Erika Pope unveils her fort building kit, called Fort Magic, to the Sharks in episode 529. Pope, a “momtrepreneur,” got the idea for the fort building kit when her son was playing in a dryer box. She wanted to create a toy that taught kids about construction while allowing them to create what every kids wants in their room: a wicked cool fort.
The fort building kit has 382 pieces consisting of poles, connectors and fabric clips. Kids use these pieces to create a skeleton, then use their own sheets or blankets to complete the fort. Fort Magic won a top 10 Dr. Toy award because it “creates opportunities for children to develop interest, readiness, and capacities to pursue science, technology, engineering, art, and math through hands-on learning.”
The Fort Magic website has over 100 different designs kids can use as inspiration, but the amount of forts a kid can build is really only limited by the imagination. Pope is passionate about her 3-year-old business and she believes her fort building kit can help kids become more confident while they’re having fun with Fort Magic.
My Take on the Fort Building Kit
What kid doesn’t love building a fort? I know I did when I was a kid. Something as simple as a sheet tented off my bed would keep me happy for hours. When my kids were little, they like to build forts with the couch cushions, blankets and the coffee table in our living room. They had so much fun playing in their forts, they wanted to sleep in them.
This kit looks like Kinex on steroids. There are a TON of pieces and I bet kids could play with this for hours. It’s a heck of a lot better than video games, that’s for sure! I never had a fort building kit and neither did my kids, but when I showed the Fort Magic video to my nine-year-old, she had one thing to say: “COOL!” This toy will be a huge hit with any kid I know – maybe even some adults! I am “IN.”
Will Sharks see the Magic?
Any Shark with children in their lives will see how cool this toy is. Even Sharks built forts when they were kids! The biggest objection Pope and Fort Magic face is the price. The fort building kit costs $199, a price-point the Sharks will cringe at. Even the ABC promo makes a big deal out of the cost: “Will the Sharks go for a fort building kit that costs $199?”
There are other fort building kits out there for less money, but they have fewer pieces and some of them look a bit flimsy. Fort Magic is durable and strong. They have a lot of fans and customers too, so if they’re not afraid of the price tag, why should the Sharks? I think Lori could do well with this on QVC, but it might be a bit too expensive for the mass audience. Barbara could take a liking to it, too. Mr. Wonderful will probably have some choice words about the cost and the ease with which Fort Magic could be duplicated, so he’ll be out. Mark will think it’s cool, but he’ll give the old “I’m a customer, but I’m out,” line. Robert could make an offer, but it will be at a low valuation.
Fort Magic might get an offer or two, but Erika better have some decent sales numbers if she wants to partner with a Shark!
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
Speak Your Mind