Steven M. Johnson

The year 2019 represents my 57th as an occasional inventor, whimsicalist and possibilitist. Though creating invention-themed cartoons has been for me nothing more than a sideline business, I’ve never stopped amusing myself by tinkering with ideas for plausible or outrageous products, or by trying to anticipate future trends and inventions.  Sometimes I have actually foreseen a trend, as in 1975 when I drew pre-torn clothing, or in 1992 when I drew a product similar to Google Glass, long before others came up with these ideas. I find that many of my 1991 predictions in Public Therapy Buses have come true. Many have not. Some are yet to come true, and they will shock the world.

1962: Portable Fallout Shelter (Cuban Missile Crisis)

CELEBRATING 57 YEARS OF DRAWING CLEVERLY-CONCEIVED NONSENSE PRODUCTS                                                                       

2012: “Pigstop Restaurant and Charge,” Txchnologist.com

1992: Prediction: Computer screens will be visible to the eye inside a pair of glasses. Desktop magazine.

1975: Prediction: Business clothing in the future will be sold pre-ripped–Have Fun Inventing

1984: Prone Clip, Chaise Lawn. Lawn mower doubles as outdoor furniture. What the World Needs Now.

2013: The driverless car can become a family living room. “Driving Sideways,” Allison Arieff, NY Times.

1991: Swimming Moat. Homeowners get to enjoy a swim and at the same time know their home is protected from intruders. Public Therapy Buses.

1984: Closet Cars. Every girl wants one of these cars.What The World Needs Now.

1991: Portable Office. Carry it into the woods. Public Therapy Buses.