As the old saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
And there’s also one that says “Don’t fix what isn’t broken.”
But some people just couldn’t resist the urge to come up with the most random inventions
that neither anyone needs nor solve a particular problem!
Or perhaps they just turned out differently from what the mad inventors envisioned?
Whatever the case, I hope you didn’t fall for one of these cash grabs.
Here are the 11 Most Useless Inventions Ever Made!
What’s up, fact-natics!
This is Discovery Amuse, serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish, and
out-of-this-world fun facts!
You won’t believe what our number one pick actually does.
It’s so absurd, you might think it was a practical joke!
But it’s 100% a real product that was actually sold--- or at least they tried.
On with the countdown!
#11: Pet Rock
One night during the 1970s, freelance copywriter Gary Dahl was talking to his friends at a
bar about the high maintenance and destructive nature of pet dogs and cats.
So Dahl thought, why not keep a pet rock?
So he went home and wrote down the instruction on how to take care of an actual pet rock.
And that’s how the dumb holiday gift was born.
Initially sold at $4 a pop in 1975, the Pet Rock comes in a box with wood shavings, and
with a care manual to boot!
What does it do?
Nothing.
And what do you do with it?
Well, nothing.
But being the gifted writer that he is who had a clever way with words, Dahl knew exactly
what he was selling, and how to sell it.
And it did sell like hotcakes for a time!
Gary: We mailed our first Pet Rocks to the store October 1st, and by Christmas we’ll
have sold well over a million units.
Ultimately, he managed to earn $1 million from the product that felt like an inside
joke among its patrons.
And to be fair, the tongue-in-cheek instruction manual was quite a witty read!
But I doubt anyone who bought this worthless junk had the last laugh.
Keep watching because our number 1 entry will make you go, “holy crap!”
#10: Handerpants
There’s a certain reason why underpants are called as such.
They’re supposed to be kept out of sight.
But if you’re the flasher type who has extra sensitive hands but don’t like gloves, here’s
a solution for you!
VO: Handerpants, handerpants, handerpants!
Yup, it’s underpants, but for your hands!
As the cheeky infomercial claims, the Handerpants is for people who doesn’t like chafing or
damaging their hands due to rough contact.
Oh, and it’s also for getting the ladies according to the ad.
Man: And talk about sexy.
You’ll have to hold the ladies back after they get a glimpse of these tightie whities.
Rawr.
So when you wanna “grab ‘em by the you-know-what,” don’t forget to wear Handerpants!
Meg: Oh my god! Trump: Oh please, every president since Washington
has done this.
#9: Exhaust Burger
So according to its inventors, this contraption can be attached to the car’s exhaust system,
et voila!
You can cook burgers while on the road!
Designed by an Iranian team for the “Dining in 2015” design competition, this invention
cares for the environment because you’re actually reusing energy.
It cooks the burger by soaking up the spare heat in the gases, and the clamshell design
is supposed to keep the fumes away.
Plus, you don’t need to carry extra fuel or cooking accessories when going on a picnic
trip!
Well, I don’t know about you but I’m sticking to good ol’ drive-thru for my quarter pounder
fix.
#8: Baby Mop
Whenever there’s a baby in the house, you can already expect a lot of mess on the floor.
But what if you can turn the tables and make your lil’ one clean up for you?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the creators of this silly product were high-fiving themselves
after coming up with the idea of combining a mop and a kiddie onesie, which essentially
transforms your baby into a living cleaning rag!
Granted, with 40 bucks, you can take the cutest photos with the Baby Mop, but its utilitarian
benefits are questionable at best.
Man: He’s gonna crush this.
Okay we just got to get the mop on there and less the hands.
Oh, there we go.
Woman: Super absorbent.
Man: Okay C’mon buddy.
Woman: Aww mister…
Well, at least you get to teach your kid about cleanliness, I guess?
#7: Remote Headband
This one is not only useless.
It actually looks uncomfortable, not to mention, downright silly.
Imagine Netflix and chillin’ with your snuggle buddy while wearing this horrible piece of
crap on your head.
The questionably revolutionary product features Velcro pieces that you can stick to your remote
controls, and then attach them to the headband you’re wearing.
This life hack is seriously cracked.
#6: DVD Rewinder
Nope, your eyes and ears are not fooling you.
It’s that satisfying sound of DVD rewinding.
Yes, I said DVD.
Because this is the 21st century and apparently, we’ve all run out of sensible things to
invent.
So hey, why not bring back the good ol’ days of rewinding videos!
Created by Bill Wimsatt of 1783 Productions, this item is admittedly just for novelty.
It blinks and plays two different sounds while the disc spins, and its top compartment can
be used for storage.
And in case you’re wondering, yup, it also works for Blu-ray!
#5: Screen Privacy Scarf
Ever got caught viewing NSFW content on your PC?
Or perhaps you value your privacy more than anything in the world?
Well, this next invention is for you!
Introducing the Computer Hood Privacy Scarf!
This scarf-like thing lets you cover your screen and keep whatever you are watching
or reading all to yourself.
Heck, it even covers your entire face!
So you don’t have to be ashamed of those suspicious ads that suddenly pop up on screen.
But hold your horses because this is only a prototype for a design class, and isn’t
available in stores.
Here’s to hoping it says a concept forever.
#4: Diet Water
Remember this scene from Parks and Rec?
Leslie: Oh yes.
Let’s talk about water zero.
The name implies that there are zero calories like most water.
But in fact, it has 300 calories per serving.
Isn’t that misleading?
Kathryn: If you want zero calorie water, try Diet Water Zero Lite.
It only has 60 calories.
Well apparently, there is such a thing as diet water in real life!
The Sapporo Diet Water was released in 2004 to cater to fitness buffs and weight watchers.
This product, which really is more like a glorified vitamin water, has zero calories,
so you may consume as much of it as you want.
It also supposedly contains a special type of peptide bond that can help you lose weight.
But why take a zero-calorie no-sugar-added diet water lite when you can just have plain
ol’ H2O?
Ah, because your SoulCycle instructor swears by it.
#3: Motorized Ice Cream Cone
Eating ice cream on a hot summer’s day is one of the simplest pleasures in life.
But doing it with this motorized cone can turn that pleasure into a royal pain in the
neck!
A man named Richard Hartman was granted a patent in 1999 for his motorized ice cream
cone invention.
It’s a hand-held motorized cup spinner designed to contain, support, and rotate your ice cream
as you lick it.
Because it’s such a laborious task to twirl the cone on your own.
Although I have to admit, this guy makes it look so darn cool.
Man: Now we got your ice cream, all you have to do is stick your tongue out and it’s
going to spin.
#2: Tea Pods
Let’s get one thing straight.
How hard is it to steep a teabag in a cup of hot water?
In a world where convenience is becoming more and more paramount when it comes to new product
launches, you will no longer be surprised at what hits the market next.
Just like these Nespresso-compatible tea capsules!
Dilmah is one of the first tea companies who toyed around with the idea of putting tea
inside pods, essentially making tea bags fit for Nespresso machines.
You can’t argue with its novelty, especially since Nespresso machines are so famous for
coffee drinks.
So why not cater to tea drinkers too!
But really, is five minutes of steeping tea too much of a waiting time?
And what if you don’t have the expensive machine yet?
I have so many questions.
Good thing I prefer a cup of joe.
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#1: Gold Poop Pills
We’ve all seen how the rich and famous throw money away with their lavish parties and expensive
bling, making it rain like there’s no tomorrow.
And for those high-rollers who have run out of ideas on how to spend their Benjamins,
here’s a sparkly solution!
In 2005, the Museum of Modern Art commissioned a collection called Indulgence, which included
a pill that makes human crap look like gold!
A collab between artists Tobias Wong and Ju$t Another Rich Kid, the gold poop pills contain
24-karat edible gold leaf that makes your bowels come out all sparkly and shimmery.
For best results, swallow it with a limited-edition gold-flaked bottle of champagne.
At $425 a pill, it’s the fanciest way to throw money down the drain!
So, if you were to come up with your own invention, what would it be and why?
Let us know in the comments section below.
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Awesome right!
Want more epic design fails?
Then don’t miss our countdown of the 10 Worst As Seen on TV Items!
‘Til then, stay imaginative, fact-natics!
And see you in the next video!