Young bright minds
Did you know these 11 things were children's ideas?
Image: Pexels
Do you remember how you spent your free time at age 12? As it turns out, some young creative minds were running around inventing things like popsicles, trampolines, and earmuffs. Sure, most kids come up with new stuff all the time, but today we’re looking at inventions that adults actually paid attention to—and they worked!
1
Swim fins
Image: NEOM
If you don’t know who invented swim fins, this one might startle you! Before he was flying kites in thunderstorms, Benjamin Franklin was just an 11-year-old boy who loved to swim.
He invented early swim fins, but not the kind we wear on our feet. He designed wooden paddles with thumb holes that could be held in the hands to help propel a swimmer through the water faster. He also tried strapping fins to his feet, but found them less effective and even painful.
2
Popsicles
Image: Jill Wellington
The brand Popsicle tells the legendary story: eleven-year-old Frank Epperson left his soda drink with a stirring stick on the porch overnight. When he returned the next morning, he discovered a brilliant idea— frozen juice on a stick !
Originally named the "Epsicle" (after himself), the invention was patented in the 1920s. His children called them "Pop’s ’sicles," and the name Popsicle stuck.
3
Earmuffs
Image: Ellen Kerbey
Chester Greenwood couldn’t endure Maine winters. At 15 years old, his ears got cold, and he didn’t like the feeling of wool hats on his skin. So he devised a creative solution: his grandmother sewed beaver fur onto a wire headband that he shaped into circular ear loops.
That invention was later patented in the 1870s, becoming the world’s first earmuffs, according to historical records.
4
Toy trucks
Image: Allison Astorga
Using bottle caps, cardboard, and ingenuity, Robert W. Patch created a toy truck that could transform into multiple styles: a dump truck, flatbed, or box truck. And he was only 5 years old.
The modular vehicle concept was so compelling that his father, who happened to be a patent attorney, filed for official recognition. By the time Patch turned six, he had been granted a U.S. patent, making him one of the youngest inventors in history.
5
Superman
Image: Esteban López
Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster were both high school students when they came up with the idea for the Man of Steel in 1933.
They created Superman as the ultimate underdog: an alien orphan who fights for justice. The character was sold to Action Comics in 1938, launching the entire superhero genre.
6
Hot seat
Image: Erik Mclean
A heartbreaking story of a baby dying after being left inside a hot car reached Bishop Curry V when he was 10 years old.
This inspired him to design a device he called Oasis (often referred to in the media as the "Hot Seat"). His invention detects rising temperatures in a car, blows cool air, and alerts parents and emergency services.
7
Water skis
Image: Wyatt Harrom
Ralph Samuelson was a teenager when he had an idea: if people could ski on snow, why not on water? In the early 1920s, he took two pine staves , curved the tips using boiling water , and hit the lake with his brother, towing him behind a motorboat.
After many belly flops, he figured out the proper posture and became the first water skier in history. Although he never patented his creation, he spent years performing and became known as the "Father of Water Skiing."
8
Trampolines
Image: Jasper Garratt
Who knew? George Nissen was just 16 when he devised the bouncy fun. In the early 1930s, he watched circus trapeze artists drop and land into safety nets and realized: what if you could bounce back ?
Working out of his parents’ garage, he stretched canvas across a frame and added springs. Initially, trampolines were used for gymnastics training, but even NASA later adopted them to train astronauts.
9
Makin’ Bacon
Image: Polina Tankilevitch
Michigan native Abbey Fleck did not invent bacon itself, but at 8 years old, she had grown tired of soggy bacon and paper towels. She brainstormed a simpler solution: hang the bacon while it cooked, allowing grease to drip away cleanly.
Together with her dad, she built a prototype in the 1990s and earned a U.S. patent for the microwavable "Makin’ Bacon" tray. It became a retail hit .
10
Wristies
Image: Valeriy Borzov
Cold, wet sleeves are a winter misery. 10-year-old Kathryn Gregory grew frustrated with snow slipping between her mittens and coat sleeves, so she sewed together a pair of warm fleece tubes to cover the gap between glove and sleeve .
She called them Wristies. Her invention was such a hit with friends and family that her Girl Scout troop encouraged her to patent it—and she did! Kathryn became one of the youngest inventors to receive a U.S. patent.
11
Crayon holders
Image: AlexanderStein
Ever struggled to hold a crayon that’s worn down to a stub? So did 11-year-old Cassidy Goldstein. She noticed how frustrating tiny crayons could be, especially for kids just learning to grip.
She came up with a simple solution: a plastic cylinder that could hold broken or short crayons , making them easier to use. Patenting the design earned Cassidy the Youth Inventor of the Year Award.
