Innovation does not always lead to world-changing breakthroughs. Sometimes it wanders into strange territory where ideas are so odd that you cannot help but wonder what inspired them in the first place. Yet behind every questionable gadget was someone truly convinced that their creation would make life better. The result is a long history of products that are equal parts confusing and amusing.
These inventions were not jokes to their creators. They were pitched with confidence, marketed with passion, and in some cases, even popular on the market. That is what makes them so fun to revisit. They remind us that human creativity is unpredictable and hilarious. Let’s dive into 19 eccentric intentions that people actually tried to sell (and may have sold).
1. The Licki Brush
Have you ever wanted to lick your cat? Me neither, but there was a man named Jason O’Mara who thought that grooming your cat is a ritual that helps owners and cats bond. According to the product page, you’re supposed to approach your cat when it is calm and ease into slow licking motions with this brush.
2. Pet Rock
The Pet Rock, created by Gary Dahl in the ’70s, was literally a rock sold as a pet with straw bedding and a care manual. It became a novelty hit because it was completely hassle-free, and turned a joke into a surprisingly profitable fad.
3. The Flowbee
Rick Hunt invented the Flowbee in the 1980s, a vacuum-powered haircutting device that attached to a vacuum cleaner to trim hair and suck up clippings. It was designed to make haircuts clean and easy, and despite how it sounds, millions were sold.
4. Brainwave Cat Ears
Developed by the company Neurowear, Necomimi is a headband with motorized cat ears that move in response to brainwaves, perking up when you concentrate and drooping when you relax. It became a quirky accessory for cosplayers and tech enthusiasts.
5. The Dynasphere
John Archibald Purves created the dynasphere in the 1930s. It was a single-wheel vehicle in which the rider sits inside the wheel. It was inspired by da Vinci’s sketches and imagined as futuristic transportation, though its tricky steering and braking made it more of a novelty than a practical vehicle.
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6. The Baby Window Cage
This cage was a wire mesh contraption that attached to the outside of a window to give babies fresh air. Intended for urban apartments, it’s a bold and dangerous idea that shows what it’s like to live in limited space.
7. The iPotty
The iPotty is a toddler toilet seat with a built-in iPad holder. It was built to entertain children during potty training, combining screen time with a mundane task.
8. The Mass Shaving Machine
This late 19th-century invention was designed to shave multiple clients at once using foam applicators and blades. It treated barbering like an assembly line, prioritizing efficiency over comfort.
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9. The Isolator Helmet
Invented by Hugo Gernsback in 1925, this device was intended to block distractions and improve concentration. It completely enclosed the wearer’s head to muffle noise and light, making it an extreme focus tool.
10. Robotic Shaving Arms
Developed in the ’50s, these remotely controlled robotic arms were intended to shave a man’s face. They showed early experimentation with robotics, but they were more of a futuristic curiosity than a practical tool.
11. The Automatic Tip Requester
If you thought the little tip screen at the coffee shop was bad, think again. This mechanical arm would pop out to demand tips, somehow making the owner less embarrassed about asking for a tip.
12. The Vibrating Exercise Belt
This invention would vibrate around the waist, claiming to tone muscles without exercise. In other words, it capitalized on the desire for a quick fix to fitness, though its results were dubious.
13. The Moustache Guard
Patented in 1876 by Virgil Gates, this little shield was clipped to the face to keep a handlebar moustache clean while eating or drinking.
14. The Greenhouse Helmet
Waldemar Anguita’s 1986 invention was a helmet that housed live plants. The wearer could breathe in the oxygen the plants produced, and the plants could breathe in the wearer’s C02.
15. The Helmet-Mounted Pistol
This patent strapped a gun to a hard hat so you could fire it by blowing into a tube. This “hands-free” weapon was nothing short of grotesque.
16. Lazy Glasses
If you’re too tired to sit up, but have the energy to read, this is the invention for you. These prism glasses let you read while lying flat in bed by using angled mirrors, so you don’t have to sit up.
17. The Motorized Ice Cream Cone
This is, sadly, exactly what it sounds like. It’s a battery-powered cone that rotates so you can hold your tongue in place and let the ice cream spin past. It was invented to make eating ice cream lazier.
18. The Beerbrella
We’ve all been in a situation where we need to save our beer from some rain, and that’s exactly what the Beerbrella does. It’s a mini umbrella that clips onto your beer to shield it from the rain or sun.
19. The Tomatan
The Japanese company Kagome invented a robot you wear like a backpack that feeds you tomatoes while you run. It was designed as a quirky way to deliver healthy snacks during exercise.
Want to see more wild inventions?
Check out 20 Improvised Inventions Straight from the Garage, or take a look at 15 Vintage Inventions That Never Took Off. Finally, if you want to see forgotten inventions that were way ahead of their time, look at 20 Forgotten Inventions That Were Way Ahead of Their Time.
