Monster Repellent

I’ve heard of mosquito repellent, even Shark repellent, but until now, I didn’t know there was such a thing as Monster Repellent. You read that correctly: Monster Repellent. It’s one of 5 Fairytale Wishes sprays created by entrepreneur Debbie Glickman to combat her kids’ fears and anxieties in a fun, stress-free way. Debbie pitches her aromatherapy sprays to the Sharks in episode 503. In addition to the bubble gum scented Monster Repellent, the line includes Super Hero spray for any situation requiring “extra courage,” Tooth Fairy Spray to attract the tooth fairy, Sweet Dreams spray to help curb fears of bad dreams, and Happy Camper spray to ease separation anxiety when a kid is away from home. Each spray bottle comes with a little fairy tale, told by Freddie, the Fairytale Wishes magic frog.

Does the Monster Repellent Work?

Debbie founded Fairytale Wishes in 2009 and since then, the Monster Repellent and the other sprays won numerous awards from toy industry groups and parent organizations. The business was born from Glickman’s search for ways to overcome fears and anxieties her own kids had about monsters under the bed, and the idea took off.

Speaking from experience, the idea of using a repellent works. When my son was 6 or 7, he developed a fear of jellyfish and refused to swim in the ocean – even when there were no jellyfish in sight. We took a bottle of aloe vera gel and slapped a “jellyfish repellent” label on it, then had him apply some before swimming. That’s all it took, he jumped right in and after a few weeks, he forgot about applying the repellent. The same psychology goes for the Monster Repellent. Put it on, tell the child no monsters will come out if you use the spray, and before you know it, they’ll find something else to worry about! Now if Debbie could only develop an “I’ll do my homework” spray, she’d really have something.

My Take

This is a low-cost, novelty item. It’s a great stocking stuffer item for kids of a certain age and many parents and grandparents will gladly drop the ten bucks for a bottle.  I took an informal poll of parents at a few youth sporting events over the past week. Everyone thought it was a neat idea, one dad wished he’d thought of it himself! There are similar products on the market, but none of those companies will be on Shark Tank! I would have bought this 10 or 12 years ago; maybe I’ll get some Happy Camper Spray for my college aged kids.

Will the Sharks Bite or be Repelled?

The Sharks should see the appeal of the product and the potential for big sales, but there will likely be some questions and concerns – even if Debbie shows strong sales. The big problem she has is it’s not a proprietary product. Anyone could label some scented water and call it just about anything they want. I can almost hear Mr. Wonderful: “what’s to stop me from bottling up some scented water and calling it ‘Mr. Wonderful’s Monster Repellent?'” This is one of those pitches where the Sharks will like the product, but they’ll all pass. The real winner will be Debbie Glickman and her monster repellent. Viewers will watch and many will buy.