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Some products just didn’t land the way their creators hoped. From bizarre design choices to outright dangerous malfunctions, these product fails remind us that not every invention is a hit. Join us as we explore the most infamous flops that left consumers scratching their heads and companies scrambling to fix their biggest blunders!
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00:00You know why?
00:01It's a car designed around you.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at some of the most memorable product failures in history.
00:10Sweeter, bolder, better.
00:14You're insane.
00:16Number 30, Harley-Davidson Cologne.
00:19All my life, I wanted a Harley-Davidson.
00:22And with the $10,000 I'm saving on that wedding, I can get the hog of life.
00:27Woody, Woody, Woody.
00:28Who do you think of when you think of perfume and colognes?
00:32Dior? Calvin Klein? Yes.
00:34What about Harley-Davidson? No, probably not.
00:37Beginning in the mid-1990s, Harley-Davidson expanded into the perfume and cologne industry,
00:43introducing a number of fragrances with the help of L'Oreal.
00:46These scents included Hot Rod, which had notes of wood and tobacco,
00:49and Destiny Man, which smelt of cinnamon and cedarwood.
00:52What if I told you there once was a fragrance that was inspired by burning rubber,
00:57exhaust fumes, and knife fights?
00:59They failed to catch on with their audience, however,
01:02who were just much more interested in the whole motorcycle aspect of the brand.
01:05The perfumes and colognes faded quickly, and were discontinued within a decade on the market.
01:11Ooh, it's a formidable scent.
01:14It stings the nostrils.
01:16Number 29. Blockbuster Total Access
01:18The Blockbuster vs. Netflix war is one for the ages, and towards the end,
01:23Blockbuster was just too slow playing catch-up against the streaming giant.
01:27I've been doing Netflix, you know, like, everybody.
01:30There was a time in 2006, however, that Blockbuster looked like they might overtake their rival,
01:35with the introduction of Total Access.
01:37This new scheme copied what Netflix was doing, but with a twist.
01:40If online customers returned their rentals to a physical store,
01:44they could receive another rental for free.
01:47Blockbuster initially saw great success with this, but it cost them around $2 a pop.
01:52Eventually, the cost caught up with them.
01:54And when that was compounded by legal issues from Netflix,
01:57and a reluctance from store franchises to embrace the Total Access project,
02:01the initiative ultimately ended up being a big part of why Blockbuster toppled.
02:05How am I supposed to be the next Tarantino if I don't work in a video store?
02:07Number 28. Friendster.
02:09Ah, yes.
02:10Another social media casualty.
02:12Thanks largely in part to, yes, you guessed it, the popularity of Facebook.
02:16Since we left school, all my friends have ended up doing different things.
02:20But Friendster actually found success a year before Facebook even launched,
02:24hitting the ground running in 2003,
02:26and earning itself millions of subscribers in its first year.
02:29Its downfall was partially due to the rise of Facebook,
02:32but the company also failed to scale up quickly enough to meet subscriber spikes,
02:36which in turn resulted in slow site performance.
02:39Friendster also failed to keep up with trends,
02:42and what competitors like MySpace and Facebook were doing.
02:44And it saw a gradual decline before finally closing up shop in 2015.
02:49Regardless, Friendster was still one of the very first big mainstream social media sites.
02:54But with Friendster on my Maxis mobile, I can stay in touch with everyone.
02:59Number 27.
03:00Philips CDI Player.
03:01This is CDI, Compact Disc Interactive.
03:05A new world standard in multimedia home entertainment from Philips Electronics.
03:10Released in 1991 and discontinued just seven years later,
03:13the Philips CDI Player was, well, a disaster.
03:16The device was a multimedia home entertainment system,
03:19able to read and play Compact Disc Interactive,
03:22a digital optical disc data storage format upon which media like video games,
03:27interactive museum tours, and internet access could be accessed.
03:30Wow, what are you going to use it for?
03:33Games and stuff.
03:34And man, was technology expensive back then.
03:37The first commercial CDI was released in 1991 and retailed for $800,
03:42which is the modern equivalent of about $1,800.
03:46This high price tag was a major detriment to the device,
03:49as it was forced to compete with much cheaper multimedia PCs.
03:52Furthermore, the tech was considered outdated even at the time of release,
03:56and it received bad reviews from major outlets.
03:59The CDI only sold about 400,000 units before it was quietly discontinued in 1998.
04:05Awesome!
04:06Awesome is right.
04:08Awesome sound, awesome pictures, awesome choices.
04:12Number 26.
04:13Microsoft Kin.
04:14Marketing experts will probably tell you a thousand reasons
04:17why Microsoft's range of Kin smartphones failed in 2010.
04:21In reality, though, it's very, very simple.
04:24The Kin 1 and 2 were aimed at the youth market,
04:27but they didn't support apps.
04:29Like, what is that about?
04:30If you wanted to check in and update your social media streams on your Kin,
04:34you had to go through a browser.
04:36This is in the era of the app-happy iPhone.
04:39Oh, and by the way, it was really expensive to buy as well.
04:43Microsoft's Kin range was discontinued about a year later.
04:46Throw it in the ocean.
04:47Number 25.
04:49Cosmopolitan Yogurt.
04:50Oh, this is terrible.
04:51Thick.
04:51Oh, it stinks.
04:52Mine too.
04:53We got one more day.
04:55I can't eat this.
04:56If we learn anything from this list,
04:58it's that established companies should probably stay in their own lanes.
05:02Enter Cosmopolitan Yogurt,
05:03a special yogurt made by the popular fashion magazine.
05:07Why?
05:07We really don't know.
05:09Released in 1999,
05:11Cosmopolitan Yogurt was not the first thing that people reached for in the dairy aisle.
05:15Probably because they, like us, were thinking,
05:18why is Cosmo making yogurt?
05:19Hello.
05:20Hello.
05:21Magazine.
05:22Interview.
05:22Cosmo.
05:23Can't flake twice.
05:24I think this is a little bit more important than Cosmo, don't you?
05:27The brand was handily outsold by competitors,
05:29and the magazine company left the yogurt market after about a year and a half.
05:33And somehow, this isn't even the only yogurt-themed failure.
05:37In 1979,
05:39Clairol released Touch of Yogurt Shampoo,
05:41which some confused buyers even ingested.
05:44Touch of Yogurt,
05:46get the touch.
05:47Number 24,
05:49Windows Vista.
05:50Vista launched in 2007 and was a replacement for the well-thought-of Windows XP.
05:55People were excited, but that didn't last long.
05:58From the moment it launched,
05:59people everywhere were pulling out their hair due to incompatibility issues with their current computers,
06:05despite promises from Windows that that wouldn't happen.
06:07Windows 95 was key to its era,
06:11and Windows Vista is key to the era we have today.
06:15Users were forced to upgrade due to increased hardware requirements,
06:19and the general speed and performance of Vista was,
06:22well,
06:22not good.
06:23Loads of Windows users remained on the XP system and refused to switch,
06:27waiting for things to get better.
06:29Thankfully,
06:29they did when Windows 7 launched in 2009.
06:32No,
06:33it's the glorified Windows Vista.
06:36Number 23,
06:37Lawn Darts.
06:38Frivolous lawsuits are chasing good people out of business.
06:41People who sell propane,
06:43people who manufacture flu vaccine,
06:45and people who make lawn darts.
06:47In hindsight,
06:48making a metal-tipped toy that kids throw in the air maybe wasn't the greatest idea.
06:53A variation on horseshoes,
06:55lawn darts are tossed or thrown towards the target sitting a number of feet away.
06:59While modern lawn darts are quite safe,
07:02this wasn't the case back in the day.
07:04Like real darts,
07:05they were pointed and incredibly sharp,
07:07and thousands of miners were hospitalized after injuring themselves with the toys.
07:11Do you have any idea what could happen if you play around with one of these?
07:14The FDA designated lawn darts as a mechanical hazard in 1970 and banned them from toy stores.
07:20But it wasn't until 1987,
07:23when a California girl tragically lost her life,
07:26that they were banned entirely in both the United States and Canada.
07:29A rope,
07:30shovel,
07:33a bag of lime,
07:34and some lawn darts.
07:38Number 22.
07:40Nintendo Wii U.
07:41What?
07:42Oh, it is time for Wii U.
07:44The Wii U is a great innovative console with an awesome games library,
07:48and it's bookended by the super successful Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Switch.
07:53So what gives?
07:54Well, Nintendo's marketing of the Wii U when it was launched in 2012 was just confusing.
07:59It carried a similar name to the Wii, but it wasn't merely an accessory for the Wii.
08:04It was a separate console.
08:06And the controller was also a screen, so you could play it handheld,
08:09but you could also connect it to a TV.
08:12It was kind of like an early iteration of the Switch,
08:14but it didn't seem like the gaming world was ready for it.
08:17The high price tag did not help its cause either.
08:20Losing isn't fun.
08:21Is it?
08:22Number 21.
08:233D TV.
08:25Samsung 3D TV.
08:27The world's first 3D LED TV.
08:30Samsung, LG, Sony, take your pick.
08:33There were tons of major tech brands that dipped their toe into the 3D TV market,
08:37and ultimately came out wondering where it all went wrong.
08:40The 3D TV hype peaked around 2012,
08:43just a few years after James Cameron unleashed Avatar on the world.
08:47People were enjoying 3D movies and live sports events from the comfort of their living rooms,
08:52thanks to the use of specific displays and glasses.
08:55But it didn't take long for the fad to fizzle.
08:57Many got bored of it fast or just couldn't be bothered to fiddle with 3D glasses,
09:02especially with the rising popularity of ultra-clear 4K TVs and curved displays,
09:07which enhanced the viewing experience with no extra effort.
09:11Maybe they'll make a comeback?
09:12So, how smart is your 3D?
09:14Number 20.
09:15The DMC-12.
09:17This one may come as a surprise considering it has unending popularity,
09:21a rabid fan base, and pop culture cred courtesy of its use in Back to the Future.
09:33But Marty McFly saddled up in 1985,
09:36by which point the car had been deemed an abject failure.
09:39Beautifully crafted for long life,
09:42the DeLorean is one of the most awaited automobiles in automotive history.
09:47On the market for a scant 3 model years before DMC was shuttered amid multiple forms of controversy,
09:53the DeLorean, as it later came to be known, never performed as well as it looked.
09:56Disappointing drivers and turning off would-be owners.
10:00The first production car was completed in January of 81,
10:03but by December of 82, the game was over,
10:06with DMC itself following suit soon after.
10:10Number 19.
10:11Apple Maps.
10:12When Apple Maps launched in 2012, it was riddled with issues.
10:17Boldly, the company made Apple Maps the default Maps application on iPhones,
10:21and boy did people hate it.
10:23Tim Cook even issued a public apology for all of the problems the application had.
10:27Some of these problems included misspelled place names,
10:30and locations being placed miles from where they actually were.
10:33Since then, Apple has improved some features,
10:36but its reputation hasn't fully recovered.
10:38And in terms of users, Google Maps remains way ahead.
10:42Don't tell me this is Zoom bad.
10:45I'm sorry, Gavin.
10:47It's Apple Maps bad.
10:49Number 18.
10:50Segway.
10:51This is the world's first self-balancing human transporter.
10:56The Segway has certainly fallen from grace since it was first introduced back in 2001,
11:00to the excitement of local dads and mall cops everywhere.
11:03The problem was the astronomical hopes of the Segway's creator.
11:07The intention was to have the product completely revolutionize how humans got around in urban areas.
11:11Fly, Segway, fly!
11:13Go!
11:15But there was just something undeniably dorky about it.
11:18And it wasn't adopted nearly as fervently as its producer had hoped.
11:22In an unfortunate turn of events,
11:24the product's viability died with the company owner, Jimmy Heseldon,
11:27who was killed when he fell off a cliff while riding his Segway scooter through the English countryside.
11:33Number 17.
11:34Colgate Kitchen Entrees.
11:36In the 1980s, frozen meals were popular and prevalent.
11:39So that's perhaps why Colgate, best known for their line of toothpastes,
11:43decided to get into the market, because why not?
11:45But there's something distinctly unappetizing about the name Colgate Kitchen Entrees.
11:50What a cool taste!
11:51Let me try!
11:53No one wants to be slumming it with a half-frozen, half-overcooked plate of gruel,
11:57and be reminded of fluoride-enhanced mint-flavored grit cream.
12:00Anyone who's ever had a glass of OJ after brushing their teeth knows toothpaste and food do not mix.
12:05Sorry, but we will pass on this one.
12:07Number 16.
12:09Coors Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water.
12:11You will start to notice a trend on our list,
12:14that many of the entries involve companies leaving their comfort zones in an attempt to branch out into new markets.
12:20Coors Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water is a prime example of this.
12:25In 1990, when the product was released,
12:28Coors was one of the most successful brewing companies in America.
12:31And while their beer was popular across many demographics,
12:34one they were not hitting was the sparkling water crowd.
12:38But people didn't want to drink bubbly water that perhaps tasted like ultralight beer.
12:41And the trademark expired a few years after launch.
12:45Number 15.
12:46Virtual Boy.
12:47In the mid-90s, Nintendo was thriving.
12:51Their Super Nintendo, released in 1990, was a massive success.
12:54But a few short years later, they delivered a serious flop.
12:58The Virtual Boy was marketed as the first 3D gaming console.
13:02And there were many issues in development,
13:04causing it to be released before it was properly finished.
13:07I know they're really, really bad for your eyes.
13:09You could only play them 20 minutes at a time.
13:11The company had decided to shift its focus onto their next idea, the N64.
13:15And they were right to do so.
13:17The Virtual Boy was a big disappointment,
13:19with poor 3D effects and a big price tag.
13:22Not to mention concerns of it affecting the health of users.
13:26Number 14.
13:27Microsoft Bob.
13:28Back in 1995, the masses weren't exactly computer savvy.
13:32So, we could understand the thinking behind the launch of the Microsoft Bob.
13:35This was an operating system interface that made your desktop look like a house,
13:39with each application corresponding to a regular household item.
13:42The whole point is that you don't have to find the clock application somewhere in your computer.
13:47You can just think, hey, look, there's a clock, click on it.
13:50The idea wasn't a terrible one, but it used a ton of processing power,
13:53which most home computers didn't have in excess in 1995.
13:57It was discontinued shortly after launch.
13:59To make matters even worse, it gave the world clippy,
14:02and, perhaps worse still, Comic Sans was actually invented for use in Microsoft Bob,
14:08even though they didn't end up using it on the interface.
14:11Number 13.
14:12HD DVD.
14:14Remember back in the late aughts when people had to decide whether to commit to HD DVDs or Blu-ray?
14:19There was a race to replace, or at least improve upon, the DVD.
14:22And Toshiba threw their hat into the ring with the HD DVD.
14:25High-def DVD is really an improvement over old DVD.
14:29It's the same technology, that's why they didn't change the name.
14:32There wasn't anything wrong with the HD DVD per se,
14:34but it simply lost the war against Blu-ray.
14:37And two years after its release, it was discontinued.
14:40Unfortunately for consumers, many had invested in HD DVD players,
14:44which were essentially made obsolete, or at least of limited use.
14:48Although some may now say the same about physical media in general.
14:52So is there a real winner here?
14:54Number 12.
14:55The Arch Deluxe.
14:57Over the years, McDonald's has introduced dozens of new menu items.
15:01Some are hits, and some are definite misses.
15:04The Arch Deluxe was marketed as a burger with a grown-up taste,
15:06and the ad campaign focused on getting adults with sophisticated palates to try it.
15:11The soft, comforting potato roll.
15:12I'm in the zone.
15:13All layered together in one symphony of taste.
15:17The company spent over $300 million on development and marketing for the Arch Deluxe,
15:21and yet it didn't meet sales expectations.
15:24There was nothing in particular wrong with the burger,
15:26which was pretty standard with additions like peppered bacon,
15:28leaf lettuce, and a special mayo and mustard sauce.
15:31Arch.
15:32Daryl?
15:34Uh, the new Arch Deluxe?
15:37Yeah.
15:37I was gonna say that.
15:38But consumers just weren't biting,
15:40and the Arch Deluxe went McBye-Bye soon after.
15:43Number 11.
15:44Zune.
15:45Back in the mid-aughts, it was tough to compete with Apple's hugely successful iPod,
15:49but some companies tried anyway to varying results.
15:53Microsoft produced its own MP3 player called the Zune,
15:56which was released in 2006 and managed to stick around until 2012,
16:00though in the latter years it was definitely not selling much.
16:03The performance of the Zune never quite matched up to that of its competitors,
16:06and in an embarrassing instance in 2008,
16:09most of the 30 gigabyte Zunes completely stopped working on New Year's Eve
16:13because they forgot to account for the extra day in the leap year.
16:16I stood in front of a case of iPods, and I bought a Zune.
16:23What's a Zune?
16:25Yeah, exactly.
16:27Number 10.
16:28Easy Squirt Colored Ketchup
16:30Kids historically love ketchup.
16:33So it makes sense that Heinz, the world's best-known maker of ketchup,
16:36decided to market ketchup directly to children with its Easy Squirt line.
16:40The squeezable containers were easy for kids to use,
16:43but not only that, the product was made available in a variety of fun,
16:46and dare we say it, rad colors, other than the standard red.
16:49Who wouldn't want to squirt something purple and toxic looking onto their french fries?
16:53While the novel idea may have had some kids begging their parents to put it in their grocery carts,
16:57by 2006, production was stopped.
17:00Number 9.
17:01Cheetos Lip Balm
17:03Some products on this list were good ideas that just weren't well executed or didn't catch on,
17:08but this is absolutely not one of them.
17:10Sure, we all loved soda-flavored chapstick,
17:13but when Frito-Lay introduced Cheetos-flavored lip balm,
17:17it was obviously a step too far.
17:18We acknowledge that Cheetos are incredible,
17:21but not every snack food belongs in our makeup case.
17:24We can't even imagine what the marketing pitch was for this product,
17:27and we wouldn't be surprised if someone was fired for creating this monstrosity.
17:32Number 8.
17:32The Newton
17:33The Apple Newton was the product for which the term Personal Digital Assistant was created,
17:38and at the time of its release in 1993, it seemed like the height of new technology.
17:43Newton is the first product from Apple to have a button labeled Assist.
17:47Tap it, and you open a whole new world of possibilities.
17:51But the price of the product was very steep, making it a difficult sell for consumers.
17:55Another factor in its failure was that the highly anticipated handwriting feature
17:59ended up being a disappointment,
18:01at least if you didn't want to eat up Martha.
18:03Hey, Dolph, take a memo on your Newton.
18:06Beat up, Martin.
18:08The Palm Pilot ended up overtaking it,
18:10and when Steve Jobs came back to Apple in 1997,
18:13he ordered the Newton line to be discontinued.
18:15I just point this to another Newton and zap.
18:18The information is transferred.
18:19No wires or anything.
18:20It's really cool.
18:22It's way cool.
18:23Yeah.
18:23Number 7.
18:24The Galaxy Note 7
18:26One of the more recent flops we'll be discussing
18:28was one of the most explosive launches in tech history.
18:31But in all seriousness,
18:33the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 started literally catching on fire shortly after its release.
18:38This phablet was actually pretty well reviewed when it first launched in August of 2016,
18:42but those positive critiques didn't count for much when the phones began smoking and setting aflame.
18:47Through measurement and observation,
18:49it was found that the negative electrodes were damaged
18:52because the design of the cell pouch did not provide enough room.
18:55In one much-publicized instance,
18:57this even happened on a flight which had to be evacuated,
19:00prompting airlines to ban the Note 7.
19:03Samsung discontinued the phone in October of 2016
19:05and reportedly lost billions of dollars because of the debacle.
19:09I call it exploding because this did shoot.
19:12Pieces of whatever, it was inside the phone, out.
19:16Number 6.
19:17Betamax
19:17Remember VHS?
19:19Meet its older brother.
19:21Released in 1975, just a year before the VHS tape came out,
19:25the Betamax arguably had better technology than its competitor.
19:28The resolution and sound were considered to be superior to those of the VHS,
19:32but because Sony made a major misstep with its licensing,
19:35VHS soared past it to quickly grab a larger market share,
19:39providing more consumer options and lower price points.
19:41That is why 90s kids will all remember having their Disney movies on VHS and not Betamax.
19:47Everything you want in home video from those awfully nice Sony people.
19:50Who's a clever little Sony then?
19:52I am.
19:53Number 5.
19:54Google Glass
19:54In so many works of science fiction that imagine the future of humanity,
19:59we had wearable technology that looked a whole lot like Google Glass.
20:02In fact, theoretically, it seemed like an incredibly futuristic invention
20:06that could completely change the way we viewed the world.
20:08You can tap on any card to see more.
20:11Swipe down anywhere to go back to the timeline.
20:14But despite its lofty goals, Google Glass was mired with criticism,
20:18and was prohibitively expensive for many.
20:20Chief among the concerns were issues of privacy,
20:23because the glass could easily record people without their consent, as well as safety.
20:27Number 4.
20:29Wow Chips
20:30Consumers should probably be smart enough to be wary of low-fat potato chips,
20:34but when Wow Chips were released by Lay's in 1998,
20:38no one could have imagined the fallout.
20:40You see, they were made with a fat alternative called Olestra,
20:43which caused, let's just say, gastrointestinal distress.
20:48That is, visits to the bathroom.
20:50It seems the folks who make Crisco had come up with Olene,
20:54an oil that fries up snacks without adding any fat or calories.
20:58How this was not discovered during the development phase, we'll never know.
21:01But the end result was that Lay's was forced to put a warning on all bags, reading,
21:05This product contains Olestra.
21:08Olestra may cause abdominal cramping and loose stools.
21:12Now that is not exactly great marketing material.
21:15Number 3.
21:16Premier Smokeless Cigarettes
21:18Long before peeps were vaping or using e-cigarettes,
21:21companies were trying to come up with a safer way to smoke.
21:24In 1988, for tobacco company R.J. Reynolds,
21:27this meant introducing a line of smokeless cigarettes.
21:30The problem was, smokers didn't get the same satisfaction from it because of the lack of actual smoke.
21:35Not to mention, there was a chemical taste associated with it that didn't improve things.
21:39In the end, the non-smoking smokes were only around for a few months before they were removed from the
21:44market.
21:44And after, R.J. Reynolds invested hundreds of millions of dollars into them.
21:49Number 2.
21:50Edsel
21:50The most memorable product failures are usually the ones that were the most heavily hyped.
21:55This is true now, and it was true all the way back in the 1950s as well.
21:59That's right. Driving the 1958 Edsel is as easy as flicking a light switch.
22:05The Ford Motor Company came out with the Edsel after a year-long marketing campaign leading up to its release,
22:11which branded it as the car of the future.
22:13With so much anticipation, it was almost destined to fall short of what people had expected.
22:18Like this speedometer that glows red when you exceed the safe maximum speed you set it for.
22:24But this was an even more colossal failure than anyone could have imagined.
22:27People thought they were too expensive, ugly, and suffered from being overhyped.
22:32In short, the Edsel never picked up traction.
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22:51Number 1.
22:52New Coke
22:53If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
22:56This was a lesson that the Coca-Cola company clearly did not internalize when they came up with the idea
23:01for New Coke in the 80s.
23:02It tastes like the 80s.
23:04There you go.
23:04So, there you go.
23:05We're not sure why they decided to mess with a good thing, but when they reformulated their popular cola beverage
23:10to more closely align with popular tastes at the time,
23:13the reaction was overwhelmingly negative.
23:15Several years later, Pepsi tried a similar tactic with Crystal Pepsi, which was clear and caffeine-free and was similarly
23:22unsuccessful.
23:23Curious parties and latecomers got a second chance to try New Coke in 2019, however, when it was re-released
23:29as a cross-promotion with Stranger Things.
23:39Did you own any of these products?
23:41Let us know in the comments below.
23:43Let's jump on our hogs and ride down Harley-Davidson's hot road.
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