Sony Betamax1975-2002In 1975, Sony launched an innovative home video tape recorder called Betamax. When JVC released the competing VHS format a year later, it started a decade long videotap...
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2/22
Rejuvenique1999-1999This beauty mask tones facial muscles with electricity. According to the instructions, the mask should be strapped onto the face for 15 minutes, three to four times a we...
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3/22
Segway 2001 This is a first-generation Segway, and it was a marvel of technology. Since Segways are still being sold, you may wonder what the Segway is doing here at the Museum of Failure. ...
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Ford Edsel1957-1960Ford hoped that the Edsel would be the car that everybody wanted. The car had several technological innovations, like an electro-mechanical Teletouch transmission - with ...
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Nokia N-Gage2003-2005Back in the year 2000, many people carried both mobile phones and handheld game consoles. Nokia combined these two devices into one unit and launched the N-Gage in 2004...
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Kodak DC-401888-2012Kodak was a successful early pioneer in the development of digital cameras. The DC40 released in 1995 was among the first consumer digital cameras sold. When Kodak creat...
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BIC For Her2011The French company BIC is best known for their ballpoint pens, which have been produced since the 1950s. Bic for Her are pens designed to ‘fit comfortably in a woman’s hand’ ...
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Coca-Cola BlÄK 2006-2008Coca-Cola spent two years developing this soda-coffee concoction, in the hopes of tapping into the growing premium coffee market. The beverage was launched in 2006 ...
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Synthetic Trachea2011-2013The surgeon Paolo Macchiarini pioneered a new regenerative surgery using a synthetic trachea (windpipe) combined with the patient’s own stem cells. The revolutiona...
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10/22
Colgate frozen dinnerAccording to the literature on brand failures, Colgate launched a line of frozen food in the 1980s. This was a mistake because the brand was strongly associated with or...
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11/22
Exubera2006-2007The pharmaceutical company Pfizer developed an inhalable insulin. The biggest advantage was that the insulin no longer needed to be injected with syringes. Following the pro...
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12/22
Lego Fiber Optic1996In the early 2000s, LEGO was close to bankruptcy with poor management and runaway costs. An example of this was LEGO Technic Fiber Optic, which featured specialized part...
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13/22
Apple Newton1993-1998Apple’s personal digital assistant was marketed as the future of computing. The sleek design and touchscreen with handwriting recognition made the Newton an exciting in...
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14/22
Orbitoclast1935-1967A lobotomy was a surgical procedure where nerves in the front of the brain were cut to treat psychiatric symptoms such as severe anxiety, depression and obsessions. The ...
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15/22
CueCat2001-2002Marketed as a revolutionary technology, the CueCat was a cat-shaped handheld scanner that plugs into your computer. By scanning special codes in printed magazines, users coul...
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16/22
McDonald’s Arch Deluxe1996 – 1997In an attempt to change its image as a restaurant for families with small children, McDonald’s introduced a new hamburger with a more "adult taste". The com...
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17/22
Iridium1998-1999Along with Motorola, Iridium created an enormous satellite infrastructure for a new global telephone network. A total of 66 satellites were required at a cost of $5 billion....
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18/22
Trump: The Game1989-1990 2004Inspired by Donald Trump’s real estate business, this game is about buying and selling real estate. It was described as a boring and complicated variation of th...
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19/22
Tidal2015This music service got its start when the rapper Jay Z bought the Swedish technology company Aspiro, which developed Tidal. The new service was launched at a grand press conference...
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20/22
Groove StickThe double drumstick inventor’s basic idea was that you could play the hi-hat cymbals twice as fast by hitting them both on the downstroke and upstroke. The problem is that you ...
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Teleguide1991-1993The Swedish state telecom company’s TeleGuide could be described as a pre-internet computer network. With the French Minitel as a model, this major investment was expected...
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Harley-Davidson1996-2005The brand of the iconic American motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson is strongly associated with ‘the biker myth’ - the freedom of the open road, strength, and fearless...
