Chindogu are inventions that are not really useful but are at the same time, not completely without use. They make sense, but you’d never use them. They are also, as a result, often really funny.

This chindogu article gives some great examples while also sharing the 10 tenets of what makes chindogu, chindogu. Things like: there must be the spirit of anarchy —  they represent freedom of thought and action. And they must exist — just the idea isn’t enough, they must be made.

Apparently, the selfie-stick was invented as chindogu but failed as people evidently actually found it useful — though you can still see why it might have started as chindogu.

Chindogu

Unuseless inventions. Invented by the Japanese. Worth a quick chindogu search.

Chindogu: unuseless inventions

One of the 40 inventive principles. Application not limited to mechanical engineering.

Cheap disposable objects

I love Bill Buxton’s Long Nose of Innovation theory that basically a ton of small incremental work precedes what feels like a wow innovation moment. Computer mice, touchscreens, robotics, CNC machining, haptics etc were all around for decades before they hit the big time.

Sketchplanations tagged with invention