14 Examples Of Things That Were Supposed To Work, But Failed

Things are supposed to work. I can’t think of many good reasons to design something that will inevitably fail.

A lot of technology companies seem to develop products that are designed to fail after a couple of years, though, but they definitely want you buying the latest and greatest gadget. The products do work for a while, however. It isn’t like you buy a new iPad and it stops working two weeks after your purchase.

However, sometimes it really does seem like people and companies want to see their creations fail. I can’t explain why that is the case, but it definitely seems to be the case.

Here are fifteen examples of things that were probably supposed to work, but really did not.

1. The Ashtray and the Mixed Message

The problem with this ashtray is, I think, pretty obvious. If there is an ashtray around, it seems pretty obvious that people are allowed to smoke. In fact, the presence of an ashtray seems to encourage it.

The design of this ashtray, however, seems to be telling people that they should not smoke.

Smoking, of course, probably should be discouraged. It certainly is not a healthy habit. It is believed that one billion people currently smoke, and the habit is responsible for thousands of deaths every year.

However, people have been smoking tobacco for thousands of years. It was once considered a very normal thing to do.

Actors would regularly smoke on television shows and in movies. However, most people these days consider smoking a vulgar and disgusting habit.

2. Mr. Burns Looks Terrible

Everyone secretly loves Mr. Burns from “The Simpsons”. He is the bad guy, true, but he is also the villain that you really kind of love to hate. He just sort of has that way about him.

This image is horrifying. No human being looks like this.

As far as villains are concerned, Mr. Burns is pretty long-lived. He has been bothering the people of Springfield since 1989. TV Guide even considers the billionaire character one of the nastiest villains of all time.

Currently, Mr. Burns is voiced by actor Harry Shearer, who is well known for several reasons. For one, Shearer was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live”. He also voices other characters on “The Simpsons” and has written a few books.

This image totally failed. However, that might have been the intention.

3. The Kid With the Record Player

Apparently, some professor did not want his students to listen to music while taking a test. That is sort of understandable. Most people these days listen to music on their mobile phones, and those phones can easily be used to cheat.

Back in the day, people used to use their graphing calculators to cheat on tests. Those were dark times. They didn’t play music, and the games were terrible. There wasn’t even a decent “Super Mario Brothers” game for the things.

Anyway, a student brought in a record player, which means that the rules of the exam totally failed. I hope the kid enjoyed listening to Kanye during the midterm.

4. The Pizza With the Ultra Pastry

I had no idea that Domino’s offered something called “ultra-pastry”. That is a weird offering. I suppose the pastry would need to be ultra in order to support that much cheese, though; the person who posted this image definitely loves cheese.

As a person who is not a huge fan of cheese, this particular pizza does not appeal to me; however, I do admire Domino’s as a brand. Over the years, people have gone back and forth regarding its quality, but it has certainly endured as a company; people have been eating Domino’s since 1960. Currently, it is the world’s largest seller of pizza in terms of sales.

Most people think of Domino’s as an American brand, but that is not technically the case. While the brand is headquartered in the United States, the company has a significant international presence. The first international store opened in Canada in 1983. There are currently over 1,000 Domino’s stores, and they can be found on five continents.

5. The Face With the Turmeric

You really can’t blame turmeric for this one. The person that made the face mask is totally to blame. She definitely should have done her research.

Turmeric is great for you, though, so you can totally understand why the person in that image made a mask out of the stuff. There is a very good reason that it has been used in India as a spice and medicinal herb for thousands of years. It definitely has medicinal properties. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and it has been linked to improved brain function. It may also lower one’s risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.

Also, it may be useful in the treatment of depression.

Obviously, there are more studies that need to be done, but you can’t blame the young woman for making a mask out of the stuff. It is clearly pretty good for you. A lot of people claim that it prevents acne-related scarring.

Turmeric is known to temporarily stain the skin when directly applied, so do be careful. It is normal, but it isn’t a great look.

6. The Attempt at Fixing the Wall

To be clear, this was not an actual attempt at fixing a wall. This is not a proper piece of art, obviously.

I am guessing—I can’t be sure, of course—that the “boyfriend” in this case had consumed an alcoholic beverage or two; that is, I assume, the reason he fell down the stairs.

People like to imbibe on Thanksgiving Day, after all. Family tends to make one want to drink.

You really do have to respect this couple. Drywall repair is expensive, and every dent and hole tells a story.

Every single time the couple looks at the hole, they will be reminded of the holiday.

As art, the hole is a failure. As a reminder, it is perfect.

7. The Person With the Forehead Situation

I have no idea what I am looking at, honestly. Is that a tattoo? I’m 95 percent sure that is a tattoo, but I am in no way positive. I wouldn’t bet my life on it.

If it is a tattoo, it definitely sort of looks like hair, which is pretty cool.

Is tattooing one’s forehead becoming a thing? If it is, it is a trend with which I am unfamiliar. It kind of looks like there may be “words” in the hair, but I can’t tell what those words are.

While the whole look is kind of cool now, the guy in this image will likely regret it later. Therefore, it is something of a fail.

8. The Shorts With the Images That Don’t Line Up

I know that making clothing is rather difficult. I once used super glue to repair a shirt, and that actually worked out fine, but I am otherwise pretty helpless when it comes to clothing. If I lose a button from a shirt, I typically just throw out the shirt, which is why I try to avoid clothing with buttons. Zippers, also, can be a challenge.

In this case, someone really dropped the ball. I am guessing that the images were supposed to line up, but they do not come close. This product is probably a huge fail.

Then again, maybe the images were not supposed to line up. Having a dinosaur there is definitely kind of weird.

Even if the images did line up, I would consider the product a fail.

9. The Suffering Pikachu

This is clearly not official, authorized Pokémon merchandise. This toy is kind of cute, sure, but it barely resembles Pikachu.

Considering Pikachu is literally one of the more recognizable characters on Earth and has been for well over a decade now, you would think the company would have tried a lot harder. As it stands, this product is a major fail, and someone ought to be very embarrassed.

Even if you are ripping off a major company, you should at least try to make a semi-decent product.

Also, the product is ridiculously expensive considering how terrible it is. If someone is trying to sell you garbage, you shouldn’t expect to pay a lot for it, right?

10. The Electric Company and the Van

I do not know what “Nu Electric Co.” was thinking here. Even in this day and age, I think most people still know how to read Roman numerals. However, for most people, they take a bit longer to read than typical numbers.

If there is a car or a van driving by with Roman numerals on it, you probably won’t be able to read them. You will not be able to figure out that phone number. If you have a phone number on your vehicle, though, you probably want someone to read it.

Of course, ignoring the Roman numerals, I don’t think I would want to use a business that has such a sketchy-looking van. The tires don’t look to be in great shape, and what is with all of the rust? If you are going to hire a business, you want its vehicle to look halfway decent.

This business sort of failed.

11. The Truck That Is Too Big

When I first saw this image, I thought there was a truck sticker on the garage door. I couldn’t figure out why anyone would put a truck sticker on their garage door, but that is what I thought.

Apparently I was wrong. Someone actually cut a hole in their garage door because their truck was a little too large.

It seems like a pretty extreme solution, true, but what else are you going to do? If you don’t want to park your vehicle outside, you do not really have a choice.

It is kind of a fail, but it is also kind of a win.

12. The Pita Bread and the Cutting

The packaging here is clearly a fail. The reason why it is a fail is clearly pointed out.

To be honest, I thought the instructions were meant to be a joke intended for those who really enjoy sandwich-related humor.

Pita bread is delicious, though; even if the packaging is terrible, the product is probably pretty good.

13. The Mirror That Might Confuse You

I am not sure why anyone would buy this mirror, honestly.

There are many objects that you want to be unnecessarily fancy, of course—but mirrors? Why? Don’t you want them to just do their job? You want to know how you look. That is the only point of a mirror. As far as I am concerned, it does not have to get more difficult than that.

14. The Terrible Jeans

At first, I was convinced that jeans that look like this were jokes. However, I have seen so many pictures of jeans like this that I am now convinced people actually buy these things.

I still have no idea why, though. Why would you buy clothing that has been destroyed in such a way that it is no longer remotely functional?

Also, who buys a pair of jeans that costs over $100? That is a truly ridiculous amount of money for pants.