The Museum of Failure, Part 1 (Los Angeles, CA)

I've posted a ton of photos from my afternoon excursion to Little Tokyo and the Arts District in DTLA last week, except for the main reason I went there: to visit the Museum of Failure.

This museum opened in Helsingborg, Sweden before coming here to Los Angeles last month. A permanent version will open in Helsingborg in April 2018, and this touring version will be going around the world, so it may be headed to you!

While it sounds like a negative idea for a museum, in its own way it's oddly uplifting and positive. Yes, there are pieces here designed for laughs and ridicule, but others clearly paved the way for products we have today. And the underlying theme here is: Don't be afraid to fail. It's the only way to ultimately succeed.

So here's what you came for. These are some of my favorite highlights from the museum. I'm not including the Ford Edsel because I already created a separate post for that earlier this week. But we are starting with failed transportation.

Itera Plastic Bicycle (1981-1985)

Yup, this happened. A bike made entirely of plastic created by a group of Volvo engineers. But, not surprisingly, the frame wasn't sturdy so the bike wobbled. Being plastic, the seat and handlebars also cracked easily. Any interest by consumers quickly faded with these design failures.

Synthetic Trachea (2011 - 2013)

This one is grim because three people died from this. A surgeon created this synthetic trachea but he ignored the research and testing needed for a product like this before trying it on his patients. Yikes! Anyone who expressed concerned to officials were also ignored because of the positive attention this new invention received. So, three patients of the doctor ultimately died because this trachea should never have been implanted in them. This was a failure in so many ways.

Sound Burger (1983)

I'd call this one knowing that times are changing, but not understanding how to capitalize on it. The Walkman craze of the early 80's prompted a company to design and produce a portable turntable so consumers could play their vinyl records on the go. But, while you could carry your walkman anyway you'd like, the Sound Burger still needed to be flat for the record to play. Not very useful, and not very popular.

Twitter Peak (2009-2010)

This is a device that I missed seeing in 2009 but it's worth a mention. Twitter Peak could only do one thing, tweet something on Twitter. Nothing else. No internet, no phone, nothing. $200 for a device that only tweets. No surprise why this failed.

Bic For Her (2011)

This week's uproar over the rumor of Lady Doritos made me think of this, another product I had no idea actually happened. Maybe because they also make razors, Bic inexplicably decided that women needed their own separate line of pens. Of course, they came in purple and pink colors. Supposedly they were designed to fit more comfortably in the hands of a woman, but were any women really complaining about pens? This was pretty much DOA.

Shared Girlfriend (2017)

So I'm gonna finish part 1 of this museum with a strong contender for worst idea. This one will either scare you off for additional installments to this tour or make you come back for more.

This is a Chinese sex doll. Nothing too outrageous about that, right? They've been around for awhile. Well, with the rise of the sharing economy in China, the adult entertainment industry wanted to join in. One company created a Shared Girlfriend experience. You could rent a sex doll for $45 a day, ordered by a smartphone app and delivered to your home. After a rental, the dolls were disinfected and any damaged parts replaced. The service was suspended....4 days after its launch.

Hope you enjoyed Part 1. More will be coming your way soon!

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