Kevin Barrett 
People and companies have bad ideas all of the time. Most of the time, though, people eventually think through their bad ideas and recognize how terrible they are. Those bad ideas are then ignored and forgotten. If an employee of a company has a really bad idea, his or her boss will usually put a stop to it.
However, bad ideas are actually embraced once in a while. The reasons vary. It seems as if there are people out there who genuinely want to fail, which is difficult to understand. Sometimes bad ideas just are not recognized until it is too late.
Here are fifteen excellent examples of bad ideas that were—for whatever reason—embraced.
1. The Mystery Flavor
The entire point of a mystery flavor is that you do not know what you are getting. Personally, I do not really like the idea of mystery flavors when it comes to candy; there are a lot of disgusting flavors of candy out there, and it seems really foolish to spend money on candy you will not enjoy.
However, some people enjoy surprises, so “mystery flavors” are a thing. Ruining the mystery flavor on the wrapper seems like a bad idea. I’m not sure what the manufacturer was thinking.
I suppose that little label is removable and could be there for those buying mystery flavor candy as a gift for someone else?
I don’t know what this particular variety of “island punch” tastes like, but if it tastes anything like the beverage Hawaiian Punch, it is bound to be delicious. The product was first created in 1934, and it was initially used as a topping for ice cream. Customers eventually realized how good a beverage the topping became when it was mixed with water.
Currently, there are well over a dozen varieties of Hawaiian Punch.
2. The Face Paint In the Sun
Kids definitely love having their faces painted, but a lot of adults do, too. One good reason to get your face painted is to demonstrate your pride for your country. You might also get your face painted to support your favorite sports team. It seems like a childish thing to do, sure, but what’s the point of life if we can’t all embrace our inner child once in a while?
You have to be careful, though, if you are getting your face painted and plan to spend a good amount of time in the sun. You might end up looking kind of ridiculous, like this guy did. He probably continued to look ridiculous for days after that picture was taken.
3. The Girl On the Bike With the Phone In Her Mouth
This is a bad idea for an obvious reason; if the girl ends up having to stop suddenly or gets in a wreck, that phone in her mouth might end up becoming a part of her. It could actually end up doing serious damage to her mouth and throat.
Pictures like these are why pockets are so very important. There is no reason this young woman should be putting herself at risk. Of course, she probably could have just left her phone at home. How often in life are you expecting a truly important phone call?
Carrying the phone in her mouth may have been a bad idea, but the exercise was definitely a great idea. Regular exercise obviously helps you lose weight, but it can also build bone density and reduce the risk of chronic disease. It can even make you feel happier due to the production of endorphins. Furthermore, it has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety. It might even protect your memory and thinking skills. Finally, contrary to what you might expect, it can actually help with chronic pain.
4. The Car and the Helipad
Driving onto a helipad is a bad idea. I don’t really need to go into detail as to why. It looks like a chopper is about to land, and we can only hope the pilot noticed the vehicle on the ground.
Why is it even possible for cars to drive onto a helipad? Shouldn’t there be a fence of some sort separating the parking lot from the place helicopters are supposed to land? Whoever designed this area had at least one really bad idea. That was an idea that was not really thought through.
5. The Toilet Lid Food Tray
This may end up being one of those ideas that is so bad it is actually good. It seems sort of gross at first, but it is obviously a perfectly clean toilet lid, so it is really nothing more than a piece of plastic.
The man does not look to be in any discomfort. His food is right there, ready to be consumed. His hands are free.
If anything spills, he can easily just wipe it off. The guy also looks pretty proud of his idea, and he probably should be. At the very least, he is a creative guy.
It only seems like a bad idea because few people want to associate their meals with the toilet. Once you get over that, though, it is sort of brilliant.
6. The Corn and the Dog
There is an obvious joke about a corn dog here, but it is not really worth making. I am trying to figure out what the point of this little experiment is. Why would anyone take the time to do this to a dog? How bored does one have to be? Was someone just trying to make a funny image to post on social media? Someone definitely went to a lot of trouble for this picture.
This was a bad idea because the dog would have every right to snarl and snap at the person who did this to him or her. You don’t mess with people—or animals—when they are sleeping.
7. The Tree and the Motorcycle
Anytime someone does something unsafe while in control of a motor vehicle, it is a very bad idea. Therefore, the person in his image has had a terrible idea. Even if he is only transporting that tree a mile or two, it is a bad idea. Many bad things can happen on a short journey, and the person clearly can’t see in front of him.
I understand the need to transport property to your home, but it needs to be done in a safe way. Doesn’t that store offer delivery service? I’m sure it would cost a bit, but motor vehicle accidents are also pretty expensive.
Let’s hope the guy on the bike got home safely and his motorcycle is in one piece.
8. The Sticker on the Car Window
In general, it is a bad idea to taunt or tease law enforcement officials. Even if you are doing so in a truly pleasant and joking way and really mean no harm, there is no guarantee the officer will take the joke in the right way.
For that reason, I think this sticker is a bad idea. It is definitely pretty funny, though. The first thing a police officer does when he or she pulls you over is ask for your license and registration, after all.
The sticker seems to suggest, however, that the young man in this image is pulled over frequently, which is not a good thing to advertise. If you are getting pulled over a lot, you obviously have questionable driving habits, which is not anything you want law enforcement to know right off the bat.
It looks like the police officer is taking a picture of the sticker with his phone, which means he couldn’t have been too upset by the sticker.
9. The Advice at the Children’s Store
“Wrap It Up” is indeed an odd slogan for a children’s store. Granted, they are likely advertising some sort of gift-wrapping service—or maybe advising people to keep their children warm during the winter months—but people have dirty minds. Someone at the store had to realize that people would think the very worst of the slogan.
People did, obviously, and now this image is being made fun of on the internet.
That bad idea aside, Carter’s is a great chain of stores. The children’s apparel designer, which was founded in Massachusetts, has actually been around for over 150 years. Its current headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia. There are now over 650 Carter’s stores.
10. The Sign About Working Safely
In this case, I suppose the bad idea was installing the sign, as it makes everyone involved look sort of foolish. I don’t understand exactly how this happened. Aren’t those contraptions designed in such a way that they can’t tip over? How badly did someone need to mess up in order for this to happen?
The message of the sign is a nice one, though; it is important to work safely. Unfortunately, in this case, it just did not happen.
Fortunately, it does not look like anyone was injured, and the television seems to be intact, so everything turned out okay more or less.
11. The Small Child Playing the Video Game
There are those video games that are appropriate for small children, and then there are those video games that are not appropriate for small children.
“Resident Evil: Biohazard” is not one of those games that is appropriate for small children. It isn’t appropriate for children at all, really. A small child certainly should not be playing is using the PlayStation VR headset.
“Resident Evil: Biohazard” should be played by adults, though, as it was pretty well received by critics. The reviews were mostly favorable, and it was considered one of the best horror games of 2017. In fact, one gaming site considered it one of the best games of the year overall.
12. The Cat in the Vending Machine
This poor cat had a bad idea, but you can sort of understand the poor creature’s thought process. The vending machine had food, and it wanted food. I’m assuming it wanted a Twix bar, but I can’t be sure.
It is going to take some effort to get the animal out of there, though. You really have to feel bad for the thing.
It looks kind of terrified.
It is fun to think that the vending machine may be dispensing animals—they now sell all sorts of ridiculous things—but that seems unlikely.
13. The Jail Uniform
First things first, going to jail is a totally bad idea. Chances are, unless you were falsely accused, bad ideas resulted in your incarceration.
If you are incarcerated, it is generally a bad idea to make waves, especially if you are only in jail for a short period of time. The changes to this uniform seem unnecessary.
I am guessing that the person in this image is not actually in jail, though. Maybe you are allowed to keep the uniform when you get out if you are really nice to the warden? I honestly have no idea how these things work.
Regardless, wearing a shirt that advertises you once were once in jail seems like a horrible idea.
Also, just the general look of the shirt is a bad idea. That is not a great fashion choice.
14. The Cans Without the Labels
Removing all of the labels from your canned goods is a horrible idea. What is the point? I suppose it might be worth doing if you hate your housemates, but you are also just punishing yourself.
It also seems like an enormous waste of time. Didn’t the person who did this have more productive ways of spending their time? This is just unacceptable. Whoever did this should absolutely have to replace all of the house’s canned goods.
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