Blowzee on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who are the founders and how to blow candles without spreading germs?
Whether you're a toddler or an 80-year-old geriatric, birthday celebrations are incomplete without a delicious and decadent birthday cake. When we think of birthday cakes, the first thing that pops up in our heads is the candles. Making a wish and blowing out the candles is almost as fun as eating the cake itself! While the simple act of blowing out the candles may seem harmless, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and increased awareness about germs and bacteria, the previously fun birthday ritual has turned into a nightmare for many people.
After all who wants to eat a piece of cake covered in bacteria and germs, especially during the pandemic? So does this mean we have to stop blowing birthday candles? Thanks to Blowzee, we can continue to carry on with the birthday candle ritual without spreading germs. The founders of Blowzee will be appearing on the upcoming episode of 'Shark Tank' to pitch their product to the Sharks- Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O'Leary, Daymond John, and Robert Herjavec. While we will have to see if the Blowzee founders- Mark Apelt and Mark Lareau, manage to blow away the Sharks with their innovative product, in the meanwhile you can read all about Blowzee and its founders here.
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What is Blowzee?
Did you know that blowing on a cake can increase germ levels by over a whopping 1400%? Well, with Blowzee you can spread joy instead of germs during your next birthday celebration. Wondering what Blowzee is? The Blowzee is a lightweight tube-shaped device with an opening on both ends. "Blowzee protects people from spreading germs while blowing out the candles on a cake. Blowzee has been designed to redirect the user’s breath and germs away from the cake, while still providing the same fun of "blowing" out the candles," states the brand's website. So how does this small, inexpensive, and fun device work? Blow into the open end to start the battery operated fan. Clean air is blown onto candles and germy air is redirected back toward the user.
"The Blowzee is FUN! However, by the nature of its design, it is not a toy. It is designed for extinguishing candles on a cake. If used this way it should last for many parties. If used as a toy, the life expectancy is much shorter. We recommend you let your Blowzee take a break from the party after blowing out the candles. Repeated, continuous use (especially with younger kids) will result in excess moisture which may damage the sensitive electronics inside. We can keep the spit off the cake but not out of the Blowzee!" advises the brand.
Who are the founders?
Friends Mark Apelt and Mark Lareau are the brains behind Blowzee. "We’ve always thought it was a little gross to have kids blow their germs all over a birthday cake. The coronavirus pandemic has increased the focus on minimizing the spread of germs, but the candle-blowing alternatives all too often steal the magic and fun. Who wants to make a wish while fanning out a candle on a cake?" they wrote on the brand's website. The two friends took on the challenge of creating a product that allows you to blow out birthday candles without blowing germs all over the cake. After 17 prototypes and over 40 cakes, the Marks finally managed to create Blowzee!
What is the cost and where to buy Blowzee from?
You can get your very own Blowzee for $11.99 from the brand's website here or from Amazon. The product currently has a 4-star rating on Amazon and has managed to garner both positive and negative reviews. A customer left the following glowing review on Amazon. "We purchased this with some upcoming birthdays in mind and the kids loved it. The battery is already installed, so you just blow and the fan starts spinning. Needless to say, the kids also wanted to use it to blow air in each other's faces, so we have tucked it away for future birthdays. We just put it right next to the birthday banner and the candles and now it's ready for next year. It's solidly built and I'm sure it will last quite a while."
While another unhappy customer expressed, "I so loved the idea of this. Seeing a kid blow all over a cake grossed me out even before the pandemic. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of letting our birthday girl try it before her party. It worked! I then rinsed and left it upside down to dry according to the instructions. Sadly, this must-have fried the batteries. The fan would not work at the party so we clapped the candles out instead. I wish we had saved the money. Clapping is free and probably more fun."
Where is Blowzee now?
Blowzee caught the attention of talk-show host Jimmy Fallon. In one of the episodes on his 'The Tonight Show', Fallon expressed his thoughts on the product and dubbed it as a 'good idea'. Fallon's seal of approval turned out to be great for Blowzee's business as the sales reportedly sky-rocketed after the product's mention on the late-night talk show. In an interview with Richmond times Dispatch, Apelt shared, We are basically running out of those (Blowzee) now."
Who will steal the deal?
Kevin O'Leary might steal the deal. Although the brand's sales numbers and profit margins will ultimately be the major deciding factor for the sharks on whether to invest in the business or not. So, we will just have to wait and watch to see if the Sharks even make a deal.
'Shark Tank' Season 13 Episode 13 airs on ABC on January 28, 2022, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Blowzee, Calm Strips, and Overez Chicken Coop.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.