Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Big Flop Tuesday......

Have you ever wondered how people keep coming up with new inventions?
Just when you think that everything is already invented, that needs to be invented,
someone comes up with an awesome idea. These things are much more evident at Christmas time of course: The Clapper....Chia Pet...The Tabletop Pizza Oven....The list goes on and on.
But some things just never caught on, see if you can vaguely remember any of these.....

BIC PERFUME..The snazzy $ 5.00 perfume that looked like a cigarette lighter. Why wasn't it a bigger hit with women? According to one industry expert.."It looked like a cigarette lighter".
Bic lost $11 million...

CHILLY BANG! BANG! JUICE...The kiddie drink shaped in a pistol shaped package. Kids drank it by putting the barrel in their mouths and squeezing the trigger...outraged parents and state officials got it yanked from the shelves almost immediately...

HOP'N'GATOR...The inventor of Gatorade sold his original drink to a major corporation in 1966. Then in 1969, he used the money for another "can't miss" idea..A mixture of beer and Gatorade.
The Pittsburg Brewing Co. tried it for a couple of years.....Big Flop!!

ZARTAN the ENEMY action figures...Hasbro promoted the soldier doll as a "paranoid schizophrenic" that becomes violent under pressure. It got pulled after mental health organizations complained,,(were they crazy?).

PEPSI A.M....Get your caffeine from a colas rather than coffee.? Big flop!! Pepsi found out that most people did not want a breakfast soft drink, plus they still preferred the taste of original Pepsi..

"NEW COKE"...Even with Bill Cosby Schlepping it, People screamed kicked and clammored for the return of the original Coca Cola....They lost Millions!!

HANDS UP!!...Kids soap in an aerosol can, introduced in 1962. Instead of a nozzle, there was a plastic gun mounted on top. You get soap out of the can by pointing the gun at the kid and squeezing the trigger. The Official Slogun?.."Gets kids clean, and MAKES them like it"!!

.....These are just a few of the many many unsuccessful items that were introduced. But just think, you may be the inventor of that "Pocket Fisherman"! Or that hand held little vibrator thingy that relieves stress in women! Or that Table-Top Rottisserie Oven that all you have to do is .."Set it, and forget it"!!....Get to thinking America, ideas happen every day!!.. Peace!

19 comments:

lime said...

FIRST!!!!

lime said...

i've fallen (over laughing) and i can't get up!!!

man those are some baaaaaad ideas.

Head Cookie said...

Hmmm very interesting there G-man but I don't remember any of these wonderful flops.

Darlin_Jo said...

I remember them....at least a few....

Love the page.....

~Darlin~

Cha Cha said...

I can't wait until someone invents a food replicator like on Star Trek.

I need one of those sooooo bad.

Mona said...

Terrible ideas I must say! They really do stink...

One should not mess up with the hit originals at all. they always end up with huge losses. I remember the same things as 'Cola' happening here with Maggi Noddles.

Crabby said...

Only one I remember is New Coke.

But.... I HAVE a pocket fisherman. It was my inheritance from Bob's Dad.

For some reason people always leave me weird shit when they die. hmm. Makes ya think,huh?

jillie said...

What about the Pepsi Clear? That was GROSS!!!!!

I can't even imagine what the person was thinking of with the guns and kids. Obviously he wasn't right?

hahaha

Unknown said...

The only thing that the lady remembers is the vibrator. This can mean only one of two things. I'm too young, or I have a wanton imagination.

Now I'm worried, I'm really worried!

~hangs head low~

S said...

No no that new coke thing..was a huge advertising ploy...they knew people would freak..they got tons of bad publicity...then they brought back classic coke...made billions...now, diet coke it the most popular selling soft drink in America, bar none.

snowelf said...

Hey ya Galen :)

You know, that soap would sell like crazy now!! Kids love that foamy soap stuff!!

--snow

tsduff said...

I want to say Billy Bass was an invention that never made it, but I think there are actually lots of folks who DID buy it... LOL

I bet they bought Chia pets too.

G-Man said...

Limey,
I wish I would have thought of them!!
xoxox

Jadey,
You are wayyyyyy
Too young!!

Missy,
You need an agent?
xox

Darlin Jo...?
I don't believe I've ever seen you around these parts before!
Welcome to the Jungle!!
Galen...

Strumpet...
A Subway Replicator!!!
xoxox

Mona,
Maggi Noddles?
What is that sweetie?

Crabby..?
You have a Pocket Fisherman?

Jildo,
I forgot all about that one...hehehehe

Upstate Ambre?
You are too young!!!
xox

Susie,
I've switched to Diet Pepsi...It tastes almost real!
xoxox

Hey Snow,
We used to have some very violent TV in the 60's...

Terry!!!
Hi sweetie, You have a Billy Bass?
Ya know, I think I have one somewhere around here.
Nice to see you xox

barman said...

Coke Classic was BAD. Just like me and Diet Coke. I can not stand the stuff. Now Diet Pepsi is OK, and diet Vernor's, and even TAB or Freska.

Charles said...

Yeah the reformulation of Coke saved them a fortune since New Coke, corn syrup is lots cheaper than sugar. Like Barman points out I've seen Fresca recently, something I didn't see for decades.
They say necessity is the mother of invention, if necessity is the mother of invention, then surely imagination is the father.

Evalinn said...

Amazing, G-man. My favorite is the chocolate cigarettes, I just don´t know where to get them these days?

G-Man said...

Barman,
FRESCA??
I haven't seen that stuff in years. And Tab,
God that stuff was awful.
Diet Vernor's is the whip!...Thanks

Charles,
That's some very philosophical stuff there son...Thanks

Evalinn,
I can send you some!
xoxox

Cha Cha said...

Oh my God!

Chocolate cigarettes!!

I used to LOVE those when I was a kid.

And the Bubble Gum cigarettes too.

The bubble gum ones had powder over the gum between the paper and when you puffed on the the powder would come out like smoke and it looked like you were smoking!

They were the whip!!

(I'm going to start saying that now, Galen, just so you know.)

Oh, and I've always wanted a Chia Pet. One of these days, I AM going to buy one.

Maybe once I get my daisies all good and growing.

Keep your fingers crossed on that one.

And Pepsi Clear was weird...but cool in an odd sort of way.

However, these days I do not drink soda products. I stick to Vitaminwater, Emergen-C packets, Airborne tablets, and little green tea Crystal Light packets, and skim milk and orange juice, grapefruit juice, apple juice and cranberry juice and pom juice and naked juices. All so much better than SODA!

But, when I was a kid that was all I drank!

We just switched to Pepsi products at work. We have Dr. Pepper now, so I have been tempted. We had Mr. Pibb before. But, I always preferred the theme song to Dr. Pepper.

Oh and Starbucks.

Can't forget my grande, non-fat, iced green tea lattes, no ice.

Green milk is the whip.

G-Man said...

Strumpet is the WHIP!!!