Thursday, March 24, 2005
Wish I had thought of that
There was a rather lively discussion on the radio this morning about some of the ideas people come up with for products that seem to catch on for whatever reason. Although many of them only acheive fleeting fad status, it is kind of fun to wonder how someone comes up with some of these ideas.
Take the Chia Pet for instance. Who would have thought of taking a lump of clay, molding it into a head, poking holes in it, smearing on seeds, adding water and VOILA!!....instant plant!! Much as we may not want to admit it, I would venture to guess that just about everyone I know has owned a Chia at one time. They are great fun in the beginning but lose a lot of their appeal if you forget to water them. Somehow, the wilted Chia just never caught on.
And look at the Pet Rock. Believe it or not, my husband and I were just discussing Pet Rocks the other day. No, our life is not that boring. We just got on the discussion of the perfect pet and while he prefers dogs, I tend to like fish. I mean, fish don't need to be let out or groomed. They don't bark or shed and you never find them perched on your favorite chair. So you can't walk them on a leash or let them hang out the window in a car but they sure are easy to care for.
After talking about fish versus dogs, it occurred to me that perhaps the Pet Rock might be the perfect pet. Whoever came up with this idea couldn't have had to invest much in startup costs and had to make a mint while the craze lasted. Picture the inventor playing around in his garden one day, noticing some rather pleasant looking rocks and.....the light bulb went off!!! Why not find the best looking rocks, polish them up, maybe even give them names, put them in fancy tissue-clad boxes and sell them as pets!! Who could resist?? Even the most pet phobic or allergic person could have a pet and mothers wouldn't have to nag their kids to feed or walk their pets. No food, water, sunlight or attention required....no visits to the vet, no hair on the furniture, no puddles on the floor. And when one tired of the Pet Rock, it could still be used as a paperweight or doorstop with no repercussions from the Humane Society. At least I don't think there's a Save the Pet Rock Foundation.
And don't forget the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese that recently sold for big bucks on EBay. I still don't understand how this woman kept a half of a grilled cheese in a box for 10 years without it turning moldy. Heck, leave half a sandwich on a counter for 24 hours and you've got the beginnings of a science project. Now she's trying to auction off the pan she cooked the grilled cheese in. It wouldn't surprise me if someone paid a handsome amount for that too although at last report the bids were less than $200. Stay tuned for updates on that one.
What caught my attention on the radio this morning though was a new product for women that's gaining popularity in Japan. There's a new gum out for women made from some unpronouncable plant extract that supposedly helps increase bust size. It's called....are you ready for this?.....BUST OUT!! Not being an anatomy expert, I'm pretty sure the exercising of jaw muscles while chewing gum is totally unrelated to bust size however, whatever plant extract is in the gum is said to cause swelling of the breasts, thereby increasing bust size. Of course, the males on the deejay team had a field day with this thought but readily admitted they had other alternatives to accomplish swelling in desired areas.
I guess this all just goes to prove what P T Barnum once said..."There's a sucker born every minute". Or maybe we all need a little novelty in our lives sometimes. Wish I'd thought of that darn Pet Rock thing!!
There was a rather lively discussion on the radio this morning about some of the ideas people come up with for products that seem to catch on for whatever reason. Although many of them only acheive fleeting fad status, it is kind of fun to wonder how someone comes up with some of these ideas.
Take the Chia Pet for instance. Who would have thought of taking a lump of clay, molding it into a head, poking holes in it, smearing on seeds, adding water and VOILA!!....instant plant!! Much as we may not want to admit it, I would venture to guess that just about everyone I know has owned a Chia at one time. They are great fun in the beginning but lose a lot of their appeal if you forget to water them. Somehow, the wilted Chia just never caught on.
And look at the Pet Rock. Believe it or not, my husband and I were just discussing Pet Rocks the other day. No, our life is not that boring. We just got on the discussion of the perfect pet and while he prefers dogs, I tend to like fish. I mean, fish don't need to be let out or groomed. They don't bark or shed and you never find them perched on your favorite chair. So you can't walk them on a leash or let them hang out the window in a car but they sure are easy to care for.
After talking about fish versus dogs, it occurred to me that perhaps the Pet Rock might be the perfect pet. Whoever came up with this idea couldn't have had to invest much in startup costs and had to make a mint while the craze lasted. Picture the inventor playing around in his garden one day, noticing some rather pleasant looking rocks and.....the light bulb went off!!! Why not find the best looking rocks, polish them up, maybe even give them names, put them in fancy tissue-clad boxes and sell them as pets!! Who could resist?? Even the most pet phobic or allergic person could have a pet and mothers wouldn't have to nag their kids to feed or walk their pets. No food, water, sunlight or attention required....no visits to the vet, no hair on the furniture, no puddles on the floor. And when one tired of the Pet Rock, it could still be used as a paperweight or doorstop with no repercussions from the Humane Society. At least I don't think there's a Save the Pet Rock Foundation.
And don't forget the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese that recently sold for big bucks on EBay. I still don't understand how this woman kept a half of a grilled cheese in a box for 10 years without it turning moldy. Heck, leave half a sandwich on a counter for 24 hours and you've got the beginnings of a science project. Now she's trying to auction off the pan she cooked the grilled cheese in. It wouldn't surprise me if someone paid a handsome amount for that too although at last report the bids were less than $200. Stay tuned for updates on that one.
What caught my attention on the radio this morning though was a new product for women that's gaining popularity in Japan. There's a new gum out for women made from some unpronouncable plant extract that supposedly helps increase bust size. It's called....are you ready for this?.....BUST OUT!! Not being an anatomy expert, I'm pretty sure the exercising of jaw muscles while chewing gum is totally unrelated to bust size however, whatever plant extract is in the gum is said to cause swelling of the breasts, thereby increasing bust size. Of course, the males on the deejay team had a field day with this thought but readily admitted they had other alternatives to accomplish swelling in desired areas.
I guess this all just goes to prove what P T Barnum once said..."There's a sucker born every minute". Or maybe we all need a little novelty in our lives sometimes. Wish I'd thought of that darn Pet Rock thing!!
