Flops exhibition in Paris: I discovered the other face of innovation
The temporary exhibition Flopswill end on May 17, 2026. © Teo Contu
Have you ever found yourself surrounded by failures? Me, yes. In the basement of Museum of Arts and Craftslocated in the third arrondissement of Paris, is a new temporary exhibition called Flops. And in this large aisle with black, yellow and pink walls, a bunch of inventions are illuminated by white lights. What they have in common is their destiny: here we only find innovations that have simply failed. I already knew some of them and discovered others. And the first thing that struck me were these perhaps too avant-garde inventions, which were unable to find their audience when they were released.
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Good idea seeks its right audience
Is it possible to create an innovation that will only be truly successful fifteen years later? Sometimes, yes. Promoted in 2006 by Skype 2.0, online calling services will have experienced their greatest growth in use during the Covid era. Videoconferencing became essential from the onset of the pandemic: because it found real use in everyday life (means of keeping in touch with loved ones, facilitated work meetings, possibility of working remotely, etc.), which was not yet really the case when it was created.
Ironically highlighted in this exhibition, Skype was decommissioned by Microsoft in May 2025. © Teo Contu
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With this exhibition, we also see that an innovation which aimed to replace another can fail because the consumer simply does not want to change their habits. Let me introduce you to the BÉPO keyboard.
The BÉPO keyboard, exhibited at the Musée des Arts et Métiers. © Teo Contu
This French invention aimed to compete with the AZERTY keyboard, with the promise of better ergonomics thanks to the distribution of hands on the keyboard.
The major challenge of an innovation is to facilitate change, by being easy to adopt. The most difficult thing here is not to disrupt consumer habits.
The exhibition invites you to form your own opinion by writing the same text with both keyboards. © Teo Contu
The myth of “when we want, we can” collapses a little at the sight of all his failures. But we can also see that certain failures ultimately served as first drafts of innovation, in a more general way.
This is the case of the rotary piston engine, present in this exhibition. Although it had fewer parts and was less expensive, it was its release timing that explained its failure: in 1973, Citroën used this technology in its new car, the Citroën GS Birotor. And consuming up to 30 liters of gasoline per 100 km and one liter of oil per 1000 km, in the midst of the oil crisis, is quite tricky.
Citroën launched the GS Girotor car in 1973 with an engine of this type. It sold less than 900 copies in two years. © Teo Contu
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“The idea of this engine was ambitious, but it was too greedy and too fragile at the worst time in automotive history”Willem, 24, a car enthusiast, says to me when he sees me taking notes in front of this engine.
An innovation truly fails when it conveys nothing. As long as it fuels reflection, inspires or reinvents itself, it has not failed. She just missed her timing.
The Wii U, autopsy of a failure
Continuing my visit, I found a rather unusual console in a lit wooden box. It looks like a tablet, is 4.6 cm thick, 26.8 cm long and weighs about 1.6 kg. I named: the Wii U. In the fall of 2012, this UFO arrived in the world of home consoles.
Halfway between a console that is self-sufficient and an object that must connect to a television to function better, the Wii U does not find its audience. According to Nintendo’s latest financial reports, “only” 13 million consoles have been sold for this new console worldwide. Compared to 101 million for its predecessor, released in 2006.
The gap between the Wii and the Wii U was too small in terms of innovation: the first was still relevant in terms of performance when Wii U was released. Add to that the confusion with a tablet controller. And you understand why Nintendo very quickly stopped communication around this new console.
The Wii U, here on display at the Musée des Arts et Métiers. © Teo Contu
This first failure will nevertheless have served the Japanese license for the future. There was a clearer break in the communication of the evolution of its consoles, with the Switch in 2017. Thus, the idea of dual-screen gaming (already powered by the Wii U) was immediately clarified and better identified by fans.
As a symbol, the Nintendo Switch is displayed on the back of the Wii U in this exhibition. © Teo Contu
And by also bringing emblematic games of the license (Zelda, Mario Kart…) to the Switchthe success of this new console was much more impressive. The concept of gameplay on two screens (that of the console and that of the TV) has also been fully exploited by the license on this new console.
There are flops that are part of a brand exploration strategy, because they allow them to then focus on the points that worked. Failure then becomes part of the exploratory process.
Too much progress compared to the old version, too vague communication or an idea that would shake up habits too much: the flop of a technological innovation does not always mean that it failed to meet a need. There is sometimes a context which can explain this failure. And which can even create future success.
Flops exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Crafts:
60 rue Réaumur, Paris 3rd
From Tuesday October 14, 2025 to Sunday May 17, 2026
Prices: from 9 to 12 euros.
Free for all: the first Sunday of the month and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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