Why Didn't I Think of That?: Bizarre Origins of Ingenious Inventions We Couldn't Live Without

Introduction ix

1 Grounds For Success 1
Melitta, Inc

2 World on a String 5
Duncan Yo-Yo

3 Party Time! 10
Tupperware

4 Nature’s Purifier 16
Ex-Lax

5 Male-Bonding 20
Elmer’s All-Purpose Glue

6 $afe $ex 25
Trojan Condoms

7 Big Red 31
Heinz Ketchup

8 Make No Mistake 36
Liquid Paper

9 Tabby Toilet 41
Kitty Litter

10 A Peaceful Period 46
Tampax

11 The Wright Stuff 51
Silly Putty

12 Medical Coverage 56
Band-Aid

13 In the Cards 60
Hallmark, Inc.

14 Indoor Ski Sensation 65
Nordictrack

15 Thou Shalt Not Steal 70
The Club

16 The Cutting Edge 74
Cuisinart, Inc.

17 Wonder Jelly 78
Vaseline

18 Silence Is Golden 83
Midas

19 Mini Master Builders 87
Lego

20 Let the Games Begin 91
Trivial Pursuit

21 In-Jean-ious 95
Levi Strauss & Company

22 Get a Grip 99
Velcro

23 Wheels of Fortune 104
Rollerblades, Inc.

24 Clean Sweep 109
The Dirt Devil

25 Billion Dollar Dolly 113
Barbie

26 Lovin’ Spoonful 117
Jell-O

27 Pen Pal 122
Bic

28 The Color of Money 126
Clairol

29 Some Like it Hot 131
Tabasco Sauce

30 Spring Fever 136
Slinky

31 Running Hot and Cold 141
Thermos

32 Little Vittles 146
Gerber

33 Stock Stuffer 151
L’Eggs

34 In the Chips 156
Frito Lay

35 Bottoms Up 162
Pampers

36 Easy Listening 167
Beltone

37 Pads of Glory 172
S.O.S.

38 The Yellow Pages 176
Post-It-Notes

39 Little Dipper 180
Dixie Cups

40 House of Wax 185
Crayola

41 The Candy Man 190
Tootsie Roll

42 A Stitch in Time 194
Singer Sewing Machine

43 Home Cooking 199
Boston Market

44 Current Success 203
Jacuzzi

45 The Chairmen 207
La-Z-Boy

46 Morning Star 211
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes

47 Slice of Life 216
Swiss Army Knife

48 Hill of Beans 220
Starbucks

49 The Bill Chill 225
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

50 Pocket Book 231
Filofax

Acknowledgments 235

Bibliography 237

Index 239