In the world of innovation, not every idea can be a winner. In fact, some ideas are so hilariously off the mark that they become memorable not for their success, but for their spectacular failure. These failed inventions, while they may have flopped in the marketplace, have given us some of the most entertaining stories in the annals of history. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this deep dive into 12 of the funniest failed inventions of all time.
Whether they were overly ambitious, poorly executed, or just plain bizarre, these inventions prove that sometimes, failure can be funnier than success.
1. The Aerodrome: When Ambition Took Flight Without Wings
Imagine being so confident in your invention that you test it out on a massive stage, in front of thousands of spectators, only for it to fail in the most embarrassing way possible. This is the story of Samuel Langley’s “Aerodrome,” a flying machine that predated the Wright brothers’ success but ended in an epic flop.
Langley, a respected astronomer and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was convinced he could beat everyone else to the skies. His invention, the Aerodrome, was a steam-powered contraption that looked more like a delicate dragonfly than an airplane. Despite extensive tests, the Aerodrome never quite managed to stay airborne for more than a few seconds. The final attempt, funded by the U.S. War Department, saw the Aerodrome nosedive straight into the Potomac River right after takeoff, in front of a crowd of onlookers.
Langley’s failure was so public and humiliating that it set back American aviation for years. Yet, without his daring (and disastrous) attempts, who knows if the Wright brothers would have found the motivation to perfect their own design?
2. The Segway: The Future That Never Quite Rolled In
When the Segway was first announced, it was touted as the next big thing in personal transportation. Dean Kamen, the inventor, confidently predicted that it would revolutionize the way cities were designed, with pedestrian walkways being replaced by Segway paths. The hype was real, and for a while, everyone seemed convinced that this two-wheeled, self-balancing scooter was going to change the world.
But as we all know, things didn’t go quite as planned. While the Segway did find some niche uses, like in tourism and for security personnel, it never became the ubiquitous mode of transportation that was promised. The reasons for its failure are numerous: it was expensive, looked a bit silly, and most importantly, people were perfectly happy walking or using bicycles. To add to its woes, the Segway became a running joke, often associated with mall cops and lazy tourists.
The most tragicomic twist in the Segway’s story came in 2010, when Jimi Heselden, the owner of Segway, Inc., tragically died after accidentally driving his Segway off a cliff. The irony was not lost on the public, cementing the Segway’s place in the annals of failed inventions.
3. The Ford Edsel: The Car That Nobody Wanted
The 1950s were a golden age for the American automobile industry, with sleek designs and powerful engines dominating the roads. Enter the Ford Edsel, a car that was supposed to be the pinnacle of innovation and style. Ford invested heavily in the Edsel, hyping it up as the car of the future with its cutting-edge features and bold design.
However, when it was finally unveiled in 1957, the public response was less than enthusiastic. The Edsel’s design, particularly its infamous “horse collar” grille, was widely ridiculed, and it didn’t help that the car had a reputation for being unreliable and expensive to maintain. Ford had misjudged the market, and the Edsel became a laughing stock, selling far fewer units than expected.
The Edsel’s failure cost Ford over $250 million, and it’s often cited as one of the biggest marketing flops in history. Despite this, the car has since gained a cult following, with some enthusiasts celebrating it as a symbol of ambitious failure.
4. The Baby Cage: Fresh Air or Fresh Horror?
The 1930s were a time of innovation in many fields, including parenting. One of the strangest inventions to come out of this era was the baby cage, a wire contraption that attached to the outside of a window, where parents could place their infants to give them some fresh air. Yes, you read that right—this was a cage designed to dangle babies outside of high-rise apartment windows.
The baby cage was invented by Emma Read in 1922 and marketed as a way for urban parents to ensure their children got enough sunlight and fresh air, even if they lived in cramped apartments. While the concept of outdoor playpens isn’t inherently ridiculous, the execution here was downright terrifying. The idea of suspending a baby in a wire cage several stories above the ground is enough to give any modern parent nightmares.
Surprisingly, baby cages were quite popular in the UK and the US for a time, but it wasn’t long before concerns about safety led to their decline. Today, they’re remembered more as a bizarre relic of parenting history rather than a serious innovation.
5. The Colgate Kitchen Entrees: Toothpaste and TV Dinners Don’t Mix
Colgate is a brand synonymous with toothpaste, so it’s understandable that people were baffled when the company decided to launch its own line of frozen meals in the 1980s. Branded as Colgate Kitchen Entrees, these TV dinners were meant to capture a share of the booming convenience food market.
Unfortunately, the association with toothpaste was too strong, and consumers just couldn’t stomach the idea of eating a meal produced by a company known for dental hygiene. The packaging didn’t help either, as it featured the same logo and color scheme as Colgate toothpaste, further confusing and alienating potential buyers.
The Colgate Kitchen Entrees were an unmitigated disaster, and they were quickly pulled from the shelves. The episode remains a cautionary tale about the dangers of brand extension into unrelated markets.
6. The Anti-Eating Mask: A Dieter’s Worst Nightmare
Dieting fads have produced some pretty strange inventions over the years, but few are as bizarre as the Anti-Eating Mask. This device, invented in the 1980s, was a wire cage that fit over the wearer’s head, designed to prevent them from putting any food in their mouth. Yes, it was essentially a medieval torture device repurposed for weight loss.
The logic behind the Anti-Eating Mask was simple: if you can’t physically put food in your mouth, you can’t overeat. However, the practicalities of wearing a cage on your head, not to mention the social stigma, made this invention a non-starter. The discomfort and embarrassment of using such a device far outweighed any potential benefits.
Needless to say, the Anti-Eating Mask didn’t catch on, and it quickly became a symbol of the extremes to which some people are willing to go in the pursuit of weight loss.
7. The Smell-O-Vision: Scented Cinema Gone Wrong
The idea of adding smell to the movie-going experience dates back to the early 20th century, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the concept was fully realized with Smell-O-Vision. This invention, created by Hans Laube, promised to revolutionize cinema by synchronizing scents with the on-screen action, creating a more immersive experience.
However, Smell-O-Vision turned out to be a huge flop. The system was clunky and unreliable, often releasing the wrong scent at the wrong time, or failing to release any scent at all. Audiences complained that the smells were either too faint to notice or so overpowering that they became nauseating.
The only movie ever released in Smell-O-Vision, Scent of Mystery (1960), was a box office failure, and the technology was quickly abandoned. Smell-O-Vision has since become a punchline, though the dream of scented cinema still lingers in the occasional gimmick.
8. The Doggie Umbrella: Because Dogs Hate Getting Wet?
Inventors love to solve problems, even when those problems don’t really exist. Take the Doggie Umbrella, for example, a device designed to keep your canine companion dry during walks in the rain. This invention is essentially a small umbrella that attaches to the dog’s leash, covering the animal as it trots along.
While the idea might seem cute in theory, it quickly falls apart in practice. Dogs are not exactly known for their love of confinement, and most find the umbrella awkward and uncomfortable. The contraption also does little to actually keep the dog dry, as it only covers the top of their body, leaving their legs and underside exposed.
Not surprisingly, the Doggie Umbrella never became a must-have pet accessory, and it remains one of those inventions that makes you wonder, “Did they really think this would work?”
9. The Portable Record Player: Music on the Move, the Hard Way
Before the iPod, before the Walkman, there was the portable record player—a cumbersome device that attempted to bring the convenience of mobile music to the vinyl era. These devices, introduced in the 1960s, were designed to allow users to play their favorite records wherever they went. The problem? Records aren’t exactly portable, and neither were these early players.
The portable record players were heavy, required a flat surface to operate, and were prone to skipping, especially when used on the go. Imagine trying to enjoy your favorite album while walking down the street, only for the needle to jump every few seconds. Not exactly a smooth listening experience.
Despite their impracticality, portable record players were a hit with a niche market of music enthusiasts for a brief time, but they were quickly overshadowed by the much more convenient cassette players that followed.
10. The Hula Chair: A Gyrating Workout Disaster
In the early 2000s, the fitness industry saw the rise of some truly bizarre exercise equipment, but none were quite as ridiculous as the Hula Chair. This invention, which claimed to help users lose weight and tone their abs, was a motorized chair that gyrated in a hula-hoop motion while you sat in it.
The idea was that the chair would mimic the effects of hula-hooping without the effort, allowing users to get fit while sitting down. However, the reality was far from effective. The Hula Chair’s motion was more nauseating than beneficial, and users often found themselves feeling dizzy rather than fit. Additionally, the chair’s unusual movement made it impossible to focus on anything else, so multitasking while using it was out of the question.
Unsurprisingly, the Hula Chair was a commercial failure, but it did provide plenty of laughs for those who dared to try it out.
11. The Rejuvenique Facial Toning Mask: Beauty and Horror Combined
In the late 1990s, the beauty industry introduced the world to the Rejuvenique Facial Toning Mask, a device that promised to lift and tone facial muscles using electrical impulses. The mask looked like something out of a horror movie, with its plastic face and strategically placed electrodes that delivered small shocks to the wearer’s face.
While the Rejuvenique mask claimed to offer the benefits of a facelift without surgery, the experience of wearing it was anything but pleasant. Users reported feeling uncomfortable tingling and sometimes even pain as the electrodes did their work. Moreover, the mask’s unsettling appearance made it hard to imagine anyone wanting to wear it for the recommended 15 minutes a day.
Despite its lofty promises, the Rejuvenique Facial Toning Mask quickly became a laughing stock, and it’s now remembered more for its terrifying design than for any beauty benefits.
Final Thoughts
Innovation often requires taking risks, and with risks come the possibility of failure. While the inventors behind these products might not have achieved the success they were hoping for, they certainly left their mark on history—if only for how hilariously misguided their creations turned out to be. The next time you see a new invention that seems a bit off the wall, just remember: even the funniest failed inventions can teach us valuable lessons about creativity, perseverance, and the unpredictable nature of success.
After all, where would we be without a good laugh at the expense of those who dared to dream just a little too big?