ABC/Christopher Willard
Mother and son entrepreneur duo Jordan Long and Elizabeth Charm brought their company, Surprise Cake, to the sharks on ABC’s Shark Tank to see if they could get a deal from one of the investors.
They pitched their company to longtime sharks Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran and Kevin O’Leary.
According to the episode synopsis, the team from Newton, Massachusetts “try to show the Sharks there’s something to celebrate about their spring-loaded cake stand.”
Here’s what you should know about Surprise Cake from Shark Tank:
1. The Cake Stand is Like a Jack-in-the-Box Toy
The Surprise Cake functions like a jack-in-the-box toy, but it’s with cake rather than just a toy.
While the original prototype for the product was just a gift inside a plastic bag, it is now a cake stand that includes a capsule that will pop out of the cake, according to the Boston Globe.
The product is manufactured in China, and the mother-and-son duo hold the patent for the design.
2. The Idea Came to Charm in a Dream
According to Surprise Cake’s website, the idea for the Surprise Cake product came to Elizabeth Charm during a dream years ago ahead of her daughter’s 12th birthday.
That year, Charm decided she would hide her daughter’s birthday gift, which was her first cell phone, inside her birthday cake.
“Growing up, birthdays were a huge deal in my family,” the website reads. “My parents always did it for me, incorporating some element of surprise into my big day. I made it a point to continue this favorite tradition for my children.”
3. The Idea Was Complicated by Food Safety Guidelines
The Surprise Cake website says that the reason the surprise cake is not against Food Safety Guidelines is that no non-edible items are placed inside cakes. So, in order to bring Surprise Cake to life, the entrepreneurs had to come up with a way to still get that surprise.
“My son, Jordan, who studied engineering, and I came up with the solution: to safely encase the cake inside the cake stand,” the website reads. “We designed the stand to create an illusion that the gift pops through the cake.”
There is also an optional musical element for more surprise fun.
The cake stand sells for around $36.99, and the stand plus the music box trigger is currently on sale for $49.98.
4. The Gift Pod is Large Enough for a Modern-Day Cellphone
The website details that the pod is large enough for a modern-day cellphone.
“With the pull of a ring or the crank of a music box (the same one used in the Jack-in-the-Box toy!) your secret gift pops through your cake – or cupcakes – at just the right moment,” the website reads.
To use the cake stand, the consumer must buy or bake a cake, and then they must remove the center in order to use the pod.
5. Surprise Cake is Marketed for Birthdays and Gender Reveal Parties
While originally created as a way to make a birthday more exciting, Surprise Cake can also be used for other surprises like a gender reveal, the website states.
“With the Popping Stand, whether the surprise may be a gender reveal, jewelry, tickets, money, toys, a proposal, or a cellphone, there is no end to the creative and personalized POPibilities,” the website reads. “We are beyond excited to make the joy of the Surprise Cake part of your family’s tradition!”
Shark Tank airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fridays on ABC.
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Surprise Cake on ‘Shark Tank’: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know