The history of chindogu — the most useless and absurd inventions from Japan

You've probably seen dozens of useless Japanese inventions on the web: rags for cleaning the floor on children's clothes, umbrellas for shoes and toothbrushes that are put on your fingers. This phenomenon is called chindogu, and it carries a special philosophy, and it was invented by an anarchist student Kenji Kawakami, who worked in the "shop on the couch". 

A pencil like a sticky one, only filled with butter, so that it is more convenient to spread on bread.

He studied to become an aircraft designer, but dropped out (according to another version, he was kicked out for political reasons). The young student liked to read the works of Marx and anarchists like Kropotkin much more than to attend classes. Finding himself without means of support, Kawakami got a part-time job in two jobs: in a children's TV program and in the Mail Order Life magazine of goods in the spirit of "shop on the couch".

The children's program taught him not to be shy about spontaneity, and the Mail Order Life magazine taught him that people are ready to buy any unnecessary things, especially if they are delivered directly to the house. As a born anarchist, Kawakami was indignant at how pointlessly his compatriots were spending money. Therefore, he came up with a comic protest action, which was supposed to remain a one-time hooligan trick.

Unbeknownst to the management, the Japanese began to publish his own inventions in the magazine, which were useless to the point of absurdity: a noodle fan or a cat tray that performs the functions of a zen garden.

It turned out that the readers of the magazine are ready to buy even such stupid products. Kenji came up with a name for his inventions — chindogu (literally "strange things") and plunged into the absurd. He even had followers, and there are about 50 thousand people in Japan. The Society of Inventors of Chindogu protests against mindless mass consumption, creating things that are beautiful in their uselessness. Thanks to Kenji's friend, the editor-in-chief of the Tokyo Journal, Den Papia, the idea was picked up in the West, and so the whole world learned about chindogu.

The Chindogu community even has its own commandments that must be strictly observed.

1. Chindogu can never be really useful. It should solve the problem, but at the same time be too impractical. 2. Chindogu must be embodied materially, that is, brought to the stage of a prototype. It's just that the idea doesn't count. 3. There should be a spirit of anarchy in chindogu, it should crack the traditional ideas of utility. 4. Chindogu are certainly things for everyday life and daily use. 5. Chindogu can not be sold or get money for them, even for the sake of a joke. This is considered stupidity and commercialization. 6. A pure joke is not a sufficient basis for creating a chindogu. 7. Chindogu should not be propaganda, it should not be used for satirical criticism. 8. Chindogu should not touch taboo topics: cheap vulgar humor or sex. 9. Chindogu cannot be patented. This is your gift to the whole world. 10. Chindogu is for everyone, there is no place for prejudice in them. 

Kawakami himself wrote two best-selling books about chindogu: "101 Useless Japanese Inventions" and "99 more Useless Inventions: The Art of Chindogu".

Kawakami invented the selfie stick in 1995 to make fun of fools. Then he did not patent it, as required by the rules created by him. Now this invention, which was created as nonsense, is used by hundreds of thousands of people.