Berlyn Haughton seeks a Shark for The Table Tyke, her “revolutionary” silicon placemat for kids, in Shark Tank episode 1514. She started the business in October, 2020 and had immediate viral impact: her Tik Tok video of the product got 300,000 views in one day. This propelled her into the spotlight and the Shark Tank producers’ radar.
Table Tyke was inspired by her child sucking on a table’s edge at a restaurant. She wanted something she could take on the go as well as at home that would limit spills and provide protection for the kid from sucking on the table edge. The placemat is food grade silicon and its bumper provides a safer surface for kids to suck on. It’s also great for arts and crafts.
Her husband came up with the name. The product comes in grey, green, pink and blue and costs $24.99. There’s also an “XL” version for $34.99. They can be found on the company website and Amazon. Berlyn likely wants a Shark’s help getting into retail.
Company Information
Video
Posts about The Table Tyke on Shark Tank Blog
Table Tyke: Revolutionizing Mealtime for Kids
The Table Tyke Shark Tank Recap
Berlyn enters the Shark Tank seeking $100,000 for 10% of her company. Mealtime with kids is exhausting, especially when they’re so little they can’t keep their head above their neck. They bang their heads, they chew on tables and create a disaster zone. Eating out – forget about it. She’d take her son to a restaurant and BOOM, he’d hit his mouth on the table or just start gnawing on the germ infested table edge because he’s teething. That’s why she invented The Table Tyke.
The Table Tyke is the only multifunctional table placemat with a table edge bumper. It’s the parenting hack you’ll want. The 12 inch tall bumper not only protects them, it also catches spills making clean up easier for parents. When a meal is done, simply roll it up and the mess stays in the mat. As soon as you get home, you can unroll it and throw it in the dishwasher. It’s great for snacks, meals and activities and it grows with your kids from babies to toddlers and even adults. The Table Tyke XL is double the size for double the fun. It’s good for baking, crafting and potting because sometimes big kids like to make a mess too. She tells the Sharks not to miss an opportunity to roll with the Table Tyke.
Samples and Questions
The Sharks examine their samples and Barbara asks if kids hitting their heads on the table is a problem. Berlyn says she has a friend whose baby knocked their tooth out. She invented the Table Tyke because her youngest son would always hit his mouth and chew on the table at restaurants. She’s no germophobe but it grossed her out. She talked to her friends and found this was a real problem. She made the mat and people thought it was brilliant. Everyone said to her “that’s genius, when are you going on Shark Tank?”
She launched at the end of 2020 and did $10,000 in sales. The next year, she did $24,000 and it was all grass roots marketing. in 2022, she quadrupled sales to just under $100,000. This year (2023), she’s projecting $200,000. Mark wants to know why word-of-mouth isn’t generating more sales. Berlyn says over 60% of her sales in 2022 were in Q4. She got that boom by using Tik Tok. People love the product, she needs help getting it out there.
Who’s In?
Robert thinks it’s a great product because he’s lived this problem with his twins. He’s done a lot of investments in this space but there’s a challenge: is it big enough to sustain a business or is it a “one hit wonder.” Berlyn has that concern, but people love the product and her 8 year old still uses his mat. People are willing to spend $25 on it because they will use it for years. They retail for $24.99 and they cost $4.90 landed. She runs the business herself and has an Amazon consultant. she has product in baby boutiques across the country and just started retail a year ago. She wants to hire a PR company and Mark says she should do that herself.
Kevin says it’s hard to play the PR game, he can’t add any value; he’s out. Mark says he’s in the same boat, it’s not in his wheelhouse; he’s out. Lori says she made a really nice product but there’s competition out there and she brought something unique to the table. Lori doesn’t think she needs an investor; she’s out. Barbara doesn’t think there’s room for a Shark; she’s out. Robert doesn’t see a big return; he’s out.
The Table Tyke Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. Despite not getting a deal, Berlyn saw a drastic increase in sales and had to place several emergency orders with her manufacturer to fulfill them. As of the first re-run of this episode in June, 2024, the company is still in business with plenty of mats in stock to handle “The Shark Tank Effect.”
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on The Table Tyke & Berlyn Haughton as more details become available.
