Slinky
A piece of metal coiled into a tubular shape made millions of dollars. It is hard to believe, but Slinky, the toy that appears to walk down steps and springs back into shape is a million dollar business idea. An engineer working on a spring for ships invented the slinky when he noticed one fall and appear to walk down an incline. The idea hatched and Slinky was born.
Yellow Smiley Faces
Yellow smiley faces are everywhere, on t-shirts, sticky notes, car tags, and more. There are emoticons for the yellow smiley face. The original version, created in 1962 by a New York radio station was slightly different because the smile was crooked. Then, in 1963, a commercial artist created a happy face for an insurance company and the iconic smiley face was on its way.
Snuggie
Gary Clegg was just a college student when he came up with the Snuggie. No matter how silly a blanket with sleeves sounds, it sold millions and continues to sell millions. Clegg was not the first person to think of a blanket with sleeves, he was the first to take the idea to the public and commercialize it.
Pet Rock
If you are a child of the 70s, you probably owned a pet rock. The simple idea of a pet that needed no care became a huge hit. Gary Dahl worked in the advertising business and came up with the idea to market a rock as just such a pet. His clever idea to put holes in the packaging so the pets could breathe was behind his success. He made millions on a rock in a box. Complete with a care manual.
lcanhascheeseburger.com
Icanhascheeseburger.com is a monetized weblog that started with the posting of a cat with the caption stating, "I can has cheeseburger." The weblog was on a site created to feature funny pictures of cats. It sold to a group of investors for more than two million dollars in 2007. This million-dollar site is a simple idea that made tons of money due to web surfers and humor.
Million-Dollar Home Page
A webpage that is nothing more than hundreds and hundreds of ads made over a million dollars in 2005. A student had the idea to take the pixels on a typical computer screen and create a website that sold pixel space for advertising. Businesses flocked to the idea. There are more than 1000 pixels on most screens. Sold in blocks of ten, it didn't take long to reach million-dollar mark.
Doggles
The pet industry is exploding in every direction, from doggie clothes to pet strollers. Now, dogs have goggles. These sunglasses made like goggles fit over the dog's head and protect the eyes from sunlight. They have been on various television shows, like CNN and The Today Show. Doggles show that even when the economy is bad, pets do not suffer.
Billy the Big Mouth Bass
Somewhere in the back of many closets or up in attics, it is very likely that Billy the Big Mouth Bass is lurking. Joe Pellettieri of Bass Pro Shops came up with the idea in the late 1990s. The animated bass looks like a mounted big mouth bass; however, it contains a motion sensor that starts it singing when activated. Billy the Bass earned millions of dollars during the early 2000s.
iFart
For some reason, people find it funny to launch farting sounds, thus the iFart app for the iPhone. Infomedia launched the iFart app in 2008 featuring a variety of farting sounds and modes, such as going off at set intervals. When first released, the app brought in more than ten thousand dollars a day. This is definitely a stupid idea that made millions.
Plastic Wishbones
The plastic wishbone shows that people truly will buy anything. This idea is the brainstorm of Ken Ahroni and it has made him millions. The idea of the plastic wishbone plays on the need for people to believe in bettering their luck any way possible.
