FunBites entered the Shark Tank on February 6th. The curved cutters are a “mealtime game changer” in that they cut food up into fun shapes to make it enjoyable for kids to eat.
Heavy interviewed Bobbie Rhoads, Founder and CEO.
To read all of Heavy’s Shark Tank coverage, click here.
1. The Idea Came Because of Picky Kid Eaters
Rhoads’s children, then 5-year-old Jackie, now 15, and then-one-year-old Dylan, now 11, were the inspiration behind the creation.
Jackie “liked her food neat and organized” and Dylan “never liked to try new things unless it was junk food.” As a result, Rhoads would cut the food into shapes for her kids, and that’s when the idea was born. The first prototype took her a year to make.
When she was first starting out, with the help of her husband, family and friends, she sold 50,000 from her home.
Interested in FunBites? Buy them here.
2. It’s a 2-Piece Cutter Set
The set includes a curved blade and matching popper top to pop out the bite-sized pieces. The foods that Rhoads recommended to use with it are pancakes, cheese, quesadillas, brownies and fruit.
Watch how it works in the clip below:
3. Bobbie Won a Grant From Huggies
Along with seven other entrepreneurs, Rhoads was selected to receive a grant of $15,000 from Huggies in 2014.
Huggies explains the Mom Inspired Grant Program on their site, saying, “Huggies will award grants for ideas and existing small businesses that are original and designed to help make life easier for parents so that they can better enjoy everyday moments with their little ones.”
4. Moms Approve
A staggering number of mommy bloggers, 1,200 to be exact, have written positive reviews about FunBites and they’ve accumulated over 30,000 social media fans.
One Bored Mommy Blog wrote, “This saves the cutting step and actually makes it fun in the process, plus all the pieces are equal too. Plus, your kids will get excited when they see their food LITERALLY pop out, onto their plate!”
Thrifty Mommy tested it out on a peanut butter sandwich and gushed, “I just ‘luv’ how this transforms a normal sandwich into something fun for my kids to eat! My 3 year old loves puzzles and we put the cutter in front of him and he was able to move the ‘pieces’ of the sandwich together to make the big heart shape!”
5. She Called the Show ‘American Idol for Entrepreneurs’
Rhoads tried to get on Shark Tank for three years, calling it “Disney for adults” and “the American Idol for entrepreneurs.” As far as their episode goes, she said, “I just found out a week ago we are on tonight.”
As for the future, Rhoads said that Nordstrom and ToysRUs.com will soon carry FunBites as well. The products are in 75 boutiques and websites worldwide. Another milestone for the company was when they were picked up by Buy Buy Baby and Target.com.