Bizarre Inventions

Nine unusual products that were actually made

1 A motorised ice-cream cone that automatically rotates your ice cream, saving you the effort of turning the cone around to lick the ice cream on the other side.

2 An extendable chin rest for when you’re standing up on a crowded bus or train and feel like resting your head.

3 A goldfish-bowl walker for those moments when you want to take your pet fish for a stroll.

4 Shoe umbrellas to keep your toes dry (though strangely not the rest of your feet).

5 A rock that you can connect to your computer with a USB but that otherwise does nothing.*

6 A mobile phone that doubles as an electric beard trimmer.

7 A walking sleeping bag that has a hole in the bottom so you can shuffle around while still being zipped up inside it.**

8 The Useless Machine, which is a square box with a single switch on the top. If you flip the switch, a small motorised arm pops out to flip it back. That’s it.

9Mechanical cat ears, which are attached to a headband and designed to be worn by a human.

Listified! by Andrew Pettie and illustrated by Andrés Lozano is out now.

Invented in Japan, the cat ears monitor activity in the wearer’s brain and then move in response to their mood. When the wearer is relaxed, the ears droop. When they’re alert, the ears perk up and wiggle!

*An earlier model called the Pet Rock, which came without a USB connector but with a detailed 32-page instruction manual, sold for $4 in the 197Os. Pet rocks were so popular they made their creator, American businessman Gary Dahl, a millionaire.

**Perfect for those times when you’re both late for school and want to stay in bed!