https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-bowling-a52b66128/
Mike Bowling is the inventor of Pound Puppies, an extremely popular line of toys that debuted in the 1980s and inspired an animated TV special, two animated TV series, and a feature film. "One Simple Idea" author Stephen Key interviews Bowling about how he invented and licensed Pound Puppies. Stephen is very familiar with Pound Puppies, because they were a huge hit when he was entering the toy and game industry and Stephen himself was a plush creator. (Meaning, he worked with fabrics and other soft materials to sculpt designs.)
Mike was inspired to invent Pound Puppies based on his experience as a child adopting a dog from the pound. People love their kids and their pets, Mike rationalized. With Pound Puppies, children could go the pound, pick out the pet that they wanted, bring it home, and name it — all of which created a sense of ownership of having a pet. This feeling was very unique in the marketplace at the time. Pound Puppies were unique because they didn't have a name!
Tonka, the company that began selling Pound Puppies, even included the option of mailing them the name you had chosen, and they would return a little tag. Genius. With Pound Puppies, nearly 30-40% of consumers took advantage of this option. Incredible! It says how important it was to that child to name and own the puppy.
Mike also packaged the toy so that it looked like you were taking your pet home from the pound, which Stephen describes as brilliant. Mike designed the packaging himself with a posterboard and an X-Acto knife. You peaked through the bars to see the puppy inside. Tonka's marketing people wanted the puppy's head to be seen by the children. Irwin Toy came out with Pound Puppies first in 1984, and they took it from Mike on the spot. It became the #1 new toy in Canada that year.
Mike says, "You keep going from the no's until you get a yes." Ultimately, Mike was rejected 14 times. Mike describes the rejections he receives and the reasons he was given. Pound Puppies became the number #1 toy in the WORLD. Mike was a factory worker at Ford at the time, which he didn't really enjoy, but it supported his family. When he got the idea, he thought, "This is it." He was convinced this was his opportunity to get out of the factory and do something he enjoyed every day: The creative process. He didn't allow any rejection to get in his way.
Mike quit to follow his dream. There was no option but to succeed. He had never been in the toy industry. He believed that he could figure it out, and he did.
Mike describes his journey of commercializing Pound Puppies, including how he sold early puppies, getting into companies, the importance of networking, how a story in the local paper helped him, reaching out to an IP attorney first, how he positioned his initial pitch, how he approaches his business relationships, and more. It's not just luck. You have to chase down leads and take action to make your idea a reality.
Since Pound Puppies, he has licensed 25-30 more ideas. He's still in the game coming up with ideas.
Mike explains that his biggest success is getting to do what he wants to every day, and he has loved every minute of it. Congratulations Mike! You're a true inspiration.
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