The reason why we find such ridiculous objects appealing is because they illicit an emotional response from us. If that response is positive, we want to buy those things as we want more of that joy in our lives. A study on customer emotional needs in product design concluded that people tend to make decisions on their gut feeling rather than logic. That totally explains why you’d want a crab for a phone.

That same study encourages designers and manufacturers to make emotional design a bottom line when creating the product. That means creating a phone that makes the user feel cool, a perfume that makes the wearer feel desirable, or a garden accessory that makes the owner feel like they’re that odd neighbor on the block. 

A different study has identified different attributes that convey positive feelings in design. One of them is fun and it is probably the most relevant one when it comes to wacky designs. Fun associates with play and playing is not working. So now doing dishes is not a boring chore that you have to do, it’s an entertaining activity during which you’re rubbing a sandwich-shaped sponge on a plate. It’s so ridiculous that it’s funny.

“When something is nicely wrong enough, it can entice,” assures designer Stephen Doyle when talking about humor in design. “Sometimes our design work is a little bit wrong or off-kilter. We are after a double take. We might make something too small, to act insidious, or, then again, too big, to be bombastic. It’s a little bit of ‘upside-downasia’ that gives our work a sense of being memorable.”

Enticing people with cuteness is another way to get customers. These designs often have notably child-like features such as big eyes and rounded shapes. They are meant to evoke the natural feelings of wanting to protect and nurture. So, there’s nothing wrong with you for wanting to hug an adorable blob of a lamp, that’s just the way nature intended it.

However, not everybody is charmed by the same type of attributes. The same study has shown that emotional responses to products vary between different generations, social groups, nationalities, and cultures. But that’s where reflective design comes in; it focuses on the knowledge and experience of the user and caters to them.

In a way, this collection of peculiar things is a great example of reflective design. For some, a bookcase that converts into a coffin is morbid, but for others it’s a witty and, honestly, fairly useful interior piece. Then there are people that believe that monster mugs are cool and match their aesthetic, while others might think it’s a bit too creepy. It’s a list of extremes.

Overall, these are, obviously, very niche products that serve a very specific purpose for very specific customers. Are you one of them? Or maybe this list actually made you go, “It’s weird but I will get 12 of them”? Well, don’t blame us, it’s all your emotions.