: 4title: SkyRest Travel Pillowcategory: $29.95media: 23505163text: SkyMall's director of marketing, Jinine Martin, tells ABC News that the SkyRest pillow has been a consistent best-seller--"in the top 50" of all SkyMall merchandise. The reason, she thinks, is that it looks "very SkyMall-ish, because it's different." A newspaper review quoted in the product description (from the Dallas Morning News) says, "simply lean forward and snooze, and the miles will fly by." Although a removable inflation valve is said to make inflation a snap, one unhappy customer wrote on SkyMall's site, "I could not summon up enough air," resulting in a flabby, less than completely stable pillow. "Your seat mates just might resent your falling all over them," he wrote.

quicklist: 5title: Releaf Neck Restcategory: $19.99media: 23505652text: Another approach to sleeping comfortably aloft: The Releaf Neck Rest "allows for easy travel, as compared to a bulky pillow, while offering greater all-around support for your head." Unlike a conventional U-shaped pillow that allows your head "to flop forward," Releaf emphatically does not. It holds your head and neck in an upright position and easily fits into a purse, briefcase or pocket.

quicklist: 6title: Fishnets & Heels Tablecategory: $159.00media: text: This example of functional art, says SkyMall, "can't escape its role as a centerpiece wherever you put it." The tempered glass 16" table top sits atop "a pair of shapely designer resin legs." (Wrote one customer, "Hubby LOVES it!") So does the dad in "A Christmas Story."

quicklist: 7title: Bigfoot Yeti & Abominable Snowman Yeticategory: Up to $2,350media: 23505525text: SkyMall sells a variety of Yetis made by Design Toscano, maker of decorative items for home and garden. The statues have been among the catalog's all-time biggest sellers. Michael Stopka, president and owner of Toscano, tells ABC News he has sold about 10,000 Yeti direct, and another 10,000 through SkyMall. He calls his relationship with the catalog "a pretty good partnership. Every day 1.7 million people see your brand and product. That's more than you'd get in a Super Bowl ad." Airline travelers he calls a good demographic.

quicklist: 8title: Super Skate Sailcategory: $49.99media: 23506625text: Just when you thought skating couldn't get any better, along comes the Super Skate Sail, "a great way to get both adults and kids outside and moving." As for where you're moving, four clear PVC windows give some idea. One-piece design folds in seconds and stores in a shoulder bag.

quicklist: 9title: Zombie of Montclaire Moorscategory: $99.95media: 23505250text: Another winner from Design Toscano, makers of Yeti. Quoting SkyMall: "Statue features the most zombie-like eyes you've ever seen. Captured in meticulous detail in quality designer resin, this zombie garden statue brings the flesh-hungry undead to your daffodil bed!"

quicklist: 10title: Porch Pottycategory: $259.99 and upmedia: 23505021text: Great for apartments and condos, says SkyMall of this simulation of a dog's very own outdoor lawn. The Porch Potty "gives you a clean grass area right on your porch, patio or indoors. Includes plush synthetic grass, scented fire hydrant and outdoor self-drainage."