Steve Jobs wanted to play Willy Wonka for a day, "just as Wonka did in the movie," according to a new book from ad man Ken Segall. Segall, who worked with Jobs for more than a decade and came up with the "Think Different" ad campaign, says that Steve wanted to recreate the Willy Wonka golden certificate contest. Segall explains that "Steve wanted to put a golden certificate representing the millionth iMac inside the box of one iMac," and whoever opened the lucky box would receive a refund and be flown to Cupertino for a tour of the Apple campus. Steve seemed rather serious about the idea, too, since he apparently "instructed his internal creative group to design a prototype golden certificate." Segall says Jobs wanted to meet the winner "in full Willy Wonka garb... complete with top hat and tails." Unfortunately for Jobs (and the rest of us), the plan was scrapped due to a California law that requires competitions to allow entry without requiring a purchase. Steve would have looked mighty fine in a purple suit.

Be sure to catch our review of Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success.