In 1975, Gary Dahl sold ordinary stones in cardboard pet carriers with air holes and a care manual. More than a million people paid about four dollars each. It was a useless object, a perfect joke, and—most offensively—a spectacular success.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Illustrative image: imitation pet rocks; the originals had no eyes. Photo by Pet Rock Net, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
