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Flop or Fad? These Garbage Products Failed To Deliver On Their Hype

Monica August 17, 2024

When a company advertises a product heavily, builds up excitement for it, and even convinces you to buy it, we often think their product is undoubtedly worth our time and money. Unfortunately, however, that’s not always the case. Many hyped products have failed to deliver despite the excitement their companies fostered.

These false promises and disappointments made their way to the shelves of our toy shops and grocery stores. At least the people of Reddit were here to call them out for a laugh or two about these massive failures and situations they’d rather not find themselves in. Check out the products that failed to deliver on their massive hype right here.

Reddit

A Sad Box

When this mom purchased this coloring set for her kid, she couldn’t have been any more disappointed. Imagine buying an entire box, ready for an explosion of contents, only to find a half-empty container. Before this mom let her kid see the horror that lay inside this box, she filled it with coloring books. This company made people believe they were purchasing a huge box full of goodies, but strategically placed a large cardboard cutout inside, taking up all the space. Crayola, we’re disappointed in you (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

Hasbro False Advertising

This Reddit user was more than disappointed when they opened their new Marvel Legends toy. In their Reddit post, they said, “This is just straight-up false advertising. Plain and simple, You are advertising something you are not providing. Deceptive marketing is a good business practice Marvel Legends team; keep up the great work corpo sellouts.” If you’re going to make a product, at least make the picture of it look similar to the actual thing. The photo looks 10 times better than the actual product, has more muscle definition, and a better face (via Reddit)

Reddit

Half A Box Of Popcorn

Imagine sitting down at a movie, excited to dip your fingers into a box of popcorn, only to find mostly air. Why waste an entire cardboard box on air? That’s what this popcorn company did when they tried to sell their popcorn products by making it look like there was an entire box full of delicious popcorn. You’ll need to buy at least three of these to get the equivalent of an actual bucket of popcorn. They should just save themselves the effort and use smaller packaging. It’s better for the planet anyway (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

“Reptiles”

We’re not sure who created this package, but they need to go back to science class. They do not know what a reptile is, because they made a bunch of spiders and tried to pose them off as reptiles. The two aren’t even similar. This is one of those misleading packages that could easily trick someone who wasn’t paying attention to what was inside. Let’s hope this wasn’t a gift for anyone. It would be quite a big shock (via Reddit).

Reddit

Another Box Of Air

Oh, look, another box of air! This is expected from crayon companies, because who else would go through the effort of filling a huge box of plastic with cardboard, just to make it look like it’s full of goodies? The customers were probably too distracted with excitement to realize the box was too light to be holding a bunch of crayons. Either way, it’s a total rip-off and letdown. It seems like it’s best to just avoid these crayon companies altogether (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

Is This Allowed?

How could companies even think of selling this? What honest person would design a huge plastic jar and purposefully fill the center with more plastic, just so there’s way less product than they’re letting on? This customer was probably so excited to unscrew the lid, only to find an entire jar full of disappointment (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

The Icepop Letdown

This box advertises a delicious ice pop with a cream-filled center. There’s nothing more delicious on a summer day than eating an ice pop with a yummy center full of flavor. But when this person opened their icepop and ate it down into the middle, they were left with an icepop with zero cream, only more of the same flavor. We’re not sure how the creators of these products could even think to falsely advertise this, but it happened (via Reddit).

Reddit

The Perfect Trick

Either the designers of these products continue making mistakes, or they’re just good at tricking people. This Redditor’s kid was on her way to first grade. He bought her a coloring set as a gift for her first day. But when he opened the box to check the colors, he found four crayons, enough to make it look like there was an entire box full of colors. At least she can learn how to mix and match different colors, though it’s a disappointing set. Using only primary colors isn’t any fun (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

Reese’s Football Candy

When Reese’s advertised their football products, you’d think you’d get candy in the shape of a football. But when this Reddit user opened their package, they found a couple of pieces of chocolate that were simply in the shape of a disc. As they put it, they feel misled. There’s nothing worse than disappointing candy, especially from a company that’s so widely known and loved (via Reddit).

Reddit

Fake Dinosaur Bones

We all know this box isn’t full of real dinosaur bones. But a five-year-old might not know the difference, which makes it pretty special. But that doesn’t mean it’s not one of those disappointing products that gets to people, especially those aspiring to become paleontologists and study dinosaurs. This Reddit user captioned this photo, “As someone who wants to be a paleontologist when I grow up, this hurts me on an emotional level.” The company didn’t even try to make them look real. Instead, it looks like a bunch of plastic rocks (via Reddit).

Reddit

Beauty Products On Sale

We all love a good sale. That’s how we score some of our favorite products and still stick to our budget. But sometimes, when you’re buying a new cheap product you’ve never used before, you never know what you’re getting. But when this woman bought her new face serum on sale, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Instead of receiving the advertised 150 ml of product, she received a phony 10 ml. That’s one way to make enemies with these products (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

More Space Than You Bargained For

When this kid’s parents bought them a playpen full of colorful balls, they thought they’d hit the jackpot. It looked like one of those promising products that’s full of surprises. Well, it certainly was full of surprises, and that’s because it contained only half the balls that were advertised on the box. Let’s hope these parents have a pet because there’s enough space for both the kid and the pet (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

Unsurprising Disappointment

When this Reddit user bought a box of tiramisu, they thought they’d have a delicious dessert waiting for them after dinner. But instead of a delicious tiramisu full of flavor, cream, and mascarpone, they got half a plastic bowl full of mush. As their caption read, they were “Disappointed but not surprised.” It usually turns out like this, and as we’ve seen with these other products, it’s almost expected to receive disappointing products (via Reddit).

Reddit

The Crustable Uncrustable

If you’re going to advertise something as untrustable, wouldn’t you expect it to be that? This company had one job with their products. And that was to create food that was untrustable. It turns out they failed miserably at that job, and instead turned the uncrustable to the crustable (via Reddit).

Reddit

It Gives A Punch

You get a sour punch in the face with this package, and it’s a level of scare that most of us never want to experience. When this Redditor tore apart the package with pure excitement, they were left with pure disappointment. What a waste of space and plastic. It’s horrendous that this company even gives out products and wastes this much space. Let’s hope this was a fluke because they certainly failed to deliver on the sour candy hype (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

The Kitchen Alarm Clock

Either this product was packaged incorrectly, or the designers of this product have no idea what they’re doing. The photo looks nothing like what’s inside the package. It looks more like an alarm clock for your kitchen. This company brags about its products, claiming this scale can measure meat and vegetables precisely. In reality, it looks like a kid’s alarm clock for their room, and even more like something that’ll never turn on (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

Turned Extinct

You’d think this package of colored pencils looked promising. It’s nothing more than a package of disappointing products. This box makes you think it’s full of vibrant crayons and colors, but in reality, it’s full of nothing. There are only a few colors left. Maybe the rest of the colors have gone extinct in this monkey world because that’s the only valid excuse for such horror (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

What A Flop

No one wants a pop tart that looks like it was picked out of the trash. But that’s exactly what happened to this Reddit user, who had a sad reality check with their strawberry pop tart. They even claimed it happens with every box. What you see on the box and what’s inside might as well come from two very different worlds. There’s zero frosting and sprinkles, even though it claims it has it (via Reddit).

Reddit

These Pens Failed Miserably

Teachers certainly need different colored pens to mark tests. So when this teacher went out looking for a package of different colored pens, they thought they’d scored big time. An entire package with pink, blue, purple, yellow, and green pens? How perfect! But when they scribbled the pens on a piece of paper, they were more than disappointed. They were shocked. The pens were all the same color blue. These pens had one test to pass and they failed miserably (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

1001 Squares

This one has to win the trophy for the worst false advertising out there. You’d think this book of 1001 stickers has all sorts of Disney princess products throughout its pages. But it had nothing more than pages full of disappointment. Not only did this kid not have a life-size Ariel, but they had tons of tiny, useless square stickers. What are they supposed to do with this? This kid and probably many other children lost their trust in Disney for sure. That’s one way to ruin an entire kid’s day (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

Plastic Is The New Paper

We know red is the new black, but apparently, plastic is also the new paper. This bottle advertises, “Hello, I’m Paper Bottle.” But it’s nothing more than a plastic bottle trying to mask itself as paper. It just needs to give up now and admit who it is underneath its facade. This should be illegal, especially because this person probably believed they were buying something good for the environment (via Reddit).

Reddit

Lonely Pepperoni

If you’re someone who loves pepperoni pizza, then you want a pie full of cheesy, pepperoni goodness. But when this Reddit user bought this box of pepperoni pizza, they were left with nothing but a sad pepperoni pizza as they captioned this photo, “Pepperoni pizza! Yes, pepperoni, not pepperonis….. One….. lonely, lame, and tiny pepperoni!” We’re left wondering why this company went through all that effort to advertise this as a pepperoni pizza, when they could have just left out that lone pepperoni and called it a cheese pizza (via Reddit).

Reddit

Smooth Or Crunchy?

The makers of this ice cream treat tricked their customers into thinking they were buying a crunchy ice cream. In reality, it’s a creamy ice cream pop that does not live up to the hype of the crunchy products. It’s called false advertising. This Reddit user was sad when they ripped open the ice cream package, only to find plastic full of empty prices. They even left a review about the product, saying, “My disappointment is immeasurable.” All she can do now is bite into the chocolate and imagine the crunch (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

The Bursting Cord

If a product advertises itself as a “no burst” cord, wouldn’t you think it wouldn’t burst? That’s the point and the reason people buy that cord. But this company falsely advertises their products, because it burst while it was still in the package. That could be considered a fire hazard (via Reddit).

Reddit

The Defunct Box

When these parents bought a box of blocks, they thought they were getting nine blocks. That’s what the package makes it look like anyway. It certainly looks like nine colorful blocks are waiting inside this package. But when this Reddit user opened the package, they found eight boxes and one defunct box. Little Tikes would not be proud (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

Just A Tad Short

People use three-foot cords for a reason. Maybe they need it for their room, or they’re hosting an event and need a long cord for electronics. When this Reddit user purchased this three-foot cord, they found nothing but a tiny, short cord. They captioned the photo, “I feel like the cord is a little shy of 3 ft.” A little shy is an understatement. Either the creators of these products don’t understand math, or they falsely advertised this on purpose (via Reddit).

Reddit

The Totally Legit Carnivorous Plant

This product is almost laughable. The sellers claim to have a carnivorous plant and claim to have sold many of them. It looks like a toy that you’d find on the floor of a kid’s room or even a kid’s birthday cake. Either way, anyone who buys this product will surely be left brokenhearted at their fake, non-legit carnivorous plant (via Reddit).

Reddit

Extreme Amount Of Space

This company got one thing right, and that’s the use of the word extreme. Because their product isn’t extreme, they used an extreme amount of space just to hold it. Not only did the small container have a ton of space, but the bigger container also had an abundance of space, for three times the price. It’s nearly the same amount of product (via Health and Wellness).

Reddit

Where’s My Cheese?

This Reddit user was severely let down when they opened their box of Chili Spaghetti, only to find a plastic tub of cheeseless noodles and meat. It looks nothing like the box advertises, and there’s no cheese. Let’s hope they had some cheese lying around their house because it’ll probably be pretty tasteless without it (via Reddit).

Reddit

Too Late To Change

When you look at a product that says “microwave,” wouldn’t you think you can microwave it? That’s exactly what this couple did when they bought this meal. They’d had a busy work week and wanted something quick and simple. But after they’d got home and took off the extra packaging, they were left with a disappointing surprise. The meal isn’t microwaveable as they were led to believe when they bought it for a cheap price. Now, they know why it was on sale. At least they learned never to buy that product again (via Health and Wellness).

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