12 Products From The 80s That Were A Total Disaster.

The 80s left us with unforgettable music, legendary films and technological advances that marked an era. But they were also a factory of failed ideas. Giant companies bet millions on products that looked shiny… and ended up becoming historical warnings. These are twelve of the most spectacular failures of that decade.

12. New Coke (1985)

When Coca-Cola decided to change its original recipe, it wasn’t just touching one drink, it was touching the emotional memory of millions of people. Although in taste tests the new formula won, the public reacted with fury. In less than three months, the company had to go back and relaunch the original formula as Coca-Cola Classic.
Lesson: nostalgia and identity outweigh numbers.

11. LaserDisc

It was technically superior to VHS: better picture, better sound, and no wear and tear. But it was expensive, huge, fragile and did not allow recording. VHS, though inferior, was practical and cheap.
Lesson: the best technology doesn’t always win if it’s not accessible.

10. Sinclair C5 (1985)

An electric tricycle for the city that promised to be the future of personal transportation. Short, unsafe, homeless and visually bizarre, he was shunned by the public. Less than 17 thousand units were sold.
Lesson: A good idea can fail because of poor execution.

9. Coleco Adam (1983)

A computer that promised to be all-in-one, but came to market full of flaws. Up to half of the units were defective, and their printer was deleting data due to interference.
Lesson: Throwing something without being ready can destroy a brand.

8. DeLorean DMC-12 (1981–1983)

The futuristic car in Back to the Future was a commercial disaster: expensive, slow, unreliable. Fame came later, when the company had already gone bankrupt.
Lesson: Late success doesn’t save a bad product.

7. Polaroid Polavision

It allowed instant video recording, but without sound and with only 2 minutes per cartridge. Meanwhile, camcorders with tapes recorded hours with audio.
Lesson: Arriving late with worse technology is a death sentence.

6. RCA SelectaVision

A system of video discs with a physical needle. It was fragile, inferior to VHS and arrived when the market was already defined. It cost RCA more than $600 million.
Lesson: it is not always convenient to fight a battle when it is already lost.

5. Apple Lisa (1983)

Revolutionary, with graphical interface and mouse… but it cost the same as a car. It sold very little, but it allowed Apple to learn and then launch the Macintosh.
Lesson: Even failures can be the first step to success.

4. Clackers

An extremely popular toy… and extremely dangerous. The acrylic balls exploded and caused injuries. They were banned.
Lesson: Safety matters as much as fun.

3. Atari 5200

Powerful but poorly designed. Its controls were imprecise, it was not compatible with previous games and it arrived in a saturated market. It was part of the great video game crisis of 1983.
Lesson: A poorly thought-out sequel can sink a franchise.

2. Betamax (Sony)

Better quality than VHS, but worse duration and less study support. Content and distribution won the war, not technology.
Lesson: whoever controls the market, controls the future.

1. E.T. for Atari 2600 (1982)

Developed in just five weeks, it was confusing, boring, and disappointing. Atari buried millions of unsold cartridges. It became the symbol of the industry’s excess.
Lesson: Haste and greed destroy even the best licenses.

What do these failures teach us?

The 80s were a time of extreme daring. Companies risked without fear, and often lost millions. But thanks to those mistakes, the technologies we use today emerged. Progress always goes through trial and failure.

Tips and recommendations

• Not everything new is better: analyze if it really adds value.
• Consumer emotion is just as important as innovation.
• A product should be useful, accessible, and easy to use.
• Throwing something ahead of time can be worse than not releasing it at all.
• Learning from failure is a competitive advantage.

The failures of the 80s were not simple mistakes, they were experiments that marked the way to the future. Without them, many of the technologies we take for granted today would not exist. Remembering these stumbling blocks helps us understand how innovation really advances.

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