“The majority of all innovation projects fail and the museum showcases these failures to provide visitors a fascinating learning experience. Every item provides unique insight into the risky business of innovation. Innovation and progress require an acceptance of failure. The museum aims to stimulate productive discussion about failure and inspire us to take meaningful risks,” says the museum’s website.

The touring museum aims to destigmatise failure and portray it as a great opportunity to learn from your own as well as others’ mistakes. The exhibition is curated by Dr Samuel West, licensed psychologist, PhD in Organisational Psychology. The museum first opened on the June 7, 2017, in Helsingborg Sweden. The museum then temporarily opened in Los Angeles, California in December of 2017. Since then it has set up exhibitions in at least eight other locations and has received great traction for the idea.

Most recently, the museum was set to open its doors to those in Calgary, Canada on July 1, 2022. Over the course of time, the museum has been able to gather and put at least 159 failed innovations on display.

Here are 5 interesting products that made it to the exhibition.

The Museum of Failure also offers virtual tours and there’s a link on their website. We hope you look into it and reminisce about the products that had a very short life span while you plan your next big invention.