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Sleep deprivation can be a powerful motivator. Three years ago, Brent Penick was tired and growing more desperate with each sleepless night spent in his Cedar Hill home. His 3-year-old son, Benjamin—terrified of the hairy, blue monster that resided in his closet at night—was keeping him up. Penick tried everything to alleviate Ben’s fears, including tying the closet door shut with “magic” rubber bands and wrestling a stuffed monster into the trash. Nothing worked.
Nothing, that is, until Penick enlisted the aid of friend Gary Hinsley, who had experienced the same problem with his now-grown children when they were young. Together, they fashioned a rudimentary monster trap out of a shoebox and a Styrofoam cup. With the help of some blue food coloring, Benjamin woke the next morning to find the liquefied remains of the monster, which he poured down the toilet. With one victorious flush, the monster—and Benjamin’s fear—was gone.
Amazed at their success, Penick and Hinsley realized they may have stumbled upon the perfect solution to every child’s (not to mention their suffering parents’) nightmare. After speaking with friends and neighbors, Hinsley says, “we realized just how many children are affected by this.” So the simple shoebox-and-Styrofoam setup was made over into the Magical Monster Trap, complete with a wand, magic potion, and an accompanying storybook.
“People that have bought it say, ‘I would’ve paid $100 for it,’” says Penick, who offers a money-back guarantee on his award-winning toy. (The retail cost is $24.95.) “It works,” Hinsley adds.
But while they may have defeated the monster, marketing is an entirely different beast. Penick, the owner of a local chain of car washes, and Hinsley, now an oil and gas man, have found themselves in unfamiliar territory trying to get a children’s toy in the hands of the masses. After a quick (read: pricey) stint with a PR firm out of California, an infomercial cut short by Hurricane Katrina, and an attempt to appear on QVC, the business partners are relying on word-of-mouth while they try, once again, to find the perfect solution to their big, hairy problem.
It’s nothing, they hope, a few more sleepless nights can’t solve.
