Contest Yields Wacky Ideas; the 'Scrat,' 'Booty Bobblers' and Vinegar Hair Tonic
Wal-Mart knew it was in unknown territory when it launched "Get on the Shelf," an Internet popularity contest in which inventors compete for a coveted shot at selling their creations through the world's largest retailer.
But the company wasn't quite prepared for shorts known as Showels that are made from beach towels. Or scarves called Scrats that double as hats. (click below to read more)
Wal-Mart anticipated some fierce competition for its "Get on the Shelf" competition -- a Web video popularity contest pitting product inventors against each other for a chance to be featured on the retailer's online store. But what it didn't expect was the sheer number of wacky creations. WSJ's Miguel Bustillo reports.
Or Pelo Nuevo, a hair-growing tonic made from salad dressing. Or the hundreds of other odd products, many of which seem like outtakes from late-night infomercials, submitted to win Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s version of "American Idol."
"Everyone has that great idea, and they later say, 'I wish we'd tried selling that.' Well, we thought we'd go for it," says the inventor of the Showel, Jesse Fillmore of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., who says he came up with the towel-shorts concept after a game of sand volleyball and a few beers.
The garments are totally different from regular terry-cloth shorts, he argues, because he and his wife stitch each Showel from high-quality beach towels that don't fray easily.
"You would be surprised at the variety of ways people use these," says Mr. Fillmore, 31 years old, who works for the state of Minnesota testing water for naturally occurring radiation. "Some people wear them when they get out of the shower and lounge all day as they watch football."
Wal-Mart says the contest—designed to create buzz in social media—attracted more than 4,000 entries from contestants who posted online videos of products to persuade people to vote for them.
The first round of voting was set to end Tuesday at midnight; entries will be winnowed down as early as Wednesday to the 10 finalists with the most public support.
The challengers include "Booty Bobblers," a variation on the bobblehead with jiggling hindquarters, and the "HiBall," a mash-up of dumbbells and medieval weaponry that promises to revolutionize working out—the video describes it as "basically a hollowed-out cannonball with a handle in it."
Then there is the "Trimmer Assist," an elastic band that attaches a grass trimmer to the person holding it, to make the job easier. It is touted in its promotional spot as "the world's only bungee re-bounce universal string trimmer strap system."
To juice up her vote count, Alice Denise Wiek of Omaha, Neb., the inventor of Scrats, persuaded two apartment complexes to spread the word about the head-neck accessories in their newsletters.
"I thought, if I am going to do this thing, I am going to do it right," says the former telephone operator, 54, who sews each Scrat herself, typically with a pompom on top.
The grand prize winner will have the "opportunity to sell the product on Wal-Mart.com and in Wal-Mart physical stores," if the person can agree to sale terms with Wal-Mart, the company states in the contest rules.
But getting on the shelf isn't guaranteed: a spokesman says Wal-Mart isn't actually committed to putting the winning item in all of its 3,868 U.S. stores. If the winner and the company can't strike a deal on sale terms, the person will be awarded $12,500 instead.
The world's largest retailer has pledged to help winners line up means of mass production.
"We know there is a lot of innovation happening all over the country, great ideas that may be flying under the radar," says Guha Jayachandran, the principal engineer at Wal-Mart's online research group, Walmart Labs, who came up with the contest. "We're always looking for the next big thing."
Not all the buzz has been good for Wal-Mart. For example, Patrick Rogondino, the inventor of Jacket Balls—soccer balls and footballs that unfurl into rainproof ponchos—says he was dismayed to discover his product entered into the contest by someone else without his knowledge or permission.
"While it sounds like a great promotion, the people that entered had no right to do it," says Mr. Rogondino, 71, who owns a packaging business in San Diego.
His lawyers sent letters to Wal-Mart, demanding that Jacket Ball be removed, but the entry was still in play as of Tuesday. A Wal-Mart spokesman says it is aware of the issue but declined to comment further. The person who entered the video didn't respond to requests for comment.
Still, most contestants are thrilled with the easy publicity.
Four decades ago, Antonio Juarez of Highland, Calif., a believer in home remedies, was having lunch with a balding friend when he had an epiphany—thanks to the salad he happened to be eating.
"I grabbed the vinegar dressing, rubbed the stuff right into his head, and said, 'Your hair is going to grow now!'" Mr. Juarez recalls.
The friend embraced the treatment, and a year later, his hair came back, Mr. Juarez claims.
Now 73, Mr. Juarez just recently started trying to market his revelatory product, called "Pelo Nuevo," Spanish for new hair. There is a good reason: "I was broke," he says.
"But this stuff really works," adds Mr. Juarez, who says he has been wined and dined by prospective Chinese partners. "You can eat it, too. I don't put that on the label, but it is true. I will put it against anything on the market right now."
Jeffrey Brown's inspiration came on a hot day in San Clemente, Calif., when he noticed his persnickety miniature poodle, Jäger, wasn't lapping up his water briskly enough.
Jäger likes his beverages cold, Mr. Brown decided. So he devised FrostyBowlz—steel dishes with removable freezer-ready cores that keep a pet's water chilled.
FrostyBowlz got an award at a pet-product convention and is getting picked up by some small retailers, so Mr. Brown, who has applied for a patent, is confident he is on his way to success with or without Wal-Mart.
"But everyone who dreams about a product always thinks, 'If I could get this into Wal-Mart, it would be huge,'" he says. "That is still the ultimate goal."
And if FrostyBowlz hits the big time, Mr. Brown has a profit-sharing plan for its muse: endless pampering at a California doggy retreat.
"Jäger will go to Camp Bow Wow every day," Mr. Brown promises. "And he will get a special puppy van and chauffeur."
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