Busy Baby on ‘Shark Tank’: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Busy Baby Shark Tank

ABC

Entrepreneur Beth Fynbo took her company and product, Busy Baby, to the Sharks on ABC’s Shark Tank to see if she could get a deal from one of the investors on the show.

According to the episode synopsis, Fynbo comes from Rochester, Minnesota and went to the Tank in order to share “her no-fuss solution to keeping babies busy and entertained.”

Fynbo took to the Tank to pitch her product to Sharks Robert Herjavec, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary, Mark Cuban and Daymond John.

Here’s what you should know about Busy Baby from Shark Tank: 


1. Busy Baby is a Mat to Hold Kid’s Toys

The Busy Baby Mat is the first-ever placemat that helps keep toys in place, according to the company website.

The mat was created to avoid the “toddler toss,” as the website calls it.

The mat comes with two light grey straps that keep toys in the reach of the child and off the floor. The mat was designed to withstand tugging, pulling and prodding from children so the toys won’t go anywhere.


2. The Founders are Brother & Sister

The founders of the company are brother and sister Beth and Eric Fynbo. They are also army veterans, according to the company website.

“In our nearly 40 years together on this planet, we’ve done a lot of crazy stuff as brother and sister,” the company website reads. “From adventure races in our home state of Minnesota, to a deployment to Kuwait and Iraq during our time in the Army, we’ve always supported and encouraged one another.”

The two siblings were excited to be working with one another.


3. Fynbo Created the Busy Baby After Having Her First Child

Fynbo spent 10 years in the army and 10 years in the corporate world before having her first child at the age of 40.

According to the website, she always wanted to own a business and decided to start her own so she could witness her child growing up.

“One-year-olds are notorious for throwing their toys on the ground!” she writes on the website. “As I watched the girls play fetch with their moms, I thought to myself, ‘There has got to be something I can buy for my son so we can enjoy a peaceful lunch!'”

She couldn’t find anything online, so she created something for herself.


4. The Busy Baby is Available for Purchase Online

At the time of writing, the Busy Baby silicone placemat can be purchased online in a number of colors.

The product was made with food-grade silicone and contains no Phthalates, BPA, BPS or PVC, according to the company website.

The product is available online for $24.99 and can be purchased in blue, gray, teal, pink, yellow or orange.


5. ‘Shark Tank’ Approached Busy Baby to Be on the Show

According to Med City Beat, just one year after officially launching the Busy Baby placemat, the Shark Tank producers reached out to Fynbo.

“I got an email from him, and he was asking ‘do you have sales? Where are you at?,’ things like that,” Fynbo told the outlet. “It took about a year before I got the offer to audition and send in a tape.”

She eventually filmed the episode in Las Vegas in 2020, and she talked with the Sharks for about 45 minutes while she was there.

“This is definitely one to watch,” Fynbo told MedCity Beat. “There was a lot of interesting banter and things that would make for good TV. I don’t know how they’ll edit it together, but I think it’ll make for an interesting episode.”

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