Will ABC's 'Sharks' make a deal? Boca entrepreneur pitches 'Dingle Dangle' baby toy
BOCA RATON — Can the stress of changing a baby in a very public bathroom lead to an invention? For Mark Hamilton and Boca Raton local Stewart Gold, the answer is yes.
On Friday, Jan. 12, Gold will present that invention to the “Sharks” of ABC’s hit show ‘Shark Tank.’
Hamilton, Gold's former neighbor-turned-business-partner, found himself in a Spanish airport some years ago struggling to change his daughter’s diaper. He returned to his home in Yorkshire, an area of Northern England, a changed man. He’d decided it was up to him to create a restraint-free baby distraction toy that would help him with the task.
The device started as a wearable coat hanger with keys hanging down from its hook. And it worked.
About a year later, in 2019, Gold, of Boca Raton, moved into the apartment above Hamilton’s in England. He, too, had a young child at the time.
They quickly became friends — and business partners. Gold, who had his second son on the way, spent months with Hamilton perfecting the prototype during the pandemic.
"I can still hear the 3D printer in my sleep," Hamilton said. "It's sort of a high-pitched humming noise that haunts me to this day."
It took so many tries, neither Hamilton nor Gold remembers exactly how many prototypes there were.
"There's not a seamstress in the Harrogate area that I don't know very well, that helped along the way," Hamilton said.
Now, essentially a portable cloth baby mobile that can wrap around a parent’s head, their product has become known as the Dingle Dangle.
It has three uses: To help with changing a baby’s diapers and clothes, to clip onto strollers and use as a portable baby mobile and to use simply as a sensory rattle. It’s meant for children 13 to 18 months old.
The process of presenting before the "Sharks" was a seemingly simple one, though timely, per Gold, who submitted the Dingle Dangle and heard back a few days later. It took about a year before he got onto the show.
"The Sharks are incredibly supportive," Gold said. "They're business people, they ask tough questions, they want to know about your business. But, also, I think they're human beings. They've all been in our situation before, and I think they want to see you succeed."
Hamilton and Gold believe the Dingle Dangle's functionality is its strongest asset.
"We're really proud that we've created something that can be a multi-use product, but also has longevity," Hamilton said. "There are a lot of baby products out there that last maybe a month or two months, and then the baby grows out of it. With the Dingle Dangle, it's relevant for newborns all the way to two years plus."
The product, its creators say, was built with both the parent and child in mind. A colorful cloth octopus hangs from one option of the gadget, and a turtle with a mirror on its belly dangles from another. But, with comfort in mind, Hamilton and Gold made a design suitable to be worn for about an hour at a time, though most parents just use it for a few minutes at once.
The play set, which starts at $39.99, has five interchangeable pieces. Each is designed to stimulate a baby’s key developmental milestones, such as eyesight and cognition.
"It's almost like a celebration," Gold said, ahead of the Dingle Dangle's premiere on "Shark Tank" Friday evening.
He also holds a special place for his circle in Boca Raton, whom he said supported him while he was living in Yorkshire working on the product's creation with Hamilton.
"I don't think we would have been here without the support," Gold said.
Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton man, partner pitch baby product on ABC's 'Shark Tank'
