"Oprah's Favorite Things" was an annual segment that appeared on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

'' from the 1990s to 2008 and 2010, as well as on '' Rachael Ray'' in 2017. In the segment, which airs during Thanksgiving week and was inspired by the holiday song " My Favorite Things" from '' The Sound of Music'',

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

shared products with her audience that she felt were noteworthy or that would make a great gift. In addition, the audience members that were present during the taping of the episode receive items from that year's list for free. The term is also sometimes used to describe a similar feature in '' O, The Oprah Magazine''; while that may formally have been named "The O List" in the past, it has more recently shared the "Oprah's Favorite Things" name. The two features are often coordinated.

Episodes

The ''Oprah’s Favorite Things'' television episode is the most watched episode each year of ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. The episode has traditionally been aired around

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

, though its producers do not announce when the special episode will be taped. Furthermore, the audience members of these episodes are commonly selected based on a specific characteristic, which means tickets can be difficult to obtain.

2002

The items presented in the 2002 episode were included in one of four categories: food favorites; beauty and body care; books, music and home; and high-tech discoveries. The items included on the list were: * Key lime pie
Heart's Desire from Jan de Luz Linens
* Croissants from Galaxy * Fat Witch Baby Gift Tin * Good Karmal Mini Crates * Holiday tin from

Garrett Popcorn Shops Garrett Popcorn Shops is an American chain of gourmet popcorn stores founded in 1949 in Chicago, Illinois. Today, it has shops in nine countries, corporate offices in Chicago, Singapore, and Tokyo, and an online store. The majority of its brick ...

* MarieBelle Hot Chocolate Powder
Cranberry Creations Chocolates by NantucketChocolate.com
* Piper-Heidsieck Champagne * Pillsbury Homebaked Classics Frozen Biscuits * BlissLabs Glamour Gloves and Glamour Gel * Origins A Perfect World White Tea Body Cream * Kiehl's Limited Edition Gift Box * What to Wear * DreamTime Foot Cozys * Velour Sweatsuit * Karen Neuburger Pajamas and Socks * Silver Ox Cuff Watch * Tube Readers and Case * Fashion Active Labs Perfect Tee * Books, Music and Home * ''Everyday Grace'' by Marianne Williamson * Johnny Mathis ''The Christmas Album'' * The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle * Together Book and CD Collection * Jay Strongwater Picture Frames * O, The Oprah Magazine subscription * High-Tech Discoveries * Four-in-One Camera *

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

mobile phone/camera * Talking Photo Album * Wafer-Thin CD System

2003

The 2003 episode had 350 people in its audience. The items featured in this episode included: * Frontgate’s Portable DVD Player * Ralph Lauren Black Label Cashmere Slim Fit Crewneck Sweater * Melted Chocolate Cake Batter * Greenberg Smoked Turkeys * Barefoot Dreams Robes, Adult throws * Cliff and Buster Macaroons * The Gingerbread Man by Philosophy * Pure Simplicity Pumpkin Purifying Mask * Davies Gates Allspice Cinnamon Powder Sugar Soak * O, The Oprah Magazine * MAC Cosmetic Carrying Case * Nike Dri-FIT Workout Outfit * FoodSaver Vac 800 by Tilia, Inc. * Cambio Jeans *

BlackBerry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy ...

Wireless E-mail Device * Frederic Fekkai Crème Luxeuse, Apple Cider Clean * Shampoo & Conditioner * UGG Classic Short Boots * Judith Ripka Two Necklace * Philip Stein Teslar Watch *

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

DCR-DVD200 Handycam * The Neiman Marcus Cookbook

2004

The audience for the 2004 episode consisted of teachers. Items included on the list were: * Quilted Jacket and Cashmere Scarf by Burberry *

Dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...

30" Wide-Screen LCD TV * Bourjois Lip Products *

Eileen Fisher Eileen Fisher (October 4, 1950) is an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the women's clothing brand Eileen Fisher Inc. Biography Fisher grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois, the second of seven children. When Fisher de ...

Waffle-Weave Merino Stretch Zip Cardigan and Pant * Maytag Neptune Top-Load Washer and Drying Center * Lollia Lifestyle Collection * Hand-Blown Crystal Champagne Glasses by Deborah Ehrlich *

Dooney & Bourke Dooney & Bourke is an American fashion company founded in 1975 by designer Peter Dooney and entrepreneur Frederic Bourke in Norwalk, Connecticut. Originally a men's supplier of belts, suspenders, and ties, the company now specializes in handbags ...

Leather Duffle Bag * Miraval Resort and Spa – Life in Balance * Orbitz * Apple Bottom Jeans by Nelly * Museum Automatic Arte Watch by

Movado Movado is an American luxury watchmaker. It is best known for its Museum Watch. Movado means "movement" in Esperanto. The watches are known for their signature metallic dot at 12 o'clock and minimalist style. Movado traces its origins to La Ch ...

* Gourmet Florid
Key Lime Bundt Cake
b
We Take The Cake
* VIETRI Water Garden Tea Service * SpecialTeas Fine Tea Gift Certificate * Williams Sonoma Home Bedding * The Magellan RoadMate 700 * Dell Pocket DJ * OfficeMax Gift Certificate * Sony VAIO S260 Notebook computer * BeBe Winans’ ''A Christmas Prayer'' CD & Starbucks Gift Card

2005

In 2005, the audience for the taping of the Oprah’s Favorite Things episode consisted of volunteers from

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. The listed items were: * Philip Stein Teslar Diamond Watch * Burberry Coat * Burberry Purse * UGG Australia's Uptown Boot * Tin of CaramelCrisp and CheeseCorn from Garrett Popcorn Shops * The

Apple iPod The iPod is a discontinued series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about months after the Macintosh version of iTunes wa ...

* "The Oprah Sweater" by Ralph Lauren * Pure Color Cords * Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker *

7105T from T-Mobile * Brownies from Moveable Feast Geneva * Nike Free 5.0 iD * Kashwere Shawl Collar Robe * Croissants from Williams-Sonoma * Hope in a Jar from Philosophy * "Grace" Basket from Philosophy * Oatmeal Cookie Dough from Fox & Obel Market * The Oprah Winfrey Show 20th Anniversary Collection DVD * Sony VAIO FJ Notebook

2006

In 2006, the Oprah’s Favorite Things episode took on a different slant as the audience members each received a credit card valued at one thousand dollars. Each audience member also received a camcorder and was given instructions to use the money to do something kind for someone else while using the camcorder to videotape the good deed.

2007

The Favorite Things show aired November 20, 2007. It returned to the original format in previous years. The 2007 episode was filmed in Macon, Georgia in the

Macon City Auditorium The Macon City Auditorium is a historic structure in Macon, Georgia, United States, that has hosted performances, meetings, and events for the community since 1925. It was designed by New York architect Egerton Swartwout. It was listed on the Nati ...

on November 17, 2007. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has been national since 1986, Macon has been their number one market. At any time, 45 percent of the households in Macon, Georgia, at four o'clock, watching Oprah Winfrey. *

HD Camcorder (SC-HMX10C) * UGG Australia Classic Crochet Boots * ToyWatch Crystal Watches * Perfect Endings Cupcakes by

Williams-Sonoma Williams Sonoma is an American retailer of cookware, appliances, and home furnishings. It is owned by Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and was founded by Charles E. (Chuck) Williams in 1956. History In 1947, Chuck Williams settled in Sonoma, California ...

* Melamine Bowls by Williams-Sonoma * KitchenAid Artisan Mixer * '' Planet Earth'' DVD Set by The Discovery Channel * Kai Body Butter & Buffer *

Clarisonic Clarisonic, or Pacific Bioscience Laboratories, Inc., was a company based in Redmond, Washington that produced the Clarisonic line of skin care devices. The company was sold to L'Oreal in 2011. In 2018, Clarisonic devices made up 14% of the skin ca ...

Skin Cleansing System * Claus Porto Soaps from Lafco New York * "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett * Breville Ikon Panini Press by Williams-Sonoma * Ciao Bella Sorbetto * Rachel Pally Swing Turtleneck and Sailor Pants * Scrabble Premier Edition from Hasbro *

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

90th Anniversary Prestige DVD Collection * Shaklee Get Clean * O's Guide to Life * Josh Groban's '' Noël'' CD * LG HDTV Refrigerator

2008

Winfrey, in addition to the regular show, held an "Oprah's Favorite Things for Summer" episode in May 2008, apparently against her wishes and at the behest of the production staff. The usual show aired November 26, 2008, one day before Thanksgiving; however, it did not follow the usual format of lavish gifts. Instead, owing to the nation's economic difficulties (Winfrey said that she could not in good conscience give away lavish gifts in such a time of economic trouble), this year's episode would be entitled "How to Have the Thriftiest Holiday Ever!" (described as ''Oprah's Favorite Things... with a twist!'') All the giveaways cost "next to nothing" and emphasized

do-it-yourself "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and se ...

craftsmanship. Because of the personal nature of many of these gifts, this was the first year that audience members did not receive many of the actual gifts, though they did receive the book and the album. Gift ideas, many of which were submitted by viewers, included: * Gratitude boxes, filled with notes of gratitude from various people * "Oprah's Holiday Hits" compilation album (given away for free on the show Web site) * Treasure boxes filled with mementos * Hot chocolate cones *

Regift Regifting or regiving is the act of taking a gift that has been received and giving it to somebody else, sometimes in the guise of a new gift. Concept Regifting differs from straightforward giving in that goods are not acquired specifically for d ...

s (a.k.a. "swap parties"), exchanging unwanted used items of your own for others' used items you would be more likely to use * Gift baskets that include fruits and vegetables from your own garden * Time with a loved one * '' The Story of Edgar Sawtelle'', a book by David Wroblewski For additional gift ideas, viewers were directed to "The O List" in the December 2008 edition of O, The Oprah Magazine. The list consisted of items that cost under $100.

2009

The Huffington Post broke a story in November 2009 that, for the first time in several years, there would be no Oprah's Favorite Things episode. This turned out to be true; no reason was explicitly given for the cancellation, though the recession that had been taking place the year prior and that had served as the impetus for the low-budget Favorite Things that year was still ongoing at the time. However, Oprah held a sweepstakes in December 2009 that gave away prizes from past Favorite Things collections. The sweepstakes winner was announced and posted on the Oprah website.

2010

Oprah Winfrey's biggest Favorite Things show to date, entitled ''Ultimate Favorite Things'', aired on Friday, November 19, 2010. A second edition aired the following Monday, November 22. It was the final Favorite Things in its original format. The 2010 Favorite Things was the only time Winfrey held a Favorite Things promotion over two episodes in any season of the show. Several of the Favorite Things were products that had been given away in previous Favorite Things episodes. The list of products given away in the "Ultimate Favorite Things" included: *''A Course in Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering Your Weight Forever'', a book by Marianne Williamson, published by Hay House *Baker's Edge lasagna and brownie trays with Ghiradelli brownie mix *Beecher's "World's Best" macaroni and cheese * Breville panini press from

*'' Decoded'', a book by Jay-Z *Elfa Customizable Closet System from The Container Store *Hair care products from Andre Walker, Oprah's hairstylist * Judith Ripka Eclipse Earrings *$100 gift card for Kiva * Kyocera Advanced Ceramic knife 2 piece knife giftset * Lafco House and Home Collection Candle Set *Limited edition "25th Anniversary" Oprah watch by Philip Stein * Ralph Lauren Cashmere Sweater & Cashmere Blanket * Lululemon relaxed fit pants *A five-year membership to

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

*Four pairs of Nike running shoes * Nikon D3100 digital camera *7-day cruise on the ''

Allure of the Seas ''Allure of the Seas'' is an owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. , the ''Oasis'' class ships were the largest passenger vessels ever in service, and ''Allure'' is longer than her sister ship ''Oasis of the Seas'', though both w ...

'' from Royal Caribbean International *Round-trip flight on

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

to and from the cruise *A "25th Anniversary" Oprah shirt * Sony Bravia 52-inch

3D television 3D television (3DTV) is television that conveys depth perception to the viewer by employing techniques such as stereoscopic display, multi-view display, 2D-plus-depth, or any other form of 3D display. Most modern 3D television sets use an ...

and

blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

player *'' The Beginning'', an album from The Black Eyed Peas * Tory Burch "Silver Anniversary" tote bag and flat shoes The second day's Favorite Things list included: *

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, ...

, with Scrabble app * UGG Australia sparkle boots *A

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

satchel * Magaschoni tunic and leggings *Hope in a Jar moisturizer by Philosophy *

Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and ...

lingerie and $500

gift card *Prepara Herb Save
Prepara
*Chicken pot pie from

Centerville Pie Company The Centerville Pie Company is a pie company located in Centerville, Massachusetts. It gained fame when it was mentioned on Oprah Winfrey's Favorite Things episode in 2010. Centerville pies were at one time sold through the Harry & David corporat ...

*"Oprah's Favorite Things" tin from Garrett Popcorn Shops * Le Creuset cookware * Miraclesuit blue jeans *A jewelry box from

Pottery Barn Pottery Barn is an American upscale home furnishing store chain and e-commerce company, with retail stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia. Pottery Barn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. The company is hea ...

*Jessica Leigh Diamond earrings fro
Dana Rebecca Designs
*A gift card for DonorsChoose.org *Mini croissants from Williams-Sonoma * Talbott Teas holiday assortment *''The Book of Awakening'', a book by

Mark Nepo Mark Nepo (, in Brooklyn, New York), is a poet and spiritual adviser who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 40 years. Nepo is best known for his ''New York Times'' #1 bestseller, ''The Book of Awakening.'' He has publis ...

*'' Illuminations'', an album from Josh Groban *'' Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville'', an album from Johnny Mathis *A 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, due for delivery May 2011

2012

A two-hour special called "Oprah's Favorite Things 2012" aired on

Oprah Winfrey Network Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel. The network is led by talk show ho ...

on November 18, 2012. It features an audience of 30 deserving people receiving items totaled at over $10,000.

2017

On the November 21, 2017 episode of '' Rachael Ray'', host Rachael Ray presented a list of Oprah's Favorite Things for 2017, with Gayle King serving as Winfrey's representative (Winfrey did not appear, and only one audience member, chosen via a drawing, actually received all 102 items on the list). Among the items on the 2017 Favorite Things list: * Pudus Classics red lumberjack plaid slipper socks *

Amazon Echo Show Amazon Echo Show is a smart speaker that is part of the Amazon Echo line of products. Similarly to other devices in the family, it is designed around Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa, but additionally features a touchscreen display that can be ...

* Sonicare DiamondClean Smart

electric toothbrush An electric toothbrush is a toothbrush that makes rapid automatic bristle motions, either back-and-forth oscillation or rotation-oscillation (where the brush head alternates clockwise and counterclockwise rotation), in order to clean teeth. Moti ...

, with accompanying smartphone app *Breville panini press *English muffins from The Model Bakery *'' The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''

Controversy and criticisms

After being featured on the Oprah’s Favorite Things segment, businesses typically experience a large boost in their website traffic and in visits to their stores. For small businesses with limited resources and a small staff, the resulting boost in customers can cause the business to become overwhelmed and unable to meet customer demands. According to Scott Schroeder, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Garrett Popcorn Shops, being featured on the episode resulted in over 100,000 hits to the website on the afternoon the episode was aired and sales increased in December by over 100%. This caused the business to go from "making popcorn eight hours a day to 24 hours a day." The episodes have also met with controversy when businesses that were not featured on the episode made claims that they were. According to show insiders, this is one reason the format was changed for the 2006 season. The website '' The A.V. Club'' made fun of the uselessness and blandness of Oprah's 2007 list by posting a feature called 'Oprah's Favorite Thing or Symptom of Clinical Depression?" The 2008 decision to use inexpensive gifts drew jokes from ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

'', including a mash-up that featured Winfrey supposedly giving away thumb tacks, to a much-dismayed audience. Further criticism and satire have been directed at the reactions from the people in the audience, which typically ranged from cheering and screaming to hysterical crying from men and women alike. A memorable parody of this was featured on a ''Saturday Night Live'' skit, where the audience tore the studio apart in their frenzied anticipation of the freebies they would get. Winfrey herself has admitted amusement by some of the audience reactions, having made a certain amount of fun of them in a behind-the-scenes series that aired on Oprah Winfrey Network.

References

External links

Oprah Winfrey Official Site

''Oprah Winfrey Show''

Oprah's Favorite Things 2007
{{Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey Thanksgiving television specials