The world is filled with inventors looking to make the next hit product whether it be the next electric engine, or a blanket that you can wear like a jacket. While many people look to invent something that changes the world, some want to create strange products that they hope will become really popular. Whether those products become cultural hits, or are just fads, if you make millions of dollars, who really cares? We’ve seen some pretty strange and bizarre products out there, that while they may seem stupid, have actually become extremely successful and have made their creators filthy rich. We are going to take a look at a list of some extremely bizarre products that made people extremely wealthy.
Yellow Smiley Faces
You’ve seen them on school bags, in stores, on the internet, and in a variety of other places: yellow smiley faces. While no one has ever thought twice about them, these iconic yellow smiley faces have actually been trademarked back in the 1970’s. Brothers Bernard and Murray Spain uncovered an old design of their fathers that was used for one of his clients back in the day and took it to the next level. The brothers paid around $45 dollars to trademark it and they saw a lot of potential in these smiley faces. When it was all said and done, the yellow smiley faces have generated around $500 million dollars in profits over the years.
The Furby
Furbies were a very strange children’s toy that came out during the 1990’s and they were released under Tiger Electronics. The toys were these owl-like aliens that came in a variety of different colors and were furry. The Furbies spoke their own langue and were animatronic robots that blinked and moved their mouths. While they certainly were extremely strange, they became a smash-hit almost instantly. No one is sure how much money creators Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung made off of the Furby enterprise, but they sold over 40 million units it the first three years of the products release. When they first came out, there were impossible to find. I will even shamefully admit that I owned one when I was a child, I think I still have it too.
The Snuggie
Part bathrobe and part blanket, the Snuggie was another bizarre product that went on to do extremely well. Created by Scott Boilen of Allstar Products, the Snuggie was a wearable blanket that was initially mocked by many when it first came out. Despite criticism, the Snuggie went on to sell extremely well. Today they are made in a variety of colors and you can even get a Snuggie with your favorite sports team on them. Estimates have the Snuggie selling over 30 million units and generating somewhere between $200 – $500 million dollars in profits for Allstar Products.
The Slinky
The Slinky was the best accident that ever happened to Richard James back in the 1940’s. James was a naval engineer who was working in his workshop when he accidentally knocked over a spring. He watched the spring walk away from him and thus the Slinky was born. The Slinky has stood the test of time and has always been a fairly popular child’s toy. It is affordable and very inexpensive to make. It’s difficult to figure out how many Slinkies were sold, but many estimated that over 300 million were sold and that around $1 billion dollars in sales were earned from this simple toy over the years.
Tamagotchi’s
Tanagotchi’s were small devices similar to handheld video games that were virtual pets. The toys were sold from the Japanese company Bandai and they were perfect for kids as they were able to fit them on key chains on their backpacks. They were extremely big when I was a child, and nearly everyone had one. You essentially had to raise your virtual pet and interact with it. The caveat was that they required near constant attention or the Tamagotchi’s would die. No, seriously. This was obviously problematic for teachers and I remember them being banned in schools. Still they were extremely popular and Bandai has sold over 76 million of them since they came out in 1996.
The Pet Rock
Created by Gary Dahl, the Pet Rock is probably the most bizarre product on our list that made a boat-load of money. They are exactly what you think they are: rocks. Dahl came up with the idea in the 1970’s and the Pet Rock was a rock that was packaged in a box that looks like the carrying case that you take your cat to the vet in. That’s it. It’s a rock. That didn’t stop people from buying it however. While it was just a silly fad, Dahl managed to move around 1.5 million units in the first six months of the products lifespan, generating him over $15 million dollars. Yup, Gary Dahl became a millionaire selling rocks to people.
Photo from Snuggie
