Joy Mangano
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Joy Mangano (; born February 1, 1956) is an American
inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
and
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...
known for inventions such as the self-wringing Miracle Mop. She was the president of Ingenious Designs, LLC, and appeared regularly on the U.S. television shopping channel
HSN HSN, an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Qurate Retail Group, which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands. Based in the Gateway area of St. Petersburg, Flo ...
until her departure in late 2018. Mangano is the founder and
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of Clean Boss, a company that develops and sells cleaning products. Mangano released her
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
, ''Inventing Joy'', in 2017. The 2015 film ''
Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
'' was loosely based on her life.
Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in ''Time''s 100 most influential people ...
won a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical is a Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. Previously, there was a single award for ...
and was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...
for her portrayal of Mangano. In 2021, she premiered a reality competition show on
USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...
for aspiring entrepreneurs called ''
America's Big Deal America's Big Deal is an American business reality television series that premiered on October 14, 2021 on USA Network. Premise Aired live from Newark Symphony Hall in Newark, New Jersey, the series features amateur entrepreneurs pitching ready m ...
''.


Early life and education

Mangano was born in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and raised in
Huntington, New York The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. ...
. Mangano began inventing at an early age when, as a teenager working at an animal hospital in Huntington, New York, on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...
, she dreamed up a fluorescent flea collar to keep pets safe. A product with a similar design was released the next year by Hartz Mountain. After graduating from
Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...
with a degree in business administration in 1978, she held a variety of jobs, including waitress and airline reservations manager while raising her three children as a divorced mother.


Career

Mangano is a named inventor of 71 patent families and 126 distinct patent publications for her inventions. "I think my products have been successful because they have mass appeal," she has said. "I'm just like everybody else out there. I'm a mom, I work, I have a house to clean, things to organize. We all have similar needs, and I address them."


Miracle Mop

In 1990 after growing frustrated with ordinary mops, Mangano developed her first invention, the "Miracle Mop", a self-wringing plastic mop with a head made from a continuous loop of of cotton that can be easily wrung out without getting the user's hands wet. With her own savings and investments from family and friends, she made a prototype and manufactured 1000 units. Early assembly was done in her father's body shop in Peconic in 1991. After selling the mop at trade shows and in local stores on Long Island, she sold 1,000 units on consignment to QVC. It sold modestly at first, but once QVC allowed Mangano to go on-air to sell it herself, she sold 18,000 mops in less than a half hour. Mangano incorporated her business as Arma Products, later renaming it Ingenious Designs. She sold Ingenious Designs to
USA Networks The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, the parent company of the
HSN HSN, an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Qurate Retail Group, which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands. Based in the Gateway area of St. Petersburg, Flo ...
, in 1999. By the year 2000, the company was selling $10 million worth of Miracle Mops per year.


Other products

Huggable Hangers – velvet-flocked, no-slip hangers whose thin profile conserves closet space. Endorsed by
Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...
, Huggable Hangers were HSN's best-selling product , with more than 1 billion sold. Forever Fragrant – a line of home odor neutralizers including sticks, wickless candles, scent stands, finials, spheres, drawer liners, and shoe shapers. Mangano broke an HSN record on January 31, 2010, by selling 180,000 units in one day. The Forever Fragrant line has earned the
Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Hous ...
Seal of Approval. Clothes It All Luggage System – wheeled luggage with organizational features like a padded laptop compartment, a toiletry organizer, a pocket for plane tickets, and removable dividers. They range from smaller duffel bags to a portable dresser with removable drawers, as well as a briefcase and pet carrier. Performance Platforms – shoes with a rubber platform heel that gives the wearer extra height. In May 2010, Mangano sold 30,000 pairs in three hours on HSN. The line began as sneakers, and has since branched to
Mary Janes Mary Jane (also known as bar shoes or doll shoes) is an American term ( formerly a registered trademark) for a closed, low-cut shoe with one or more straps across the instep. Classic Mary Janes for children are typically made of black leathe ...
,
mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two po ...
s, and
sandals Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can som ...
. The shoes are produced in conjunction with the Grasshoppers division of the
Stride Rite Corporation Stride Rite, formerly the Stride Rite Corporation and stylized in all lowercase, is an American children's footwear company. The company markets Stride Rite products globally through brand licensee Vida Shoes International. History Founding an ...
. Comfort & Joy Textiles – bedding made from Supima cotton and down alternative with a reversible, zippered duvet cover and sheets that are attached to the bed skirt for removal and cleaning. Shades Readers – a line of reading glasses sold in sets of three or more so that they can be kept around the home and office for easy access. Mangano has sold more than 13 million pairs.


Television

Soon after she began appearing on QVC in 1992, she began appearing regularly on
HSN HSN, an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Qurate Retail Group, which also owns catalog company Cornerstone Brands. Based in the Gateway area of St. Petersburg, Flo ...
and is considered the network's most successful purveyor, with annual sales of more than $150 million. Her hourly sales regularly top $1 million. Mangano has also appeared in shorter commercials and infomercials for her company's products. She said that while selling on television is an opportunity to reach millions of people, it requires genuine enthusiasm to persuade people who can't touch or try the product. A HSN executive wrote that Mangano's success is due to her ability to convey her "passion, excitement and pride of every detail with her viewers." In 2019 after nearly two decades, she left HSN to pursue other professional opportunities. However, by 2022, Mangano was again appearing regularly on HSN promoting her CleanBoss line of home, personal and cleaning products.


Other television appearances

In 2005, Mangano was a judge on the cable reality show ''Made in the USA''. She also appeared on the ABC show '' The View'' on February 2, 2007.


Product collaborations

Mangano has collaborated with celebrities and other television personalities to bring their products to HSN. They include tennis star
Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) fo ...
's line of jewelry, Frank Sepe fitness products, fashions from supermodel Iman, products from
Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series '' Star Search'' ...
, Esteban guitars, and ''Who Knew?'' books by Bruce Lubin. She also partnered with chef
Todd English William Todd English (born August 29, 1960) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality, based in Boston, Massachusetts. He hosted the TV cooking show, ''Food Trip with Todd English,'' on PBS. In 2005 he was ...
to launch GreenPan cookware, which uses a ceramic-based non-stick coating that the press release describes as: "
PTFE Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chem ...
-free, and uses no
PFOA Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; conjugate base perfluorooctanoate; also known colloquially as C8, for its 8 carbon chain structure) is a perfluorinated carboxylic acid produced and used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes a ...
in manufacturing, making GreenPan cookware 'green' in manufacturing". Mangano and English debuted GreenPans on HSN on July 26, 2007, and sold 24,000 pieces in 4 hours.


Awards and distinctions

In 1997, Mangano was named Long Island Entrepreneur of the Year by
Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewat ...
. In 2009, she was ranked number 77 on
Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
's list of The 100 Most Creative People in Business; and in 2010, she was included in their list of The 10 Most Creative Women in Business. Mangano currently sits on the Advistory Board for the United Inventors Association (UIA).United Inventors Association Official Website
accessed 2-23-2022


In popular culture

A character based on Mangano is portrayed by
Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in ''Time''s 100 most influential people ...
in the 2015 film ''
Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
'', directed by
David O. Russell David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American filmmaker. His early directing career includes the comedy films '' Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996), ''Three Kings'' (1999), and ''I Heart Huckabees'' (20 ...
, with Mangano credited as
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...
. It was released on Christmas Day 2015. In 2018, it was reported that a musical production depicting Mangano’s life story is being developed by
Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
-winning producer
Ken Davenport Ken Davenport (born Kenneth Anjum Hasija, August 23, 1972) is a two-time Tony Award-winning theatre producer, blogger, and writer. He is best known for his production work on Broadway. Early life and career Davenport was born in Phoenix, Ariz ...
, who acquired the musical rights and plans to bring it to the stage.


Personal life

Mangano married Tony Miranne in 1978 shortly after both graduated from
Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...
. They divorced in 1989. They have three children: Christie, Robert, and Jacqueline Miranne. She lives in St. James, New York.


See also

* List of inventors


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mangano, Joy 1956 births Living people American inventors American television hosts Women inventors Pace University alumni People from Deer Park, New York People from Huntington, New York American people of Italian descent American women television presenters