Launched in 1982, the Finger Light was a small battery-powered light worn on a finger to imitate E.T.'s glowing fingertip. However, the toy's shape led to unintended adult associations leading retailers to be unwilling to promote it, the market was ...
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 fel ...
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 whe ...
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 technolog ...
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 wea ...
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 ...
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 p ...
Schlitz was one of America's top-selling beers. After a brewery strike and pressure to expand nationally, management focused heavily on increasing output and reducing costs. This led to using cheaper ingredients and stabilizers while shortened aging ...
Warrior Custom Golf was a direct-to-consumer golf equipment company best known for aggressive TV infomercials and "free club" promotions in the 2000s and 2010s. Warrior clubs were marketed as premium custom clubs at bargain pricing, but many golfer ...
Founded in 1998, Fogdog tried to become the online version of a sporting goods superstore. It sold athletic apparel, equipment, and gear online during the early e-commerce explosion. Fogdog went public in late 1999 during the peak of the dot-com b ...
