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'Woke garbage': 'Shark Tank' viewers slam Play Maysie owner as she debuts gender-inclusive dollhouse

Except for one, Play Maysie owner, Kayla Lupean, was unable to persuade any of the Sharks to invest in her startup

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kayla Lupean, an entrepreneur, came on 'Shark Tank' Season 14, Episode 20, intending to wow the Sharks and walk away with a big investment. Even though she walked out of the Tank with a good deal, it appears that her gender-inclusive toys caused quite a stir among spectators.

When children play with toys, it is natural for them to become a little messy. They explore and experiment, which frequently results in disorganized play spaces and dispersed objects. While this might be irritating for parents, it's vital to realize that it's a typical component of a child's development and inventiveness. In 2020, Kayla designed the one-of-a-kind product Play Maysie, a portable dollhouse with magnetic furniture linked to the base of the box. Play Maysie is revolutionizing children's play by providing a unique line of portable dollhouses and dolls that provide an eco-friendly, imaginative, and screen-free play experience.

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Kayla pitches her gender-inclusive toy range

Play Masie are portable dollhouses that appeal to both children and adults due to their useful and adjustable design. Play Maysie is creating a new standard for children's toys with its emphasis on sustainability, providing parents with an ecologically responsible option for their children's playtime while encouraging their imagination and creativity. Play Maysie is devoted to environmental stewardship and employs high-quality materials rather than cheap plastic toys. Kayla's vision has been realized, thanks to the brand's collaboration with reliable suppliers in China. In addition, with every purchase, Play Maysie distributes cases to children entering the foster care system, demonstrating the brand's commitment to the community.

The Play Maysie portable dollhouse is a fresh spin on the classic playhouse. This clever playhouse comes in a handy lunchbox-style casing that can be customized with the brand's magnetic accessories. The dollhouses are intended to be inclusive and gender-neutral, with a diverse selection of dolls that may encourage creative play in all youngsters. This inclusivity allows youngsters of all genders to enjoy the dollhouses and promotes an early feeling of inclusion and acceptance. The dolls are also available in a variety of ethnicities and body types, fostering diversity and inclusion in play.

Kayla walked into the Tank seeking $150,000 for 10% of Play Maysie. On Christmas Day 2020, the CEO and founder of Play Maysie disclosed that she proposed a portable dollhouse. She was a wedding photographer who had lost most of her business owing to the Covid-19 outbreak at the time. Kayla, a single adoptive mother, realized that her daughter's toys had too many loose parts, making it impossible to organize them and extend playing. She also noticed that her child loved to play near her, which meant carrying toys around the home. These observations inspired Kayla's concept for a portable, clutter-free dollhouse that would provide youngsters with a long-lasting, open-ended play experience. Hearing how Kayla came around to founding her own company made Shark Barbara Corcoran tear up.

The dollhouses are $48 each, with additional charges for each doll. Each magnetic doll is usually $6, and a set of six costs $24; the Shark Tank Collection is presently on sale for $145.80. Except for one, Kayla was unable to persuade any of the Sharks to invest in her startup. Shark Barbara, who got nostalgic after seeing the products, chose to make an offer and help Kayla further her mission. Following a series of counteroffers between Kayla and Barbara, the single mum-cum-entrepreneur picked Barbara's offer.

'Shark tank should be ashamed promoting this'

Calling out on the product's agenda, an irritated viewer wrote, "The honey bars were good. The rest was woke garbage. I deleted the recording before it finished." Another person added, "Sorry but I am not feeling any of these products tonight." After the episode moved on from Play Maysie to a food item, a fan tweeted, "finally a product for all with no gender bull. Shark tank went down the rabbit hole tonight." While slamming the founder, another angry viewer wrote, "Yeah as soon as the girl says but we're making gender-neutral toys for boys right there I would have been f*** you I'm out ridiculous it's always women always trying to turn boys into girls already."

Calling out the show for promoting gender-neutral products, another viewer added, "Enough of this gender neutral bull. Boys used to play with army men and girls with dolls but could switch if want but you dont create a product to down the male female genders. Shark tank should be ashamed promting this." Unhappy with how the pitch went down, one viewer commented on an Instagram post saying, "Literally said “it’s important for boys to play with dolls”. We are” inclusive”. Luckily Barb offered her an awful deal she had to accept."

'Shark Tank' Season 14 Episode 21 will air on ABC on Friday, May 5, at 8 PM ET. You can catch the latest episode the next day on demand, or on Hulu. You can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.

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