Innovation often leads to amazing breakthroughs, but sometimes it results in spectacular flops. Throughout history, inventors have dreamed up some truly bizarre creations that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another. Here are 10 weird inventions that spectacularly missed the mark.
Baby Window Cage
Picture a metal cage hanging from an apartment window with a baby inside. That’s exactly what the Baby Window Cage was. Invented by Mrs. Robert C. Lafferty in 1913 and later patented by Emma Read in the 1920s, urban parents thought this was a brilliant solution for giving their children fresh air. But let’s be honest: Would you trust a rickety cage to keep your baby safe while dangling several stories above the ground? Probably not. The idea, unsurprisingly, fell flat.
Google Glass
Remember Google Glass? The high-tech eyewear that was supposed to revolutionize how we interact with the digital world. It hit the scene 2012, promising hands-free web browsing and live maps. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie but with a price tag of $1,500. While the idea of augmented reality glasses was fascinating, privacy concerns, a hefty price tag, and looking like a cyborg didn’t win over the masses. Google Glass quickly transitioned from futuristic cool to a relic of tech gone awry.
Nintendo’s Virtual Boy
Nintendo’s 1995 brainchild, the Virtual Boy, was supposed to be the next big thing in 3D gaming. Instead, it turned into a real headache—literally! You had to press your face into it to play, leading to major eye strain. Plus, developers were too busy with the N64. Sadly, it also looked more like a piece of surveying equipment than a gaming console. No wonder it vanished within a year.
Goodyear’s Illuminated Tires
In the 1960s, Goodyear thought, “Let’s make tires that light up!” Sounds cool, right? These glowing tires, made from synthetic rubber and lit by internal bulbs, were meant to come in all sorts of colors. But they were as useful as a chocolate teapot. They slipped in the rain and melted under heavy braking. Not exactly what you want from a tire, eh?
Anti-Bandit Briefcase
In a world where theft is a constant threat, the Anti-Bandit Briefcase seemed like a hero. Invented in 1959 by John H. T. Rinfret, who was purportedly a frequent target of robberies, this ingenious briefcase had a hidden trigger. When pulled, the briefcase would detach from your hand, scattering its contents to foil the thief. Ingenious in theory, but in practice, it mostly resulted in embarrassed owners chasing their scattered documents down the street.
The Fliz
The Fliz is like a bike but also like a scooter—a bike-scoot, if you will. Inspired by the Laufmaschine, which was invented by Baron Karl Drais 200 years ago, it was light and modern with its carbon-fiber frame. However, it had no chain; you propelled it with your feet. The extra twist? You hang from a frame, dangling above the ground. Let’s be real; there was no way this contraption was ever going to receive mass adoption.
Colgate Frozen Meals
When a toothpaste brand decides to enter the frozen food market, you know you’re in for a wild ride. Colgate’s foray into ready-to-eat meals in the 1980s left consumers confused and wary due to the mismatch between its brand image and the food industry. Unsurprisingly, Colgate decided to stick to what it does best, and we never saw those Frozen Meals on supermarket shelves again.
The Hula Chair
Imagine sitting at your desk and getting a workout at the same time but in a weird way. The Hula Chair, introduced by T&L in 2007, promised to tone your core with its gyrating seat. However, the sight of someone wiggling around like they’re hula-hooping without a hoop was more comical than inspiring. Effective exercise or not, the Hula Chair found its place in the annals of strange office gadgets.
Bic’s “For Her” Pens
These pens were launched in 2012 as a line of ballpoint pens specifically marketed towards women. The pens featured a thinner barrel purportedly designed to fit smaller hands and came in colors like pink and purple, appealing to stereotypical feminine aesthetics. However, the product quickly became the subject of ridicule and criticism because of the unnecessary gendering.
Juicero
Remember the Wi-Fi-enabled, $400 juicer invented by Doug Evans in 2013 that squeezed juice packs with the precision of a high-tech gadget? The catch? You could get the same result by simply squeezing the packs with your hands. When this product hit the internet, it left people confused since what was advertised was far-fetched from its capabilities. The reality was a high-priced contraption that didn’t add much.
