30 Things We Didn't Even Know We Needed

There are some truly amazing ideas out there that I've never seen before, and I'm guessing you haven't, either. And I swear, it feels like people are coming out with new and different ideas all the time.

The things in this list are cool, unique, and super creative. Would they all fit in our lives? Maybe not. But they're at least cool enough to want around.

"Tiny Free book exchange at an intersection in New Orleans."

I see these all over the internet, but I've yet to see one in real life. I guess the people in my area don't like to read.

If you have one in your neighborhood, check it out. You might find your next favorite read, or you could leave something someone else is sure to love.

Cat crossing.

With the amount of people who let their cats roam around outside at night, I think we need these in every residential area. You never know when a cat could run out on the road, and no one wants to be the one to take one of its nine lives.

"This banana shaped cone from Chelsea market."

Very fitting. You know how TV shows always have people slipping on bananas and falling down? And wet floors also cause people to slip and fall? Look, it makes perfect sense when you think about it.

And the shape is eye-catching enough that people will pay attention to it.

"The zipper pull on my new sleeping bag glows in the dark."

This is definitely helpful if you're camping or something. You never know when you'll be in complete darkness, and having a kind of marker that will show you where to go will keep you from bumping into things.

And it's a glow in the dark zipper! What's not to love?

"They have live music at the Taco Bell in Nashville."

Whether you love Taco Bell or hate it, you have to admit that this is really cool. I'd probably be paying my local Taco Bell a lot more visits if it turned into a live music venue. It would be so much fun! Like having dinner and a show.

"This QR code menu."

I, for one, hate menus. You never know who's been touching them, which is just plain gross.

So menu QR codes that you can access from your own phone is so much better! Plus, you can keep that menu on your phone to look at later in case you want to come back.

"A fire-hydrant water-fountain."

I don't know if this is the best idea, but it really is... an idea. That someone had. And unconventional, at that, so you have to give them props for creativity.

Hopefully the water doesn't shoot out of the fountain with the same amount of pressure as the hydrant itself.

"Hello Kitty Airplane."

  1. Want. To. Fly. On That. Plane!! It's so cute! Hello Kitty may just be for kids, but that doesn't mean that we adults can't appreciate how fun and colorful her world is. The airplane itself probably isn't anything special, but look. Just, let me have this.

"Plum, pumpkin pudding and curry flavoured toothpaste."

I always wondered why we only ever see mint flavored toothpaste. There are so many other flavors out there that would make our breath smell good, I'm sure. Like plum. I bet a plum flavored toothpaste would be really good.

...Though I'm not sold on the pumpkin pudding or curry flavored ones.

A pizza vending machine.

Who knew that you could get pizza from a vending machine? That's so strange. Don't get me wrong, it's totally awesome. But, like, how would it even work?

Still, I think I need one of these in my area. I'm kind of dying to try it out.

"My DMV reminds people to 'Be Kind.'"

You know what? We need more reminders like this in the world. Life is too short to be mean to people, or to hang on to anger. There are enough negative things going on in the world.

Also, the DMV is boring enough to drive someone mad. So remember, be kind.

"This arrow sign is a mosaic pointing towards a mosaics shop."

Now this is the kind of advertising that I get super excited about. What better way to advertise a mosaic store than to use some of the products? It makes perfect sense!

I wonder how long it took to put that sign together. It makes me with I had a mosaic decoration at home...

"At my hotel's breakfast you could choose how long you wanted your eggs boiled."

I've never seen a breakfast buffet with baskets full of boiled eggs before, but this is kind of cool. Some people prefer hard boiled eggs, while others like when the yolk is still a little runny. Letting them choose which one they want is a nice touch.

Cake in a can from a vending machine!

Cake in a can. Cake in a can. This is probably the best invention since cake itself! Imagine walking up to a vending machine, putting some coins in, and getting a cake. In a can.

Is this making me hungry? Yes, yes it is. I need to know where I can find one of these vending machines.

"This 'floating' table my dad built."

Furniture like this table, where gravity basically keeps it upright, are so cool. Even if they are a bit confusing. I think more furniture like this should be in stores, though. We could all use cool furniture like this to show off to our friends.

"This shopping cart has a spot for kids to stand on while the parent pushes."

I may not be a parent, but even I can appreciate how genius this is. Those carts where you stick your kid in don't really seem that safe to me, and something like this would be a lot better, especially for older kids.

I do have a feeling that toddlers would climb down and run all over the place, though.

"Ikea coffee mugs have a cutout in the base to let water run out in the dishwasher. Normal mug for comparison."

This is pretty clever. Having a bit of water pool on the bottom of the mug in the dishwasher is so annoying. It's clear that IKEA has done something to solve the problem, but I wonder if other companies do this with their mugs? If not, they should.

"This pen can be planted after usage and a basil plant will grow out of the green capsule."

This is such a fantastic idea! The pen is biodegradable, and it grows basil to boot. Since basil is arguably the best herb, this is a total win.

Little things like these help keep pollution at bay. I want one right now.

"My toilet paper has wavy perforations."

I don't really think this has any kind of advantage over the toilet paper with straight perforation lines, but I still need this in my life. If anything, it'll make the toilet paper roll look a little nicer, which will help brighten the bathroom up.

"This plastic serrated knife."

I didn't know plastic knives were a thing. Apparently they're great for cutting cabbage, so I learned two things today.

Not that I cut a lot of cabbage, but I still want one of these. I dunno, they just seem like they would be really cool.

A kitty cat box!

It's no secret that cats love the box more than the stuff in it. So if you're going to buy something that comes with a box and you know your cat's going to claim it, you might as well get one that at least looks good. One like this!

"Touchless soda fountain. Seen at In n Out."

I wish every soda fountain was touchless. Given how many people will leave the restroom without washing their hands and then immediately start touching things... I think you get the picture. This seems a lot cleaner, which makes it a lot better in my books.

This corner toilet.

Have you ever seen a corner toilet before? I sure haven't. These would be really great in smaller spaces. Suddenly, I want to remodel my bathroom so that I can have a corner toilet. Then again, I probably shouldn't.

They just look too cool, though. I really want one!

"These convenience store fridges/freezers have screens telling you what's inside."

You know what? This is actually really useful. Sometimes the glass has so much frost and condensation that it's really hard to see what's inside. At least with these, it clearly tells you what's on each shelf, so you don't have to open every door to see what's inside. How clever!

"So well disguised they had to label it."

I both hate and love how much this garbage can looks like a fire hydrant. The illusion is just too real. I kind of want one. Not that it would go with any decor scheme, but it's cool enough on its own that it kind of doesn't really matter.

"At the gas pump someone wrote which button silences ads being shown."

I think we can all agree that ads are annoying no matter where you are. While watching TV? Annoying. Scrolling through the web? Annoying. At the gas station? Even more annoying than anything else.

Most of us can just ignore them, though. But it's nice that people are willing to warn others about stuff like this.

A convenient bedsheet label.

This is something we all need! If you own a bed, you know how annoying it is to try and put the fitted sheet on the right way. All of those scrunched up ends make it so hard to figure out which side is which. This label literally fixes all of that.

"This business card."

I suddenly want to start a business so I can have cool business cards like this. The way all the information anyone would need is condensed into a single line. That's incredibly smart.

I literally don't have any need for business cards. But man, do I wish I did.

"My wife bought me CMY Cube. It created colors when you move it around."

CMY, of course, stands for cyan, magenta, and yellow, the three primary colors. So this cube will literally make any color when you move it around and it combines with other colors. Light and color theory have never looked better.

Man, I really, really want one of these now.

"This plastic spoon that changes color when it comes in contact with a cold liquid."

I can't stop thinking about this. You don't need a spoon to tell you when something is cold, sure. But if you're going to eat something with a plastic spoon, it might as well look neat. And this one looks absolutely cool (pun entirely intended).

Filed Under: