History Main / InventorOfTheMundane

* One Creator/DanielPinkwater book featured a protagonist taking a summer job working for his uncle, who had invented the things they put on the end of shoelaces ("aglets", according to TheOtherWiki, but carefully not given a name in the novel).

* Invoked in ''RomyAndMichelesHighSchoolReunion''. The girls ''claim'' to have invented Post-It Notes, but it's a lie to impress their old high school peers. They deliberately tried to think of something everyone has heard of, but no-one's ever thought about who invented it (unaware that one of their classmates was a business school graduate where they taught about that invention in their classes.) PlayedStraight with said classmate, who invented a fast-smoking cigarette.

* In ''AustinPowers: International Man of Mystery'' during a group therapy session Dr. Evil mentions that his father claimed to have invented the question mark (among many other, equally strange declarations).

* The father from ''Literature/{{Holes}}'' spent the entire novel trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers. He ultimately succeeded not only at inventing the perfect odor-eater, but also at marketing it.

* The father from ''Literature/{{Holes}}'' spent the entire novel trying to invent the perfect odor-eater. He finally succeeded not only at inventing it, but also at marketing.

* Invoked in ''RomyAndMichelesHighSchoolReunion''. The girls ''claim'' to have invented Post-It Notes, but it's a lie to impress their old high school peers. They deliberately tried to think of something everyone has heard of, but no-one's ever thought about who invented it. (Unaware that one of their classmates was a business school graduate where they taught about that invention in their classes.)

* ''Flash Of Genius'' is a movie BasedOnATrueStory about Robert Kearns and the invention of the intermittent windshield wiper.

* The town of Neptune in ''Series/VeronicaMars'' is so high-class because it's home to a bunch of children of the tech boom. Duncan Kane's dad, for instance, invented streaming video,

-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' Scotty, you're tampering with the future!
-->'''Scotty:''' How do you know he ''didn't'' invent it?

* In ComicBook/{{Runaways}} this is given as a reason why Chase's parents are wealthy enough to hang out with families of other characters, whose parents are doctors, businessmen and famous actors, among others. Subverted because it's a lie - his parents, just like those of other kids, are actually supervillains in control of entire West Coast criminal underground.

* Invoked in ''RomyAndMichelesHighSchoolReunion''. The girls ''claim'' to have invented Post-It Notes, but it's a lie to impress their old high school peers. They deliberately tried to think of something everyone has heard of, but no-one's ever thought about who invented it.
** Unaware that one of their classmates was a business school graduate where they taught about that invention in their classes.

* In ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum : Battle of the Smithsonian'', Larry Daley becomes a successful inventor ,and one of his inventions is Glow-in-the-Dark Flashlight, which is based on his former job from the first movie as a night guard.

* From Creator/AkiraToriyama's ''Manga/DragonBall'', Dr. Briefs invented capsules: nifty little things that defy the laws of conservation of mass in order that whatever vehicle, housing, or devices one could possibly need can be shrunk down to the size or a pill. Due to his rule as one of the series' {{Gadgeteer Genius}}es, he fills that role a bit more than this (but the capsules are ''very'' mundane in that world).

-->-- ''KissKissBangBang''

* One DanielPinkwater book featured a protagonist taking a summer job working for his uncle, who had invented the things they put on the end of shoelaces ("aglets", according to TheOtherWiki, but carefully not given a name in the novel).

* From AkiraToriyama's ''Manga/DragonBall'', Dr. Briefs invented capsules: nifty little things that defy the laws of conservation of mass in order that whatever vehicle, housing, or devices one could possibly need can be shrunk down to the size or a pill. Due to his rule as one of the series' {{Gadgeteer Genius}}es, he fills that role a bit more than this (but the capsules are ''very'' mundane in that world).

* Patrick Dempsey was portrayed as one in the movie ''Made Of Honor''. He invented that cardboard thing that goes around the coffee cup that keeps your hand from getting burned--named in the movie as the "Coffee Collar." Patrick Dempsey got 10 cents whenever one was used.
* In ''GardenState'', one of Zach Braff's friends invented "silent velcro" and became a multi-millionaire. He now spends his time driving golf-carts around his mansion.

* ''TheSocialNetwork'' features the RealLife story of Mark Zuckerberg and the invention of {{Facebook}}.

* In ''OfficeSpace'', the character Tom Smykowski uses the settlement from a car accident to fund the invention of his "Jump to Conclusions" mat ("Have a problem? Just take out the mat and ''jump'' to a conclusion!"). In universe, it was wildly successful.

* In ''AboutABoy'', Hugh Grant's character is living off the royalties from a horrible OneHitWonder Christmas song, "Santa's Super Sleigh." He didn't even write it; his late father did.

* The father from ''{{Holes}}'' spent the entire novel trying to invent the perfect odor-eater. He finally succeeded not only at inventing it, but also at marketing.

* Walden Schmidt from ''TwoAndAHalfMen'' is billionaire after developing a website that he sold to Microsoft for $1.3 billion. No one has ever heard of it because Microsoft decided to bundle it with the Zune.
* The town of Neptune in ''VeronicaMars'' is so high-class because it's home to a bunch of children of the tech boom. Duncan Kane's dad, for instance, invented streaming video,

* Otra in ''{{Girly}}'' is wealthy only because she accidentally came up with a popular clothing fashion line that only consists of wear with the number 0 on it, or letter O in reference to her name, after a designer took notice of the number 0 she drew on her own shirt and found it to be brilliant.

* On ''{{Daria}}'' Jodie's father Andrew Landon became a millionaire by inventing the "folding coffee cup".

[[quoteright:184:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patdempseywcoffee_2698.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:184:[[SelfReferentialHumor Coffee Collar? I hear the guy that invented these gets ten cents every time one is used.]]]]

* Caractacus Pott in the book ''ChittyChittyBangBang''. In this case, it overlaps with MoneyDearBoy: his more mundane inventions, such as collapsible coat-hangers and cubical potatoes, keep the family going.

* On ''{{Daria}}'' Jodie's father Andrew Landon became a millionaire by inventing the "folding cofee cup".

* Walden Schmidt from ''TwoAndAHalfMen'' is billionaire after developing a website that he sold to Microsoft for $1.3 billion. No one has ever heard of it beacuse Microsoft decided to bundle it with the Zune.

* Mentioned as a gag in the ''LegendaryFrog'' cartoon where Kerrigan decides to become an inventor and make millions. She says to her boyfriend, "Remember John from next door? John Velcro?"

* In ''MassEffect2'', if you ask EDI where Cerberus gets funding from, Joker says that the Illusive Man invented the paper clip. EDI helpfully clarifies, "That is a joke."

* Caractacus Pott in ''[[Literature/ChittyChittyBangBang]]''. In this case, it overlaps with MoneyDearBoy: his more mundane inventions, such as collapsible coat-hangers and cubical potatoes, keep the family going.

* In ''JohnnyAndTheBomb'', Wobbler is left in the past, unable to return to his time due to a paradox. While taking TheSlowPath, he uses his knowledge of the present to become obscenely rich by both 'inventing' fast food chains and encouraging the inventors of other products.

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode [[JoeMillionaire "Ron Millionaire"]] featured Ron Stoppable receiving 99 million dollars for inventing the Nacho. Whatever he didn't spend during the episode was stolen by Dr. Drakken in the end.