The Museum Of Failure Was An Interesting Look At The Greatest Fuckups In History
Let me get ahead of this right now and say that I was not an exhibit here. Although you could make a case that I should be from this first picture I took above. Those weird rusty pipe things look gross. Anyway, I did go to the Museum Of Failure over the weekend right before it closed here in NYC. They have been touring all over the world since 2017. I figured I'd take some pictures of the exhibits I thought were most interesting.
Lawn darts were kinda fun in the 1980's before they got banned. I remember adults playing them when I was a kid. You'd either have to be a psycho or an idiot to kill someone with these. I wonder if we can re-visit lawn darts in the 2020's? They have fucking axe throwing at bars now. People getting drunk with axes seems so much more dangerous than lawn darts.
There was a pretty good amount of technology items at the Museum of Failure. Not only did they have BetaMax but they also showcased HD-DVD which was a legit competitor of Blu-Ray for a short time. They also had laserdisc (which had great picture quality but you had the flip the disc over at the 50 minute mark).
I had no idea this was even a thing but it looks fucking terrifying. I love skiing but I am also afraid of snowboarding. I don't want both of my feet locked in. Having them this close like on the Monoski looks really scary. This is an example (and the museum does a good job showcasing this) where failure leads to success. The fact that two Monoski manufacturers became snowboard makers is a perfect case in point.
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I remember how Good Morning America hyped this announcement. They said they were going to introduce an invention that would change all of our lives. I was in college at the time. We made sure to get up early and see what this could be. Maybe a flying car? Hoverboard? Nope. Just a lameass Segway. Even then, the reaction was a shrug and wondering why we wouldn't just walk somewhere. The only time I see them now is if I am back home in New England during the summer in a town near the water. I'll see tourists try not to fall face first while they giggle uncomfortably on their vacations.
I wrote about the Arch Deluxe below so I was really excited to see this make the cut. I was working at McDonald's when this was released and it was wild seeing the failure up close and personal.
I have no idea where the Museum of Failure will end up next but if it ends up anywhere near you, I recommend checking it out. It is pretty no-frills but still a fun look at fuckups and a trip down memory lane for some of the exhibits. If anything you'll feel better about yourself next time you screw something up at work.