Ridiculous Ideas That Made People Millions

yahoo ^ | Friday May 8, 2009, 6:47 pm EDT | Katie Adams

[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

[Moltke]

Ridiculous Ideas That Made People Millions:

1) Slinky

Hey, liberals are like the Slinky. Utterly useless, but when you kick 'em down the stairs it makes you smile.

[Daffynition]

[Daffynition]

Sorry, forgot to ping you to the above selection.......

[a fool in paradise]

It’s a great toy but I only briefly lived in a two story home. Slinky doesn’t mean much when you have to stack up whatever you can find. One-two-threeeee. and that’s it.

[a fool in paradise]

Weren’t frisbees originally designed as a weapon?

[a fool in paradise]

There needs to be an 'inside' squeegee. 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!

Drive around your highway system on the feeder around 5pm on a week day. Have $2 in your pocket and someone'll do the job (poorly)

[Daffynition]

Nawww ... they were pie-plates first.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Well, ya gotta put ‘em somewhere when yer driving!

[mylife]

The Hillary Clinton Egg Seperator

[bmwcyle]

COMMUNISM

[mylife]

So do I!

[dfwgator]

American Idol.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Antenna balls were around in the 1970s and they served a practical purpose when snow was piled up so high that the little orange thing bobbing along was your only clue that there was a car sitting around the corner.

Ok, I'll quit nitpicking now.

[Slings and Arrows]

1st Rule of Gutter Comedy: Any phrase with the word “balls” in it is funny.

[Heheheh, I said “balls.”]

[Revolting cat!]

The iFad!

[BluesDuke]

You forgot the hula hoop! ;)

[mad_as_he$$]

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3805304.html

[Daffynition]

You're right! [as usual]

[RandallFlagg]

Sunglass scratch repairer.

Floor wax in a bottle.

[RandallFlagg]

Weren’t frisbees originally designed as a weapon?


Only on the game grid..