HOLLAND, Mich. — Apothecary Gift Shop in Holland stocks the trendiest toys, including pop fidgets.
“It’s just the craze,” said Tim Murphy. “Like bubble wrap for kids except you can reuse it over and over and over. You pop them all, you flip them, and then you start again.”
As a father of two girls, ages 10 and 13, Murphy knows the toy all too well.
But it’s his daughters’ obsessions that led him to his newest invention.
“The fact that we’re able to go from napkin sketches to retail in about two months was a feat within itself,” said Murphy.
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Earlier this fall, after a night spent together, the family created “PopitPopper.”
“We’re all using our fingers to pop it and make the noises and have fun, but after a while, I was like, ‘Man, there’s gotta be a quicker way to pop these,’” said Murphy.
Similar to a fidget spinner, a PopitPopper rolls across the silicone mats and snaps the bubbles for kids.
Murphy and his daughters, Sammy and Kate, spent weeks finalizing the product.
“We started adding feet, and we tried different shapes and details in the feet; like, how can we make this really pop well?” said Murphy.
From there, the family found a local manufacturer, TriStar Molding, and a place to sell, Apothecary Gift Shop.
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“I hope they [my daughters] pick up on it and really engage entrepreneurialism, or dreaming and failing,” said Murphy. “I think there were probably 20 different failures before we got to the one that worked. I think that was a really cool lesson for them.”
With holiday shopping underway, the Murphys think PopitPopper could make their way onto people’s lists.
A patent is pending. Murphy says there is no other product like it in the toy market.
PopitPoppers are $9.99 and come in an assortment of colors.
“It’s been a ride and it’s been fun,” said Murphy. “A big family effort.”
To visit the company’s website or buy online, clickhere.
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