In today’s world, where ‘citizens’ are better known as ‘consumers’, one might find it challenging to identify the most innovative and exciting products in all of history. Fortunately, it is not impossible. The following are the 10 most popular and ingenious consumer products of all time, in no particular order.
PLAYSTATION
With more than 344 million units sold, the PlayStation is one of the best-selling products of all time. Sorry Xbox. Sony first released this popular game console around 22 years ago, and it had one of the most powerful processors available at the time. The latest PlayStation 4, released in 2013, sold 1 million consoles in its first 24 hours on sale, quickly becoming the fastest selling console in history.
LIPITOR
According to the World Health Organization, the global prevalence of raised cholesterol among adults was 39% in 2008. This explains why, since its introduction in 1997, Lipitor achieved a sales volume of $141 billion until 2011, when the firm’s patent expired. Pfizer’s Lipitor was prescribed to patients with high cholesterol in order to reduce the risk of heart disease.
TOYOTA COROLLA
Corollas were introduced to the world in 1966, and since then, Toyota has sold over 40.7 million units of this model. Even now, they continue to bring out new versions of this affordable and reliable vehicle, with low gas mileage and improved design. Chances are, at least one member of your family has driven one of these at some point in their lives.
THE STAR WARS FRANCHISE
The original Star Wars trilogy reportedly grossed $2.4 billion. The two trilogies combined brought in over $4.6 billion in sales, making it one of the most successful film sagas of all time. Currently, production of the newest trilogy of the masterpiece created by George Lucas is underway, after ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ went on to gross over $2 billion at the box office.
iPAD
Since being introduced in 2010, over a whopping 300 million iPads have been sold. Apple’s iPad revolutionized the tech scene and remains, to this day, the most popular tablet on the market, despite the efforts of Apple’s competitors.
THE HARRY POTTER FRANCHISE
Today, it is next to impossible to find even one person who does not have the faintest idea as to who Harry Potter is. With over an impressive 40 million copies sold in over 73 languages, the Harry Potter books have quickly become the best-selling book series of all time. The novels made J. K. Rowling, the creator of the wizarding world, one of the highest paid authors in the world and led to a movie franchise almost equally as successful.
MARIO BROS. FRANCHISE
Ever since their first appearance in 1981, the easily recognizable plumber brothers have managed to make their way into 115 different titles, their own cartoon series and a live-action movie. According to Nintendo, its creator, the original Mario Bros game has sold over 262 million copies, making Mario the most popular video game character of all time.
iPHONE
Similar to the iPad, Apple’s iPhones have broken records in the smartphone industry for its innovative and advanced features over the years. The smartphone, currently in its 10th generation, has sold over 520 million units since the original 1st Generation release back in 2007. It has been estimated that the iPhone has generated about $150 billion in revenue for Apple since then.
MICHAEL JACKSON’S ‘THRILLER’
The King of Pop’s album ‘Thriller’ was not only sold over 70 million times, but it also brought about significant changes in mainstream pop culture. Today, everyone knows the moonwalk and remembers the MTV generation, all thanks to the legendary Michael Jackson’s hit 1982 album ‘Thriller’.
RUBIK’S CUBE
For most of us, these multicolored arrangements of tiles play significant roles through childhood and adulthood alike. Unlike the iPhone and a few other things in this list, which have reinvented themselves a fair number of times, the Rubik’s Cube continues to be sold in its original form, created in 1974 by Hungarian architecture professor Erno Rubik. Since then, it remains to be by far the best-selling product in history. With more than 350 million units sold, the Rubik’s Cube is so popular, that no other toy can compete with it, despite their best efforts.
