Chumby

Chumby

Released in 2006, the Chumby was an internet-connected version of an otherwise dumb object. This original Chumby was an internet alarm clock with a touchscreen.

Red Skins

Sheboygan Red Skins

In 1951, the team failed to secure corporate money or a big enough fan base.  The Bucks became Wisconsin’s NBA team in 1968.

Bernie Madoff - Failure Museum

Bernie Madoff

In 2008, Bernie was arrested for turning his wealth management business into a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, which collapsed during the financial crisis.

Milwaukee Badgers

Milwaukee Badgers

After 5 seasons in the league, the Badgers were winless in 10 attempts against the Packers and dwarfed the Packers in attendance. In 1926, due to financial difficulties they couldn’t keep their star players so Green Bay became WI’s NFL team.

Pennsylvania Railroad - Failure Museum

Pennsylvania Railroad Company

At its peak in 1882, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest railroad (by traffic and revenue), the largest transportation enterprise, and the largest corporation in the world. In 1968, it merged with it’s rival New York Central Railroad, but the networks integrated poorly and the railroad filed for bankruptcy two years later. This was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history at the time.

Ayds Diet Candy - Failure Museum

Ayds Diet Candy

Ayds Candy was initially introduced in 1940 as a diet aid and appetite suppressant. They claimed the product could cause the user to “lose up to 10 pounds in 5 days, without dieting or exercising.”

By the mid-1980s, public awareness of AIDS brought notoriety to the brand due to the phonetic similarity of names and the fact that the disease caused immense weight loss in patients.

After sales plummeted, the candy was rebranded to “Aydslim” by adding “slim” to its name. After that failed it was named “Diet Ayds.” Marketing strategists criticized both choices since it still contained the name of the disease.