The Worst Product Design Failures in History

Purchased At: Unknown (Probably Online)
Estimated Price: $20*

There’s no clear indication where these pillows came from, but they have big Wish.com energy. Two decorative nautical-themed pillows had an unfortunate error that you might have missed if you didn’t look closely enough or were bad at directions. The “East” and “South” are switched on the compass.

Down East @happychristmas7651 / Pinterest.com

It’s a shame, because the pillows aren’t ugly, and the rope around the border is creative. We wonder how many of these pillows the manufacturer made before realizing they printed the compass directions incorrectly. The moral of the story here is that you should always check the reviews before purchasing an item. 

Purchased At: Unknown
Estimated Price: $5-$10*

This was probably just the monkey’s tail, but the internet proves that we’re all, maturity-wise, secretly thirteen years old. One shopper discovered a monkey hook, probably for keys or your coat. The product’s designers didn’t think it through too well, as the monkey’s tail and surprised expression make it look very odd.

If you’re looking for a non-weird monkey-like hook, we suggest going on Amazon. However, just make sure you read the reviews before purchasing, as you might end up with something even stranger than this odd, spread-legged monkey. We have a feeling the buyer didn’t go through with the purchase on this one.

Purchased At: Sam’s Club
Estimated Price: $100*

This product is fun because it combines two things that don’t usually go together: menstruation and swimming. With the Aquaria Pasadena Pool Float, you can literally swim on your period, because, as one Amazon user wrote in her review, it’s “a giant pantyliner.”

Beach Protection Beach Protection @dannymunro / Pinterest.com

The $100 (yes, one hundred dollars for this) pool float looks like a Stayfree pad blown up to 500x its size. There’s even fake blue blood on it, though perhaps Aquaria meant that to look like a wave-inspired design. The Pasadena Pool Float has a 4/5-star rating on Amazon, so Aquaria must be doing something right.

Purchased At: Unknown
Estimated Price: $15-$20*

The strange thing about this stuffed Winnie the Pooh animal, other than the deformed head, is that it actually appears quite normal, other than the face. One toymaker, who we’re sure either doesn’t have a license or is about to lose theirs from Disney, made a Pooh doll with a twist.

Winnie the Pooh @u/pheromonekvlt / Reddit.com

Instead of Pooh’s usual benign face, the stuffed toy has this nightmare. What’s also odd is that the Pooh bear is sitting in what appears to be a waiting room. Hopefully, no one tried to put this into a dentist’s or doctor’s waiting room to make kids less afraid of the doctor.

Purchased At: Unknown
Estimated Price: $5-$10*

These mice look like they escaped from a lab somewhere, and that’s why they have two noses. One shopper was browsing a toy aisle when he spotted a toy mouse with not one but two noses. One nose is painted on the face (that’s the nose that looks like it belongs).

Double-Nosed Mice @sulopefer / Pinterest.com

The other is a large black ball attached between the eyes. As one person said, “How many noses does he need?” The mice are dressed in clothes from The Nutcracker, which is a play based on a story called “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” It makes you wonder if there’s a king mouse doll with three noses.

Purchased At: Unknown
Estimated Price: $35.55*

Made by Globee, you can buy one of these “Real Life Expressions” dolls on eBay for under $40 if you’re into terrifying kids’ toys. Real Life Expressions was a line of wide-eyed, shocked-looking toys from Globee, and they mostly retailed in Europe in the 1990s (the one on eBay is from 1995).

"Real Life Expressions" Doll @u/HufflepuffHomey / Reddit.com

Globee dolls advertised themselves as “adorable dolls” that have “real-life expressions.” If we saw an actual baby that looked like this, we’d call 911. The toys appear to be battery-powered, so we can only wonder what exactly this wild-eyed creation does when you pop a battery in and flip on the switch. 

Purchased At: Animal Planet
Estimated Price: $9.99*

Animal Planet is supposed to be our go-to for information about every single animal out there, including the gross world of insects. From War of Insects to the Bugs! chapter books, Animal Planet tells us all we need to know about our many-legged friends (or enemies, depending on how you feel about bugs).

Cockroachs Truly Get Everywhere @ebaumsworld / Pinterest.com

However, when it comes to this Animal Planet toy, the channel really dropped the ball. This “Pull Back Tarantula” actually contains a giant cockroach. Though inaccurate, the two are equally terrifying and would cause horror-movie levels of screaming if they were dropped onto a pillow. Still, this one isn’t as scary as the giant, remote-controlled centipede Animal Planet sells on Amazon.

Purchased At: Unknown
Estimated Price: $20-$30*

This one made the rounds on Reddit’s @r/CrappyDesign thread, with one person saying that this watch looks more like a “belt” you’d find on WWE. The marketing of this watch is likely the problem more than the smartwatch itself, which we assume is normal-sized.

Giant Watch @u/skepticalDragon / Reddit.com

The picture used to advertise the watch makes it look more like the face of a parking meter than a timepiece. We’re not sure what brand makes this watch, but we doubt it’s Apple, with its tightly-controlled, sleek advertising. Non-Apple smartwatches usually cost $20-$30, though TechRadar said that the Apple Watch SE currently reigns supreme as “the best smartwatch your money can buy.”

Purchased At: Permatex, Loctite
Estimated Price: $5.97* (Loctite), $9.18* (Permatex)

As the poster put it, “I needed red. Guess which one I grabbed first.” One painter was working with Permatex and Loctite paints, two brands that are tied for the most confusing paints out there. The blue-colored tube is labeled “Threadlocker Red,” while the red-colored tube is labeled “Threadlocker Blue.”

Red Paint, Blue Paint @u/bennythomson / Reddit.com

Like most of us, the painter went by tube color instead of the tiny-print name of the color, and, well, oops. Loctite paints are pretty cheap for one tube, costing just $5.97 (and no, they haven’t changed the packaging). Permatex costs $9.18 and it has also not changed its confusing packaging. 

Purchased At: N/A
Estimated Price: $6,500*

It would have made more sense to place the door handles where this woman’s hands are instead of where they’re placed currently. One passerby noted the unfortunate, almost uncannily-accurate door handle placement of one ad when they were walking by a bus.

Door Handles @eanderson2750 / Pinterst.com

Even when the bus doors open, you could still see the error. Considering that bus ads aren’t cheap, costing $6,500 for a month-long spot, we hope that the company behind the ad at least got their money back. Then again, the door handle error does call attention to the product, though perhaps not in the most flattering way.

Purchased At: Unknown
Estimated Price: $4,500*

If you didn’t understand what you’re looking at, you probably won’t get why this is so odd. The panel on top of that parking meter is a solar panel, which isn’t exactly ideal for operating in a parking garage. The parking meter lets you pay, purchase a ticket, and do whatever else you need to do…assuming it turns on.

Solar Parking Meter - In a Garage @RecreoViral / Pinterest.com

Solar-powered parking meters are the newest piece of tech designed for using renewable energy. They cost around $4,500 to install, and these smart parking meters are the way of the future. However, putting them in a parking garage is not exactly forward-thinking.

Purchased At: Craigslist
Estimated Price: $600*

Even a different color probably wouldn’t make this couch look any different, and we all know what it looks like. This brown and, unfortunately, pink couch appears to be for sale at a furniture store that either doesn’t know or doesn’t care what it looks like, though their customers are no doubt getting a kick out of it.

World's Ugliest Sofa? @winkgo / Pinterest.com

Google image searches of the couch revealed that this couch is custom-made, and the seller, who also, naturally, has it up on Craigslist. It cost a whopping $600, which is a steal for a regular sectional but a high price for such an ugly piece of furniture. Apparently, it was also part of an art school portfolio seven years ago.

Purchased At: Abroad
Estimated Price: $1*

Finding the perfect card to congratulate pals on the birth of their new baby can be a tricky affair. No one wants to pick up something overly sentimental, but we also want to be unique. This card might take care of that in one fell swoop. 

Congratualtions Card @madi_shaw / Pinterest.com

Judging by the language, this card was likely made and sold abroad. Instead of being a sweet nod to a baby’s zodiac sign, it unwittingly congratulates the recipient on getting a life-threatening illness. We’ve seen worse things on eBay – but only just. 

Purchased At: Adiwarna
Estimated Price: $10*

Some product design flaws go beyond the realm of plain stupidity. In some cases, not doing enough market research – or not using common sense – is just asking for trouble. Adiwarna’s Turbo Radiator Coolant is probably a decent enough product, but there’s one large problem. 

Radiator Coolant Cans @MissItalyBarbie / Pinterest.com

It looks like a can of beer. Imagine stumbling into the garage on July 4th to grab another brewski. Accidentally picking up one of these and cracking it open might give you a nasty shock, but on the plus side, your radiator will be suitably cooled.