Mox Museum of Failure is a collection of failed products and services from around the world. It exists to remind us of a simple truth: “Innovation needs failure. All progress is built on learning from past failures and mistakes.”

Even some of the most successful multibillion-dollar companies have massive failures in their past. All of these companies have failed prototypes, divisions, and innovations that the public never even sees.

Here are a handful that actually did somehow miraculously make it to market:

“Harley Davidson Perfume”

• Somehow this never took off….

“Bic For Her”

• A ballpoint pen designed to fit perfectly in a woman’s hand…because we all know how frustrating it is for women to be using pens in a male-dominated pen world.

“Dyson’s Zone Air Purifying Headphones”

• Why not pay $1k for headphones with a mask that purifies the air while you listen to music! J

“Heinz Purple Ketchup”

• Why this never took off, I’m not sure, but thank God.

“Colgate Kitchen Entrees”

• Colgate toothpaste took a crack at making frozen lasagnas in the 1960’s…let’s just say they chose to stick to cleaning food on teeth rather than making

“Amazon Destinations”

• In 2015, Amazon tried their hand getting into the vacation travel sector. Even with their household brand and massive online traffic, it was a huge failure.

“Facebook Libra”

• In 2019, Facebook tried to launch a universal digital currency. Never heard of it? Me either.

“Google Glass”

• Smart Glasses with a built-in camera and voice control system. A bargain at only $1,500… Sounds cool, but was a HUGE flop.

“Nike’s Magneto”

• Apparently in the mid-90’s Nike thought it’d be a good idea to create sunglasses without frames around your ears. Why didn’t it take off?
  • You had to glue a magnet to your head to clip the eyewear on the magnets. Wait, what? LOL.

As silly as some of these products seem in hindsight, leaders of some of the world’s most successful companies at one time thought they were good ideas.

The oxygen of innovation is failure.

You can build upon your mistakes,

but you can’t build upon your inaction.

Want to get to the next level?

Keep innovating. Keep trying new things even if they aren’t guaranteed to work. Learn to love the experimentation process.

Create your OWN “Museum of Failure.”