Ridiculous Ideas That Made People Millions
"Help elect an affirmative-action President who'll do what my teleprompter tells him to do! It's worth millions - to me!"
Posted on 05/11/2009 9:42:48 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Have you ever watched an infomercial or seen an item in a department store and thought "I could have thought of that!" Have you wished you had invested money early in a blockbuster invention? Learn the stories behind some (seemingly) ridiculous ideas that have made inventors and investors very wealthy, and find out what you, as a potential investor, should look for and consider before putting up capital for a potential funding opportunity.
The Koosh Ball You've may have never heard of Scott Stillinger but somewhere in your home or office you probably have one of his inventions – the Koosh ball, which made millions of dollars. Stillinger came up with the idea for the Koosh ball when he tied rubber bands together to create a smaller, easier-to-catch ball for his young children in 1987. He founded OddzOn Products Inc. to distribute the small, simple toy, and within just 12 months it was flying off of store shelves as that year's hottest Christmas gift.
Santa Mail Every year, millions of children around the globe pen letters to Santa and hope for a response. Byron Reese realized the potential in this market. In 2002, he launched "Santa Mail," a service that allows kids to send letters to the North Pole. Parents enclose a small fee of just $9.95, and little Johnny or Jane receives a personalized letter back from the "big man" himself. By 2009, Santa Mail had responded to nearly 300,000 children. At close to $10 a letter, well, you can do the math - needless to say, it was a little idea that has earned Reese a big return.
Lucky Break Wishbones
Antenna Balls
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
The Pet Rock ... good grief.
Cha cha cha chia.
bump
bumpity bump bump
Renting out the Lincoln Bedroom
Infomercials on Free Republic??
remember the foam brick? you could throw it at your TV screen during sports events, the news, or presidential speeches. That’d sell big now.
paging Mr. Popeil...
“No one will go broke underestimating the taste of the American People.” H.L. Mencken
Barack Obama.
I rest my case.
Clap on! Clap off!....
Help!....I’ve fallen down and can’t get up!
AH! yes!....the pocket fisherman!...you’d have better luck catching fish with a dart!
Ridiculous Ideas That Made People Millions:
1) Slinky
2) MTV
3) Fast Food
4) TV dinners
5) Thigh masters
6) Stress balls
7) arena football
8) Animal psychologists
9) Howard Stern Show
10) Al Gore and the cap and trade scheme
Long Live Capitalism.
Given that they made millions I hesitate to call these ideas ridiculous.
Nice work!
“President” Obama.
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