The Trampoline
Source: pixabay
The backyard accessory that brings countless hours of joy to children everywhere, it’s almost hard to believe that sixteen-year-old George Nissen thought of the idea in 1930. A gymnast himself, Nissen made the first “bouncing ring” himself out of a metal frame and canvas. The name trampoline came from the Spanish word for diving board, “trampolín.”
ManCan
Source: Twitter @AnnaHuntsmanTV2
Tired of flowery, feminine candles, thirteen-year-old Hart Main decided to make candles with manly scents. Using $100 he had saved up from his newspaper route, Main soon began producing his own ManCans in scents like bacon and cut grass. An altruistic entrepreneur, Main made the candles in recycled soup cans, which he cleaned and repurposed after donating their contents to soup kitchens.
Crayon Holders
Source: pixabay
Something only a kid could dream of, eleven-year-old Cassidy Goldstein wanted a solution for how to still use those broken shards of crayon that were too small to comfortably hold. By 2002, she got a patent for her idea, a clear plastic Crayon Holder that not only helped all kids get the most out of the crayons, but also served as a helpful tool for children with motor difficulties.
Cassidy won the Youth Inventor of the Year award from the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation.