At some point, everybody has an idea that they believe will be “the next big thing.” After patents are purchased and business cards are made up, most of these ideas fail. Here are some companies that realized that in order to make a product thrive, sometimes you have to be a little wacky. Expect to see these bizarre items hitting store shelves this year.
Cards Against Humanity
If you A) Have friends and B) Like drinking games, you’ve inevitably come across this raunchier version of the party game, “Apples to Apples.” The game works pretty much the same – with a “card czar” picking a category card, or a card that needs a blank filled in, and the other players submitting cards they believe will make the most shocking, funny or provocative combination.
The Dipr
A “Why didn’t I think of that?” invention, the Dipr has a handle like a spoon, but at the end there’s a curved, hook-like piece that perfectly cradles a cookie, allowing you to dunk without getting your hands wet. The Dipr is $2.99 and comes in five colors.
Nerf Shoot to Snooze Alarm Clock
A novelty product for sure and a favorite among certain nerf cults, this alarm clock requires one to shoot foamy nerf projectiles at it in order to put it in snooze mode. Show that alarm clock how you really feel.
PowerUp Electric Paper Airplane Conversion Kit
This device was created for the undying little kid in all of us. With this kit, your paper plane is geared up for 30 seconds of flight by a rechargeable propeller. Really driving your boss or teacher crazy will cost $20 with this product.
Burritob0t
Appropriately created by a college student at N.Y.U., the Burritob0t is a 3D printer that composes real burritos. Certain chunky ingredients like lettuce or tomato pieces can’t be liquefied and used in the device, but salsa, beans, sour cream and other liquid elements are streamed through the “ink dispensers” onto the tortilla.
English Earthworm Gin
If you truly want to test the limits of your stomach, you’ll love this gin that includes a real worm in the bottle. The worm allegedly enhances the flavor, acts as an aphrodisiac and speeds up intoxication. For the adventurous, the alcohol costs $32 a bottle.
Hug Me Jacket
Talk of this jacket has quickly spread across social media pages, praised as a one-of-a-kind “art” item. Its creator, Si Chan, hopes to have it for sale within the year for $1,270. The warm and cozy item features five clasped “hands” fastened across the front, giving the appearance of multiple hugs.
Lapka Organic Food Tester for iPhone
While in action, this device looks a bit like an alien with its multiple “tentacles.” The iPhone plug-in tests the “organicity” of edible items by prodding them and working to detect additives. Purists will have to pay $220 for this device.
Postable table
For the very fancy picnickers, Dutch company Studio Toer offers the Postable table, a picnic table made from 1 millimeter-thick sheets of stainless steel that can be folded up to fit in an envelope. The table comes in three sizes and prices range from $190 to $870.
Orabrush Tongue Foam
In 2011 a small brand named Orabrush caused quite a stir on the social media scene with its tongue-cleaning brush — an aspect of hygiene most hadn’t thought of until then. In 2012 the company released Orabrush tongue foam, meant to be used in accompaniment with the brush. Allegedly, it fights bacteria and bad breath.