Jiggy Puzzles on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who is the founder and how does it help relieve stress?
Thanks to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, everybody's stuck quarantining at home in order to prevent the spread of the dreaded virus. For many people staying cooped up inside their home for months without being in regular contact with their loved ones resulted in a significant rise in stress levels. Rather than drowning away their stress by binge-watching tv series or movies or just being in denial about the current grim situation, many people have turned to more innovative solutions like solving puzzles to keep themselves relaxed and occupied.
Leading this puzzle-solving movement is Jiggy. A brand founded by New York city-based entrepreneur Kailyn Marcotte. Kailyn brought together art and puzzles to create interesting puzzle pieces while promoting and empowering female artists across the globe. On the upcoming episode of 'Shark Tank', Kailyn will be pitching her unique self-funded brand to the Sharks. So, let's take a closer look at her brand Jiggy and how it boomed during the pandemic.
RELATED ARTICLES
What is Jiggy?
Jiggy was born out of Kailyn's love for solving puzzles. Although she spent every week solving a new puzzle piece, she soon grew tired and unsatisfied with the existing selection of puzzles that were available in the market, as she felt that they weren't visually appealing. In an interview with Forbes, she explained, "All the options were super cheesy stock photography, watercolor animals and landscapes, and stuff."
So in 2015, Kailyn began looking for ways to 'reinvent' puzzles and began saving various artists' works she stumbled across both on the internet and at art galleries. In 2017, she quit her day job at a startup called theSkimm and began working on Jiggy full time. She looked beyond creating modern, aesthetically pleasing puzzles, and focussed on supporting women in the art community, The pieces featured on her puzzles are all created by emerging female artists.
Unlike regular puzzles which are just dismantled and replaced back into the board after solving it, the Jiggy puzzles double up as statement pieces or wall decor items that can be displayed on the walls. Each order comes complete with a tube of clear-drying glue, giving the customer the opportunity to turn the puzzle into a permanent print.
Who is the founder?
Kailyn Marcotte is the brains behind Jiggy. While Kailyn was working at an early-stage startup called theSkimm, she was under immense stress owing to her work. So, she was looking for ways to unwind and relax before going to bed. After testing a couple of relaxation tools, Kailyn finally zeroed in on puzzles. On the website, she shares her journey. "5 years ago, I was working around the clock at an early startup and fell in love with jigsaw puzzles as my nightly meditation. I was doing one every week and the stress relief was great, but the designs were outdated and well, lame. I started dreaming up a puzzle that would be beautiful for both the doing and the decorating, that would look good before, during and after completion. I knew I wanted to support and highlight the work of amazing female artists and after a year of curating the art and reimagining and designing the packaging, JIGGY was born. I hope JIGGY inspires you to unplug and experience art in a whole new way, in pieces."
She launched Jiggy in November 2019. Although initially the business did well, after the holiday season the sales slowed down. But the pandemic helped Jiggy immensely. While the other businesses were struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic, Jiggy had a very unique problem on its hand, they were sold out almost all the time. According to the outlet, sales of Jiggy were up by 550% and traffic saw a 250% rise as well during the pandemic. "I think everyone’s looking for indoor activities to occupy time and mind,” Marcotte said. “With ours supporting artists, I think people felt good about that in such tough times too.” Going into April, JIGGY sold out.
Kailyn then came up with the idea of launching Jiggy Originals, which featured the artists directly drawing onto the blank puzzle pieces. These too were an instant hit. According to Kailyn one of the original pieces sold for over $4,000!
What is the cost and where to buy these unique puzzle pieces from?
The regular puzzles – now in stock on her website and Amazon – cost $40 each. A few exclusives ones are priced at $49. They’re 450 piece puzzles and each one comes with glue so you can actually frame your puzzle art. "I think one thing that has been so gratifying about having a product people are connecting with right now is seeing the impact it’s having for them,” she said.
Here are the details you would like to know:
Size: 800 pieces
Puzzle dimensions: 24 x 18 inches
Box dimensions: 5.6 x 5.6 x 11.6 inches
Each Jiggy Puzzle comes in a reusable glass jar and includes a tube of puzzle glue, a straight-edge tool to spread the glue and a print of the art to follow.
Where is Jiggy now?
Jiggy is a solo, self-funded female enterprise. The brand recently launched a 'Club Membership' program for puzzle enthusiasts. On an Instagram post, she announced, "Heyyyy puzzle people. Let’s take this thing to the next level 😍🧩 join us in making our favorite pastime a monthly ritual. For the avid puzzlers, art lovers, and the self-care gurus alike, join this puzzle party every month. We all know puzzles are addicting, they’re also good for your brain, sleep, and stress levels, and well, puzzle people are just the best. So we thought... let’s bring together all these pieces (🙃 had to...) into a new kind of Club.
Where art meets mindfulness and curated new pieces are delivered to your doorstep each and every month." "Starting at just $26/month, receive a 500pc puzzle exclusively for the Club and VIP perks like early access to new products and promotions, exclusive content and community event invites, and more!" The memberships are available for 3, 6, or 12 months.
Who will steal the deal?
Mark Cuban might close 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 12 Episode 9 returned to ABC after the winter break on January 8, 2021, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode on April 23, 2021, from 8 pm ET to 9 pm ET.
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.