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Informationen zum Autor ALLYN FREEMAN is a writer and business consultant whose television credits include M*A*S*H and Hart to Hart. He has also written numerous articles for leading business journals. He holds an MBA from Columbia University Business School. BOB GOLDEN is a writer and composer whose musical credits include Sesame Street, TV Nation, and Comedy Central. He is the coauthor of the Jerky Boys Book, and, with Freeman, has written material for America Online. Klappentext Ben & Jerry originally wanted to start a bagel business, but they couldn't afford the bagel-making machine?* The Slinky(r) toy was born aboard a World War II battleship?* Band-Aids(r) were invented by a husband to help his accident-prone wife dress her own cuts and bruises at home?* The idea for Velcro(r) came from cockleburs that got stuck on an engineer's wool trousers and in his dog's fur?Ever wonder how anyone came up with the idea for a product you couldn't imagine living without? Familiar products like Velcro(r) ,disposable diapers, Post-It Notes(r) ,and coffee filters. Read this book and you'll discover - once more - that truth is indeed often stranger than fiction. You'll also see that coming up with a million-dollar idea isn't as difficult as you think. This collection of entrepreneurs ranges from housewives to PhDs.Filled with wacky and fascinating facts, awe-inspiring success statistics, and rags-to-riches stories, Why Didn't I Think of That? chronicles the odd origins behind 50 famous inventions and reveals the business side of each product's actual production, marketing, and distribution. You'll discover how inventors from all walks of life struck it rich with unlikely contraptions that range from the practical (like Tampax(r) and Tupperware(r) ) to the curiously inane (like the Barbie(r) doll and Silly Putty(r) ).Inspirational, detailed, and always quirky, this delightful book captures all of the drama and colorful history of products like Heinz(r) ketchup, The Club(r) , Jell-O(r) ,Hallmark(r) cards, Trojan(r) condoms, Vaseline(r) , Rollerblades(r) , Kitty Litter(r) , the Swiss Army(r) Knife, Bic(r) pens, Dirt Devil(r) , Pampers(r) , S.O.S(r) pads, and many more. Zusammenfassung Eine Chronik der weltweit berühmtesten Erfindungen und Ideen, die uns allen (und auch ihren Erfindern - finanziell) das Leben leichter gemacht haben. Die Autoren erzählen auf scharfsinnig-detaillierte und liebenswert-exzentrische Weise die merkwürdigen Entstehungsgeschichten berühmter Produkte. Sie erläutern nicht nur, wie diese nützlichen und bisweilen auch kuriosen Erfindungen unser Leben verändert haben, sondern gehen auch auf die geschäftlichen Hintergründe wie Produktion und Vertrieb ein. Insgesamt eine bunte und faszinierende Anthologie genialen Erfindertums. (10/97) Inhaltsverzeichnis Introduction ix 1 Grounds For Success 1 Melitta, Inc 2 World on a String 5 Duncan Yo-Yo 3 Party Time! 10 Tupperware 4 Nature's Purifier 16 Ex-Lax 5 Male-Bonding 20 Elmer's All-Purpose Glue 6 $afe $ex 25 Trojan Condoms 7 Big Red 31 Heinz Ketchup 8 Make No Mistake 36 Liquid Paper 9 Tabby Toilet 41 Kitty Litter 10 A Peaceful Period 46 Tampax 11 The Wright Stuff 51 Silly Putty 12 Medical Coverage 56 Band-Aid 13 In the Cards 60 Hallmark, Inc. 14 Indoor Ski Sensation 65 Nordictrack 15 Thou Shalt Not Steal 70 The Club 16 The Cutting Edge 74 Cuisinart, Inc. 17 Wonder Jelly 78 Vaseline 18 Silence Is Golden 83 Midas 19 Mini Master Builders 87 Lego 20 Let the Games Begin 91 Trivial Pursuit 21 In-Jean-ious 95 Levi Strauss & Company 22 Get a Grip 99 Velcro 23 Wheels of Fortune 104 Rollerblades, Inc. 24 Clean Sweep 109 The Dirt Devil 25 Billion Dollar Dolly 113
List of contents
Partial table of contents:
World on a String: Duncan Yo-Yo.
Big Red: Heinz Ketchup.
Make No Mistake: Liquid Paper.
The Wright Stuff: Silly Putty.
Indoor Ski Sensation: Nordictrack.
The Cutting Edge: Cuisinart, Inc.
Clean Sweep: The Dirt Devil.
Lovin' Spoonful: Jell-O.
Some Like It Hot: Tabasco Sauce.
Spring Fever: Slinky.
Stocking Stuffer: L'Eggs.
Easy Listening: Beltone.
Pads of Glory: S.O.S.
The Candy Man: Tootsie Roll.
Slice of Life: Swiss Army Knife.
The Big Chill: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.
Acknowledgments.
Bibliography.
Index.
