8 Extremely Popular Companies That Almost Went Under

Can you imagine a world without Radio Shack, Sears and Blockbuster? If you’re somebody who lacks an imagination, you are probably panicking right now. Settle down and take a few deep breaths. See, these well-known brands – which were dominant in their respective industries – don’t exist anymore, so there’s no need to think up some dark, terrible world without radios, tall Chicago skyscrapers and late rental fees since that’s the reality. But did you know that there are plenty of hugely successful companies that almost suffered a similar fate? Thanks to some luck and the right strategy, they managed to avoid going the way of the dodo bird. Here’s a look at 8 of them.

1. Etch a Sketch

If you were ever a kid (and you’d be defying nature if you weren’t), there’s a pretty good chance that you owned an Etch a Sketch and proved to your parents that your artistic talent knew no boundaries. You’d sketch a flower and something that sort of looked like a butterfly, admire your work, and shake that sucker vigorously once it was time to move on drawing a house with a happy sun overhead. However, in the 1990s the company that manufactured this iconic toy began to struggle financially, but thanks to its placement in the movie Toy Story in 1995, it saw a temporary sales boost. The Etch a Sketch returned in Toy Story 2 four years later – this time for 45 seconds compared to 15 in the original – and that was enough to put it over the top for good. Today the toy is thriving.

2. Lego

Much like the aforementioned Etch a Sketch, Lego is something that has defined almost everybody’s childhood unless you grew up in one of those households that forbid joy and happiness. But in the late 90s, the company was in serious trouble. A new CEO was hired and he made the brilliant decision to partner up with George Lucas and release Star Wars and Indiana Jones Lego sets. Lego has gone on to do this with other movies as well (and even made several movies based on Lego itself!) and the company is definitely in good shape now.

3. BMW

This one was a while back, so it’s probably not a surprise if you were unaware of how close this car manufacturer was to collapsing. Back in the 1940s, BMW was actually known for producing affordable automobiles. But in 1948 they made the strategic decision to focus on the luxury cars instead, and by this nearly doomed them as the price was 4 times the salary of the typical German of that time. Herbert Quandt swooped in and saved the company from bankruptcy.