Some of the biggest, richest and smartest companies in the world have a long track record of spectacular fails. And failure doesn’t always mean bad.
Museum of Failure is a collection of failed products and services from around the world, curated by Dr. Samuel West, a psychologist. The majority of all innovation projects fail and the museum showcases these failures to provide visitors a fascinating learning experience. Every item provides unique insight into the risky business of innovation.
Well, if you’re very curious about what’s inside the museum, here are 10 of the weirdest products you can see inside:
ESPN PHONE (2006)
This ESPN-branded flip phone provided grainy video highlights and 24/7 sports news. It cost $399 or “free” with a $65-$225/month plan. It lasted for a year with Steve Jobs telling ESPN executives, “Your phone is the dumbest fucking idea I have ever heard.”
TWITTERPEEK (2009-2010)
A $200 handheld device that *only* ran Twitter. It was a disaster: You could only see 20 characters at a time. Linked websites are inaccessible. It only refreshed 10 most recent tweets.
SPRAY-ON CONDOM (2006-2008)
Step 1: Insert junk into spray apparatus.
Step 2: Spray on melted latex.
Step 3: Wait 3 minutes for it to dry .
Step 4: This is the most insane thing I have ever seen in my life.
LIFESAVER HOLES (early 1990s)
Lifesaver launched a product that was supposed to resemble the punched-out holes from the OG circular candies. It totally flopped.
NINTENDO POWER GLOVE (1989-1990)
This was one of Nintendo’s first forays into VR tech. It sold 600k units in the first 6 weeks but didn’t actually do anything of note. The hand-motion tech would later develop into the super successful Nintendo Wii controller.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON COLOGNE (1996-2005)
Harley has a strong brand and merch makes up ~5% of its sales. In the mid-90s, the motorbike manufacturer got a little ambitious w/ its brand extension strategy: eau de toilette (AKA cologne).
The scent was called “Hot Rod”.
APPLE PIPPIN (1996-1997)
Pre-Steve Jobs return, Apple launched a gaming console. It used Macintosh tech, so it was pretty powerful but way overpriced. It cost $600 vs. $200 for the N64. In a year on the market, Apple sold 42k units.
ARCH DELUXE (1996)
It’s McDonald’s largest flop.
Facing pressure from Burger King, McDonald’s made an “adult” burger: patty on potato-flour bun w/ lettuce leaf (not shredded), tomato + fancy mustard. It failed after $100m in an ad spend (the ad copy had children criticizing the “adult” taste).
COLGATE FROZEN BEEF LASAGNA (early 1980s)
The Museum of Failure can’t confirm whether or not this actually existed (Colgate says “no”). If true, one of the more ludicrous product crossovers ever LOL.
NIKE MAGNETO (1995-1997)
Nike created a pair of futuristic sunglasses that didn’t have temples (the part that goes over your ear). One big catch: to wear them you had to glue magnets on your face so the shades could clip on. How weird and annoying was that?
