After the “One-Hit-Wonder” . . .
They hit it big. Really big. But then what?
By Jeff May | June 13, 2011 | USA
Pet rocks. The Rubik’s Cube.
Cabbage Patch Kids.
The marketplace, like the Billboard charts, is full of one-hit wonders – products that come out of nowhere, capture the national imagination, then just as quickly, turn into punch lines and trivia answers.
But what about the entrepreneurs behind these creations? What do they do after the novelty of their novelty products wears off?
We decided to find out. We tracked down four people who introduced some of the most popular fad items of the past few decades to find out how they handled their sudden prosperity-and rapid exit from the limelight. Some were relaxing and enjoying their spoils. Others were trying to capture lightning in a bottle one more time.