The Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris is currently hosting an exhibition called Flops? Dare, Fail, Innovate, which highlights some of the world’s most infamous product failures. One of the most memorable exhibits is the UroClub, a hollow-shafted golf club designed to serve as a portable urinal for men. Marketed as a way to keep golfers “out of the woods” and avoid leaving the course to relieve themselves, the UroClub came with a towel that could be unfurled to preserve modesty. Despite its innovative idea, the product never gained commercial success.
Other notable exhibits include a ping-pong table with a wavy surface that made playing almost impossible, and bizarre food products that failed to win consumer approval, such as green ketchup and Colgate’s ill-fated beef lasagne, which people mistakenly believed contained toothpaste. Another highlight is radioactive face cream, sold in the early 20th century when radium was thought to have health benefits. Many of the items in the exhibit had unintended consequences, such as a plastic bicycle that broke when ridden, dolls with chewable teeth that injured children, and dangerous giant darts that caused numerous injuries. A Barbie doll with flickering rollerblades, which sparked fires, was also part of the display.
Other innovations featured in the exhibition include a spray-on condom that took too long to dry, a vacuum cleaner that required manual pumping before use, and a controversial doll whose breasts grew when its arm was rotated. There were also contraceptive boxer shorts, designed to keep testicles warm, which were ultimately deemed ineffective in preventing sperm production.
While these inventions were commercial failures, the exhibition’s message is clear: fear of failure should not deter innovation. The curators aim to demonstrate that failure is a natural part of the creative process. As they point out, nine out of ten inventions fail, but persistence is key to eventual success. Michèle Antoine, the museum’s director, pointed to videoconferencing as a prime example of a technology that, while developed in the mid-20th century, only became widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The exhibition also highlights innovations that were simply ahead of their time, like the Bi-Bop mobile phone. Although it was an early attempt at mobile communication, its limitations—such as the need for proximity to a relay point and dual subscription plans—caused it to be quickly surpassed by more user-friendly models.
While some products failed due to poor design, execution, or timing, others eventually found success in unexpected ways. The DeLorean car, for example, was initially a commercial flop but gained fame through its role in the Back to the Future films. Similarly, iconic products like Google Glass, Amazon Fire, and the Segway also flopped, showing that even large companies experience failures.
Ultimately, the exhibition emphasizes that innovation requires risk-taking, and setbacks should be viewed as opportunities to learn and improve. As the curators note, “success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm,” a sentiment often attributed to Winston Churchill.
Based on an article in the Times by David Chazan