These 20 Ridiculously Simple Ideas Made Millions

Because apparently, dogs need goggles. These sell for $80 a pair, and they have earned the company millions.

Byron Reese has sent over 200,000 letters (at $10 apiece) since the start of his business in 2001. Doing the math, that means he’s a multi-millionaire.

The Koosh was initially all about practicality: Stillinger wanted to give his young children a toy that they could hold on to and throw easily. He contacted his brother-in-law, a marketing manager at Mattel, to make it happen. Two years later, it was one of the hottest toys on the market. 50 million units were sold – and even more, dollars were made in the process.

The product is a hair-clipping device that attaches to a vacuum cleaner, allowing the user to cut their curls with minimal mess. Hunt took his invention to late night TV, and the rest was history: From the early nineties to the year 2000, over two million units were sold.

It’s unclear who invented Silly Putty, but Peter Hodgson was the genius who started marketing it. In 1950, he sold 250,000 units for a dollar apiece – all in three days time. By the time Hodgson died in 1976, Silly Putty was bringing in over $5 million a year.