The #1 superstore domestics retailer has picked up three Hugs Pet Products for a test in 10 of its stores! The Pugz Shoes, Cool Cot and Auto Pet Dish are now selling in BB&B stores in Long Island, N.Y., Tampa, Fla., and several other cities. They are the first Hugs products to hit BB&B’s shelves, but hopefully not the last!

“It’s very exciting,” said Davison’s VP of Licensing. “Hopefully the products will test well and will sell out fast.”

All three products are client projects that we developed through our collaboration with Hugs for our clients: Kay – Pugz, Dennis – Auto Dish, and Deborah – Cool Cot. Pugz, the newest Hugs product to hit the market, resembles the popular Uggs boots, only for pampered canines – so adorable, it’s sure to be a hit! The inventors of the Pugz and Auto Pet Dish have not realized a net profit from their products.

The ideas were submitted and Davison’s design team began working on the projects years ago, in some cases. Once Hugs expressed an interest, the items were finalized by our corporate design team.

“It’s really cool that we can go back into our inventory and pull out something a corporation is looking for,” said the design manager. “It’s just a matter of the right company at the right time, and this is a perfect example of that.”

Congratulations to our clients and to everyone who worked on these great new products!

 As National Inventors’ Month winds down, we continue to celebrate the inventive and creative spirit of inventors who dream of ways to improve the world and then make their dreams a reality, overcoming many obstacles along the way. Their efforts have enriched the lives of millions throughout history and will continue to do so into the future. We pay tribute this month to inventors who relentlessly pursue their dreams, including our clients, several of whom have seen their dreams become reality in the past year. Joy, Jean, Gary and Sharon are just a few who are reaping the rewards of their efforts, while consumers benefit from their inventiveness and determination. Here’s to all of the inventors out there who don’t give up on their dreams! 

Let’s take a look back at some of their stories: 

Our client, Joy, whose Party on the Go was a big hit on QVC, got a wonderful surprise when Mr. Davison and his team visited her in her Colorado hometown to celebrate her success. Joy’s first royalty check was hidden in a Party on the Go platter at a festive picnic held in her honor at Colorado National Monument Park. Read more…  

Our client, Sharon, was featured on ABC affiliate, KXLY, as well as in her hometown newspaper. She described how she came up with her new product idea and told of her amazing visit to Davison. The wife, mother and entrepreneur learned her invention was already selling in Sky Mall and saw the packaged product for the first time during a visit to Inventionland, where her new product was developed. Read more…

Our client, Jean, visited us so we could celebrate her success. At a delicious dinner held in Inventionland of spaghetti and meatballs (prepared in the Meatball Baker), she was presented with a gleaming covered tray that concealed a large royalty check. Jean responded with shock, amazement and tears of joy. Read more…

Our client, Gary, was blown away when he found out his pet care invention, the Dog Wash, was selling in Sky Mall. The sprinkler installer got the great news as an invited guest to Davison in Pittsburgh, PA, where his idea was developed. During a visit to Inventionland, he saw the packaged product for the first time and learned it was already on the market. Read more… 

We look forward to surprising many more of our clients with good news in the future!

The typical new product is not licensed, sold in stores or profitable.

In the past few months many new stores have added Davison-designed products and packaging to their shelves, pushing our total store count to over 600! The new stores include major brick-and-mortar retailers, such as Michaels, the largest arts and crafts retailer in the world! Michaels, which operates over 1,000 arts and crafts stores in 49 U.S. states and in Canada, is now selling the Party Traveler, a versatile food travel caddy that we designed for our inventor client, Joy. Another major new retailer is the upscale Crate & Barrel, which is now selling the Water Infuser that we designed for Jokari to provide a healthy alternative to sugary drinks.

We also have added dozens of niche retailers, such as Mary Maxim, the largest mail order merchandiser of exclusive needlework and craft kits in North America, which is now selling the Petite Press that we did for Prym. Numerous pet product retailers also have picked up many innovative items we developed for clients and Hugs Pet Products, greatly adding to our store total. And the list just keeps on growing!

Check out all the great new stores on our product pages!

The first product we have created for New Product Kingdom is on its way to the store shelves! The Air Rack that we designed for the company is being shipped to a distributor in Canada, which will send the 300-piece test order to stores in the Home Hardware chain – Canada’s largest independent home improvement retailer!

“It works well, it looks good and hopefully it will sell a ton,” said Davison’s VP of Licensing. “This is the first NPK product, and there will be many more to come.”

The heavy-duty inflatable product, which includes a pump, can be quickly and securely attached to the roof of a vehicle, providing an instant and lightweight rack to hold oversize loads. When not needed, the rack can be compactly stored in the trunk.

The product design, graphic design, packaging and photography were all created in house.  The Air Rack concept came out of a brainstorming meeting with the corporation last summer. Three related projects are also in the works: kayak / canoe rack, cargo rack, and storage pad – which will make four items in the line. The small packaging required for inflatable items takes up much less space on the store shelf, which has many benefits for the retailer and corporation, as well as the consumer, said Davison’s corporate design manager. “You just can’t beat the packaging space.”

Congratulations to all who worked on this great new product! We can’t wait to see the rest of the line!

The Davison “D” continues to make its mark in BB&B. The Water Infuser and Packet Rack, both of which came out of a brainstorming meeting with Jokari in early 2009, are being tested in select Bed, Bath & Beyond stores! “We did it all – the design work, the engineering – start to finish,” said Davison’s VP of Licensing. “They turned out nice.”

The creative coach of special operations and his team brainstormed the design of both products. The coach designed the Water Infuser, a “spotlight” item in Jokari’s “healthy steps” line. It is the first product in stores from the wellness line that we are developing for the company.

The Water Infuser’s hinged sphere opens so it can hold pieces of fruit, vegetables and herbs, such as lemon, cucumber, strawberries or mint. The sphere is then placed in a pitcher and, through small slits in the plastic, the water or tea is infused with natural flavors, offering a healthy and inexpensive alternative to sodas, sugary fruit drinks and bottled water.

“They made a few changes at the factory, but for the most part it looks the same,” said the designer.

The Packet Rack, which is also on Jokari.com, is the result of the company’s challenge to find a solution to the problem of neatly storing multiple packets of seasoning and mixes. During the brainstorming session, one member of the team “had a moment of genius,” said his manager, and came up with the idea of pinching packets in a spring.

“Everyone kind of looked at me,” said the designer, who then proved his concept with a spring from the build line. “I got a few laughs … until I showed them. This is one of those things where you take an everyday item and design it for a different use.”

Jokari “really liked the idea,” and the product evolved into a row of small springs on a base that mounts to the inside of a cabinet. To use, simply press upward on the spring, insert the top of a packet into the opening, then let go and the packet is secured.

“We showed it to them and they only came back with a couple of tweaks,” said the corporate design manager, who is, once again, very pleased with the performance of his team.

Congratulations to everyone who worked on these great new products! We won’t be surprised if they both get an A+ on their test!

Diana, from Parkville, Maryland, is the second winner in our “Find the ‘D’ and You Could Win Money” giveaway! She was beyond excited when she got the good news.

“That is so crazy — are you serious!?” exclaimed Diana. She enters a lot of online contests for fun, but never expected to win. Entering the contest was “very easy,” as was finding products with the Davison “D,” she said.

“They’re everywhere — there’s so many of them!”

Diana has chosen a $500 gift card to Walmart, which will be incredibly helpful to her family. She will be shopping for some much needed household items, clothing, school supplies, and a few toys for her son. She is also a new client who is pursuing her new product idea. She learned about the contest through her director, Darryl.

“It’s been great working with you guys, so this is a bonus!” said Diana, who actually bought the product she took the photo of in Walmart (no purchase is necessary). ”Thank you again for this opportunity. It really helps when money is tight … I am happy to be working with Davison on a product and that gave me the opportunity to learn about the sweepstakes. I was late on entering the first month but I entered the first day of July. I always enter other sweepstakes but its just for fun. I never thought I would win. Thank you again!”

Darryl also has enjoyed working with Diana since May on her new product idea, and he is very happy that she won the giveaway. 

“She’s pretty fun, and she’s pretty dedicated to her project,” said Darryl. “Diana’s very enthusiastic, and a good person to deal with.”

We are running the giveaway again this month, and everyone who enters from now until Aug. 31 will be in our next drawing for a $500 gift card to a store carrying Davison products. So don’t forget to tell all your friends to enter — they might be our next winner in “Find the ‘D’ and You Could Win Money!”

The Summer Licensing meeting and party was full of great news: In the last quarter, 10 new products are on the market or on their way, and 5 new packaging solutions also have hit the store shelves!

We created packaging for the Comfort Me Spa Sets (4 pc, 3 pc, 2 pc), and the 5 Motor Massage Mat with Heat for Comfort Products – all of which are being tested on Walmart.com before being placed in the stores. We also did the packaging for Metro’s Flocked Hanger Set, which is on its way to Big Lots. With our rebranding of the Relaxzen logo, we gave Comfort Products a whole new look that has enabled them to take the products to market.

“The company continues to take over space on Walmart’s shelves by updating and refreshing their packaging, and all that packaging is coming from Davison. It goes to show the power of great packaging,” said Davison’s VP of Licensing.

Of the 10 new products we designed, two are the first ones we have going to market for Honey Can Do. The Folding Garment Rack and the Shoe Tubes soon will be selling online and then in a variety of retailers. Both are great examples of adding a new twist to an old product that makes it unique and attractive to buyers and consumers.

There is “nothing else out there” like the Shoe Tubes, which is great for kids and dorm rooms, said the VP. “The corporation saw it and they loved it.” The Garment Rack folds twice, thereby reducing the needed box size by half, which is very valuable to retailers. Both products were designed to ship and store very flat so retailers can get more products on the shelf.

“Where one product fit before, now they can put two; that’s huge,” he said. “They can double the amount of product in the same space.”

Mr. Davison further explained why it is invaluable to build in shelf requirements from the beginning. “There’s a lot of value in reinventing things out there already on the market because retailers already have shelf space set aside for them … When you build into the manufacturer’s line and build into the retailer’s line, you get a better design all the way around.”

The much anticipated Hydro Bone that we created for Hugs Pet Products in now selling in three sizes at Dr. Foster’s and Smith. Dr. Foster’s website includes an awesome video of the product.

We have received samples of the Bucket Bench from Faucet Queen and it soon will be on the company’s website. This “very unique and cool product” got great feedback from everyone it has been shown to, said the VP. “It’s another win for the company.”

“Another very nice item,” the Therapod, is on the market in a variety of smaller drug stores and also is under review by several large chains. The heating / cooling therapy wrap is the result of many months of development on the corporate design team.

The VP also reported that the Shopping Organizer, which we originally created for a client 14 years ago, was licensed and is now selling at Limited Commodities where, although not profitable, it is earning royalties on two products – the organizer and the replacement packs. The success of the older project is attributed to the “We Try Longer” motto of the Licensing Department. Frequently, clients walk away from their projects if they are not successful after a couple of years. “This is a great example of why you should never do that,” he said.

Everyone got a nice surprise at the end of the meeting when all received a Silicone Dessert Bar Pan, which is already selling in a few stores and is headed for a big airing on QVC this fall. This client product has not earned a net profit. The pans were handed out by the people in Sales, Design and Licensing who worked on the client product from start to finish. In addition to being fun and informative, the Royalty Party is very meaningful because it’s a reminder that it takes a team of people working together to fulfill all the tasks necessary to bring an invention to the market, said Mr. Davison.

“The Licensing meeting is a great experience because we’re able to enjoy one another’s company while reflecting on our accomplishments.”

George Davison has been garnering much attention in the national news media — through his appearance on “The Balancing Act,” his profile in “American Executive” magazine, and with the donation to the National Audubon Society through our “Find the ‘D’ and You Could Win Money!” giveaway, which is being held to celebrate Davison’s milestone of being in 500 stores. The good news has been posted or linked in numerous media outlets, including Yahoo News, BizWire Express, Earth Times, Computer User, Street Insider , even USA Today , and more!

Here is a sample of media outlets where Davison has been making headlines… more are sure to be added to the list in the near future!

The Helping Hands line that we created for Faucet Queen is currently being tested in three Bed, Bath & Beyond stores – in Virginia, Florida and Iowa!

As you can see, the product is stacked from floor to ceiling. We developed 9 items for the line, including the Inshield Wiper, which is also a client project. The Bucket Bench soon will be added to the line after it undergoes some final tweaks of hardware. The creative coach of special operations was very happy to see the products in the store.

“It’s extremely exciting,” said the coach, also lead designer of the line. Bed Bath & Beyond is going to see how the initial purchase order sells before placing any more, he said.

One thing is for certain, the innovative and handy car cleaning items are sure to catch the eyes and interest of many car owners in Iowa, Florida and Virginia!

Congratulations to all who worked on the line — Check out some great photos of the display!

George Davison is featured in a groundbreaking interview on the hit morning show “The Balancing Act,” on Lifetime TV. Mr. Davison, along with Sharon, inventor of the Cool Cot House, and Katie, president of Hugs Pet Products, team up to tell the full story of new product development and explain how the Davison Inventing Method gets new product ideas to the stores. The segment will air again on Aug. 11 at 7 a.m.

Mr. Davison is joined by Sharon, inventor of the Cool Cot House, and Katie, president of Hugs Pet Products, as they tell the story of inventing from three different perspectives and show how a new idea makes its way to the marketplace, from start to finish. Sharon talked about how she came up with the idea, Mr. Davison explained his development methodology, and Katie talked about how Hugs gets all of its product samples from Davison, which they take to buyers.

“It likely was the first time that an inventor, the developer and licensor, and the manufacturer and marketer were all on screen together, explaining how it takes a team to launch new products,” said Mr. Davison. “By having all three of us together, we have a really powerful story to tell, and viewers are getting to see first hand the value of what Davison has to offer.”

If you have a new product idea click here: To Submit Your Idea to Davison for a No Cost Consultation.