Shark Tank has given airtime to entrepreneurs with the most unusual business ideas imaginable, from the absolute genius to the downright bizarre. And while some of these quirky concepts have gone nowhere, others have won serious investment cash and become overnight sensations. Read on as we take a look at some of the most out-of-the-ordinary business ideas ever pitched on the show.

An especially zany idea, Wake 'N Bacon is a quirky alarm clock that rouses you from your slumber with the smell of sizzling bacon. Setting the alarm entails slotting in a slice of raw bacon, which is cooked to crispy perfection at the allotted time. Unsurprisingly, the piggy-shaped gizmo, which featured in season two, was deemed crazy by the Sharks, and inventor Matty Sallin left with zero investment cash.

Spelling the end for the record player, former Apple creative Logan Riley brought the house down when he pitched his RokBlok wireless portable vinyl player, a world first and the smallest ever invented, on season nine of the show. The size of a matchbox, the wooden contraption can be placed on any record and voilà. Riley cashed in with a $500,000 investment from Robert Herjavec for 100% of the company and a royalties deal of $5 per unit sold.

Another innovative, or crazy, toilet solution, UroClub was presented in season one to the Sharks, who pretty much giggled their way through the entire pitch. The brainchild of Florida urologist Dr Floyd Seskin, UroClub is a portable urinal disguised as a 7-iron golf club that male golfers can pee into mid-game. But UroClub wasn't completely laughed off the show and Dr Seskin scored a $25,000 investment for 75% equity courtesy of Kevin Harrington.

Who knew sweetened hummus could be so delectable? The savory vegan, gluten-free and non-dairy chickpea-based dip was given a sugary makeover by Makenzie Marzluff and presented to the bemused Sharks in season nine. Mark Cuban was blown away by the range's four flavors – Snickerdoodle, Vanilla Bean, Brownie Batter and Choc-O-Mint – and invested $600,000 in exchange for 25% equity.

Just the thing for cat owners who are grossed out by stinky litter trays, CitiKitty is a kit that trains your feline friend to use the toilet instead – and it actually works. Pitched by Rebecca Rescate in season two, the potty-training kit was labeled "disgusting" and "crazy" by Shark Kevin O'Leary, but Rescate managed to strike a deal with Kevin Harrington, and her product has gone on to gross more than $8 million.

For many people, the best part of a fudge brownie or lasagna is the crispy edge. Enter Baker's Edge. A simple but brilliant idea, the pan is designed to maximize the corners, making for lots of crispy edges. The pan was pitched by inventor Matthew Griffin and his wife Emily in season five but, incredibly, they didn't bag a deal. Still, their product has sold like hot (crispy) cakes ever since.

Like a Taser for bird food-stealing critters, Squirrel Boss is a feeder fitted with a harmless static charge that the user activates with a remote control to zap the offending rodent and send it on its way. Providing hours of evil fun for slightly sadistic birdlovers, the gadget was pitched by Michael DeSanti on season four but didn't attract a deal. Nevertheless, numerous units of the squirrel-proof invention have since been sold.

The Sharks really didn't know what to make of Ryan Custer's energy shot drink aimed at middle-age women eager to date younger men, which featured in season three. As might be expected, Barbara Corcoran was least impressed by the sexist concoction that she concluded "tastes like chalk," and Custer left without getting the desired $150,000 backing in exchange for 30% of his business.

A product that turns a humble pair of pants into something altogether more awesome, DrumPants is a wearable sensor that attaches to the piece of clothing, transforming it into a drum kit that can play up to 100 sounds. Inventors Lei Yu and Tyler Freeman pitched the idea in season six and actually got two offers but couldn't decide which to go for and so ended up leaving without a deal.

Inventor Darrin Johnson thought he'd snag a $1 million investment in exchange for 15% equity when he presented his Ionic Ear contraption to the Sharks in the very first episode of the show. A Bluetooth device that is surgically implanted in the user's ear, the gadget was described by Shark Barbara Corcoran as “the weirdest damn thing I've ever heard”.

Turning humans into Transformers, Californian innovator Drew Beaumier presented his madcap wearable car concept to the Sharks in season four. Capable of speeds of up to 12mph, the robot suits come in several versions, from the motorcycle to the monster truck. Beaumier landed $150,000 in exchange for 20% equity, but the deal fell apart before the show aired for unknown reasons.

Taking a concave mirror you'd expect to see in a fairground fun house, Belinda Jasmine created The Skinny Mirror, which makes anyone looking in it appear up to 10 pounds thinner. Jasmine pitched it to the US Sharks in season eight and asked for $200,000 in exchange for a 20% stake, but her idea was lambasted for deceiving people and perpetuating unrealistic body standards.

Dubbed "the weirdest product in Shark Tank USA history", and there have been plenty of oddball ideas pitched, LICKI Brush is a plastic gizmo that lets owners lick their cats. Yes, really. One of two products presented by Tara and Jason O'Mara in season eight, the bizarre brush failed to impress the incredulous Sharks, and the kooky couple, who were after $300,000 for 15% equity, walked away with no deal.

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