Hoppy Paws Shark Tank Update – Shark Tank Season 6
Trina Barkouras Presented Hoppy Paws on Shark Tank.
Hoppy Paws offers holiday-themed stamping kits for kids. Entrepreneur Trina Barkouras appeared on Shark Tank to pitch her business.
Trina Barkouras hoped the Sharks would bite on the business she created from a cherished family Christmas tradition, Hoppy Paws, in the Shark Tank Holiday Special – Episode 614. She had created Hoppy Paws over 20 years earlier when she made an Easter Bunny “paw print trail” for her kids. The trail wound through the house and ended at their Easter baskets.
Trina decided to make a business out of the stamping kits. She expanded the line to include monster footprints for Halloween, stork prints for expectant parents, and leprechaun prints for St. Patrick’s Day. The kits that brought her to the Shark Tank Holiday Special were the reindeer and elf print kits for Christmas.
Ms. Barkouras was likely looking for a Shark to help with retail distribution. Would the Sharks leave a trail of cash and invest in Hoppy Paws?
About Hoppy Paws
| Category | Details |
| Founder | Trina Barkouras |
| Product Type | Stamping kits for creating holiday-themed footprints |
| Funding (Pre-Shark Tank) | Self-funded |
| Investment Asked | $50,000 |
| Equity Offered | 10% |
What Happened on the Shark Tank Episode?
Trina opened with an “at home” segment where she explained her rough childhood and the origins of Hoppy Paws. She entered seeking $50K for 10%. Wearing antlers, she explained the product to the Sharks and handed out samples. Barbara asked about the powder, and Trina explained that it was biodegradable.
Though she had started the business just 90 days prior, she already had packaging and products ready to launch.
Trina shared that she was emancipated at age 16 and had been on her own since then. The first production run cost $50K, and Trina said she had picked up the samples just a day prior. She had invested $105K in total. Mark called Trina a BEAST. He said he wished his salespeople had her drive!
Kevin asked whether it was just a seasonal product. The entrepreneur confirmed that is not the case. Her products come in a vast range and they could be used any time.
What Makes Hoppy Paws Unique?
Each kit costs $6.99. It contains a footprint stamp, a mixing tray, and the “super secret” powder that creates the prints. Its unique features are:
- Fun Holiday Footprints: The kits let parents and kids make cute footprints for different holidays, like reindeer for Christmas and bunnies for Easter.
- Safe and Easy to Clean: The powder used to make the footprints is safe for the ground. It is also easy to wash away.
- Some Glow in the Dark: The Halloween kits had stamps that would glow in the dark, making it even more fun for kids.
- Not Too Expensive: The kits are priced at an amount most families could easily buy to make holidays special.
Did Hoppy Paws Get a Deal on Shark Tank?
Robert loved her story, but he wasn’t convinced the product would sell. Therefore, he didn’t make any offer. Lori said she thought Trina was a hero, but wasn’t sure the product was. Trina pitched hard and cleared up Lori’s concerns about the packaging, explaining it was similar to egg coloring kits. Lori admitted she was mesmerized by Trina.
Kevin joked that he had always wanted a woman with antlers in his portfolio and offered to put up the first $5,000 if any other Shark would match him. Mark agreed and said he’d kick in $5,000 as well.
Barbara asked a few questions and shared that her kids had loved this kind of thing. She offered $100K for 50%. Trina asked if she’d finance purchase orders and whether Barbara would consider 51%-49%. Barbara agreed, on the condition that she would also receive 50% of any future product ideas. Trina accepted the deal!
The entrepreneur finally secured a deal with Barbara for $100K for 49%.
What Happened to Hoppy Paws After Shark Tank?
The Shark Tank Blog keeps track of the businesses that appear on Shark Tank. We provide updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs and the company, as well as anything that happened after the show. Barbara and Trina eventually closed their deal, but the business faced some challenges. The company was featured in the Beyond the Tank episode 207.
They rolled out at Halloween at Target in 2016. Even though Shark Tank boosted sales for this business, things never really took off for them. The company shut down in February 2019.
Get more posts about Hoppy Paws on the Shark Tank Blog.
Where Can You Buy It?
The company is out of business now.
Quick Summary
- Hoppy Paws creates holiday-themed stamping kits that produce footprints for various occasions. It includes reindeer and elf prints for Christmas, Easter Bunny trails, monster footprints for Halloween, stork prints for expectant parents, and leprechaun prints for St. Patrick’s Day.
- Trina Barkouras started Hoppy Paws over 20 years ago as a family tradition and decided to commercialize the idea based on popular demand from her neighbors.
- The entrepreneur secured a deal with Barbara for $100K for 49%.
Bought this for my kids 11, 7 and 5 and the youngest loved it as well as I did also til clean up time, not easy clean up at all so emailed company for suggestions to get this off of my carpets and said wasn’t dry use blow dryer them vacuum again, it was dry but willing to give it anything a try! Did that vacuumed and guess what still there! Needless to say my vacuum is all sticky from trying to vacuum up ($700 vacuum) and has spread where have pushed vacuum and stickiness will not come up! Emailed company with pics and as of this posting no response! It’s not only on my main carpet but our entry way rug also so it’s not the carpet type and we did not put it on thick! So please beware! Have appt to get vacuum fixed now we aren’t sure what to do about the carpet! So please think twice before using on carpet as may end up costing lots of money in the end, we are cometely disgusted and hope this company has some resolution quick. Good luck