is the practice of inventing ingenious everyday
gadget
A gadget is a machine, mechanical device or any ingenious article. Gadgets are sometimes referred to as ''wikt:gizmo, gizmos''.
History
The etymology of the word is disputed. The word first appears as reference to an 18th-century tool in Glass ...
s that seem to be ideal solutions to particular problems, but which may cause more problems than they solve. The term is of Japanese origin.
Background
Literally translated, ''chindōgu'' means . The term was coined by
Kenji Kawakami, a former editor and contributor to the Japanese home-shopping magazine ''Mail Order Life''. In the magazine, Kawakami used his spare pages to showcase several bizarre prototypes for products. He named these gadgets "chindōgu"; Kawakami himself said that a more appropriate translation than "unusual tool" is "weird tool". This special category of inventions subsequently became familiar to the Japanese people.
Dan Papia then introduced it to the English-speaking world and popularized it as a monthly feature in his magazine, ''
Tokyo Journal'', encouraging readers to send in ideas. In 1995, Kawakami and Papia collaborated on the English language book ''101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions: The Art of Chindōgu''. Most classic chindogu products are collected in the book. Many examples display a sense of humor in the way they are used.
Examples from the books include:
* A combined
household duster and
cocktail-shaker, for the housewife who wants to reward herself as she is going along.
* The all-day tissue dispenser, which is a
toilet roll fixed on top of a hat, for
hay fever
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...
sufferers.
* The all-over plastic
bathing suit
A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types and styles may be worn ...
, to enable people who suffer from
aquaphobia
Aquaphobia () is an irrational fear of water.
Aquaphobia is considered a specific phobia of natural environment type in the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders''. A specific phobia is an intense fear of something that poses ...
to swim without coming into contact with water.
* The baby mop, an outfit worn by babies, so that as they crawl around, the floor is cleaned.
* The
selfie stick
A selfie stick is used to take photographs or video by positioning a digital camera device, typically a smartphone, beyond the normal range of the arm. This allows for shots to be taken at angles and distances that would not have been possible wi ...
. While dismissed as a "useless invention" at the time, it later gained global popularity in the 21st century.
The International Chindogu Society
Kawakami founded the International Chindogu Society to popularize Chindogu worldwide. Papia is the president of the society's U.S. chapter. People who invent a Chindogu can write about their creation on the society's website.
Ten tenets of chindōgu
The Chindōgu Society developed ten tenets of chindōgu explaining the principles (spirits) on which chindogu products should be based, inspiring designers and users to think about the deep core of design in general. The tenets require
that a chindōgu
* cannot be for real use,
* must exist,
* must have a spirit of anarchy,
* is a tool for everyday life,
* is not a tradeable commodity,
* must not have been created for purposes of humour alone: humour is merely the by-product
* is not propaganda,
* is not taboo,
* cannot be patented, and
* is without prejudice.
In the media
''Chindōgu'' and Kawakami were featured regularly on a children's television show produced by the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
called ''
It'll Never Work?'', a show in a similar vein as the BBC's ''
Tomorrow's World
''Tomorrow's World'' is a British television series about contemporary developments in science and technology. First broadcast on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The ''Tomorrow's World' ...
''; however, ''It'll Never Work?'' usually focused more on wacky, humorous gadgets than on serious scientific and technological advances.
Kenji Kawakami was visited by
Dave Attell
David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's '' Insomniac with Dave Attell.''
Early life
Attell was born in the New York City borough of Queens to a Jewish fa ...
during the Sloshed In Translation episode of
Insomniac
Insomniac or The Insomniac may refer to:
* A person who has insomnia
Music
* Insomniac (Green Day album), ''Insomniac'' (Green Day album), 1995
* Insomniac (Enrique Iglesias album), ''Insomniac'' (Enrique Iglesias album), 2007
* Insomniac (song ...
in 2004. Kawakami featured items such as the baby duster, solar flashlight, and a device that would dry your hair with each step you took.
See also
*
Jacques Carelman
*
Simone Giertz
*
Rube Goldberg
Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg (July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970), better known as Rube Goldberg (), was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor.
Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated ...
*
Jugaad
Jugaad (Hindustani language, Hindustani: (Hindi) / (Urdu)) is a concept of non-conventional, frugal innovation in the Indian subcontinent. It also includes innovative fixes or simple workarounds, solutions that bend the rules, or resources ...
, an Indian concept similar to "
kludge
A kludge or kluge () is a workaround or makeshift solution that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend, and hard to maintain. This term is used in diverse fields such as computer science, aerospace engineering, Internet slang, ...
"
*
Kludge
A kludge or kluge () is a workaround or makeshift solution that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend, and hard to maintain. This term is used in diverse fields such as computer science, aerospace engineering, Internet slang, ...
, a clever but inelegant solution to a problem
*
List of Japanese inventions
*
W. Heath Robinson
References
''101 unuseless Japanese inventions: the art of Chindogu''
Further reading
*
', Martin Fackler. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', October 20, 2007.
* ''The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions'', Kenji Kawakami, trans. Dan Papia, ed. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. ''
Norton'':
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, 2005.
*
The Art of Chindogu in a World Gone Mad', David McNeill. August 3, 2005.
*
Analysing Chindogu: Applying Defamiliarisation to Security Design', Shamal Faily. May 5, 2012.
External links
Chindōgu Society Official Homepage
Interviewwith Kenji Kawakami
CHINDOGU: THE UNUSELESS INVENTIONS CHINDOGU: THE UNUSELESS INVENTIONS OF KENJI KAWAKAMI
Chindogu: The Art of Un-useless Inventions
Unuseless
chindogu-14-hilarious-and-strange-japanese-inventions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chindogu
Culture of Japan
Japanese inventions
Critical design
Words and phrases with no direct English translation