We all have some funny ideas at times (me probably more than most) but wouldn’t you love a dollar for every one of those hair brain ideas. I certainly would because I’m sure I’d be a millionaire by now. My ideas normally revolve around what job I can do next. As I can never make my mind up whether I want to be a pilot or a pirate, an animal handler or a pantomime horse. So my ideas tend to send me trawling the jobs pages on the net. Looking for anything and everything that may be advertising in order to recruit jobs online.
Most people who come up with these wacky ideas on how to make money, normally just crash and burn, never making much money, if any at all! There are however some lucky people with strange ideas, especially for weird toys that just seem to sky rocket and make their creators absolute millions, sometimes even over many years. Some are a quick fad or a massive craze for a little while but others have been a household name for years, even over 60 years for some of the lucky few!
These are the ridiculous ideas that have made people millions…
Aquarium without Fish?
The ecosphere closed ecosystem is a fully enclosed aquarium without any fish but does have live shrimp. Perfect for those busy people who would love an aquarium but don’t want the hassle or mess of cleaning and water changing. This encased mini habitat has everything it needs to take care of itself, other than removing the greasy finger prints of curious visitors from the glass!
It’s been selling well for over 25 years too…
Mood Rings
Mood rings have been around for a long while and are classed as a novelty item. Normally available for just a £1 or so nowadays but in the seventies when they were first developed they cost up over of $45 and they soon became a fad. These coloured rings can supposedly tell your mood by the colour it changes to, it uses a liquid crystal which reacts to fluctuating human body temperatures.
Letters from Santa!
There are loads of companies out there now offering this service and it must be lovely to see your child’s face when they receive a letter from Santa! Since the company Santa mail began it has raked in over $2 million!
Singing Fish?
Big Mouth Billy Bass was the biggest craze in the 1990’s through to the early 2000’s. These singing fish were everywhere, pubs, cafes, the den at home and even on your favourite movies and TV shows. Favorite and most appropriate song “Take Me To The River” by Al Green!
Inanimate Pets?
The Pet Rock were a massive fad in the 1970’s. The only pet that you don’t need to feed, walk or indeed clear up it’s do-do!! Why this expensive craze took off I don’t know, surely you could just get one from the garden and name it? It did however makes it creators a hefty amount of money over the years…
Furby
Furby’s were hugely popular after they were released in 1998. These furry electronic, interactive pets must have made their creators a pretty packet. They have sold over 40 million of this pets worldwide to date! I think they are quite pricey too…
FooPets?
A one for the allergy sufferer who wants the responsibility of having a pet but who also loves technology! FooPets is an online community where you interact with your virtual pets and other people online, for a fee of course. You can also buy applications for you mobile too, so you can care for your pet on the move!
Koosh Balls
The Koosh Ball was first developed in 1986 but by 1988 it was a massive craze, not only aimed at children over 3 but also at adults too. It’s makers have sold millions of these rubber/ string-like balls over the years and they cost around $3 to $6, so you do the maths!
Snuggie
Snuggie’s were the ultimate fashion accessory for the couch potato in 2008 and 2009. These sleeved robes were worn while lounging on the couch when watching TV. Why would you pay massive amounts of money, when you could just use either your bath robe or a normal blanket to keep warm? Never the less, this fad sold millions over a few years, which has now branched out to making them for dogs too!!
Slinky
These either metal or multicoloured plastic springs were a massive fad in 1945, selling all 400 units in 90 minutes. It has since gone on to sell over 300 million units in 60 years. Other off-shoots have since been created such as slinky eye glasses and the slinky dog.
Even if these slinky’s sold at their original price of $1, that’s over $300 million…
Hope you have enjoyed a look at some of the strangest and most ridiculous items that have made their creators millionaires! Until we meet again…
Demon Chick xx
