Throughout history, millions of inventions have been made.
Success isn’t always guaranteed, but inventors can earn millions of dollars when a certain invention goes mainstream.
There are some flashy investments that make a lot of money, but there are also some very simple products that we don’t even think about as “inventions” that have made their creators a lot of money.
1. Upside Down Squeeze Bottle
It’s so easy to take the upside-down squeeze bottle for granted.
But in the early 2000s, Heinz revolutionized the way we use condiments such as ketchup and mustard by inventing the mess-free squeezable bottle.
2. Post-It Notes
Thanks to low production costs and a wide variety of uses, stick-it or Post-it notes have been a very profitable invention. At first, they were marketed as an office supply, but they soon became a household staple.
It also began as a humble three-inch yellow square, and nowadays, there are tons of colors and sizes to choose from.
3. Band-Aids
We probably also take Band-Aids for granted, but these things never actually existed before the 1920s. Nowadays, you can find them in almost every household’s first-aid kit.
4. Velcro
Today, Velcro is one of the most popular fasteners around the world.
It only came out in the 1950s, but it is still used by many around the globe to this day.
5. Hula Hoop
The humble circular hula hoop was a huge fad in the 1950s and continues to be popular nowadays.
It can be used not only as a toy but also as a prop in sports, gymnastics, and other performance arts.
6. Slinky
It was Richard James who invented the Slinky back in 1943. Since then, millions of these items have been sold all around the world.
7. Tamagotchi
If you were born before or during the 90s, then you will probably recognize and hopefully feel some heavy feelings of nostalgia when you see this Tamagotchi. The Japanese toy maker Bandai invented this toy and managed to sell over 70 million of these items.
They were so popular that, at one point, they were selling one Tamagotchi every second.
8. Koosh Ball
You have probably never heard of Scott Stillinger, but you have definitely seen a Koosh Ball at some point in your life.
Stillinger sold these toys under the OddzOn company, which he later sold for a whopping $100 million in 1997.
9. Crocs
When Crocs first came out, they received a lot of backlash for not exactly being the most beautiful shoe, but at the same time, they were revered for boasting ultra-comfort.
They have always been popular, but their popularity has exploded in the last few years. Their website says they sell around 150 million pairs of shoes annually.
10. Beanie Babies
Beanie Babies were created by the toy maker Ty Warner.
The concept was very simple, and it involved filling soft toys with beans, giving them a name and character, and making all the different ones collectible. This earned Warner billions; today, he has a net worth of $6 billion.
