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50 Epic Children’s Product Design Fails That Are So Bad, It’s Hard To Believe They Actually Happened
A general principle in product and package design is to never underestimate users’ stupidity. This should be even more true when designing product labels for children, and yet people manage to release some really poorly thought-out child product label fails like the ones on this list.
Some of the fails might be funny, but others are downright dangerous. The wrong product, label, or packaging design may prompt impressionable and inexperienced youngsters to use products in unsuitable ways or to even ingest products that can be harmful. If you’re a budding designer, this list can be a good list of things you shouldn’t do!
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#1
Accidentally Sent My Son To School With His Newly Bought Ugly Christmas Sweater
Didn't realize what Santa was doing until his kindergarten teacher pointed it out when I picked him up after school.
RELATED:
#2
Kids Love Pandas
Designers are often a tough crowd. It’s a competitive profession, and many professionals online are keen on picking apart each other’s work. The internet is full of communities sharing various design fails and poor choices for the world to see.
#4
Ice Lollies Have Changed Since I Was A Kid
#5
A Friend Bought This Balloon For Her Son's Birthday But Decided Against Blowing It Up
#6
Uhhh... You Alright There Pikachu?
When it comes to children’s product design fails, however, there’s another group that like to get in on the critiques - parents. Children are a highly vulnerable segment of society, so a poorly designed product or package has the potential to drive a child to accidentally harm themselves.
#7
If You've Ever Thought Kids Getting Hurt One At A Time Isn't Efficient Enough, Here's An Idea
#8
Strawberry-Scented Scissors For Kids. That’s How You Get Kids Stabbing Themselves In The Face
#9
Teaching Kids Terrible Things At Wellington Zoo
Product and packaging design for children is practically an entire discipline unto itself. For one thing, a single product and package has to appeal to two very different people - a child and their parent. The package and product have to promise to be fun while also convincing the parent that the product in question is safe, high-quality, entertaining, and, if applicable, developmentally helpful.
#10
This "M" On A Kids' Menu Activity
#11
The Brand Name Of My Daughter's Shirt
#12
Yummy Drink With A Trip To The Hospital
Package design for kids also has its own set of trends and visual principles. Things like minimalism and eco-packaging may be trending for adults, but children want something else entirely. Bright colors, zig-zags, and big pictures continue to dominate children’s packaging – because they work.
#13
This Kids' Swimsuit That Looks Like A Self-Destruction Vest
#14
This Is Pure Nightmare Fuel
#15
I'm Not Sure If This Is A Thing That You Should Give Kids
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 3 years ago
Start the kids sniffing glue early. Who on Earth came up with this :(
Of course, as we can see from the crazy design fails in this list, another key concern is clarity of purpose. Too many of the products on this list fail in this key aspect. Inedible or even toxic materials scented as food shouldn’t be making it into children’s hands - moreso if the products are also food-shaped.
#16
My Brother Pays $15,000/Year/Child To Send His Kids To Private School - This Is The 1st-Grade Homework From Last Week
#17
My Daughter Got A Globe Ball With Only America On It
the dancing demon (she/her) 3 years ago
Well, that's obviously how the world looks right? America's certainly the only important place in the world (sarcasm)
#18
My Son Is Too Terrified To Learn Anything From These Speech Therapy Worksheets, And Frankly, I Don't Blame Him
Even adults can make mistakes when product packaging and design are done wrong, so children can be even more vulnerable to issues like these.
#19
Chalk With A Popsicle Color, Shape, And Even A Wooden Handle. What Could Go Wrong With Giving These To Kids?
#20
My Son Who Just Started To Read “Hell Baby. Hell, Baby. Hell, Baby!!!”
#21
The Hippo In My Kid's Library Book Is Actually A Rhino
Tom Hardeveld 3 years ago
Baby Hippo prefers to talk... baby RHINO on the other hand prefers to stand in front of baby Hippo and blocking the view of him completely...
#22
Paint That Looks And Smells Like Juice. There's Literally A Picture Of Juice On The Box. Do You Want Kids To Drink The Paint? Because That's How You Get Kids To Drink The Paint
#23
My Son's Educational Alphabet Puzzle
#24
Never Split Your Legs When You Slide Down
#25
This Ad Of A Kid Holding A Nerf Gun The Wrong Way
#26
I'm Not Sure What To Say
#27
"And As Your Child Gets Older, Simply Adjust The Head Restraint"
Shelli Aderman 3 years ago
At least put neck rings on her, poor thing! Kayan_woma..._rings.jpg 
#28
My Son Just Asked Me Why The Tiger Had A Little Flower Under Its Tail... Thanks For The Detailed LEGO
#29
Let's Put A Hopscotch In The Middle Of The Parking Lot, And The Kids Will Love It
#30
This Highlighter I Caught My Kindergartner Trying To Eat Because He “Bought Bubble Gum At The Book Fair”
Weasel Wise 3 years ago
To be fair, A) kindergartners generally can't read works like "highlighter", B) why does her 5yo have money to spend without any supervision?
#31
As A Baby Onesie It's Cute, But As A Kid's T-Shirt It's Troubling
#32
How Can Kids Learn If You Don't Teach Them Properly
Vicki Doggurl 3 years ago
I guess that answers the question: are zebras are black with white stripes or white with black stripes. They’re neither!!
#33
Just Looking At This Slide Gives Me Back Pain
#34
All Toilets Must Be Centered In The Middle Of The Classroom So Kids Eating Their Snacks Three Feet Away Can Bare Witness To Their Classmates Defecating
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 3 years ago
Never, ever have I heard or seen anything like that before. How on Earth is that sanitary?
#35
My Son Is Learning The Alphabet
#36
Bought This Geometry Set For My Son, To Help Him In School. Comes With This Map Of The World That Has So Many Countries Spelled Incorrectly
I don't know what country VOGO is in Europe, but it's there. Panama is spelled Banama, but I suppose they do grow bananas there. Vietnam is shown as an island.
#37
My Daughter's Little Shapes Book. Pentagon?
#38
Perfect For Kids To Learn To Tell The Time
Vasana Phong 3 years ago
Analog clocks, cursive, how to physically mail a letter/card, am I missing anything else?
#39
This Dinosaur In My Daughter's Coloring Book Has Human Hands
#40
Show Them What You've Got, Son
#41
My Daughter's New Shoes Are On Another Level
#42
The Maze On The Kid's Menu Is Impossible To Get Through
#43
I Decided To Open My Step Daughter's Junior Risk Board Game Tonight, And The Compass Is Incorrect
#44
Restaurant Puts Cocktails And Beers Right Under The Kids' Menu
#45
Oh Yeah, Sit On Me, Child
#46
My Son Was Stumped With A State Abbreviation Crossword. Then I Looked At The Solution
#47
Terrible Solar System
What is happening with this solar system? I was hoping to teach the kids, I guess I should have looked closer before ordering it.
#48
My Friend's Daughter Went To Summer Camp And Received This "Meteor" Shirt
#49
This Board Book For Kids Is Pretty Confusing
#50
These “Jeans”/Sweat Pants My Grandma Bought Our Son For Christmas
#51
A Kids Bag From Zara
#52
My Kid Was Having A Hard Time Solving This
#53
I Don’t Even Want To Stand Near That Thing. Way To Go Brusters
#54
My Son’s Birthday Dinosaur Balloons Came Anatomically Correct
#55
Yes, Let’s Put An Image Of A Puppy On A Soccer Ball And Tell Little Kids To Kick It
#56
"Yeah, Whatever, Kids Are Stupid Anyway"
#57
The Planets On My Son's New Rug Have Rings That Don't Go Around The Planet
#58
My Kid Said Her Pants Were Too Big, So I Went To Tighten The Drawstring. It's Fake And Does Nothing
#59
My Son Was Trying To Help This Sheep. It Is Still Sad
#60
My Kid's Alphabet Pencil Case Has A Nest In The "E" Spot
#61
I Saw A Kid Wearing This I Almost Passed Out Of Laughter
#62
A Kid Will Just See Chocolate Paint And Think "Mmm. I'll Try That"
Auntriarch 3 years ago
Who wouldn't? There is such a thing, in Anne Summers ( or so I heard...)
#63
From My Niece's Kid's Book. So Nuts Or Nest Or Eggs?
Array Index Out of Bounds 3 years ago
Also, the 'octo'pus has seven arms and the moon is in front of the cloud.
#64
So You Can Keep The Sharpener With The Pencil
Spencer's slave 3 years ago
The sharpener is held on by a removable cap so it can be taken off, used and put back. Not that hard to figure out.
#65
Get These For Your Daughters
#66
This Octopus From My Kid's Flashcards Is Missing Something. I Had To Attempt To Explain That An Octopus Actually Has 8 Arms
#67
Kids Learning Book Shows 3 Ducks For The Color Yellow. Guess They Ran Out Of Ideas
#68
Imagine Being Such A Bad Designer You Can Destroy A Child’s Ability To Count By Them Merely Looking At Your Design
Gabriela Cink 3 years ago (edited)
It is standard to have icon under card number. Usually cards have the same backgrounds. But I agree it could be done neater.
#69
This Giraffe On My Son's Valentine's Envelope
#70
My Kid Had Some Issues Using This Slide
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago
I’d almost say it was installed upside down, because what’s as bottom looks like a level staring place. But there are “rails” up to to keep kids from falling off up there, and to push off from, so that appears to actually be the top. My only guess is that this was f****d up in the factory—-made either on a Friday afternoon or a Monday morning, as the old joke goes—-and sent out for sale, when Quality Control should’ve flagged it as flawed, and had it melted down and started over.
#71
This Dinosaur In One Of The Kids' Books At Our School. The 3D Effect Just Makes It Worse
Feathered Dinosaur 3 years ago
Repeating my appeal for the correct representation of dinosaurs in books
#72
Shrek And Brainless Donkey
#73
My Son's Kindergarten Worksheet
#74
Children's "Christmas Pills". You Encourage Kids To Eat All The Pills Out Of The Blister Pack Like An Advent Calendar
#75
This Monstrosity In A Kids' Shoe Store
#76
Good Thing My Kid Knows How To Count Already
#77
I Gave My Daughter And I Matching Cereal Box Tattoos. Then I Noticed They Forgot To Mirror The Writing
#78
The Way My Son's Alphabet Puzzle Has The Knob Placed Directly Over Each Letter
Kate Johnson 3 years ago
A little kid won't necessarily know the shapes of the letters they're being taught when they play with this. Why couldn't they just paint them larger so it would be easier for the little ones?
#79
My Friend Got This For My Son. She Had No Clue It's In The Shape Of Ohio
#80
Why Is The Horn There?
#81
Yoga Kids
#82
My Daughter Needs A Balllet Bag For Ballet
#83
My Son Got An Artificial Coke Nail In His Christmas Cracker
Kira Okah 3 years ago
I would assume that it's a claw toy, like those witch fingers for cheap halloween costumes. Only looks like a coke nail because it would only fit on the pinkie of an adult. Unless it actually officially said it was a coke nail, then someone probably took a cracker from the wrong box.
#84
This Upside-Down Alligator On My Son’s Onesie
#85
The "Cheetah" On My Son’s Socks
#86
A Monkey From My Son's Nature Book
#87
That's Okay Crazy-Looking Rainbow-Vomiting Unicorn. My Kids Didn't Want To Sleep Tonight Anyway
#88
Racel Car On A Plate At A Kid's Party
#89
On My Kid's Alphabet Puzzle. Why Would You Use A Word Where The Letter Is Silent?
#90
One Of My 2-Year-Old Son’s Books “Pairs Of Feet”
#91
Hundreds Of Kids Are Seeing This Abomination Every December In My City (For Size Comparison, A Regular Kid Is Around The Size Of His Shoe)
#92
This Labyrinth In My Daughter's Coloring Book
#93
Look At This Conference Roo-Er Kids Zone
#94
At My Son's Doctor's Office
mooshoflove 3 years ago
What am I missing? I don't see anything wrong with this .. looks like the artists take on the Frozen characters .. I personally like it.. 🫣
#95
Raw Kids
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UncleRussian 3 years ago
This thread reminds me of the time my mom, who doesn't really speak English, bought me a pair of boxers one of which had trombones on it and said "I'm horny" and the other one had a warning label with "Warning contains nuts" on it. Yes I still have them
LokisLilButterknife 3 years ago
I love this! I’m glad you still have them.
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UncleRussian 3 years ago
This thread reminds me of the time my mom, who doesn't really speak English, bought me a pair of boxers one of which had trombones on it and said "I'm horny" and the other one had a warning label with "Warning contains nuts" on it. Yes I still have them
LokisLilButterknife 3 years ago
I love this! I’m glad you still have them.
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