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Website Prototype 1000 is a beautiful collection of products that don’t exist but probably should

Master Blaster Oct 28, 2016
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In need of an inspiration boost? Come browse the zany yet brilliant ideas of artist Neji Sato in his website Prototype 1000.

This website has actually been around for quite some time. According to the about section it was put up in 2009 and updated until around 2013. A note mentioned a site renovation in 2014, but it doesn’t look like that ever happened.

Prototype 1000 is simply a catalog of theoretical products that don’t actually exist because Sato doubts their ability to turn a profit due to expensive production costs or just because he doesn’t want to bother making them himself. Take for example this idyllic scene of a father and son reading in the grass. What’s missing from this picture?

That’s right, the protective power of Buddha!

The Buddha Leisure Sheet (prototype #040) is a large mat in the shape of the hand of Gautama Buddha. In addition, to enveloping the user in an aura of benevolence and purity, it also keeps your slacks from picking up grass-stains.

It’s amazing to see how some everyday objects can be easily improved. For example, we have always taken for granted that dice should be marked with dots to indicate the number of each side. It’s a formula that’s rarely messed with, unless you’re into D&D.

But what if you were to change them to lines instead?

You’d get Braille Dice (prototype #048)! As the name suggests, these dice are easier to read tactilely and the lines can also act as grips to keep the dice from sliding off the table during those heated games of Yahtzee.

And what have we here? An elegant serving tray for some far-eastern cuisine?

Nope, it’s Ear Pick Meal (prototype #050), a tray to hold both your ear pick and inner-ear contents and then…um…serve it to the gods or something.

Alright, that one was a little too out there, so here’s something I know you’ll love: Wall Socks (prototype #045). It’s a pair of socks with what appears to be ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics on it.

Sure they look cute as is, but the true brilliance is when you take them off after a long hard day’s work… Voila! Your ankles have been imprinted with Thoth, the scribe of the underworld!

Or how about this blanket designed for babies. It’s called a World Map (prototype #046), but actually it’s just a blank grid.

The world is for your little miracle to create through his or her various poops, pees, and stains from other awry fluids. Look! Junior just created the Mare Pace Ocean.

Perhaps the pièce de résistance of Prototype 1000 is the Honno-ji Stove (prototype #051). This space heater looks plenty classy with its traditional Japanese roof like you might find on many a temple.

It goes to show how fancy any home appliance might become if you just stuck a clay-tile roof on it. But history buffs might recognize the name Honno-ji as the location of samurai warlord Obu Nobunaga’s death by seppuku after traitors set the temple on fire with him inside it.

And in keeping with that story, just light up the gas and watch history come alive!

Although the title says “1000,” the number of fake products in Sato’s website only goes up to 54 with 1,000 being the goal. However, he appears to have stopped for the time being. Let’s hope the recent attention it’s been getting online by Japanese sites such as Curazy, will get Sato back in the saddle again.

And with 54 items this is only a small taste of what the website has on display. You really ought to check it out to see the pylons that look like dropped ice cream cones and erasers that look like used cigarette butts. It’s all in Japanese, but even if you can’t read the language, you should be able to easily get the gist from the visuals alone.

Source: Prototype 1000, Curazy (Japanese)
Top image: Prototype 1000 (edited by RocketNews24)
Images: Prototype 1000