But Gallagher the prop comedian? Or Paula Abdul? Where’s the barrier to entry, USPTO? Read further for an inside look at the inscrutable world of celebrity patents. If we knew it was this easy to win a patent, Gadget Lab would have thrown down too.

 

Bandleader. TV personality. The creator of “champagne music” and its associated bubbles. Lawrence Welk was indeed a man of many talents. But Welk didn’t just love music, he loved those darn accordions, and all this affection is on display in his patent for an Ornamental Lunchbox that resembles a squeezebox. If your kids dig both “Fiddlestring Fries” (check the illustration) and accordions, this is the meal-toting apparatus for them.