Dino Don, Inc on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who are the founders and where you can see these life-sized dinosaurs
Dinosaurs, these pre-historic creatures, continue to intrigue and fascinate us, humans, despite their extinction millions of years ago. For many of us, our love and interest in dinosaurs began after watching or reading 'Jurrasic Park', and seeing the pictures of these huge deadly looking reptiles. But as we grow older, our interest in these pre-historic creatures begins to wane.
But for former journalist Don Lessem, his love affair with these ginormous creatures began much later in life and continues to remain strong. Lessem was so taken in by dinosaurs that he launched a traveling exhibit company in 1993, that displayed life-sized dinosaurs models with very realistic features. Over the years, Lessem has traveled across the globe educating people about these magnificent beasts, conducting dinosaur digs, and lending his expertise in the field to various documentaries and movies. The 70-year-old decided to turn his passion for dinosaurs into business and launched Dino Don, Inc an animatronic dinosaurs company, that produces extremely realistic-looking dinosaurs in 2019. Lessem will be appearing on 'Shark Tank' alongside his dinosaurs with hopes of luring the Sharks. Read on to know more about Lessem and his unique company Dino Don, Inc.
RELATED ARTICLES
What is Dino Don, Inc?
Dino Don, Inc. is essentially a company that creates realistic and life-size dinosaurs, which they both sell and rent to zoos, aquariums, and museums worldwide. When we say life-size we really mean lifesize, as one of their Argentinosaurus is a whopping 120-foot-long!
Thanks to his expertise on the subject of dinosaurs, Lessem was roped in to help with Steven Spielberg's hit movie 'Jurrasic Park'. But he wasn't happy with the existing models of dinosaurs and was very dissatisfied with the way these reptiles were represented in the movie. So, in 1993 he launched his company, Exhibitsrex, Inc. His first traveling exhibit in 1993 was designed to correct inaccuracies he had identified in 'Jurassic Park'.
His dissatisfaction with the existing models of dinosaurs also led him to build his own in Zigong, China, in 2019. He provided the artisans with photos of fossils with imprinted skin patterns, and illustrations of realistic poses. Professional paleontologists oversee the production to ensure that the end product is as close to what a dinosaur would have looked like. "Dino Don, Inc is a traveling exhibitions company creating the world's only full-sized, scientifically accurate animatronic dinosaurs. Specializing in behavioral scenes, Dino Don, Inc creates custom exhibitions for any venue," states the brand's website.
Who is the founder?
Dino Don, Inc is the product of Don Lessem's love for dinosaurs. He is one of the world's leading dinosaur experts and has created the world's largest dinosaur exhibits since 1993 in North America, Asia, and Europe. His love affair with dinosaurs began in 1988 while he was reporting for The Boston Globe.
The former journalist fell hard for the big beasts. Since then, he has gone on to be an advisor for the 'Jurrasic Park' movie, host to NOVA documentaries for Discovery Channel, and been involved in Disney movie and theme park collaborations. He educated people about these extinct reptiles through his exhibitions, philanthropies, and 52 books on natural history.
His 'Jurassic Park' exhibitions raised two million dollars for dinosaur research. Lessem excavated and reconstructed the world’s largest plant-eating and meat-eating dinosaurs in Patagonia, and dug dinosaurs in Mongolia, China, Canada, and Arctic Alaska. The dinosaur Lessemsaurus is named in honor of his contributions to paleontology. Dino Don, Inc currently employs six people and operates out of Lessem’s home in Media, Pennsylvania, making life-size models for zoos around the world. He made his first sale in 2019 to the Bronx Zoo. To boost sales, he invited 20 zoo directors to visit the exhibit at his own expense. Ten came and 8 ordered dinosaurs. Sales in 2020 were $5 million. He has 40 orders for 2021 and he anticipates a revenue of $15 million in sales.
What is the cost and where to buy?
These life-sized dinosaur robots are currently sold or rented out to zoos, aquariums, and museums across the world. According to the Biz Journal, the cost of a dinosaur robot varies based on the species and size. For instance, a "7-foot velociraptor is about $12,000, while a 40-foot tyrannosaurus rex sells for about $50,000." You can also check out these life-sized realistic noise-making and moving robots at Philadelphia Zoo where they are currently on display. According to the company's website, they are the largest dinosaur robotics business in the world.
Where is Dino Don, Inc now?
Since appearing on 'Shark Tank' the company is planning on launching a new version of their robots later this year. In an interview with Philly Voice, Lessem shared, "A new version of our robots will be debuting later this year. I can’t go into specifics but I went on a television show that gives people money and they gave me the funding to create our new touring exhibition. It’s good for COVID times because this would be like a safari and you drive through a park. As you drive through, you encounter different scenes with these animals and now they can have personalities to them. It will be a lot of fun to do something that hasn’t been done that way before."
Who will steal the deal?
Mark Cuban or Robert Herjavec are likely to close the deal with Dino Don, Inc. 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.
Catch the finale of 'Shark Tank' Season 12 (Episode 25), featuring products like Dino Don, Inc, Lit Handlers, Super Potty Trainer, and Copper Cow Coffee on May 21 from 8 pm ET to 9 pm ET on ABC.
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.