I wonder who came up with the idea of dried fruit. Most kids I know hate it and usually end up feeding it to their rabbits. I know it has a purpose in cooking, but as a snack box filler I am not a fan. Fruit should be juicy and fresh, not shrivelled blobs squashed into a cardboard box with a two year shelf life...

Simple ideas are usually the best but there are others that completely miss the mark.
This website has a very funny collection of inventions that people obviously spent hours thinking about and designing but which really are completely useless. I love the idea of the portable zebra crossing but I can't see it ever catching on in Switzerland or Japan where most of these inventions originated.
http://unix.rulez.org/~calver/pictures/japanese_inventions/index.html

Of course crackpot scientist and crazy genius are terms often used together and for good reason. Many inventors need to have a relentless dedication to their idea which can make them look a little unbalanced. Certainly James Dyson, one of Britain's most famous modern day inventors, believes this is the case and he should know – he made over 5000 prototypes of his bag-less vacuum cleaner before he hit the jackpot. His foundation currently champions new designers and engineers through an international award and he is calling for educators to allow children (whom he considers are natural designers) to get their hands dirty. Details of the inventor and his foundation are here:
www.dyson.co.uk/about/
www.jamesdysonfoundation.com/jda/default.asp?sinavtype=menu

I never really considered Switzerland as a haven for inventors but Geneva hosted the 36th International Exhibition of Inventors last month, so I could be wrong. The official website is simply PDF files and not very inspiring (which is ironic). But the link below is to five intriguing entries. The self-making bed looks fun as does the super-mirror system which lets you look at your head from all angles. Especially useful for those bad hair days.
www.loveinventions.com/5-good-inventions-from-the-geneva-show#more-18

Actually, if I think hard I can come up with some very useful Swiss designs and inventions. My trusty Swiss Army knife (made by Victorinox of course) is definitely top of the league. Or the DOC' spag plate which probably isn't quite so well known but is useful too as the commercial site shows. The plate is designed so that certain foods can be eaten using only one hand which means spaghetti lovers don’t have to use a spoon. Of course, I do not wish to offend any of my Italian friends or shortcut their culinary sensibilities, but these plates may not be a bad idea for kids.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Army_Knife
www.docspag.com
www.docspag.com/pdf/Docspag.pdf

The Guinness Book of World Records is reputed to be one of the most borrowed non-fiction books for children. They love all the amazing feats and bizarre facts listed in it. What I want to know is who comes up with the stunts in the first place? Take, for example, the man who managed to get twenty nine boys and girls inside a huge bubble. What ever made him think of that? Of course, he is a bubble nut, which definitely helps.
www.guinnessworldrecords.com
www.bubbleblowers.com

My son is a big fan of Little Einstein. If you are not familiar with the programme, it is a Disney animation which introduces children to the works of famous classical composers through a mixture of adventure missions to different countries and rhyming songs. As kids' programmes go I like it (although I don’t like the Baby Einstein products which are created by the same company). I also can’t help smiling when I hear him hum along to Vivaldi or Chopin, but my daughter finds it irritating so it’s obviously not for everyone.
www.disney.go.com/littleeinsteins