S08.E04: Angels and Tomboys, Atlantic Candy Company, The biēm Butter Sprayer, Solemates

[yeswedo]

Quote

 

Two sister kidpreneurs might just dance their way into the Sharks' hearts with their body sprays and lotions designed just for tween and teen girls; a 3rd-generation chocolatier hopes the Sharks will bite into a family business that manufactures candy with a toy inside; the Sharks encourage a veteran food entrepreneur to make counter offers for his device that instantly turns a stick of butter into a spray; two experienced entrepreneurs have the Sharks swooning over their ingenious invention that makes high heels more functional and comfortable. Also, an update on Natural Grip, the non-slip protective glove for workouts that Robert Herjavec invested in during season 6.

[starri]

13 minutes ago, yeswedo said:

Two sister kidpreneurs might just dance their way into the Sharks' hearts

Urge to kill rising...

[BusyOctober]

I couldn't understand 3/5 of the words streaming out of the 2 girls or their mother's mouths!  Theyspokesodamnfastandnevertookabreath.   I was exhausted by the end of the pitch.  And their product isn't as unique as they thought.  I have seen bath and body products for tweens in many places...starting with Bath and Body.  Target, Marshall's, Walmart, Macy's...I have bought these kinds of products for my own tween daughter and I did not (would not) spend $12 per bottle. Good for them for getting a deal I guess.

I kind of liked the shoe things, but I tend to wear flats even to weddings or other dressy occasions. Cool idea and I agree it could be a big hit.

The butter mister thingy was interesting, but nothing I need.  I don't find it laborious to use stick of butter to grease a pan and if I need butter for my popcorn, 30 seconds in the microwave has worked for me for over 30 years.  I can definitely see that selling in William Sonoma catalogs...overpriced gadget for foodies with a few spare $100's laying around.

The candy ball with a toy inside Is something I have seen around too. In fact I almost bought a few for my nieces and nephews for Easter this past spring. So when the young man said they were illegal in the US until recently, I was surprised. I live in the US, so maybe the mom 'n pop candy shop I saw them in is dealing in black market contraband? 

[mjc570]

I agree about it was difficult to understand the girls/mom, and I wasn't at all impressed with their products - those kinds of things have been around forever, and can easily be found at a much better price.  They were cute, but I think that wasn't a real deal because it wasn't a real business; I'd be very surprised if there was an kind of update showing that their revenue increased significantly.  On the other hand, who knows?

I felt bad for the choclatier kid, but he was not the best person to make the pitch.  He wasn't cute or young enough (like the 2 girls/mom) to get a sympathy/encouragement deal, but wasn't really old or experienced enough to address the obvious questions that were raised (expiring patents, lack of retail distribution operations). 

The Solemates - this is a useful product for a very narrow niche - aside from weddings (or maybe corporate shindigs), how many times are high heels worn on grass?  I don't know if it was from them or another company, but several years ago I purchased similar items for my daughter's wedding (held in an arboretum).  I did like how professionally the women presented themselves.

I don't really use butter that much, except for baking, but if I did, I think that the biem device could be useful.  It certainly is more fun to spray your toast than smear butter on it, I guess, if you still do use hydrogenated products.

Edited October 15, 2016 by mjc570
grammar

[Jamoche]

1 hour ago, BusyOctober said:

The candy ball with a toy inside Is something I have seen around too. In fact I almost bought a few for my nieces and nephews for Easter this past spring. So when the young man said they were illegal in the US until recently, I was surprised. I live in the US, so maybe the mom 'n pop candy shop I saw them in is dealing in black market contraband? 

I didn't know the law had changed. I know a lot of European expats who are shocked when they try to get Kinder Eggs into the country - the fines for trying are ridiculous. It's also why you can't sell a King Cake with a baby doll in it.

Aha - they're legal if they're modified: http://gawker.com/5990806/us-ban-on-kinder-surprise-eggs-finally-lifted-kinda

[Cotypubby]

There was a product exactly the same as Solemates on an older episode of Dragon's Den. IIRC they did not get a deal. Does anyone else watch that show and remember that?

[candall]

3 minutes ago, AKraven said:

My German friend sent these chocolate delights to my son years ago and we never gave a shit about the legality of the situation.  It's an innocent fucking chocolate egg with a toy surprise inside, for fuck's sake!!  Get over yourselves, you goddamn pussies.  Yeah, I said it.

I'm eye-rolling so hard at Kinder Eggs and King Cakes being outlawed, which I assume is to protect Americans from choking to death.

When I travel overseas, sometimes I tell people about the insane extent of the laws in place to protect Americans from their own stupidity and how it's all tied in with the rampant litigation that puts everyone's in danger of being sued, all the time.  How that thought is always kind of tucked away in the back of your mind.   I don't bring it up often, though, because it makes me sound like a paranoid nutcase.

[One time I walked up to a geyser in Iceland that blew boiling-temperature water every few minutes.  There was a knee-height chain a few feet back from the edge and a sign on a stick that reminded people not to lean over and peer down into the hole because, danger, face full of boiling water.  HAAA!  In the US, people would be barricaded a mile back, using the US Park Service binocular machines to look at the geyser.]

 

Anyway, show-wise:

I thought Daymond's huffy little tantrum to the butter sprayer inventor was not to his credit.  You're offering him $500k for 17.5% and two minutes later, he has an offer of $500k for 10%.  No big surprise the guy didn't go rushing to engage you in a big negotiation.  Maybe it had something to do with all the other sharks guffawing when you made your offer.  Keeping quiet was working for the guy, until it wasn't.  In fact, when the sharks finally did goad him into responding, he lost ground with every sentence.  "Oh, you were hoping for Cuban?  Well, I'm offended.  I'm out."

I thought the Biem was a nifty idea.  Butter's so much healthier and tastier than margarine and the chemical-y substitutes and people would be pleasantly surprised by the amount of flavor delivered by just a misting.  Me, I nuke the stick and pour it on--I'm a total butterhead.  I wonder how the machine is calculated to "only melt as much butter as you want to use"?

Lori was smart to hone in on what feature could be eliminated/altered to reduce the price.  I always root for Robert, but I thought that question justified giving her the deal.

[theatremouse]

2 hours ago, candall said:

I thought Daymond's huffy little tantrum to the butter sprayer inventor was not to his credit.  You're offering him $500k for 17.5% and two minutes later, he has an offer of $500k for 10%.  

I wonder how the machine is calculated to "only melt as much butter as you want to use"?

For all we know an hour could've passed in between. It's also possible it was 2 minutes, but these things are super edited down so unless people are talking over each other or in the same shot, it's hard to tell how fast anything is happening.

I'm assuming it melts as it dispenses, so basically only while you're pushing the button, or something.

[Primetimer]

A businessman nearly learns the hard way that four Sharks in the hand are worth one in the bush, as enthusiastic offers rapidly turn into bitter recriminations on the very best kind of Shark Tank.

View the full article

[kili]

Quote

[One time I walked up to a geyser in Iceland that blew boiling-temperature water every few minutes.  There was a knee-height chain a few feet back from the edge and a sign on a stick that reminded people not to lean over and peer down into the hole because, danger, face full of boiling water.  HAAA!  In the US, people would be barricaded a mile back, using the US Park Service binocular machines to look at the geyser.]

That's certainly not true at Yellowstone. The National Park Service does provide boardwalks it encourages people to walk on (the crust is thin in the geyser basins particularly if a new feature is forming under the surface, so walking on the ground can damage it and lead to very bad burns), but they don't even have knee high chains around most of the features. You can get within a feet of most of them (they keep people at a bit of a distance from Old Faithful so that more people can view it at once). 

Daymond was a total baby about that butter mister. I hate it when the Sharks act like their feelings are hurt because somebody doesn't jump to do business with them before finding out about all the offers. Waiting for all the offers to be in is good business...you don't leave money on the table.

Mark Cuban takes himself way too seriously. Even Mr. Wonderful was willing to tromp around in the yellow shoes to test the product out.

[Latverian Diplomat]

Butter is a complex substance that has proteins in it that don't really melt, they float to the top or sink to the bottom. If you are just going to pour it over popcorn, no big deal, but for spraying a thin, even coat on a pan, or other cooking tasks, it's better to use clarified butter, and people have been using clarified butter for centuries, and putting it in spray bottles since the invention of spray bottles.  

For that reason, I was wondering if keeping this Biem thing working and cleaning it will be a chore. I also wonder if cheaper materials would exacerbate these issues, making the "non-luxury" model a true PITA.

He also seemed weirdly fixated on Mark Cuban for some reason. I wouldn't have gone in thinking it was Mark's kind of product at all.

With the chocolate thing, I think the dad who owns the company knows they don't have a chance in hell of getting in to retail before the patent runs out, but his son was really jazzed about the idea, so he gave him the chance to get some life experience pitching on Shark Tank.  Another issue that didn't come up, is a contract manufacturer like that takes a big risk becoming a competitor to vendors who might be contract customers. Why risk your core business on a big gamble?

[EAG46]

At this point I have to wonder what some Shark Baits are willing to do to avoid working with Kevin.

[Eolivet]

5 hours ago, candall said:

In fact, when the sharks finally did goad him into responding, he lost ground with every sentence.  "Oh, you were hoping for Cuban?  Well, I'm offended.  I'm out."

I understand Daymond's frustration, though -- you have four sharks giving an offer, and it's not good enough? The guy doesn't watch enough Shark Tank to know that when Mark holds back, he's not making an offer or if he's really interested, he'll jump in with an offer immediately after another shark. I didn't think Daymond had a point until the guy was like "Um...Mark?" like the guy is the freshman nerd asking the head cheerleader to prom. I think some sharks must feel like they fight for Mark's sloppy seconds, or the show is "Shark Tank, Starring Mark Cuban." I don't blame them for being irritated. The other sharks seemed to keep their annoyance in check, but I understand how that would grate after a while.

And why the guy thought he could land a deal with Mark -- technology mogul health food guy -- with his melted butter spray can thing showed he was mainly after Mark's wallet, with no thought as to if this was a product Mark would ever invest in.

[annewithaneee]

The girls and their mom teetered on the edge of "too much" for me, but I'm glad they got a deal. Their valuation was completely reasonable, they weren't asking for a lot of money, and Mark and Daymond as a team are a good fit for them.

To me, they should be marketing towards mommas who themselves have bathrooms full of Lush products. The "we use organic, natural ingredients only" sidebar when someone pointed out $12 seemed expensive (which it's not), needs to be beefed up to certified organic, vegan, fair trade, etc. Still could find a home at Target, or a drug store, and/or Whole Foods. They'd still have competition, but it would get them away from dirt cheap drug store options, and VS/Bath & Body Works and into the natural beauty category. There's a lot of moms out there who pay a ton of attention to the ingredients label and would probably love to stop sharing their own expensive lotions and shower gels and whatnot with their daughters and instead get them something cheaper that appeals to kids more but still has high quality ingredients. Those are also the customers more likely to buy a product based off of the company's story, too.

[RHJunkie]

7 hours ago, theatremouse said:

For all we know an hour could've passed in between. It's also possible it was 2 minutes, but these things are super edited down so unless people are talking over each other or in the same shot, it's hard to tell how fast anything is happening.

I'm assuming it melts as it dispenses, so basically only while you're pushing the button, or something.

I've noticed that Kevin is the only shark (that I can recall) that hasn't pulled a 'if you don't accept my offer right now, I'm out' play with an entrepreneur. All of the others have done it and Damon was trying to pull that card as well but I do think that the guy's lack of response was sending up red flags for him and he was trying to get something out of him. I thought the gadget was nifty (not something I would buy because I don't have extra 100s lying around to pay for an item to help me do something that I never thought was inconvenient to begin with. The guy was stoic, barely responding to any of the offers and clearly it was because he wanted Mark but he wasn't engaging - he was expecting the sharks to simply fight it out amongst themselves. The fact that he didn't grab Robert's deal the moment he offered it (nor did he even react to the 10% which was the best offer) was enough to say that he was looking for a particular partner and was waiting for them to talk themselves down in the deal before he accepted. And Laurie did do that...but she asked smart questions as well so I'm sure she'll be great a partner for him. 

The lotion pitch annoyed me. Goodness...slow down. 

The heels idea - they spent a lot of time talking about the grass effect but in theory, I would think that the attachments would also provide additional support to a skinny heel. By creating a wider, more stable foundation, I'm assuming it would be easier to walk in and prolong the condition of the shoe itself. I love skinny heels but don't I avoid wearing it to any place where I expect to be standing or walking for too long. I'm always paranoid that the heel will snap on me, lol. 

[ratgirlagogo]

6 hours ago, Latverian Diplomat said:

Butter is a complex substance that has proteins in it that don't really melt, they float to the top or sink to the bottom. If you are just going to pour it over popcorn, no big deal, but for spraying a thin, even coat on a pan, or other cooking tasks, it's better to use clarified butter, and people have been using clarified butter for centuries, and putting it in spray bottles since the invention of spray bottles

This confused me too on one level - but I don't doubt there would be a market for this because 1) not everyone knows about clarified butter, esp. if they don't cook very much and 2) plenty of people just love gadgets.

7 hours ago, kili said:

Quote

[One time I walked up to a geyser in Iceland that blew boiling-temperature water every few minutes.  There was a knee-height chain a few feet back from the edge and a sign on a stick that reminded people not to lean over and peer down into the hole because, danger, face full of boiling water.  HAAA!  In the US, people would be barricaded a mile back, using the US Park Service binocular machines to look at the geyser.]

That's certainly not true at Yellowstone. The National Park Service does provide boardwalks it encourages people to walk on (the crust is thin in the geyser basins particularly if a new feature is forming under the surface, so walking on the ground can damage it and lead to very bad burns), but they don't even have knee high chains around most of the features. You can get within a feet of most of them (they keep people at a bit of a distance from Old Faithful so that more people can view it at once). 

And  this is true even though  people have been injured and even died at Yellowstone from falling into the hot springs, mudpots, etc.  

http://www.yellowstonepark.com/cautionary-tale/

[nonnybaby]

The high heel "protector" - just, no. Definitely not a "new category." "We know we can do $20, $30, $40, $50 million in sales." What are they smoking? The product is unsightly and completely changes the look of a shoe. Further, they didn't look like they provided a big enough surface to alleviate the "problem" they claimed to be addressing. Also sad that Kevin called them "girls."

[Amarsir]

17 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

There was a product exactly the same as Solemates on an older episode of Dragon's Den. IIRC they did not get a deal. Does anyone else watch that show and remember that?

Clean Heels. They did get a deal. 50k (pounds) for 25% between 2 Dragons.

12 hours ago, candall said:

I thought Daymond's huffy little tantrum to the butter sprayer inventor was not to his credit.  You're offering him $500k for 17.5% and two minutes later, he has an offer of $500k for 10%.  No big surprise the guy didn't go rushing to engage you in a big negotiation.  Maybe it had something to do with all the other sharks guffawing when you made your offer.  Keeping quiet was working for the guy, until it wasn't.  In fact, when the sharks finally did goad him into responding, he lost ground with every sentence.  "Oh, you were hoping for Cuban?  Well, I'm offended.  I'm out."

I agree, but as time went on I started to see Daymond's point. He did seem indecisive and the sharks don't want a partner who's just going to wait for things to figure themselves out. Especially if part of their pitch is about prior business experience. 

6 hours ago, Eolivet said:

I understand Daymond's frustration, though -- you have four sharks giving an offer, and it's not good enough? The guy doesn't watch enough Shark Tank to know that when Mark holds back, he's not making an offer or if he's really interested, he'll jump in with an offer immediately after another shark. I didn't think Daymond had a point until the guy was like "Um...Mark?" like the guy is the freshman nerd asking the head cheerleader to prom. I think some sharks must feel like they fight for Mark's sloppy seconds, or the show is "Shark Tank, Starring Mark Cuban." I don't blame them for being irritated. The other sharks seemed to keep their annoyance in check, but I understand how that would grate after a while.

And why the guy thought he could land a deal with Mark -- technology mogul health food guy -- with his melted butter spray can thing showed he was mainly after Mark's wallet, with no thought as to if this was a product Mark would ever invest in.

Yeah, this. Never fall into a trap of ranking the sharks because you know it will offend some. If you're going to do that, at least be smart about it.

But on top of that, just come back with something to let them know what you're thinking. If you want a lower price, state the lower price. If you want a partner with particular expertise, let them pitch themselves on that expertise. It is a delicate line to avoid saying "I'd take 10% from Robert or 12% from Lori because her TV presence is more valuable". Because odds are Robert will quit and Lori will want 25%. But if you say "I'm looking for a partner for 10% who can get this product on TV" then you've given them something to compete against rather than sitting around being ignored.

7 hours ago, Latverian Diplomat said:

Butter is a complex substance that has proteins in it that don't really melt, they float to the top or sink to the bottom. If you are just going to pour it over popcorn, no big deal, but for spraying a thin, even coat on a pan, or other cooking tasks, it's better to use clarified butter, and people have been using clarified butter for centuries, and putting it in spray bottles since the invention of spray bottles.  

For that reason, I was wondering if keeping this Biem thing working and cleaning it will be a chore. I also wonder if cheaper materials would exacerbate these issues, making the "non-luxury" model a true PITA.

I think you could overcome that if there's enough force to the air. If it's not really melting the stick but melting off a top layer and propelling, it, that could potentially work. I know someone for whom I would totally buy this product as a gift if they could get it below $100. But I also want to wait for reviews about long-term effectiveness and durability.

[Cyranetta]

I was a little bewildered to hear the chocolate ball relegated to only holidays, because I would have thought there would be a lot of more general occasions throughout the year - birthdays, wedding or baby showers, various convention gift bags...if there could be several offers of the "treat" inside tailored to the kind of occasion. 

[Latverian Diplomat]

1 hour ago, ratgirlagogo said:

This confused me too on one level - but I don't doubt there would be a market for this because 1) not everyone knows about clarified butter, esp. if they don't cook very much and 2) plenty of people just love gadgets.

 

For that reason, it seemed more Sharper Image than Williams and Sonoma to me.

[starri]

I'm still not entirely sure why I would want the Butter Sprayer.  Maybe it's just the elimination of simple carbs from my diet, but I can't think of a circumstance where I wouldn't just rather melt some butter in order to get the flavor.  And if you're wondering how much they raised on Kickstarter, the answer is $250K.  Also, if Lori wanted to find a more annoying rhyme than "hero or zero," she managed.

I think you all know me well enough to guess what my reaction to the Body Spray Moppets was, so we'll just move on.

I can understand the appeal of the Heal Plus accessory, because I have enough anxiety walking over subway grates in my sneakers.  But I couldn't figure out what their model was, nor why they weren't making any money.  I mean, are they selling to consumers or to hotels and wedding venues?  That just seems like kind of a gulf to me.

I don't want to cause Chocolate Guy any more embarrassment, and so I'm not going to say anything.

[LittleIggy]

14 hours ago, kili said:

That's certainly not true at Yellowstone. The National Park Service does provide boardwalks it encourages people to walk on (the crust is thin in the geyser basins particularly if a new feature is forming under the surface, so walking on the ground can damage it and lead to very bad burns), but they don't even have knee high chains around most of the features. You can get within a feet of most of them (they keep people at a bit of a distance from Old Faithful so that more people can view it at once). 

And idiots have been boiled alive because they have walked off the pathways.

[hkit]

Really unhappy with the editing on this episode. I feel like so much was left on the editing room floor that could have given more context to Daymond's beef with the butter guy. He didn't strike me as being indecisive - he was waiting for something he wasn't articulating. In hindsight, maybe not the best strategy. But wish we knew more. I'm growing weary of the Sharks' not allowing the entrepreneur to entertain other offers, and when they do, it's turned into a character flaw and used as justification as why the Shark no longer wants to work with them. However, Daymond seems to be a little less in this mold than others, so I wish we saw what happened to push this. 

Also, I usually fast forward through the opening sequence, but watched the show live this week. Shark Tank is the show that revolutionized business? *eye roll*

[bilgistic]

I'm guess I'm glad that as a country, fiscally and for the collective well-being, finding a delivery vehicle for butter is a "problem". Don't forget about cancer, scientists!

However, the fact that our society impresses upon five-year-olds that they need to smell better is deeply, deeply upsetting.

[KaveDweller]

On 10/14/2016 at 10:27 PM, BusyOctober said:

I couldn't understand 3/5 of the words streaming out of the 2 girls or their mother's mouths!  Theyspokesodamnfastandnevertookabreath.   I was exhausted by the end of the pitch.  And their product isn't as unique as they thought.  I have seen bath and body products for tweens in many places...starting with Bath and Body.  Target, Marshall's, Walmart, Macy's...I have bought these kinds of products for my own tween daughter and I did not (would not) spend $12 per bottle. Good for them for getting a deal I guess.

I kind of liked the shoe things, but I tend to wear flats even to weddings or other dressy occasions. Cool idea and I agree it could be a big hit.

Yeah, I have seen tons of body spray/lotions for kids and have been seeing them for years. I'm surprised none of the Sharks were aware of this.

[cooksdelight]

The tweenspray girls were darn lucky they got a deal. I'm wondering if Cuban (he fell for it, right?) woke up and found out that no, this is not unique, and certainly not for $12.

I was intrigued by the butter thing until he told me the price. I bought a thing that gives you thin butter ruffles. You put the stick inside this square tube and it has a screw-on lid that has a plunger attached. You turn the handle and the plunger pushes the butter down and out comes beautiful ribbons. For those times you want thin butter for spreading. If I want spray butter, they have that in a can already.

[needschocolate]

I agree that body spray for little girls is unnecessary.  They got a sympathy deal.  It wouldn't be the first time Mark or Damon gave someone a deal because they wanted to encourage youth or somehow identified with the presenter.

I was confused by the chocolate thing - you take off two plastic half-sphere, then eat the two chocolate half-spheres, revealing a plastic sphere, that you then open to get your toy?  And I want to know why they no longer have the contract (with an Australian? Austrian? company) that was preventing them from doing what they want to do now. - was the product not successful?  Why wouldn't that company want to try selling in the US?

The heel women made the mistake at grossly over-valuing their company to the point that I thought they might just be there for free advertising, but they seemed genuinely concerned when it looked like they may not get a deal.  

I would never buy one, but I thought the butter thing was intriguing - how does it work?

On 10/15/2016 at 7:39 AM, Latverian Diplomat said:

For that reason, I was wondering if keeping this Biem thing working and cleaning it will be a chore. I also wonder if cheaper materials would exacerbate these issues, making the "non-luxury" model a true PITA.

 

On 10/15/2016 at 4:58 AM, theatremouse said:

I'm assuming it melts as it dispenses, so basically only while you're pushing the button, or something.

I wondered how easy it was to clean too. And do you store it in the fridge?  I thought he said that it was motion activated - that as soon as you picked it up it started melting the butter.  I put it in my fridge, then I move it to get to the left-overs, and now it has started melting?

I thought it fell into the realm of not necessary and much too expensive, but some people will want the latest gadget and will buy it.  Funny that the sharks talked about how small the market for the $30 heel protectors was, but they didn't seem concerned about the size the market for a $130 butter melter (my butter melter, aka the microwave, was half that price).

[Madding crowd]

I thought the heel protector made the shoes look unattractive and I would never wear it all day. I would then have to fool around taking it on and off-forget it. I can see it being useful at outdoor weddings but I would usually wear a chunky heel for that type of event. I thought the butter thing was something interesting. I probably wouldn't buy it in stainless steel but would in a cheaper container . The tomboy and angel theme was cute and I wouldn't mind tweens using something all natural, but they have a lot of competition. 

Edited October 18, 2016 by Madding crowd

[nutella fitzgerald]

Did anyone else think the heels ladies made a great call having the male Sharks try on the heels? Walking in them takes practice, and so seasoned heels-wearer Lori was able to point out the flaw (chunkier heels! flats!) that Kevin, Daymond, and Robert were temporarily blinded to with their realization that heels are hard to walk in right off the bat.

[A Boston Gal]

Re: Egg-shaped chocolate w/ toys: I am completely confuzzled as to why not one Shark commented on THE TASTE OF THE CHOCOLATE! Usually, a food product doesn't get by the Sharks without at least one shot of someone either gushing over the taste, or making a "errr....not so yummy" face.  But this time? No one cared about the chocolate itself. Isn't this a food product we're talking about here, albeit one that houses a toy? WTH?

[theatremouse]

I assume that means they found the taste unproblematic given its target audience. IE it need not be the best tasting chocolate ever, and as long as it were adequate, it was a non-issue. So either they did react something to the effect of it tasting fine (but that's not interesting television so edited out), or never commented because it's not a product that demands especially awesome taste, so they'd only call it out if it were bad.

Edited October 19, 2016 by theatremouse

[hkit]

On October 18, 2016 at 2:49 PM, A Boston Gal said:

Re: Egg-shaped chocolate w/ toys: I am completely confuzzled as to why not one Shark commented on THE TASTE OF THE CHOCOLATE! Usually, a food product doesn't get by the Sharks without at least one shot of someone either gushing over the taste, or making a "errr....not so yummy" face.  But this time? No one cared about the chocolate itself. Isn't this a food product we're talking about here, albeit one that houses a toy? WTH?

I love kinder eggs, including the shitty, shitty chocolate. It's part of the fun for me. I brought a bunch home from a recent European vacation, and nobody wanted them because the chocolate does taste odd. Fine by me. When I've had a bad day, I eat one of my contraband kinder eggs, and only after I have eaten the chocolate, I open the egg and get my surprise.  Then I play with the toy all night. I'm 40 and immature. 

[Apatee]

I was surprised to find out the "toy in a chocolate ball" concept was outlawed so long ago. If I remember correctly, Nestle used this concept with the "Wonderball" chocolate and it came with toys inside for a period before switching to candy. This was sometime in the 90's and there was no protective shell coating, the toy was sitting in a ball of chocolate you could bite into. They were in a good number of stores, wonder how Nestle snuck past the law prohibiting them.

[Kel Varnsen]

On ‎2016‎-‎10‎-‎15 at 5:38 AM, candall said:

I'm eye-rolling so hard at Kinder Eggs and King Cakes being outlawed, which I assume is to protect Americans from choking to death.

 

Throughout that pitch I was constantly reminded of those facebook memes I see regularly about how in the US Kinder Eggs are banned but buying an AR-15 is totally legal.

[ava111]

On 10/15/2016 at 4:38 AM, AKraven said:

My German friend sent these chocolate delights to my son years ago and we never gave a shit about the legality of the situation.  It's an innocent fucking chocolate egg with a toy surprise inside, for fuck's sake!!  Get over yourselves, you goddamn pussies.  Yeah, I said it.

OMFG 2500 USD per egg fine for "smuggling" it in USA? I didn't realized I'm criminal and repeated offender. I used to bring 20-30 Kinder eggs just for fun when coming back from visiting my old country. Should I try to bring one back when I go home next time? Although now I'm not sure whichever way that is. In or out of USA? Don't know what to call home anymore... USA that I lived in for past almost 20 years or my former country where I spent 26 years LOL

[Snakelite]

Just had to chime in about Kinder eggs. The chocolate is just a substance to get through til you can get the toy, which is enclosed in a plastic egg. The toys are ridiculously amazing. Some are simple, but some are models to be put together with 20+ tiny, precise pieces .  I think you can legally buy the unassembled toys without the chocolate, but I haven't read the reguation, so ?.  I do know there are sources where you can buy fairly large quantities of the chocolateless eggs.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

My German friend sent these chocolate delights to my son years ago and we never gave a shit about the legality of the situation.  It's an innocent fucking chocolate egg with a toy surprise inside, for fuck's sake!!  Get over yourselves, you goddamn pussies.  Yeah, I said it.

Just remind your German friend that you can keep a loaded gun on your coffee table with its safety off even if kids are nearby and there is no silly regulation to prevent it.  HA!

Edited December 31, 2016 by AuntieDiane6

[BradandJanet]

I covet that butter spraying gadget. We have an ongoing "discussion" around my house about storing butter in or out of the fridge. The Biem seems to solve that problem. However, if I spent $130 on a butter sprayer, I'd have to update everything else in my house to make the Biem feel at home.