Watching Shark Tank is an emotional rollercoaster. For every brilliant idea that makes you scream “YES, FINALLY!” at your TV, there’s another that makes you wonder if you’ve accidentally stumbled upon a surrealist art exhibit. It’s the only place where you can witness a simple sponge become a multi-million dollar empire in one segment, and a cat-licking device get presented with a straight face in the next. The Tank is a glorious coliseum of innovation, desperation, and sometimes, pure, unadulterated absurdity.
So, we dove headfirst into those unpredictable waters to fish out the most memorable products for your viewing pleasure. We’ve rounded up the certified winners that have become household names and rightfully earned their spot in our shopping carts. But we didn’t stop there. We also gathered the legendary flops and face-palm-worthy inventions that are just as unforgettable, but for entirely different reasons. Get ready for a tour of the best and worst ideas that brave entrepreneurs dared to pitch.
#1 Sending A Card That Becomes A Permanent Desk Decoration Is The Ultimate Adulting Flex, And It’s All Thanks To Lovepop
Lovepop’s intricate 3D pop-up cards immediately wowed the tank and sparked a bidding war, leading to a $300,000 investment from Kevin O’Leary. The company validated the Sharks’ excitement by becoming one of the show’s biggest successes, rocketing to over $100 million in lifetime sales.
Image source: amazon.com
#2 You Can Finally Stop Treating Pet Hair As The Glitter You Never Asked For On Your Clean Laundry With A Furzapper
The creators of FurZapper immediately impressed the Sharks with a staggering $5.1 million in sales for their simple, reusable pet hair remover. This undeniable proof of concept for a high-margin product sparked a competitive bidding situation, culminating in a $600,000 deal with Lori Greiner who saw its massive retail potential.
Image source: amazon.com, Madison
#3 The Only Roommate That’s Genuinely Thrilled To See A Sink Full Of Dirty Dishes Is The Scrub Daddy Sponge
Aaron Krause’s flawless live demonstration of the texture-changing sponge is considered one of the best pitches in the show’s history, instantly convincing Lori Greiner to make a $200,000 investment. That deal proved to be the most lucrative in the tank’s history, as Scrub Daddy went on to become a household name with sales surpassing an incredible $670 million.
Image source: amazon.com, amazon customer
#4 Turning Your “I Wonder If…” Health Questions Into Actual, Science-Based Answers Without A Co-Pay Is The Entire Point Of Everlywell
Despite the Sharks balking at a massive $20 million valuation, founder Julia Cheek’s powerful vision for at-home health testing convinced Lori Greiner to secure a unique $1 million line of credit deal. Lori’s investment proved incredibly prescient as EverlyWell became a “unicorn” company, achieving a valuation well over $1 billion and validating itself as one of the most successful ventures in Shark Tank history.
Image source: amazon.com
#5 Playing A Risky Game Of Hot Potato With Your Microwave Bowl Is A Relic Of The Past Thanks To Safe Grabs
Inventor Cyndi Lee impressed the Sharks with her simple, multi-purpose silicone mat, sparking a competitive bidding war that culminated in a famously high-pressure, on-the-spot deal with Lori Greiner for $75,000. Lori’s instinct proved correct as she turned Safe Grabs into a QVC and retail superstar, generating millions in sales and validating it as a perfect mass-market kitchen gadget.
Image source: amazon.com
#6 Achieving A Potluck Contribution That Looks Like A Work Of Art But Required Less Effort Than Finding Your Keys Is Now Possible With Boarderie
The founders of Boarderie ignited a rare five-Shark feeding frenzy with their stunning, shippable charcuterie boards and incredible early sales, ultimately landing a hard-fought $300,000 deal with Lori Greiner. That partnership proved wildly successful, as the company leveraged the “Shark Tank effect” to explode to over $70 million in sales, becoming one of the show’s biggest recent hits.
Image source: amazon.com, Ash
#7 That Moment You Graduate From Buying A 12-Pack Of Randoms To Socks That Actually Hug Your Feet Is The Moment You’re Ready For Bombas Socks
The founders of Bombas secured a hard-fought $200,000 deal with Daymond John by combining a powerful “buy-one-give-one” social mission with a technically superior sock, convincing him of the brand’s potential despite other Sharks’ skepticism. That partnership proved monumental, as Bombas became one of the show’s biggest success stories, achieving over $1 billion in lifetime sales and donating tens of millions of socks to those in need.
Image source: amazon.com, Kim Maes
#8 Letting Your Body Get A Gentle, Calming Squeeze All Night So Your Brain Can Finally Log Off Is The Whole Vibe Of The Hug Sleep
The founders of Hug Sleep sparked a Shark feeding frenzy with their authentic pitch for a unique adult swaddle, impressing the tank with nearly half a million dollars in early sales for their simple sleep solution. This powerful combination of a proven market and relatable founders resulted in a rare $300,000 joint deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner, who helped launch the company into a multi-million dollar success story.
Image source: amazon.com
#9 The Item You Absolutely Take Into The Bathroom With You Deserves Its Own Futuristic Light Bath, Which Is What The Phonesoap Is For
The founders of PhoneSoap used a compelling live demonstration with a germ meter to prove their product’s effectiveness, securing a $300,000 deal from Lori Greiner who saw its mass-market potential. That partnership proved incredibly timely and successful, as the company became a QVC superstar and surpassed $150 million in sales after the global pandemic created unprecedented demand for sanitizing products.
Image source: amazon.com, Gio
#10 The Official Dress Code For A Serious, Committed Relationship With Your Couch Is The Comfy
The founders of The Comfy charmed the Sharks with their simple, cozy wearable blanket, sparking an immediate positive reaction in the tank and securing a $50,000 deal with Barbara Corcoran. That partnership proved to be one of the show’s most successful, turning the simple idea into a pop-culture phenomenon and a retail juggernaut with sales soaring past $150 million.
Image source: amazon.com, Lara
#11 You Can Stop Wondering If A Tiny Ecosystem Is Developing At The Bottom Of Your Water Bottle With A Larq
Founder Justin Wang stunned the tank with his sleek, self-purifying LARQ bottle and an incredible $4 million in pre-show sales, sparking a fierce bidding war for his high-margin product. This impressive performance secured a massive $1 million team-up offer from Lori and Kevin, and although the deal never closed, the exposure helped catapult LARQ into a global brand with sales soaring past $50 million.
Image source: amazon.com
#12 Apparently The Path To Breaking Bad Habits Is Paved With Mild Electric Shocks, At Least According To The Creators Of The Pavlock
Founder Maneesh Sethi presented a bizarre habit-breaking shock bracelet, but his pitch collapsed due to his arrogant attitude and the admission that he hired someone to slap him to stay productive. The Sharks unanimously rejected the product as dangerous and the founder as un-investable, culminating in Kevin O’Leary angrily calling him a “con artist” and ordering him out of the tank in one of the show’s most infamous confrontations.
Image source: amazon.com, CNBC Ambition
#13 Blurring The Sacred Boundary Between Loving Your Cat And Becoming Your Cat Is The Entire Purpose Of The Licki Brush
The founders of Licki Brush presented a bizarre tongue-shaped device for owners to “lick” their cats, immediately drawing laughter and cringes from the visibly uncomfortable Sharks. The product was unanimously rejected as a strange gag gift with no mass-market appeal, prompting Kevin O’Leary to famously call it a “cat-astrophy” as all the Sharks quickly declined to invest.
Image source: amazon.com, ABC
#14 Because Your Self-Sticking Notes Apparently Needed Their Own Special Pedestal, Someone Invented The Sticky Note Holder
The founder of the Sticky Note Holder baffled the Sharks by asking for $100,000 for a simple, non-proprietary piece of plastic designed to hold a pad of sticky notes. The pitch quickly became a lesson in what not to do, as the Sharks unanimously rejected it and Robert Herjavec famously demonstrated that his own wallet could perform the exact same function for free.
Image source: amazon.com, CFF
#15 Apparently The Keyboard Shortcuts We All Learned In Elementary School Just Weren’t Efficient Enough, Which Is Why The Copy Keyboard Exists
The founder of Copy Keyboard baffled the Sharks with a small, three-key device dedicated solely to the copy-and-paste function, a problem already solved by universal and more efficient keyboard shortcuts. The pitch was swiftly dismantled as the Sharks, particularly tech expert Robert Herjavec, pointed out the product actually slows down workflow, leading to a unanimous rejection of what they considered a fundamentally useless invention.
Image source: amazon.com, Shark Tank Global
#16 Normalizing Wearing Your Own Personal Barf Bag As A Fashion Accessory Was The Ambitious Goal Of The Carsik Bib. Lets Just Stick To Baby Bibs For Now, Please
The founders presented the Carsik Bib, a wearable bag designed for children to vomit into, which immediately and visibly disgusted the entire panel of Sharks. The pitch was swiftly rejected as a horrifyingly impractical and unsanitary idea, with Kevin O’Leary cementing its infamous legacy by calling it a “barf bib” and one of the worst products he’d ever seen.
Image source: amazon.com, Shark Tank Global
#17 Replacing A Perfectly Good Lugagge Zipper With A Clunky, Roll-Top Door Was The Big Innovation Behind The Trunkster
The founders of Trunkster used their slick, zipperless luggage and a massive $1.4 million Kickstarter campaign to secure an equally massive $1.4 million deal from Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. However, the company became one of the show’s most infamous failures, collapsing under immense production delays and ultimately failing to deliver products to thousands of angry customers.
Image source: amazon.com, Shark Tank Global
#18 Someone Decided To Streamline Breakfast By Cramming Your Daily Caffeine Dose Directly Into Wired Waffles. Can We Just Have Some Regular Waffles Without The Side Of Heart Attack?
The founder of Wired Waffles presented a caffeine-infused waffle that immediately horrified the Sharks, who saw it as a dangerous and irresponsible product with massive liability issues. The pitch completely collapsed due to the founder’s shocking lack of concern for safety, leading to a swift, unanimous rejection and condemnation from the entire panel as a “bad, bad, bad idea.”
Image source: amazon.com, l. p. howard
#19 For Those Who Wanted To Live In A World Of Gentle, Flattering Deceit Every Morning, There Was The Skinny Mirror. We Prefer A Wall Covered In Mirror Tiles To Get A Full And Glorious Look At Ourselves Instead
The founder of Skinny Mirror pitched her product, which makes people look slimmer, as a confidence-booster, but the Sharks immediately condemned it as a business built on deception. The entire panel rejected the idea, with Kevin O’Leary famously calling it a “scam” and the other Sharks pointing out the massive ethical problem of stores using it to trick customers into buying clothes.
Image source: amazon.com, ABC
#20 Letting You Turn Your Furry Best Friend Into A Temporary, And Likely Unenthusiastic, Art Project Was The Main Selling Point Of Pet Paint. For Everyone’s Safety, Let’s Stick To Regular Paint Brushes Instead?
The founder of Pet Paint presented his colored hairspray for dogs, a product that was immediately mocked by most of the Sharks as a ridiculous novelty with a very limited market. Despite Mark Cuban’s sharp criticism and the overall skepticism, Barbara Corcoran surprisingly saw potential and invested $200,000, making it one of the most bizarre and ridiculed products to ever secure a deal.
Image source: amazon.com, Shark Tank
#21 Establishing A Designated Containment Unit For Uninvited Six-Legged Party Guests Was The Grand Vision For The No Fly Cone. You’d Be Better Off Wrapping A Giant Flytrap Around Yourself When Walking Your Pooch
The inventor of the No Fly Cone pitched a bizarre plastic cone designed to be placed over fresh dog poop to trap flies, a concept that immediately baffled the Sharks. The product was mercilessly mocked for its core flaw—it’s far easier to just pick up the waste—with Daymond John famously asking why you would “build a monument to the poop,” leading to a swift and unanimous rejection.
Image source: amazon.com, CNBC Ambition
#22 Solving The Nonexistent Crisis Of ‘Peanut Butter Knuckle’ Once And For All Was The Bold Mission Of The Peanut Butter Pump
The founder of the Peanut Butter Pump presented his device as a mess-free solution, but the pitch immediately fell apart during a clunky live demonstration that proved the product was impractical and a nightmare to clean. The Sharks swiftly and unanimously rejected the gadget, with Lori Greiner declaring it a “solution to a problem that doesn’t exist” and a perfect example of a poorly designed invention.
Image source: amazon.com, Shark Tank Global
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