Energize · Encourage Collaboration · Just for Fun
Bad Product Pitch
Combine random classroom objects into an unnecessary product and pitch it with complete confidence.
Time24–30 minutes
Group size8–40 people
FormatTable groups
MaterialsRandom classroom objects or object cards, Paper or shared slides, Timer
What this accomplishes
High school teams receive two or three ordinary objects, invent a product that combines them, and create a ninety-second pitch with multiple ways to contribute.
- Practice rapid collaboration and creative constraint
- Create low-stakes shared humor
Before you begin
Materials
- Random classroom objects or object cards
- Paper or shared slides
- Timer
Preparation
- Gather safe ordinary objects or prepare object cards
- Create optional constraint cards
- Plan roles beyond presenter
What to say
“Your product should solve a problem nobody has. The pitch may be live, recorded, read by the teacher, or displayed as a one-slide ad.”
How to run it
- 1
Give each team two or three random objects.
- 2
Teams invent a combined product, name, price, customer, and one absurd benefit.
- 3
Add one optional constraint halfway through planning.
- 4
Give twelve minutes to build the pitch.
- 5
Run ninety-second presentations with no ranking.
- 6
Listeners name one surprisingly clever feature from each team.
Prompts to use
Must appeal to people over seventy
Must be sold using one image
Must be a subscription
Must fit inside a backpack
Must make a boring task slightly more dramatic
Adapt it to the room
Small group
Create two teams or build one product together.
Large group
Use table pitches and a silent gallery instead of full presentations.
Virtual
Assign digital object cards and use breakout slides.
Accessibility & inclusion
- Offer ideator, organizer, writer, designer, prop manager, recorder, and presenter roles.
- Never require live presenting.
- Use objects safe to handle and provide image cards as alternatives.
Debrief, if useful
Which constraint improved the idea?
How did the team combine competing first ideas?
Why it works—and what can go wrong
Why it works
Absurdity removes the pressure to create something impressive, allowing genuine risk-taking and shared ownership.
Watch out for
- Do not score charisma or production quality.
- Avoid products that mock disability, poverty, cultures, or real people.