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 Soviets have a solution from back in the old days of Communist rule.
They'd put windshield wipers on the tv screen to clear away all the spit from their sets.
I use a rubber dart gun ; )
“10) Al Gore and the cap and trade scheme”
11) Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign
The concept of “survival of the fittest” often challenges our notion of what constitutes “fit”.
Every time I go into the men’s room at work, I am struck by the need for my idea of a commode with built-in exhaust ventilation.
The latest big seller, Topsy Turvey tomato grower, simple and they do work great.
*...nah, too easy.
One day, a friend was screwing around with one of those, and latched onto a bluefish that was about an 8 pounder, about 26 or 28" long. He managed to fight it for about 5 minutes, at least, before it snapped the line. Funny as hell. Wish I had a video of it.
Bluefish are vicious saltwater fish.
Every time I clean the interior windows of my car, espeically the windshield and back window, as soon as I hit sunbeams all I can see is the horrible mess I made and how much I missed.
It's hard to get it done right!
I just saw one advertised yesterday on TV, it’s a stick with a pad on the end made just for wiping the inside of your car window.
Of course it was buy one get one free, just pay shipping and handling charges...
Great idea!
I was thinking of how I could devise my own somehow by wrapping some window-cleaner sheets around my regular squeegee. I think it might be too big to get way down by the front of the dash, though.
Old Steven Wright joke: I felt like streaking so I drank some Windex.
They figure if it sucks and falls apart or doesn't work you won't take the time, effort, and money to return it b/c it was so cheap from the get go. Hence, they make gobs of money off suckers like me.
You go first and tell me how it works.
lol, I would, but I don’t have a credit card. If they take Paypal I will and tell you how it works.
Forget it, the price went from $10 to $23.98 with shipping.
I’m a tightwad.
I found this page by sheer accident:
http://www.freeenterpriseland.com/index.html
I like the ‘mad bluebird’ story.
Hard to believe that a guy can make millions off of a single picture of a bluebird.
That’s gotta tell you something right there, if the shipping costs more than the product!
Two words:
“Sham Wow!”
In the same era as the pet rock was a product that peaked and fell in the blink of an eye: the Invisible Piranha. It was, simply, an empty fish bowl with a big warning flyer in the box.
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