Back in December, I slogged about a ridiculous commercial I was being forced to watch several times a day by basic cable television, hyping Snuggie, aka "the blanket with sleeves!" aka an insta-cult costume aka an effing backwards bathrobe.

At the time, commenters chimed in with their derision—"I would end a relationship over something like this," "It'd be even better with a white hood!," etc.—but as Gawker points out, the joke's on all of us.

Here's the New York Times on how the crap economy is helping Snuggie take over the world:

It is a sign of just how bad the advertising market is: infomercials are running during network prime time, filling slots that automobiles and banks once owned.....A. J. Khubani, the chief executive of TeleBrands, which sells products like the PedEgg, a callus remover, and EZ Combs, a hair accessory, said that his spots used to run in the afternoon or in late-night slots. In the last few months, though, they are regularly running on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and Fox News during prime time. Over all, Mr. Khubani said, his prime-time advertising had increased by about 20 percent over last January. “I like to say that we’re getting beachfront property at trailer park prices,” Mr. Khubani said. “We’re clearing stuff at prime time, which we almost never do.”

And here's Ad Age on Snuggie's red-hot boom times:

The Snuggie blanket launched nationally on direct-response TV in October, just as the economy was slowing to a crawl, so the timing seemingly couldn't have been worse. However, it turns out the timing couldn't have been better. The quirky little blanket with sleeves has become the raiment of the zeitgeist, with more than 4 million units sold in just over three months....With 4 million of the blankets already shipped or on order, or just under $40 million in retail sales, Scott Boilen, president of Allstar Marketing Group, Hawthorne, N.Y., is laughing all the way to the bank. The company behind the Snuggie is moving the blankets out the door as fast as it can get Chinese suppliers to crank them out.

To see the ad that started it all, go here. (And to get started on your million-dollar infomercial idea inspired by the freakish success of Snuggie, go here.)