Nike MaxSight - Failure Museum

Nike MaxSight Contact Lenses

Nike MaxSight were fully tinted soft contact lenses launched in 2005 by Nike and Bausch & Lomb to reduce glare, boost visual contrast, and filter blue light and UV rays for athletes. While some athletes noticed improved contrast, many users felt the advantage wasn’t dramatic enough to justify the cost and hassle. The target market was much smaller than Nike’s typical footwear and apparel business as it only appealed to athletes who already wore contact lenses, played outdoor sports, and believed vision enhancement would improve performance. Plus many athletes simply wore sport-specific sunglasses, while consumers trusted established contact lens makers more than Nike for products that go directly on the eye.

Dragon Flyz - Failure Museum

Dragon Flyz

Launched in 1995, Dragon Flyz toys featured characters attached to mechanical wing packs that could launch and spin high into the air like a helicopter. Each figure attached to a hand-held, dragon-shaped launcher. Many children became frustrated when the toy crashed immediately or flew unpredictably. The lightweight plastric wings and rotors broke easily after crashes. Also, when the novelty of launching wore off, there wasn’t much else to unlike other popular options like Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nintendo, and Sega.

Rolodex - Failure Museum

Rolodex

Rolodex was a desktop rotary card file used to organize and store names, addresses, and phone numbers. Rolodex is a classic example of technology disruption: it wasn’t defeated by a better paper organizer – it was made obsolete by digital technology that solived the problem faster, more cheaply, and with far greater functionality.

Garbage Pail Kids - Failure Museum

Garbage Pail Kids Cards

Released in 1985 and killed in 1987, Garbage Pail Kids trading cards mocked the wholesome Cabbage Patch Kids dolls by featuring crude humor, comic deformaties, and pun-based names. Because of the gross humor and shock value, many elementary schools banned the cards, while parents refused to buy them for their kids. The creators of Cabbage Patch Kids sued Topps over the resemblance.

Cinema Digital Sound - Failure Museum

Cinema Digital Sound

Launched in 1990 by Eastman Kodak and discontinued only a few years later, Cinema Digital Sound was the first all-digital sound system used for 35 mm theatrical film. Common problems included losing audio in the middle of a film as well as film wear requiring early replacement. This led to studios and theaters not supporting this system Dolby introduced the upgraded alternative of Dolby Digital in 1992.

Northvolt - Failure Museum

Northvolt

Northvolt was a Swedish battery maker who filed for bankruptcy in 2025 after raising more than $15 billion. The company excelled at attracting customers and political support, but manufacturing at scale proved to be the critical challenge. A slower expansion focusing on perfecting one factory before building several more may have given it a better chance of success. However, they also had to deal with intense competition from Chinese competitors who were far ahead.

Becky - Failure Museum

Paralympic Champion Becky (Barbie’s friend)

Released in 1999, paralympic champion Becky was a friend of Barbie. The doll was short-lived primarily because the wheelchair did not fit through the doors or elevators of the classic Barbie Dreamhouse. Redesigning the entire Barbie ecosystem (houses, elevators, vehicles, accessories) to accomodate Becky was more complicated and expensive than Mattel wanted to undertake.

Chainsaw Controller - Failure Museum

PlayStation Chainsaw Controller

Released in 2006, the PlayStation Chainsaw Controller featured a built-in sound effect triggered by pulling the ripcord, and a unique, hand-painted blood splatter pattern on every controller. However, the device had an awkward button layout and ergonomics, while manufacturing costs were high due to the custom shell and packaging.

McHotDog - Failure Museum

McHotDog

The McHotDog was a short-lived hot dog introduced by McDonald’s in 1995. It famously went against the wishes of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, who had a strong aversion to hot dogs. McDonald’s built its global reputation on burgers, fries, and consistent fast service. Preparing hot dogs didn’t mesh well with McDonald’s highly optimized kitchens. Plus sales were slow as customers didn’t see it as a must-have choice compared to McDonald’s core menu items.

Devil Shake - Failure Museum

Devil Shake

In 1966, Pepsi released the Devil Shake, a chocolate-flavored drink marketed as a richer milk-based soda. However, Pepsi was known for cola so a chocolate milk-style drink didn’t naturally fit the Pepsi brand. In addition, it ran into production problems, didn’t have a long enough shelf life, and didn’t compete well against incumbent Yoo-Hoo who had strong brand loyalty and established distribution.