When Gary Dahl first came up with the idea for Pet Rock, he was simply joking around with friends. That joke quickly turned into a fad that made him a millionaire. But that’s the way many of the greatest business ventures go. Someone comes up with an idea, that on the surface seems stupid or impossible and then miraculously, it makes money and everybody kicks himself or herself for not thinking of it first. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. Here are some inventions Kent State students wish they could have been the inspired:

The Snuggie – The infamous “blanket with sleeves.”

“Yeah they’re kind of stupid, but they actually are efficient,” said Heather Cowell, sophomore business major.

“The Amazing Race” – A reality TV game show where two-person teams compete against each other in a race around the world.

“The competition of it, I thought that would be cool. Then a bunch of stuff has branched off of it… It’s like a team competition. It kind of reminds me of one of the early Nickelodeon shows,” said Liz Volk, freshman exploratory major.

Silly Bandz – Colored bands of silicone that are shaped into various forms and often worn as bracelets.

“Every kid probably has 15 bands on each arm. It’s something so simple and stupid, but you know that guy has made like millions of dollars,” said Keith Mollohan, freshman electronic media production major.

iPod – Best thing to come out of Apple since the Mac.

“They’re so big nowadays. When you’re in your car you don’t have to switch CDs, you can just plug in your iPod. Or when you go running it’s so easy to take with you,” said Kayleigh Sahgal, freshman architecture major.

The first computer.

“I know when Steve Jobs first started, nobody thought he was going to go anywhere with Apple or anything. You know he and his friend were in a building, in the back making computers, and look where he’s at now. I think it would have been awesome to do that, to start Apple, or any type of computer company. To invent the first computer, I wish I could have come up with that idea,” said Katherine Scott, sophomore integrated language arts major.

“Friends” – TV show.

“Every time I watch it, I get in a better mood, and it’s just really funny. It’s like no other show, and the comedy on it is just great,” said Kaitlyn Petro, sophomore early childhood education major.

“The Office” – A situation comedy popular on both sides of the pond.

“It’s off the wall kind of humor. It’s really simple. It’s thrown in a very boring environment but they make the most of it. I like comedy where they take something that’s not funny and make it funny,” said Julia McKeighen, sophomore marketing major.

Contact Molly Cahill at [email protected].