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Things You Thought You Invented

139 replies

StayGoldenPonyGirl · 13/04/2023 18:18

I invented Nihilism when I was 8 or 9. My parents told me to shut up talking nonsense. I remember reading about it as a teenager in Reader's Digest and thinking someone had ripped my ideas off - I came up with that by myself years back😆

I also invented the sanitary towel around 5 or 6- my mum just used tampons so i didn't know what pads were. I overheard her moaning about getting stains on her knickers so I made a wad of loo roll with improvised sticky back plastic (looped black electrical tape) and presented it to her. Her and her friends found it hilarious...I was most disgruntled.

I had the idea for the kindle too as a kid in a cold house who wanted to read but keep hands snuggly and warm. But mine was wall mounted and you would blink to turn pages so I still might take that one to Dragon's Den.

Have you ever sworn you've invented something that already exists?

OP posts:
AliceDownTheRabbitHole · 15/04/2023 13:27

I thought of Just Eat years before it started up. We even thought about doing it for the takeaways in our local area to start out but we're too lazy to get off our arses and actually do it

Tomorrowisagesaway · 15/04/2023 13:38

I invented atheism when I told my parents that I'd realised that god was a lie like Santa - shocked they told me that he was real - he wasn't for me anymore. I felt like I knew something no one else did (Catholic Ireland in the 70s).

CommanderSeven · 15/04/2023 20:53

x2boys · 14/04/2023 11:25

I think " Friends" should be credited with inventing face time ,and zoom/teams meetings,remember when Monica was dating pete the Billionaire ,and they all went to his apartment and they called him on a giant screen,thing?and he hss meetings with various other peoole on screens?

Nah. Star Trek was there first. In fact many of the things we have now were first imagined in Star Trek.

Dontlistitonfacebook · 15/04/2023 21:02

@CommanderSeven as I said in my previous post, this concept was described in the short story The Machine Stops, published in 1909.

Would not be surprised if there were earlier versions of the idea though!

FirstnameSuesecondnamePerb · 15/04/2023 21:09

No one, that I know of Has taken up my brilliant idea of Ice Cream Van app. From a childhood spent living on large housing estates, where you could hear the van but never knew where it was or if you had missed it.
Add in the vans thar drive around looking for customers and the mad scrabble for change.......surely there's an app based solution!

Lasouthpaw · 15/04/2023 21:30

My sisterbcame up with a hello fresh type idea years and years ago. She was working in the city and thought that a meal box delivered, with all the ingredients ready to go would appeal to busy urbanites who wanted to eat healthily, were time poor and cash rich.

Turns out it was a great idea and success and she probably should have gone for it...

I like to think I invented sweet and savoury as I used to eat chocolate and ready salted crisps in 1 mouthful when I was little as it tasted so good.

Also, not an invention as such but I was convinced when i was at primary school that I could be the centre of a television show and everyone and everything around me was all part of the show and I just didn't know. I haven't seen it but apparently its the Truman Show?

Isthatascratchonmygrandmother · 15/04/2023 21:31

FirstnameSuesecondnamePerb · 15/04/2023 21:09

No one, that I know of Has taken up my brilliant idea of Ice Cream Van app. From a childhood spent living on large housing estates, where you could hear the van but never knew where it was or if you had missed it.
Add in the vans thar drive around looking for customers and the mad scrabble for change.......surely there's an app based solution!

Not app but we run our vans on social media. The customer messages us their address and we add it to the route and give them an ETA and arrival notification.

shittypartoftown · 15/04/2023 21:32

In 2002 I threw my Nokia on the floor and grabbed my camera and shouted "why the fuck aren't they the same fucking thing?" And then chucked my shiiittttt digital camera at my Nokia.

(I was a hormonal teenager with small pockets. And digital cameras and Nokias were literally built like bricks back then. Nothing broke or got scratched!)

And voila. Camera phones. 😂

FirstnameSuesecondnamePerb · 15/04/2023 21:33

@Isthatascratchonmygrandmother
Glad to hear it!

Unicorntastic · 15/04/2023 21:38

I invented Klarna, I had always thought it would be great if you could order several sizes In clothes then pay once you decide which to keep.
I also invented kitchen wipes, I used to use baby wipes to clean when I was a cleaning slacker with a busy social life many years ago!

WordtoYoMumma · 15/04/2023 21:42

I had a genius idea when out drinking one night for a hook that goes over and under the table in the pub to put your handbag so its not on the floor - it would hang under the table on the hook, and the hook would be removable and portable and live in your handbag!

Very disappointed that these already exist! My friend - who was with me when I excitedly (drunkenly, lol) told her the idea - bought me one for my birthday 😂

It doesn't really work that well either 😂😂😂

MissingMoominMamma · 15/04/2023 21:43

I invented the word ‘furtle’. It means to have a furtive fumble. If you’re asking someone for one, it must be done in a West Country accent.

Then I heard someone else use MY word… and in a Manchester accent. Wtf?

PriamFarrl · 15/04/2023 22:18

I invented iplayer.

Back in the late 80s decided that you could have a business videoing everything that was shown on the main channels. Then if someone missed something they could call you and order the tape.

SwanUppmanship · 15/04/2023 22:26

The affogato.

I worked in a cafe which had a Mr whippy machine which kept breaking down (so lots of unsellable vanilla ice cream). There was also a coffee machine which we employees constantly drank from. I combined the two, genius.

Mitchlou84 · 15/04/2023 22:27

My best friend and I went to Bass Brewery in Burton on a business studies trip in the 90’s.
we were asked to create and market a new product. We created a run based alcopop called a Hurricane breezer! We even came up with some of the flavours
when Bacardi breezers came out shortly later we were absolutely convinced we had been had off

NortieTortie · 15/04/2023 22:57

A meal that you can drink when I was in early pregnancy.

NortieTortie · 15/04/2023 22:57

Pressed post too soon.
DH gently introduced me to the idea of 'soup'

Anotherdayanotherdollar · 15/04/2023 23:26

🤣 some of these are hilarious! Thanks to the poster who invented bulimia...

Windows 7 was my idea

DorritLittle · 15/04/2023 23:33

SwanUppmanship · 15/04/2023 22:26

The affogato.

I worked in a cafe which had a Mr whippy machine which kept breaking down (so lots of unsellable vanilla ice cream). There was also a coffee machine which we employees constantly drank from. I combined the two, genius.

😂

9GreenBottles · 16/04/2023 00:09

Streaming, or digital recorders at least.

When video recorders were a thing, I always thought that it was a bit rubbish that you had to wait for the programme to finish before you could start watching from the start - like you got home from badminton at 9.15 and your favourite tv programme started at 9 and you didn’t want to miss a moment so you had to wait till 10pm. I thought there should be a way to start watching from the beginning but still keep recording at the same time.

Never pursued the idea. Someone else got my glory.

ifIwerenotanandroid · 16/04/2023 00:30

I invented google streetview (before it existed). I thought people could send photos of their local area in to some website which would let people see what their journey would look like & make navigation easier.

IfIGoThereWillBeTrouble · 16/04/2023 07:43

ifIwerenotanandroid · 16/04/2023 00:30

I invented google streetview (before it existed). I thought people could send photos of their local area in to some website which would let people see what their journey would look like & make navigation easier.

no you didn’t, I did, back in 6th form. 😃 You would use the computer to travel along roads, look around, then you could turn off into side roads. If only I’d had computer skills, or at least the sense to pitch it to a big IT company.

ElizaMulvil · 16/04/2023 08:04

Allthingsbrightandbeautifulx · 15/04/2023 10:00

I invented and made the waist and bra extenders about 20 years ago. Started off as just a bobble looped through button hole then around button, but then made some with different attachments and for the bra I used an old bra cut it up and stitched ends back together. Only used them when bloated due to period and in the winter lol. Made some for friends as well. Now they’re sold everywhere ☹️

You could buy them pre WW2 - still got some from m in l's stash in 1930s.

Truffs2000 · 17/04/2023 09:28

When I was about 4, my older sister told me she invented the word “brilliant”. Then I kept hearing it everywhere and I was so proud of her! It was years later that I realised.

Mydpisgrumpierthanyours · 17/04/2023 09:38

The plastic sheets you put at the bottom of a slide hosed down so you slide a fair way. Got pictures of us in the 80s playing with a large tarpaulin at the end of the slide & a hose pipe tied around the handles of the slide