Chindogu - The Japanese Art of Unuseless Inventions

Ever hankered after a butterstick or a car-bourne clothes drier? Maybe you secretly covet a pair of onion cutting specs with tiny fans, so you won't be caught out crying when you're cooking?

Do you think your baby could be put to better use, instead of crawling around the floor aimlessly? If so, then the baby duster romper suit is for you!
All these and many more can be found in Kenji Kawakami's book, 101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions: The Art of Chindōgu.

Kawakami, a Japanese inventor and writer first made the idea prominent in the mid-nineties, founding the International Chindogu Society.
He has called them "unuseless" objects because although they do solve a problem, they solve it in such an impractical or embarrassing way, that no one would ever use them in real life. Not strictly useless, but not particularly useful, they blaze a trail of anarchic absurdity. What self respecting woman would be without her dustpan and brush slippers?

Kawakami has outlined the Ten Tenents of Chindogu that distinguish useless inventions from unuseless ones. The item must exist. It must solve an actual problem and not be made simply to make people laugh. And it can never be patented or sold.

Each piece should embody a spirit of anarchy. As Tenent number three states, "Chindogu are man-made objects that have broken free from the chains of usefulness. They represent freedom of thought and action: the freedom to challenge the suffocating historical dominance of conservative utility; the freedom to be (almost) useless."

Go eco-friendly and light your cigarettes with this solar powered lighter!

This portable office tie promises a life free from the worry of forgetting paper-clips or scissors! Or how about these umbrella shoes for keeping your feet dry?

All would-be inventors are encouraged to post their ideas on the International Chindogu Society's website. Why not have a go? You might even end up in Kawakami's next book! ;)

For more unuseless inventions check out the video below!