Top 5 Ridiculous Inventions That Made Millions

Just about everyone has had an idea in their lifetime that could potentially be worth millions. The problem with most of these ideas is that they never see the light of day because people simply do not act on those ideas. Entrepreneurs today understand the philosophy that it only takes one great idea to be successful. The chances of success might be small, but there have been people who went on to be millionaires from just a simple idea they had. Here are the top ridiculous inventions that made millions for people who started with one idea and a dream.


The SnuggieThis item was invented by Scott Boilen and basically is a backless bathrobe with a cute name, that’s it. The Snuggie became an instant hit because of it’s ridiculously silly commercials that portrayed kids and adults wearing the backwards bathrobe at sporting events, dinner, and backyard barbecues. The Snuggie was an overnight success and sold over 20 million units in the first year. Scott realized that the item was ridiculous, and decided to make the commercials portray people wearing them in a humorous way. Once celebrities like Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres and Conan O’Brien began featuring the products on their television shows, the success of the Snuggie skyrocketed. The sales figures have the Snuggie at around $20 million, a pretty good profit for a simple backless bathrobe.




The Pet Rock

The pet rock was invented by Gary Dahl who recognized there was an need for hassle-free pets. He was an advertising executive at the time he came up with the idea for the pet rock, and basically placed a rock on a small bed of hay inside a little box. The pet rock was born and sold for only $3.95 a piece. Gary was paying only .95 cents to create the pet rocks, and sold over $15 million in the first 6 months in business. The pet rock is still considered to be one of the best fads of our time.


The Wacky Wall Walker

The story of this unique invention goes back to when Ken Hakuta’s mom sent him what was thought to be the very first Wacky Wall Walker as a present from China. Ken was completely taken by the little plastic gooey toy that walked down walls, and purchased the rights to the product for $100,000. The sales were very slow at first until the editor at the Washington Post came across Ken’s toy and wrote a favorable article about it. That was the beginning of a legendary fad that saw in excess of 240 million units sold in only a few months. Ken profited over $80 million those couple months, and has been thanking his mother for the idea since.




The Slinky

The Slinky was one of those ideas that literally fell into the lap of naval engineer Richard James. While Rich was working on a ship, he accidentally dropped a tension spring that he had been working with, and watched it walk across the floor. That minute the Slinky became his inspiration. James brought the Slinky to Gimbals department store in 1945 and had to persuade a friend to make the very first purchase to drive interest to the toy. He went on to sell 400 units that first hour and a quarter billion units later, Ken still is considered in many circles as the inventor of the greatest kids toy ever. His profits well exceeded $250 million and became one of the most profitable toys ever made.


The Beanie Babies

Ty Warner had an idea of filling a little sack with some beans, giving it fluffy ears and cute names like Patti the Platypus, and trying to sell the idea to kids across the country. Ty did not envision the Beanie babies would go on to become a bigger empire that Mattel and Hasbro Toys combined. During the very first toy show to feature the Beanie Babies, Ty sold 30,000 units and the fad had begun. Profits have climbed in the billions of dollars, and the success of the Beanie babies lies squarely on the philosophies Ty used to sell the toys. There were no commercials, no inventory in Toys R Us or any major chain store. Ty simply made the Beanie Babies hard to find which created a feeling of urgency to buy. Ty also began retiring popular animals so that any remaining Beanie Babies became a high commodity with collectors. In the height of the Beanie Baby craze, Ty made over $700 million in a single year.