S07.E25: Drip Drop, Jarrett & Raja, KidRunner, InchBug

[Tara Ariano]

Two Denver high-school freshmen think they have a tasty way to improve the ice cream cone; an entrepreneur from Bend, Ore., puts an athletic twist on a kid stroller; an Austin woman contends her kids' line is intended to make the lives of parents easier; and a magician duo from Las Vegas perform for the Sharks. Also: an update on Mark Cuban's Season 6 investment in Gameday Couture.

[Gregg247]

The Sharks were on-target with their advice this week.  All 5 told the baby cup lady to stick with her current online-only strategy and keep those profits rolling in, but she seemed determined to do all this expensive retail sales thing.  I think Barbara was right--she's bored with her current business plan and wants to do something "exciting".

 

The baby stroller guy really was a "plodder" as they all said. I'll bet that guy prefers fiddling and re-doing and redesigning his product much more than actually going out and selling it.  Any investor had better get ready for a LONG payback period.  I've worked with guys like him before.  They were all very smart, hard-working, and dedicated individuals, but they just couldn't bring themselves to "finish" the project and move on to the next phase.  They're like a broken record.

 

The one exception to the Sharks' good advice was, of course, Lori, who told the professional magicians to forget Las Vegas and try Chicago instead(!).  "There aren't any illusion shows in Chicago."  That's right, Lori; I wonder why?!?!  She's terrible.

[Primetimer]

From confusing and pointless magic shows to a jail for juiceboxes, the entire show revolves around products aimed at people for whom children are an occasional, messy evil.

Read the story

[designing1]

Was the hook for that magic show solely "one of us plays the piano!"? Because the trick they demonstrated is as old as the hills, so I don't see why anyone would buy a ticket to their show as opposed to any of the other magic shows in Vegas -- unless they were dying to hear someone play piano while things appeared and disappeared. I doubt there's a huge audience clamoring for that sort of thing.

[basiltherat]

Why not a magic show done by clowns and kill two genres that I (and many others0 abhor?!

[starri]

I'm glad America's privileged youth got an opportunity that would have otherwise been denied to them.

 

I don't know nothing about running with babies, but even if your brand ambassador (drink!) completes a half-marathon with their baby rickshaw, does the kid really want to be cooped up in that thing for 13 miles?  That guy was totally obnoxious.

 

So, there's a plague of over-squeezed juice boxes.  #ThanksObama

[candall]

Well, hmm.  I'm neither a runner nor a parent, but that kid caboose looked pretty nifty to me.  I thought it looked like the little girl was having a good time rocking herself during the discussion and I think a kid would enjoy bouncing along looking out the windows of her own personal little unit, doing exercise with Mommy or Daddy.

 

If it's an ergonomic improvement over the jogger strollers, it seems like a winner.  Jogger stroller people are seriously dedicated to getting that run in and strike me as the sort of people who would be willing to absorb a $750 price tag.  Babies"R"Us has several in the $500-700 range.

 

Finally, the "perfectionist" criticism was odd. It's like a teacher deducting points because you spent too much time studying for the test and it's better if you don't know ALL the answers.

 

Oh well, I guess my mileage varies.  : )

 

*******

Kevin was extremely annoying, repeatedly calling that woman's company "Dinky-poo" or whatever.  You don't want to invest, fine; no need to be a dick about it.

Edited April 23, 2016 by candall

[LADreamr]

Yeah, that was bugging me, too. She had a big sign that said MyDrinky. How hard is it? She was right to turn down that terrible offer from him. Can't stand him.

[starri]

Finally, the "perfectionist" criticism was odd. It's like a teacher deducting points because you spent too much time studying for the test and it's better if you don't know ALL the answers.

I don't think she was telling him he shouldn't be making a good product.  She seemed to think (correctly, IMO) that he'd forever be tinkering with it to make it "perfect."  And because of that' he'd never have a finished product to sell.

[Latverian Diplomat]

The jogging stroller guy completely blew it (IMHO) when he admitted that he didn't trust the cool "quick release" wheels for the demo version. That feature should be a key part of the demo, it's crucial. I also wondered about using a belt to attach to, and how that would feel after a long run. I would think a harness would be better ergonimically, but that would bring in a world of fitting issues, I suppose.

 

Barbara tipping the mydrinky upside down is exactly what I would have done.I was a little surprised Lori didn't bite. It seemed like a QVC sort of product to me.

 

I found the ice cream cone kids annoying, and the sharks a bit patronizing. Barbara's offer was clearly a charitable act, not a serious business proposition.

 

Kevin was extremely annoying, repeatedly calling that woman's company "Dinky-poo" or whatever.  You don't want to invest, fine; no need to be a dick about it.

 

Yes, he does that sort of thing a lot, and I always dislike it. That, and the complex royalty deals that no one is ever stupid enough to take are reasons I find Kevin very annoying.

[candall]

I don't think she was telling him he shouldn't be making a good product.  She seemed to think (correctly, IMO) that he'd forever be tinkering with it to make it "perfect."  And because of that' he'd never have a finished product to sell.

Yep, I got that.  But he's fiddled around to the point that he had a cogent response to every issue they could think to raise, so that's a good thing.   I'm sure part of the Shark's job in getting the show on the road frequently involves moving the inventor out of his own way, when necessary, just like any of the zillion other marketing hurdles.

 

Why is "put down the pencil now" any different from "you need a more appealing logo"?

[KaveDweller]

I found the ice cream cone kids annoying, and the sharks a bit patronizing. Barbara's offer was clearly a charitable act, not a serious business proposition.

 

My only issue with the kids was that they didn't have a business or a plan for one. They had invented something and wanted to connect with a Shark to help them make money. I don't mind the precocious kids coming on this show when they talk about how they've gone door-to-door and sold products or whatever. But these kids hadn't done any work and acted

 

If they said they'd been selling them to an ice cream shop in their town and wanted a Shark to help get to the next level, I wouldn't have minded.

[marny]

During the kids' presentation, all I could think of was the Ali G ice cream glove that you wear when you eat ice cream so it doesn't get on your hand.

When the only product to get a deal is a couple of kids with a free patent and nothing else, you know the show is running out of good businesses to feature.

[ClareWalks]

I am an avid racewalker and my husband runs, so we researched running strollers and got a great one (originally $400 but we got it on sale). The $750 price tag wouldn't be bad at all IF the thing could double as a bike trailer. I wish they would have addressed that, because it looked like it could be very easily modified to be a bike trailer also. My main concern about that jogger is that I would NOT want to go down steep hills in it. It would likely push you forward and make it difficult to stop. Many jogging strollers, particularly at that price point, have hand brakes for just that sort of occurrence, but there'd be no way to add such a thing to this jogger dealy. Also, that kid was really bouncing around in there, much more so than a normal stroller. I feel like if they want this thing to catch on, they'd have to make the wheels bigger to reduce the bouncing, and they'd have to find a way for the kid to be less reclined. And they'd have to make it double as a bike trailer.

 

ETA: I'd also be concerned about how close the stroller is to the runner. It looked like if you had a more open stride (which I highly recommend), you'd hit your heels on the damn thing. 

Edited April 23, 2016 by ClareWalks

[Auntie Anxiety]

Would have taken a magic trick to make anyone invest in that magic show.  Only thing missing was a mime act.  They wanted to be the next Seigfried and Roy? Yeah, that turned out well......

[stillhere1900]

Anyone know how the magic trick worked ?

[Jamoche]

The girl was obviously in the rolling steps when it got rolled away (there's no other reason for there to be any steps at all, much less for them to be that big), and then the camera cut away to the Sharks when she would've been getting into the piano, while live audiences would've been distracted by the fire.

[needschocolate]

I think the magicians got exactly what they wanted - to be able to put "As seen on Shark Tank" on their marquee.  The sharks aren't agents, they don't promote acts.  Plus, it always bugs me when the entrepreneur doesn't answer the question - how many times were they asked how they were going to attract people to come to see their act, when there are so many more well known acts in Vegas?  I am assuming they didn't answer because the answer was "by giving a preview of the act on a major tv station."

 

I can see the drink box holder having a market in a day care setting, which seems to be her main customer for her label bands, if they use it as a way to distinguish the kids' juice boxes.  But it only has a chance if it doesn't need to be washed after every use.  As far keeping kids from squeezing and making a mess, most parents don't give little ones juice - it tends to be more of a school age kid lunch box item, and you are not going to be packing that holder in the kid's lunch box.  By the time your kid is old enough that you are willing to let them have that much sugar (even if it is 100% juice, it is still isn't very nutritional), the kid is is old enough to know he better not be squeezing it and making a mess.  

 

I was surprised that Barbara didn't complain about the name - My Drinky.  Although I couldn't pinpoint why the name annoyed me until the woman was walking out of the shark tank and she said something like "Kevin doesn't get my drinky" and I thought "that sounds like something someone says when they are drunk."  

 

If I was in an ice cream shop and was buying a cone for a small child, I would pay an extra 25 cents to get a Drip Drop to lessen the chance of it becoming a mess.  I would also pay an extra 25 cents to get a paper sleeve that did the same thing, and the paper sleeve would cost the store much less.  Kids small enough to drip all over are too small to be eating the Drip Drip - their appetites aren't that big.  

 

I think there is a market for the jogger trailer, but not at that price. Amazon has bike trailers for kids to ride in that are only $100.  And for a bit more your can get one with a handle so it doubles as a stroller. I originally thought that, instead of making a whole new product, they should make a product that will turn a bike trailer into a jogger  trailer.  However, the bike trailer has three wheels - a small one in the front - so that they are more stable, but that makes it uncomfortable to jog with.   Their jogger trailer should have a 3rd wheel in the back to keep it from rocking, - and I would tell the inventor that except it would probably take him another 2 years to perfect it.  

Edited April 24, 2016 by needschocolate

[LittleIggy]

How do you get a patent for what looks like a slice from a bagel with sprinkles on it?

What's so special about a magic show with a pianist? I'd rather see Penn and Teller.

[NikSac]

How do you get a patent for what looks like a slice from a bagel with sprinkles on it?

 

I know!  If the thing at least looked and tasted good I could maybe see it, but it didn't look that great and apparently didn't taste very good either. I admire the kids for pursuing it, but I just didn't see how it would ever go anywhere. A paper sleeve or just an extra napkin seem like the better solution and they already exist.

[Saylii]

I spent about $300 on a jogging stroller that was originally $400. If the Shark Tank jogging stroller worked well, I can see people buying in at the $750 price point. I certainly could have bought more expensive options. I have concerns on what would happen if the runner fell. It didn't look like there was an emergency release on that belt.

The Drip Drop seems outdated. None of the ice cream places I go to offer traditional cones anymore. It's all self serve ice cream in 16 oz bowls. They do have waffle inserts that fit in the bowl instead. The Drip Drop would have been better if it was silicone or plastic instead and was reusable. They are also going to run into branding issues. From a quick Google, there's already a water bottle company called Drip Drop and a rapper called Drip Drop.

[theatremouse]

The magic act was extra stupid on this show because the camera angle made the woman visible in the water tank before she was supposed to be there. Live I assume the angles and misdirection would be better, but here it was in the shot.

[designing1]

 

The Drip Drop seems outdated. None of the ice cream places I go to offer traditional cones anymore. It's all self serve ice cream in 16 oz bowls.

 

Maybe it's a regional thing. Here in NYC there may well be self serve places with bowls (I try to avoid ice cream places for fear of overindulging -- and 16 oz bowls is just plain craziness!) but there are plenty of Baskin Robbins, Haagen Dazs, Carvel, etc. chain shops plus many, many independent shops that serve you your portion in a cone or cup.

 

I think the cost per piece would be higher than they're estimating, though, as I don't think these would sell unless the topsides were completely covered in chocolate and other goodies, raising the price. Before someone paid an extra quarter or so for another piece of plain or sparsely embellished cone, they'd probably just grab extra napkins and warn their kid to be careful.

Edited April 24, 2016 by designing1

[Charlesman]

Anyone know how the magic trick worked ?

Girl hides in the steps while the torch is lit. A twin is in the piano the whole time with a bottle of SpareAir (or just a tube from whatever pump is supplying the bubbles) and gets tipped off to which handkerchief to tie on. Maybe with a blue sheet over her or just the bubbles hiding her until her cue.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Charlesman

[KaveDweller]

Girl hides in the steps while the torch is lit. A twin is in the piano the whole time with a bottle of SpareAir (or just a tube from whatever pump is supplying the bubbles) and gets tipped off to which handkerchief to tie on. Maybe with a blue sheet over her or just the bubbles hiding her until her cue.

I didn't even think of a twin.....that makes it so much less impressive.

[Eolivet]

From a quick Google, there's already a water bottle company called Drip Drop and a rapper called Drip Drop.

 

I'm only halfway through the show, so forgive me if someone has made this joke already, but I can't stop thinking they could market that product with Hakeem from "Empire"'s song from last season.

 

It makes your cone go/ Drip. Drop. Drip, drippetty drop...

[columbot]

I thought Kevin saying "Drinky-poo" was funny. Yeah, it was him being a jerk, but it's all entertainment.

 

I would never feel comfortable running while dragging my child along behind me. It just wouldn't feel right; I'd want them by my side or in front of me, so I can see them at all times. I don't care if there's a zero percent chance they could fall out of the thing, it would never feel right.

 

I didn't hear any piano playing from the supposed piano magician. Looks like he just had some synths set up on top of the keyboard that he tinkered with. Why bother mentioning Julliard and all that if your act doesn't actually incorporate music?

[Jersey Guy 87]

The bad Vegas act was ridiculous - why on earth would the Sharks invest in an act doomed to (at best) play at one of the older, in need of renovations casinos in Vegas?  If they're lucky they might get to play every other Tuesday at Circus Circus.

 

The My Drinky thing has been done, Amazon lists a ton of competing products (none of which stop the kid from turning the juice box over and spilling all over the place, btw).  The woman's problem is her other product has stalled out and she doesn't have any actual new ideas.

 

I'm not going to get to upset at the kids with the ice cream drip thing for not finding a way to market it on their own - they're barely teenagers, good for them for figuring something out and getting a patent and then getting themselves on Shark Tank.  Barbara's offer was clearly a pity offering and she'll probably back out but the kids felt good.

 

The stroller thing looks like it makes the kid sick.  Pass.

 

Really, overall, a crappy bunch of pitches.

[stillhere1900]

What was Barbara's offer to the teens ?

[Auntie Anxiety]

Yeah, I was glad Barbara gave those kids an offer, for no other reason than it would make them look good to their fellow students and it would make them look great on their college applications.

[Charlesman]

Sippy cups don't spill much when inverted, right? Why not just empty a juice box into a sippy cup? Oh, because you carry juice boxes for convenience and the kid is old enough to hate using sippy cups. So now the product solves neither of those. You still have to carry the cup everywhere and the box and the kid who hates looking like a baby with a sippy cup is stuck looking like one anyway.

[basiltherat]

Why not make an older-child friendly "sippy cup" where you can pour in a serving of juice (or milk or vodka) from a larger bottle and thus making the juice portable and CHEAPER by the serving?! Oops, not trendy for millennials, I guess.

[ClareWalks]

Why not make an older-child friendly "sippy cup" where you can pour in a serving of juice (or milk or vodka) from a larger bottle and thus making the juice portable and CHEAPER by the serving?! Oops, not trendy for millennials, I guess.

 

Like a bottle? They make a billion bottles to drink out of. Lots of them have pop-up straws on the lids.

 

I get what this lady was going for with her juice-box cover. My son took his Enfagrow boxes and squeezed them, creating a geyser all over. But I just transferred the contents to a straw sippy cup. Problem solved, and I didn't need to buy yet another baby product.

[AuntieDiane6]

 

I think the cost per piece would be higher than they're estimating, though, as I don't think these would sell unless the topsides were completely covered in chocolate and other goodies, raising the price. Before someone paid an extra quarter or so for another piece of plain or sparsely embellished cone, they'd probably just grab extra napkins and warn their kid to be careful.

 

Or they could buy a Cone Buddy -- a plastic holder for traditional pointed cones with a one-inch rim around it.  A couple of women in Rochester NY invented it a couple of years ago. 

[Amarsir]

How do you get a patent for what looks like a slice from a bagel with sprinkles on it?

Design patents aren't worth much. Change a small detail about the look and you have a new product.

 

Let's say I go make a version and do exactly what Barbara said - giving it a wavy edge. It's their responsibility to sue me and make me stop. When they do, I'll say "My version is a different design. And if it's not considered a different design then their patent is too broad to enforce."  Because the patent office's job is basically just filing paperwork. Any tough decisions are made in a court, as they should be.

[Ottis]

Quote

Kevin was extremely annoying, repeatedly calling that woman's company "Dinky-poo" or whatever.

I actually thought his name was better than "MyDrinky."It would open up the appeal to a wider age group than kids. I like that he doesn't pull punches. he has valid rationales for his comments.

[Jolie]

Last post was in April, and it's now August. I know I'm kind of late. :) My DVR is piled up with Shark Tanks and I'm just now getting around to watching them so I  usually don't comment, but I just couldn't let this one pass. When I saw the stroller demonstrated, it reminded me of a horse-drawn carriage. Somehow, the whole design seemed all kinds of wrong. Frankly, I'm of the school that if you want to run or jog, leave your child with the other parent, and take him/her out for  a walk some other time so you can interact with the child while outside. Sitting in one of those strollers must getting boring as hell kind of like a long car ride.

[ClareWalks]

4 hours ago, Jolie said:

Frankly, I'm of the school that if you want to run or jog, leave your child with the other parent, and take him/her out for  a walk some other time so you can interact with the child while outside. Sitting in one of those strollers must getting boring as hell kind of like a long car ride.

Meh. I racewalk with my son (not leisurely so I don't interact with him a ton). My husband works, and I'm not hiring a babysitter just so I can exercise. There are jogging strollers for this specific purpose and they are actually pretty comfy for kids to sit in, and they like to look around and feel the wind on their faces. Plus it's a good example for the kid to see their parent exercising and in fact be kind of helpful by providing resistance. Kids don't need constant interaction, and parents need to do some things for themselves that don't totally revolve around the kid's pleasure and enjoyment. That said, this particular style of jogger is impractical and would be like a Uhaul trailer, making it more difficult to brake oneself.