Launched in 1991, McDonald’s soup didn’t match the fast, indulgent, and handheld identity people expect. Soup slowed service and takes more labor since it requires heating and holding at the right temperature, ladling and careful handling, and extra packaging (bowls, lids, spoons). Unlike fries, onion rings, and chips, soup isn’t an easy add-on sale to burgers, fried chicken, and nuggets.
Launched in 1982 and discontinued in 1985, ColecoVision, was a video game console that brought arcade-quality graphics to the home. It was launched just before the North America video game crash as retailers were drowning in unsold consoles and games. Unlike Nintendo, ColecoVision had less quality control, a smaller developer ecosystem, and fewer must-have games.
Launched in 1995, Sega Saturn had difficulty competing against Sony’s PlayStation resulting in selling 9 million units worldwide vs. PlayStation selling over 100 million. PlayStation had simpler, developer-friendly architecture leading to low developer support; Saturn was designed for 2D arcade-style games while PlayStation focused on 3D; Saturn was priced at a premium to PlayStation. Plus Sega of Japan and Sega of America didn’t align and led to slow decision making.
In 2026, Saks was the biggest name in high-end retail to file for bankruptcy since the pandemic. For more than a century, Saks served as a gateway for U.S. shoppers to discover coveted European brands. However, consumers can now turn to the internet and many luxury brands have stores of their own. In addition, a broad slowdown in demand for luxury goods, inflation, and tariffs made it harder for Saks to pay suppliers. This led to suppliers cutting shipments and fewer goods for Saks to sell. With less merchandise on its store racks and in its warehouses, the company couldn’t borrow as much under its asset-based loan, which is backed by inventory.
iRobot depended too heavily on robot vacuums, which became commoditized, and had limited success expanding into adjacent home robotics. Post-Covid demand collapsed, retail inventory piled up, and promotions destroyed margins.
Launched in 1985, Jolt Cola had “all the sugar and twice the caffeine.” However, in the 1990s energy drinks exploded (Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar). Those brands delivered more caffeine than Jolt and were marketed more aggressively to younger consumers. Once energy drinks took over convenience stores and gas stations, Jolt lost premium shelf space, while it lacked the marketing budget of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or Red Bull.
High School Musical is a movie that was released in 2008 by Disney. Ryan Evans, one of the main characters and co-President of the Drama Club, refused to wear this outfit so this doll was never released.
Launched in 1971, Wonder Sauna Hot Pants were an inflatable product designed to be worn to produce a “sauna” effect, with the aim of melting fat while the wearer simply sat. Instead of cutting calories or hitting the gym – just “wear these hot pants, sit around, maybe walk a bit, and the fat disappears.” That convenience-over-effort pitch was central to the appeal of the product. However, the product only causing sweating (i.e. water loss), not fat loss. On top of that, the pants were ugly, awkward, and uncomfortable.
Moxion Power raised $126M to replace diesel generators – used in construction sites, live events, film sets – with clean mobile battery-powered energy storage units. However, they aggressively ramped up production and headcount, as well as committed to large facilities, ahead of market demand. In addition, the battery units lacked bidirectional charging capabilities which customers needed to replace diesel generators. Moxion Power tried to raise $200M at the same time confidence in hardware-heavy startups was declined. Once funding dried up they shut down in 2024.
In Keith Comstock’s 1989 ProCards baseball card he has his uniform on, with his hands stretched out in front of him, and has a horribly pained look on his face. His eyes are squeezed shut. His mouth is open, like he’s letting out a scream. But what makes this card truly stand out is the location of the baseball in the photo.
Once Comstock was demoted from the San Diego Padres to the Las Vegas Aces in AAA he came up with the idea for this card. After some trial and error, Comstock figured out he could get the ball to stick to his pants (for at least a few seconds) with the help of some super glue. None of the other players on the team would let their photo be taken until after Comstock so the photographer was required to take this picture.
