Nope. Necesssity really doesn't have to be the mother of invention.

Social media is full of vapid ninnies, a number of who seem to be making a handy living for themselves by making pouty faces, partying with their entourages, and influencing vapid ninnies who don't have lots of followers to go out and buy stuff that they don't need. Ah, the circle of American consumer life in the rip-roaring twenties. The vapid ninnies don't seem to provide much of value, other than stoking the consumption engine, which I guess is something. Mostly what they do strikes me as meritless, valueless - even if some of them have managed to amass vast followings and fortunes.

And then there's Matty Benedetto, self-desribed "Evil Genius of Unnecessary Inventions" who, with his wit, verve, creativity, and engineering know-how, manages to be wildly amusing and entertaining in ways that the vapid ninny brigades really don't manage to achieve. (Not that they care to...)

I'm going to use Matty's Linkedin profile, because, God knows, I just couldn't do it justice on my own:

Unnecessary Inventions is the brainchild of inventor and evil genius Matty Benedetto. In 2.5 years, he has designed and built over 280 inventions that solve problems that don't exist. Each week from his design studio in Burlington Vermont, Matty develops 1-3 brand new fake consumer products using diverse production methods from 3D printing, sewing, mold making, wood working, laser cutter, and whatever else he can get his hands on.

Each invention lives across Unnecessary Invention's social profiles which have grown to a community of over 6+ million followers. Each post mimics a real marketing campaign with their signature product photos and commercials alongside behind the scenes videos on how the inventions get built. Similarly he has developed a collection of inventions that are inspired by some of the biggest brands in the world for key marketing campaigns.

I solve problems that don’t really exist by creating products that no one is asking for.

Got to love that I solve problems that don’t really exist by creating products that no one is asking for. During my career, I often worked on products that did, in fact, exist - no vaporware on my resume - yet all too often solved problems that didn't really exist. Or didn't exist quite yet. And which I can definitely say no one was asking for. (Try marketing that for a living.)

Through producing my inventions and developing the content within the Unnecessary Inventions world, I have built a highly engaged online community, @unnecessaryinventions on all platforms, including: 4,000,000+ on TikTok, 1,10,000+ on Instagram, 213,000+ on Facebook, 761,700 on YouTube (Named Creator on the Rise by YouTube in August), 38,000+ on Twitter, 23,000+ on Snapchat, and 285,000 on the Ui Subreddit.

Those are some mighty impressive credentials. 

Sure, they're no comparison to the 200+ million followers that the likes of Kylie Jenner and big sis Kim Kardashian caommand. But I bet Matty Benedetto has more fun than they do, and he's sure a ton more imaginative and entertaining.

By using diverse methods of rapid prototyping from 3D Printing, Sewing, Mold Making, and more, I create each unnecessary invention from my studio from idea to physical product at a rate of 1-3 new inventions per week. Each product is editorially shot to resemble a real marketing campaign for a product you can not get your hands on.

This is way too funny for mere words. Not to mention pretty damned impressive. I don't care if these products are fake or not. He's churning out "1-3 new inventions per week." Maybe he's no "Wizard of Menlo Park" in terms of giving us light bulbs and record players, but that is some creative genius at work. 

Unnecessary Inventions explores creativity, experimentation with design & processes, and parodies the real products people will actually purchase online.

I have built new inventions in collaboration with brands such as Bud Light, DoorDash, Call of Duty/Activation, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Three Mobile, Babe Wine, Canon Cameras, Shopify, Synders of Hanover, Energizer, Dunkin' Donuts, General Mills, TikTok, Old Spice, Cup Noodles, California Almonds, Swagtron Scooters, Lifx, New Republic, and more.

Other notable achievements including getting a cease and desist from Crocs, creating the 15th most upvoted post ever on Reddit, 4x guest on the Kelly Clarkson Show, launched a book titled 101 Unnecessary Inventions nationwide with Urban Outfitters, and much more to come.

I will admit that I just tried to buy this book on his website, where at first it appeared to be Sold Out. Or just plain unorderable. Maybe, I thought, it was a joke sort of thing that I'm not enough of a Burlington, VT hipster to get. After all, Unnecessary is a .co not a .com. 

While I was initially discouraged, nevertheless, I persisted in ordering the book. Good thing. I like the idea well enough, but I was not willing to pay $195, which is what the "ask" is on Amazon for some reason. (I paid $22.)

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Matty Benedetto - likely on Twitter - but once I found him (or he found me), I did some looking around and came across a post by Molly Reynolds on Parent Influence that pulls together a number of his inventions.

There are so many great ones, it's hard to pick a favorite or two. But I'm game to give it a try.

As a daily consumer of ice cream/froyo, the Sizzling Scooper is right up my alley. By combining a spoon with a mini-flamethrower, Benedetto is actually solving a real problem: how to get at ice cream/froyo that's frozen solid. While wrestling with a pint or quart container is nowhere near as difficult as it used to be trying to scoop ice cream in the 5 gallon tubs that were delivered to the campus snack bar where I worked in college, which seemed to have come straight from Siberia. An ice pick couldn't get at a freshly opened tub. Still, even though my pints and quarts aren't that solidly frozen, the options are either hack at it with a spoon or soften it up in the microwave (12 seconds). For years, I went the hack at it with a spoon route, and have the bent spoons to prove it. Seriously, take a look in my silverware drawer and you might believe that Uri Geller has paid a visit.

So this invention is for me!

And what's not to like about Jiffy Cuts, which lets you clip a full hand of nails in one motion. Unless you have Edward Scissorshand PTSD. 

Then there's the Swiss Army Knife of gloves: The Glovetensils.

Which you could use to butter your Elon Musk toast. If you so desired. 

The blanket with the slit in it so you can sleep with one leg out and one leg under. The ice cream cone holder that catches the drippings - which would have been ideal for me as a kid, as I really like to bite the bottom tip of the cone off first. The cell phone platform bed (mid-century modern!). The little umbrellas that attach to your shoes. (Who needs rubber or rainboots?)

Matty Benedetto is an absolute genius. 

If nothing else, he's proving that necessity really doesn't have to be the mother of invention.