Coolest Cooler
Year First Appeared
2014
Creator
Ryan Grepper
The Coolest Cooler was a multi-function party cooler originally crowdfunded on Kickstarter, featuring a battery-powered blender, Bluetooth speaker, USB charging ports, LED lights, and picnic accessories, and designed for outdoor gatherings with a 55+ quart insulated cooler.
Importance in Internet Culture
The Coolest Cooler's July 2014 Kickstarter campaign raised $13.2 million from 62, 642 backers, making it one of the most-funded Kickstarter projects in history. It became a cautionary tale about crowdfunding, production delays, cost overruns, and unfulfilled orders led to an FTC investigation, illustrating the gap between viral enthusiasm and manufacturing reality.
Interesting Fact
Grepper's first attempt in November 2013 failed, raising only $100K against a $125K goal. He relaunched in July 2014 with a slicker campaign and better timing (summer), and the project exploded. Despite the massive funding, many backers never received their coolers.