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It’s not easy to introduce a new product to the market—even for famous brands. Sometimes, consumers aren’t ready for the product, and sometimes bad marketing is to blame. And if that happens, even an enormous marketing budget can’t make people buy the failed products.

You see, when it comes to entrepreneurship and creativity, not every idea can be a home run. Some end up being such bad products that they leave us scratching our heads and asking, “What were they thinking?”

Here at Bored Panda, we’ve gathered 74 such failed products that are notorious for being so unsuccessful that some of them even managed to drive some companies out of business. From rebranding and product extension fails, such as the funny of Colgate lasagna, to startup companies, like Juicero, these products crashed and burned in the pursuit of innovation.

Scroll below to delve into the world of the biggest product failures ever. You’ll be downright outraged by some, while others will leave you in tears; either way, those are some pretty epic failed innovations.

#1

Kitchen Entrees, Colgate, 1982

Picture of Colgate Beef Lasagna box

In 1982, Colgate came up with the weirdest brand extension idea. They decided to sell frozen dinners! This plan backfired, probably because consumers couldn’t help but think that the Colgate food tasted just like their toothpaste. No company launches a product thinking that it will decrease sales of their other products, but Colgate should’ve seen it coming. Their toothpaste sales plummeted after the launch of the kitchen entrees line.

museumoffailure.com Report

#2

Office Assistant Clippy, Microsoft, 1990s

Picture of Office Assistant Clippy

Clippy is described by some as one of the worst user interfaces ever developed. Clippy was designed to pop up whenever the software thought that the user needed help and managed to annoy quite a few people. After Microsoft acknowledged its unpopularity they decided to remove the feature.

wikipedia.org Report

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Echo
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Y'all need to back off. Leave Clippy alone. He did the best he could with the code he was given. This was obviously a human problem. He was always there for me when I needed him.

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#3

EZ Squirt Ketchup, Heinz, 2006

Picture of Ez Squirt Ketchup with fries

In 2000, Heinz decided to add an unexpected twist to their ketchup to catch children’s attention. They came up with "EZ Squirt" colored ketchup, which came in three main colors: teal, green, and purple. The idea wasn’t meant to last on the market. After six years it was discontinued.

imgur.com Report

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#4

Bic For Her, 2012

Picture of Bic for Her pencil

In 2012, Bic released a product for women they didn’t even know they needed—“lady pens”. These pointlessly gendered pens were mocked and failed to gain a consumer base.

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Zenozenobee
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because we, women, definitivly neeeeed pink pens and the pink taxe that goes with... and we can"t even say this sexist stuff happened in 1960's

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#5

Frito-Lay Wow! Chips, 1998

Picture of Frito-Lay Wow! chip packs

In 1998, Frito-Lay introduced new fat-free potato chips. People got caught up in the hype of this “miracle food,” and within the first year, sales reached $400 million. Sales plummeted soon after, however, when it was revealed that the chips contained Olestra, a fat substitute that causes abdominal cramping and loose stools.

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JP
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It wasn't just loose stools...it was uncontrollable explosive diarrhea!

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Five Famous Failed Companies

In the fast-paced corporate world, even the big shots can sometimes trip over their own feet. It’s a reminder from the universe (and consumers): nobody is immune to change. We’ve rounded up five brands that took off with a lot of promise but fizzled out quickly. These failed brands made some questionable decisions that ultimately led to their demise.

Quibi

Streaming platform Quibi had a rapid demise in 2020. It promised to revolutionize mobile entertainment with 10-minute clips but didn’t consider the similar free content available on YouTube and TikTok. The company folded just six months post-launch despite receiving $1.7 billion in funding.

Blockbuster

Blockbuster was once a household name for movie rentals. However, it failed to adapt to the digital era when it refused to buy Netflix in 2000. Blockbuster’s brick-and-mortar rental model quickly became obsolete in a world dominated by streaming services.

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Theranos

Theranos claimed to revolutionize blood testing with its innovative technology. However, the company’s failed product didn’t live up to the hype. Theranos faced legal challenges and investigations and ultimately shut down in 2018. The CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, faced legal consequences for misleading investors and patients.

Yahoo

Yahoo is not a failed brand, as it is still around. However, it’s a tale of missed opportunities and colossal missteps. It got cold feet on mammoth opportunities—first, it refused to buy Google for $1 million in 1998 and Facebook for $1.1 billion in 2006. Then, it snubbed Microsoft’s $44.6 billion bid in 2008. It was humbled in 2016 when Verizon swooped in for a bargain, buying Yahoo for around $5 billion, a fraction of its former glory.

Blackberry

BlackBerry was leading the mobile phone market in the early 2000s. Their key differentiation was the ability to send emails and messages on the go. Its technology, however, quickly became obsolete with the rise of Android and iOS smartphones. The failed brand stopped manufacturing phones in 2017.

#6

Google +, 2011

Google + logo

In 2011, Google launched its new social network Google+. However, it never lived up to their expectations of becoming a Facebook competitor. It was a huge disappointment.

Google Report

#7

Trump Steaks, Donald Trump, 2007

Picture of Trump steaks with Donald Trump

Donald Trump kicked off his “world’s greatest” line of premium steaks in 2007. However, consumers didn't agree with the description of 'great'. The product was discontinued after just two months because of low sales.

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#8

Rejuvenique Face Mask, 1999

Picture of Rejuvenique face mask

In 1999, the nightmarish "Rejuvenique Facial Toning Mask" was launched. This creepy mask was intended to tighten facial muscles with... shock therapy. Consumers revealed that it felt as bad as it sounded.

amazon.com Report

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#9

Crystal Pepsi, 1992

Bottle of Crystal Pepsi

In 1992, Pepsi introduced a new product called “Crystal Pepsi”. The product died a year later. David C. Novak, who is credited with introducing the concept, admitted: “It would have been nice if I’d made sure the product tasted good.”

amazon.com Report

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Chiemi Honda
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They brought it back i think....I saw it at the gas station in hawaii... unless it's from 1992...

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#10

Cheetos Lip Balm, Cheetos, 2005

Picture of Cheetos Lip Balm

In 2005, someone at Frito-Lay decided launching a Cheetos-flavored lip balm would be a great idea. Even those of us who have never tried Cheetos can understand why this idea flopped.

unknown Report

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Sarah Hoskovec
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They were ahead of their time. I know a guy in the White House who would LOVE this product!

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#11

Twitter Peek, 2009

Picture of blue Twitter Peek

Launched in 2009, Twitter Peek was the first and the last Twitter-only mobile device. The product was created to do only one thing - send and receive tweets, but managed to fail at this simple function. The device gave only a 20-character preview of the tweets. It was no surprise that consumers made a hard pass on this device.

amazon.com Report

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#12

Thirsty Cat! And Thirsty Dog!, 1994

Bottles of Thirsty Cat! and Thirsty Dog!

In 1994, a bottled water made for cats and dogs was launched. The beverage was carbonated, vitamin-enriched, and flavored. The product flopped after consumers realized it was essentially soda and completely unnecessary to give to their pets.

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Troux
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I appreciate that they took the low budget approach and just found some random street cat to do the advert.

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#13

Samsung Galaxy Note 7, 2016

Broken Samsung Galaxy Note 7

In 2017, everyone was talking about this explosive failure—the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. It lasted less than a year in the market after Samsung recalled around 2.5 million phones due to complaints of overheating and exploding batteries.

iphonedigital Report

#14

Hoverboards, 2015

Picture of red Hoverboards

In 2015, Hoverboards became one of the biggest tech flops. Why? Because they could potentially catch fire and burn your house down.

Soar Boards Report

#15

Juicero, 2017

Picture of Juicero with glass of juices

In 2013, Juicero introduced a juicer called the Juicero Press. This device was sold with packets of pre-juiced fruits and vegetables sold exclusively by the company. They were humiliated when consumers realized that the packets could be squeezed by hand just as efficiently as with the juicer. Later, Juicero announced that it was suspending its juicer sales and repurchasing the products from customers.

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#16

Google Glass, 2013-2014

Person with Google glass

Google Glass, launched in 2013, was a very flawed attempt to create smart glasses. The device retailed for $1,500 and failed to perform its intended functions well. These high-tech glasses also reportedly raised some very serious safety and privacy concerns.

Bill Grado Report

#17

New Coke, Coca-Cola Co, 1985

New Coke can

In 1985, Coca-Cola Co. decided to reformulate Coke. The company invested $4 million into a nationwide taste test. And despite the New Coke doing well in taste tests, people's reactions were extremely negative after the launch. Within three months of New Coke’s release, the company had to reintroduce the original formula and rebrand it as Coca-Cola Classic.

The Coca-Cola Company Report

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Turd Ferguson
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Malcolm Gladwell's book "Blink" offered a very interesting theory on why it failed. Essentially it came down to sweet was preferable in small doses (i.e., blind taste tests), but most people don't drink just a little bit.

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#18

Cocaine, Redux Beverages, 2007

Picture of Cocaine, Redux Beverages can

This energy drink was pulled from shelves in the US because of its suggestive name. The FDA decided that Cocaine was “illegally marketing the drink as both a street drug alternative and a dietary supplement.” The drink is still sold in Europe under its original name.

theimpulsivebuy Report

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Night Owl
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"The drink is still sold in Europe under its original name." Where in Europe? I never saw it and this is the first time I've heard of it and I live in Europe.

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#19

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Atari, 1982

Picture of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Atari

Atari spent $20 million to secure the box office hit E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial thinking they had found a profitable source for video game development. The company produced four million cartridges however 2.5 million were left unsold and were dumped in a landfill.

wikipedia.org Report

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Kjorn
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

you know if you planned, designe and makes a game in 2 weeks of course it will sucks!

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#20

Amazon's Fire Phone, 2014

Picture of Amazon's Fire phone with box

Amazon decided to enter the smartphone market with the Fire Phone in 2014. However, it was very unsuccessful and was discontinued a year later. The company’s CEO Tom Szkutak indicated that the pricing strategy was to blame for this product fail.

Romazur Report

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Holl Balls
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Guess the market didn’t CATCH fire. I guess they didn’t find the phone to be LIT.

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#21

Delorean DMC-12, Delorean Motor Company, 1981

Delorean Dmc-12 car

You probably know this car for its appearance in the movie, Back to the Future. Notable for its gull-wing doors, the car was plagued by performance and safety issues. It was on the market only for three years before production was stopped.

dave_7 Report

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Troux
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The company also failed due to the very unscrupulous practices of both business and personal affairs of John Delorean. Cocaine was heavily involved and I'm NOT talking about the failed soft drink!

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#22

Jimmy Dean Chocolate Chip Pancake-Wrapped Sausage, 2006

Jimmy Dean chocolate chip pancake-wrapped sausage box

In 2016, Jimmy Dean introduced a strange combination - sausage links wrapped in chocolate chip pancakes on a stick. The saying “it might be crazy enough to work” did not apply to this product.

cabel.name Report

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Deana
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They still sell these...only with plain pancakes or blueberry pancakes. I haven't seen the chocolate chip. My son LOVES these things...he's 10.

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#23

Premier Smokeless Cigarettes, Rj Reynolds Tobacco Company, 1989

Person smoking Premier smokeless cigarettes

In 1988, RJ Reynolds Tobacco decided to develop a smokeless cigarette. The company invested $325 million into manufacturing their new Premier line which, according to the CEO of the company “tasted like sh*t”. It’s no surprise people didn’t buy them.

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#24

Windows Vista, Microsoft, 2007

Picture of Windows Vista box

The operating system Windows Vista, released in 2007, was a huge failure. It flopped due to new security features, performance, driver support, and product activation issues.

mynetx Report

#25

Orbitz Soda, Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation, 1997

Picture of different color Orbitz soda

Orbitz drink, which resembles a lava lamp caught consumers’ attention in 1988. However, according to reviews, its taste wasn’t worth the hype. People began comparing the beverage to cough syrup and the gel balls only made the taste worse.

wikipedia.org Report

#26

Pepsi Blue, 2002

Bottle of Pepsi Blue

In 2002, Pepsi launched its Pepsi Blue drink to compete with Vanilla Coke. Despite being heavily promoted, this new beverage flopped. It was supposed to taste like berries. However, consumers said it tasted more like cotton candy with a berry-like aftertaste.

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John Leriel
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow, we loved this in high school in Hungary! It was rumored it was created by accident in one of the factories, and they decided to sell the strange colored coke as a limited edition. In my opinion, it tasted a bit like almond. If you mixed it with regular coke, it became green. (Instant Nuka-Cola.)

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#27

Blak, Coca-Cola, 2006

Bottle of Blak, Coca-Cola

In 2006, Coca-Cola combined cola with coffee to create Coca-Cola Blak. The drink was shelved a couple of years later when people began complaining about the poor taste and excess caffeine.

Rob Durdle Report

#28

Pepsi A.M, 1989

Pepsi A.M can

In 1989, Pepsi introduced Pepsi A.M. This new formula contained more caffeine than regular Pepsi and was marketed as a morning drink. However, consumers were not fond of the idea of drinking Pepsi for breakfast. As a result, Pepsi A.M. was discontinued a year later.

dinosaurdracula.com Report

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sunnyrei82
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

maybe they had the wrong market, cause.. over here in Mexico, you can enjoy your tacos de birria with a niiiiice, cold soda in the morning!

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#29

Parfum Bic, 1989 - 1990

Picture of different kind Parfum Bic

In 1989, Bic launched a completely unrelated product to its brand—perfumes. People were not impressed. Bic removed the fragrance from shelves the following year, swallowing an estimated $11 million loss.

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Zenozenobee
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bic... a brand that have been producing disposable pens, lighters or shavers since 1945 though it was a good idea to use the same name for parfum, which is supposed to be a luxury product?

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#30

Cosmopolitan Yogurt, 1999

Picture of Cosmopolitan Yogurts different flavour

In 1999, Cosmopolitan magazine decided to get into the food game. They came up with the idea of Cosmopolitan yogurt. While yogurt itself seemed to appeal to their target demographic, Cosmopolitan was unable to sell their brand. It was discontinued after only 18 months.

kirstiecrotty Report

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Chicago Kitty
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Considering how sleazy Cosmo is as a magazine, I wouldn't want to eat any food they put their name on.

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#31

Gerber Singles, 1974

Picture of Gerber Singles

In 1974, the baby food giant Gerber came up with the idea of creating ‘baby food’ for adults. Gerber believed there was a market for ready-to-eat food in a jar, but oh how wrong they were. Consumers didn’t find jars of meat mush very appetizing, and Gerber Singles failed badly.

wikipedia.org Report

#32

Segway, 2001

Person riding Segways

Segway was launched in 2001 with very high expectations. However, this two-wheeled expensive vehicle failed to live up to the hype. It came with a price tag of $5,000, and despite being quite innovative, it just wasn’t that appealing or necessary to consumers.

Joan Campderrós-i-Canas Report

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ieniemienieme
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"You see me roll on my Segway I know in my heart they think i'm white and nerdy"

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#33

Nokia N-Gage, Nokia, 2003

Picture of Nokia N-Gage, Nokia phone

Back in 2003, before everyone was playing games on their smartphones, Nokia decided to combine phones and gaming. The company expected a better reception to their Nokia N-gage, but it ended up being a total failure. This ‘taco phone’, as some people began referring to it, only managed to reach one-third of its 6 million units in sales.

Evan-Amos Report

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Parmeisan
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aw, that looks like a neat idea. Clever layout. I can see why it might have issues though.

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#34

Sony Betamax, 1975

Poster for Sony Betamax

Sony Betamax was released in 1975, but it was a huge mistake because its rivals started selling VHS machines. The Betamax format was crushed in the videotape format war by the VHS. Consumers preferred it mainly because VHS recording time was 2 hours, allowing most feature films to be recorded without a tape change.

Nesster Report

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Biana Weatherford
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I believe the real reason that Betamax failed was that the porn industry went with the VHS format.

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#35

Trump: The Game, 1989

Poster for Trump: The Game

In 2011, Time magazine listed this game among the "Top 10 Donald Trump Failures". This game was released in 1989 with only 800,000 copies sold out of an expected two million.

BoardGameGeek Report

#36

McDonald's Arch Deluxe, 1996

Poster for McDonald's Arch Deluxe

In 1996, McDonald’s decided to broaden its target demographic by introducing a burger, Arch Deluxe. The mustard-mayonnaise sauce was supposed to appeal to adult tastes. However, even a $100 million advertising campaign couldn’t convince grown-ups to eat the burger. The failed product was soon discontinued, and its marketing campaign is now considered to be one of the most expensive flops of all time.

RetroNewsNow Report

#37

Hot Wheels And Barbie Computers, 1999

Poster for Hot Wheels and Barbie computers

Hot Wheels and Barbie computers came with so many manufacturing issues that it drove the company out of business, with thousands of unfilled orders.

vintagecomputing.com Report

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Tinpot
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG! I worked for the company that provided the speakers in the package. Absolute garbage. I'm having really bad flashbacks right now.

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#38

Microsoft Zune, 2006

Picture of red Microsoft Zune

In 2006, Microsoft came up with the Zune, a failed product that was supposed to rival the iPod. However, Zune failed to convince consumers that it was on par with the iPod. In 2011, Zune players were discontinued.

Robert Nelson Report

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M O'Connell
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My ex had a Zune in 2007, and I had an iPod, the Zune was definitely better at the time.

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#39

Satisfries, Burger King, 2013

Picture of Satisfries, Burger King

Burger King’s attempt to make french fries a little healthier backfired. They introduced Satisfries in 2013 as an alternative to regular fried, except with less fat and fewer calories. Consumers weren’t fond of these revamped fries, and Burger King had to go back to their original recipe.

Mike Mozart Report

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Troux
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember in the 1990s when McDonald's fries were delicious. Then they succumbed to public pressure which treated them as a scapegoat for all obesity, and changed the formula for good. Now the fries are just meh. Checkers/Rally's will forever carry the best fries trophy, and all they have to do is not care about health in any way.

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#40

Laserdisc, Philips, 1978

Person holding Laserdisc, Philips

Despite being able to offer higher-quality video and audio than its rivals, Laserdisc failed to gain traction.

Windell Oskay Report

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Cassie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Laserdisc was out at the same time as Betamax and VHS were battling over market dominance. We had all three machines in our living room until Laserdisc and Betamax finally lost out to VHS.

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#41

Vio, Coca-Cola Company, 2009

Picture of different color Vio bottles

Introduced in 2009, Vio, a beverage by The Coca-Cola Company, failed to win consumer’s hearts. Why? Probably because flavored milk mixed with carbonated water is a very odd and unappealing combination.

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#42

Mazagran, Starbucks And Pepsi, 1995

Picture of four Mazagrans

Starbucks and Pepsi partnered to make this carbonated coffee soda. People couldn’t decide whether they liked or hated the drink. Nevertheless, it was discontinued after failing to appeal to a broad audience.

starbucks melody Report

#43

Mars Needs Moms, Walt Disney Motion, 2011

Poster for Mars Needs Moms

Mars Needs Moms was an utter disappointment for Disney. The animated film cost $150 million to produce and probably $50 million more went to marketing. The saddest part is that the movie only made only $6.9 million in its debut at the domestic box office. It is considered the worst flop of 2011.

en.wikipedia.org Report

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Zenozenobee
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never heard of it. Guess the $50 million spend on marketing were not enough ;p

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#44

Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino, Starbucks, 2017

Person holding Starbucks Unicorn frappuccino

When Starbucks launched Unicorn Frappuccino, it made people freak out about how good it looked on their Instagram feeds. However, the taste didn’t match the hype and disappointed many people.

Michelle oshen Report

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sunnyrei82
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ugh.. just by seeing it I can feel a mouthful of artificial sweeteners! Ugh! I don't get it why it became the craze, it look awful! Gross.

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Magdalina777
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While they most likely(with, like, 100% likeliness) used chemical-tasting artifical dyes there there're actually a few similar looking natural dyes on the market these days. You can use blue matcha tea(it's made from some type of ground blue flowers) for vivid blue and you can apparently use dragon fruit powder for absolutely op bright purple. I just found this out today and I'm now itching to cook something with this stuff :D

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Claire A.
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It also apparently sucked for the baristas to have to make it.

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Andres Tejeda
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Unicornfrap and the other brightly colored fraps are disgusting. I tried a sample cup of it and spit it out immediately. I swear if I drank a whole one I would almost be able to feel myself get diabetes.

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Joannie Goulet
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was in college for my graphic design degree we had a class about colors and how they influence people. We were told to avoid purple for advertising food because it tend to remind people of vomit, mold and dead stuff. My teacher was right.

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Anna Repp
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dang it! It disappeared so fast, I never had a chance to try it!

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Sarath M.R
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

about the product, the very look of the product is a bit repulsive. no need to talk about the taste

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Septia Yudhi Nugraha
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it was intended as a limited edition anyway, Starbucks never put high hopes in it.

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KT Trondsen
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was bummed i didn't get to try one before they were gone lol

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Molly Block
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Couldn't be worse than their Crystal Ball frappe. I hated it.

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Carol Emory
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can't say these were a failure as my niece was practically main lining these....

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#45

Four Loko, Drink Four Brewing Company, 2005

Person holding red Four Loko can

Four Loko used to be an alcoholic beverage combined with caffeine. The drink was the subject of ethical, legal, and health concerns. In 2011, the FDA declared alcoholic energy drinks a public health concern.

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Jade Lynn
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They just took out some ingredients and lowered the alcohol content. You can still get Four Lokos

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#46

Microsoft Bob, 1995

Picture of Microsoft Bob

Microsoft introduced a software called Bob in 1995. Bob was supposed to make Windows more user-friendly by transforming the desktop screen into an image of a room to help users find and understand programs better. However, it was a huge, unworkable mess. Bob was discontinued a year later.

bentuser.com Report

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Troux
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh man, I used to have a Gateway 2000! The most overpriced computers ever to go to market, even more than Alienware.

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#47

Ev1, General Motors, 1996 — 1999

Red Ev1 car

In 1996, General Motors introduced EV1 as the first mass-produced electric car. It was a big hit with consumers and environmentalists. However, six years after the release, General Motors recalled the model, claiming liability and spare parts problems, making quite a few people angry.

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#48

Edsel, Ford Motor Company, 1957

Blue Edsel car

Back in 1957, Ford Motor Company manufactured a car called the Edsel. The company invested $400 million in the development, manufacturing, and marketing with the belief that Edsel was the "car of the future". However, once it was unveiled to the public, it failed so badly to appeal to the consumers that Ford ended up losing $250 million. Edsel was taken off the market in 1960 and became an example of how not to market a product.

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#49

Brewed Coffee In A Box, Maxwell House, 1990

Picture of Brewed Coffee in a box

Maxwell House came up with the idea to sell pre-brewed coffee in a cardboard carton. The company missed the opportunity to start a cold-brew coffee trend and instead suggested that consumers should heat up their cold coffee. It’s no surprise that they were not into this idea.

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#50

Cuecat Barcode Scanner, Digital Convergence Corporation, 1999

Picture of Cuecat Barcode scanner

The CueCat was supposed to serve as a bridge between the print media world and the internet. After plugging the device into a PC, consumers could use it to scan barcodes on magazines; the browser would then open a specialized website associated with the barcode. The product left everyone scratching their heads, and it was discontinued after it was deemed useless.

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JillVille
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had this! Actually it was really useful to scan all our movies into an online database so we could access them from other devices. It was actually really useful! We had about 1000 movies scanned in and sorted (as well as copied onto the hard drive) before our real cat jumped up and knocked the computer over when we were out one day. Killed the computer and all our hard work :( Darn cats!

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#51

Apple Pippin, 1995

Picture of Apple Pippin with controller

It is estimated that Apple produced 100,000 units of Pippin console and only 42,000 were sold. As it turns out, the console which was supposed to be a gaming, web browsing, and educational device wasn’t that appealing to the consumers.

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#52

Nintendo's Virtual Boy, 1995

Picture of Nintendo's Virtual Boy with games

In 1995, Nintendo introduced a huge mess called the Virtual Boy, marketed as the first virtual reality console. In reality, it was far from it. The console actually used a parallax effect to create an illusion of depth. The reviews were mainly negative, and as the sales plummeted Virtual Boy was considered a failed product.

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#53

Hannah Montana Cherries, Disney, 2009

Cherries with Hannah Montana logo

After Hannah Montana became a success, Disney merchandised dozens of products. Some were appropriate, others, like these cherries, not so much...

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Cassie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Disney continues to market food products with their latest movies, including fruit. This isn't really a failed product.

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#54

Google Lively, 2008

Person making character on Google Lively

Back in 2008, when the virtual world “Second Life" was thriving, Google decided to create its own version and called it “Lively". It turned out to be a terrible idea, and "Lively" was closed after less than a year.

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#55

Astro Pants, Lululemon 2013

Woman doing yoga with Astro Pants

In 2013, Lululemon had to recall its Astro pants because consumers complained that their form-fitting pants were see-through. The incident led to a decrease in profits and a lawsuit.

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htbq
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't see a problem with that. considering that a lot of people wear see through yoga pants all the time.

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#56

Breakfast Mates, Kellogg’s, 1998

Picture of Breakfast Mates box

Milk and cereal are the perfect match, and Kellogg's knows it well. But too much of a good thing can still be too much. In 1998, the company came up with the idea of selling milk and cereal in the same box. This could’ve been a good and convenient idea. But after spending $30 million on TV and print ads, they realized that they had made a mistake. Breakfast mates were neither convenient for consumers nor tasty.

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BusLady
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So was it shelf stable or did it have to be refridgerated? I don't remember this product.

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#57

Pinto, Ford, 1970

Red Pinto car on the road

The Ford Pinto flop brought huge financial losses to the company and damaged its reputation. The reason behind it—the car is known for deadly fires related to rear-end collisions. These accidents resulted in around 117 lawsuits against Ford.

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Aunt Messy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's one in our neighbourhood - and it's restored to showroom condition. Apparently this is a trend. I spoke to a mechanic who's restored about half a dozen AMC Gremlins.

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#58

Vegemite iSnack 2.0, 2009

Close up picture of Vegemite Isnack 2.0

In 2009, Vegemite received 48,000 suggestions on what to name their new cheese-based spread. Out of all the ideas they received, they decided to go with the worst one—iSnack 2.0. It was widely ridiculed and protested and it made the company rethink their choice.

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BusLady
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've always heard that it's an aquired taste, but very popular in Australia.

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#59

Dreamcast, Sega, 1999

Picture of Dreamcast with controller

Dreamcast was supposed to put Sega back in the game. As it turned out, Dreamcast was just not as good as PS2. After this failed product, Sega decided to abandon the console business and become a third-party developer.

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Troux
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Part of what helped this flop in a big way was that the discs were not at all encoded (as they are on PS, XBox, etc.). This means that you could easily download or copy a full $60 game just as easily as you could do with a music CD. With CD burner drives, Blockbuster video and Napster all at their prime, this means that you could build a huge game collection without giving Sega or game developers a dime.

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#60

Cologne, Harley Davidson, 1990

Picture of Cologne, Harley Davidson

Back in 1990, Harley Davidson went too far with brand extension. The brand released many strange products, but it seems that bikers decided that enough was enough after Harley Davidson introduced colognes. The colognes failed to interest consumers and made Harley Davidson realize that they should stop stretching the brand into other product categories.

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Jörg Zingler
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Still on sale in Germany.... https://www.escents.de/herren-parfum/harley-davidson-parfum-online-kaufen/a-2530/?ReferrerID=7.00&gclid=CjwKCAjw-dXaBRAEEiwAbwCi5sOfCg5f_kr19dUZ34bPG5e8Q6y5dGc1E_eZTxPwXeWwyHJopw80-BoC2l8QAvD_BwE

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#61

Corfam, Dupont, 1963

Poster for Corfam, Dupont shoes

In 1964, DuPont launched Corfam shoes with synthetic leather. They were advertised as a much better alternative to leather shoes and managed to rustle up some excitement about their new product. However, these shoes flopped after people started complaining that the shoes were stiff and too hot for feet. It resulted in the company losing over $100 million.

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JAnderson
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the Military still uses these shoes as their dress shoes. They scuff easily (patent, black in color). You could clean these shoes with windex glass cleaner. They were hot and uncomfortable.

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#62

Coors Rocky Mountain Spring Water, 1990

Bottles of Coors Rocky Mountain Spring water

In 1990, the Coors Brewing Company decided to launch its first nonalcoholic beverage since Prohibition. As it turns out, many people were confused by Coors Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water since it had a name and label similar to that of Coors beer. The product was discontinued in 1997, and the low sales forced Coors to stick with selling beer.

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Angie Chan
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, Coors should stick with what they do well...um...Okay, they should stick with what they do, "beer." *spits* Nasty bland p**s-water...

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#63

Rokr E1, Motorola And Apple, 2005

Picture of Rokr E1 and computer near

Before Apple created the iPhone, they partnered up with Motorola to create a new iTunes phone. Sadly, what they came up with was an underpowered phone with limited storage and that had difficulty uploading songs.

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Charlotte
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually had this phone and loved it! It had 512mb memory, which for 2005 was actually pretty impressive, I upgraded from my 256mb MP3 player. Honestly it was a great phone for the time.

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#64

Apple Newton, 1993

Picture of Apple Newton










The Newton was a personal digital assistant developed by Apple. It was the first device to feature handwriting recognition. At first glance, the device was innovative but was later discontinued because of problems with the handwriting recognition feature and a high price tag.

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M O'Connell
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Newton was actually quite neat! It came to market just about 4 years too early though. Nobody yet knew how they could use the thing, Palm entered the market at a much better time.

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#65

Nw-Hd1 Audio Player, Sony, 2004

Picture of Nw-Hd1 Audio player

When this audio player came out, it was probably the smallest player at the time. However, it was a complete flop because it only supported Sony’s ATRAC3 format. So no MP3, WAV, or WMA support. Also, the price was way too high.

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Alex K
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

sony generally does such mistakes. the minidisc for example was awesome but sony didnt give permission for other manufacturers to make it.

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#66

Frito-Lay Lemonade, PepsiCo, 1998

Picture of Frito-Lay lemonade with logo

In 1998, Frito-Lay decided to launch a new drink. They believed that the Frito-Lay lemonade would go well with their chips, but consumers disagreed. The lemonade was soon shelved after failing to interest consumers.

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#67

HP TouchPad, 2011

Picture of HP Touchpad

HP attempted to compete with the iPad in 2011 by creating the TouchPad. However, the new tablet was just like every other tablet and failed to deliver something new. It lasted only 49 days on the market selling just 20,000 units.

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Erik Rearwin
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My younger brother and I had the HP WebOS operating system on the HP Touchpad until November 2012. When I found out that there were no new Angry Birds games like Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Star Wars in the HP Catalog store, I was disapponited. Then I added the iPad on my 2012 Christmas list. But when Kyle saw this, he said, "What is wrong with the HP Touchpad?!?!" to me. After I told him that there were no new Angry Birds games for the WebOS version and no new updates for the WebOS version of the original Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds RIO, he used the computer of my grandma(my mom's side) to install the Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS on the HP Touchpad, so I was excited for new Angry Birds games and cool games like Tower Defense(made by Com2us)! When I got a redeem code card, Kyle and I bought the packs in Radiant Defense(made by Hexage) on the HP Touchpad, which he installed the Android OS on.

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#68

Qwikster, 2011

Reed Hastings at Web 2.0 Conference

In 2011, Netflix offered streaming and DVD rental services. However, they thought it would be a good idea to divide them by creating Qwikster. The idea was to make two different websites for these services: Netflix for streaming and Qwikster for DVD rental. This would mean that customers would have to create two different accounts for these services and have two different subscription plans, leading to a high total price. After receiving harsh criticism, the re-branding was immediately shelved.

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#69

Oakley Thump, 2005

Picture of Oakley Thump glasses

In 2004, Oakley THUMP was launched as the first audio player built into sunglasses. Weak sound, a high price (from $249 to $349), and the odd fashion design failed to attract consumers.

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#70

Mighty Wings, McDonald's, 2013

McDonalds Mighty Wings poster

To lure in more customers, McDonald's once added Mighty Wings to their menu. But this new addition failed to succeed. It is believed that the reason for this flop was price, insufficient taste and the appearance wasn't appetizing enough. Mighty Wings lasted only a year in the market.

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#71

Eyetop Wearable DVD Player, 2004

Picture of Eyetop Wearable DVD player

Eyetop Wearable DVD player was designed to allow you to watch DVDs on the go. A 320 x 240 pixel LCD screen mounted in the right eyepiece of the glasses was supposed to simulate a 14-inch screen. The product flopped as users began to complain about motion sickness.

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#72

Eons.com 2007- 2012

Eons.com website

In 2006, a new social media platform for baby boomers and users over 40+ was introduced. But it failed to attract people to sign up. In 2011, it was acquired by an advertising agency that targets mature consumers.

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#73

Napster, 1999

Picture of Napster program

In the late 90s, the startup Napster was launched. Napster offered free music sharing services and was used by more than 80 million people. Soon enough, however, lawsuits against the company for copyright infringement began to pile up, and Napster had to end their services.

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Parmeisan
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think Napster fits on a list of the failed. At the time, it was HUGE. Even though peer-to-peer file sharing enabled an illegal activity, Napster itself did everything right, and products after them have continued to build on what they did. They were targetted legally *because* they were so successful.

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#74

Clairol's "Touch Of Yogurt" Shampoo, 1979

Picture of Clairol's "Touch of Yogurt" shampoo

Most shampoo brands add natural ingredients, such as honey, herbs, and fruits. Clairol went a step ahead and added yogurt to its shampoo.

Consumers didn't like the idea of putting dairy in their hair. Some people even confused it with an actual yogurt and ingested the product.

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