tamagotchi

Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Ty Warner are all inventors who raked in a pretty penny for their creations. Though that last name may not ring a bell, Mr. Warner amassed the greatest fortune of the three. His invention didn’t bring light to the world or allow the human voice to travel amazing lengths, it was designed to simply sit on a child’s shelf. Warner’s barely stuffed stuffed animals, better known as Beanie Babies, netted him more than $4 billion. Check out our slideshow for nine other largely useless—and in some cases just plain dumb—products that made their creators ...