Scrub Daddy is a cleaning product company best known for an eponymous sponge it manufactures in the shape of a
smiley face
A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...
. The product is made of a
polymer
A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part")
is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...
which changes texturefirm in cold water and soft in warm water.
As of 2019, Scrub Daddy had the highest revenue of any product successfully pitched on the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
reality show ''
Shark Tank
''Shark Tank'' is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 201'Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank' returning to ABCInsider TV. Retrieved June 24, 2012 The show i ...
''.
History
After damaging the exterior of a vehicle when cleaning the outside,
detailer Aaron Krause invented a line of buffing and polishing pads. The company was acquired by
3M in August 2008. 3M did not purchase a line of sponges Krause had invented, leaving them to sit in his factory. Five years later, Krause used the remaining sponges to clean his dishes and lawn furniture. According to Krause, this is when he "realized his multi-million dollar idea."
According to the company's website, Scrub Daddy, Inc. was founded in 2012 with grassroots marketing.
On the ''Shark Tank'' episode originally airing in October 2012,
Lori Greiner
Lori Greiner is an American television personality and entrepreneur. She is an investor on the reality ABC TV series '' Shark Tank''. Greiner has hundreds of inventions and holds 120 patents. She became known as the "Queen of QVC" as a result of ...
made a 20% equity stake deal with Krause for $200,000.
The following day, Greiner and Krause sold out of 42,000 sponges in under seven minutes on
QVC
QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Pen ...
.
Greiner then helped Scrub Daddy to be sold in retail stores such as
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is an American chain of domestic merchandise retail stores. The chain operates many stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
Bed Bath & Beyond was founded in 1971. It is counted among the Fortune ...
. In January 2017, Scrub Daddy's total revenues surpassed $100 million – the highest of any Shark Tank product.
As of October 2019, the company's lifetime sales were $209 million.
Products
Scrub Daddy is made from a strong "high-tech polymer", which is likely to be
polycaprolactone
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polyester with a low melting point of around 60 °C and a glass transition temperature of about −60 °C. The most common use of polycaprolactone is in the production of speciality polyure ...
based on prior patent filings. The texture changes in water: firm in cold water, soft in warm water. The original Scrub Daddy is a yellow circular sponge with a smiling face punched into it. Krause has two patents on its design.
Other products
The brand consists of more than 20 products,
including scouring pads, dual-sided sponges, sink organizers, soap dispensers and household erasers.
References
External links
Official website
{{Shark Tank , state=collapsed
American inventions
Cleaning product brands
American companies established in 2012