A buggy whip is a whip used for driving on horses harnessed to a buggy, or small open carriage. The buggy whip industry ceased to exist with the introduction of the automobile, and is a classic example in marketing of an industry ceasing to exist because its market niche, and the need for its product, disappears.

Buggy whips are not entirely gone. A resurgence of interest in carriage driving among aging baby-boomers now too old to ride their horses has allowed a few die-hard buggy whip manufacturers to stay in business. Foremost among these is a company in Westfield, Massachusetts. See http://www.chronofhorse.com/features/99/whip_city.html

See also:

• Frederic Bastiat's satirical Candle-makers' petition against the Sun.