S08.E14: Getaway House, Chirps, Vibes, PopUp Play

[rubinia]

I guess I got the impression that they were commenting on why the crickets were "hidden" in the ingredients.

[theatremouse]

13 hours ago, ae2 said:

The nitpick is not that there are other ingredients, but that they are promoting cricket flour as this amazing source of protein, and the whole reason to use it is for its protein, yet much of the protein is coming from other ingredients.

And that cricket flour is less protein dense than the whey that they want to replace in the athletic market. 

We weren't given any reason in this pitch as to why crickets are better than the alternative. (And as I indicated, this could have been because Mark swooped in so quickly. Or it could have been poor editing and not their pitch. But it was incomplete.)

The reason given for why crickets was purportedly that it's more sustainable. I haven't fact-checked that or anything but that was the argument. I did not think they were implying most/more of the protein was coming from other ingredients. Some, sure, but that is not what I interpreted the crux of the discussion to be. (although who knows with editing)

[hatchetgirl]

My 9 yr old still plays with cardboard boxes, but now he adds led lighting, switches, etc. It's awesomely hilarious and a pain in the ass!

[LeGrandElephant]

Vibes: my boyfriend is into music and was immediately complaining that these kinds of things have been around for years, and nothing about his product seemed unique or new or cheaper or anything. 

Cardboard play houses: I couldn't get over charging $100 for a cardboard box that someone else drew on and that won't arrive till the kid has forgotten about it, instead of getting a free cardboard box and letting your kid draw on it themselves immediately. They also never explained their corporate deals - I'm guessing its a product placement thing, like selling toy cardboard cars to kids with branding on them so the kids grow up wanting that brand of car? But that's just a guess, because they didn't explain it at all. 

Getaway House: We liked the idea for a few minutes until we started thinking about how creepy it would be to be all alone out in the woods at night in a house that doesn't look at all insulated or secure. And their valuation was ridiculous.

Chirps: These we might actually try. Some people in the thread said why aren't they starting on things like protein powder, but I think the chips idea is smart. For one, there are already other people doing cricket protein powder and cricket protein bars. For another, they are smart with the idea of a gateway cricket product. There are people like me who like the idea in theory of eating more protein from a sustainable source, but aren't actually going to find it appealing to eat snacks that look like they came from crickets. However, I might actually eat those chips if they taste like chips and don't have some funky taste. I think I will try a small pack and see. 

[Kiss my mutt]

I was intrigued, so I ordered the Chirps from their website. It took about about 6 weeks to receive due to production being backlogged. They are pretty funky. It's not that you taste crickets, it's just truly a bad chip and I'll eat chips from the Dollar Tree. Very disappointing.  My kids ate them because of the novelty of the ingredient and frankly, just to show other kids at school how frickin edgy they are. Lol