Ten-year-old Cassidy Crowley was face-to-face with five sharks. But they weren’t the creatures that live in the ocean. They were the investors on the TV show Shark Tank. Cassidy was there to try to persuade them to invest in her invention, called the Baby Toon. It’s a baby spoon that’s also a teething toy.

“It felt like such an unreal moment for me,” she says. “My heart was racing.” 

Cassidy was thrilled when one of the sharks, Lori Greiner, decided to back her idea. That was in 2019. Today, the Baby Toon is sold online and in thousands of stores across the U.S. and Canada.

Cassidy, now 15, wants other kids to follow in her footsteps to become inventors. Here are her tips.

Ten-year-old Cassidy Crowley was face-to-face with five sharks. But they weren’t the creatures that live in the ocean. They were the investors on the TV show Shark Tank. Cassidy was there to try to persuade them to invest in her invention. It’s called the Baby Toon. It’s a baby spoon that’s also a teething toy.

“It felt like such an unreal moment for me,” she says. “My heart was racing.” 

Lori Greiner was one of the sharks. She decided to back Cassidy’s idea. Cassidy was thrilled. That was in 2019. Today, the Baby Toon is sold in thousands of stores across the U.S. and Canada. It is also sold online.

Cassidy, now 15, wants other kids to follow in her footsteps and become inventors. Here are her tips.

The Baby Toon started as a science fair project in 2016 in Cassidy’s hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. Cassidy’s first-grade teacher asked her to think of a problem from everyday life and come up with a solution. 

Cassidy was inspired by her baby sister, Emily. She would often stick the handle of her plastic baby spoon in her mouth. Their mom worried that Emily might hurt herself. 

“That’s when I kind of had that ‘Aha!’ moment,” Cassidy recalls.

The Baby Toon started as a school project in 2016. It was for a science fair in Cassidy’s hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. Cassidy’s first-grade teacher asked her to think of a problem from everyday life and come up with a solution.  

Cassidy was inspired by her baby sister, Emily. She would often stick the handle of her plastic baby spoon in her mouth. Their mom worried that Emily might hurt herself. 

“That’s when I kind of had that ‘Aha!’ moment,” Cassidy recalls.

Cassidy researched different types of baby spoons. Then she made sketches of what a safer one might look like. From there, she made her first prototype using a plastic spoon, a bath toy, and some duct tape. 

“I just took stuff I had around me,” Cassidy explains. “Nothing really fancy.”

Having a simple model she could hold in her hands made it easier to improve the design. Later, she bought plastic beads that could be molded into shapes when heated. She used them to create a spoon shaped like an elephant, which she presented at the science fair.

Cassidy researched different types of baby spoons. Then she made sketches of what a safer one might look like. From there, she made her first prototype. She used a plastic spoon, a bath toy, and some duct tape. 

“I just took stuff I had around me,” Cassidy explains. “Nothing really fancy.”

Having a simple model she could hold in her hands made it easier to improve the design. Later she bought plastic beads that could be molded into shapes when heated. She used them to create a spoon shaped like an elephant. That was the prototype she presented at the science fair.

Cassidy had her parents’ support all along. When she decided to turn her science fair project into a product she could sell, they knew they needed help.

Product design expert Collin Kobayashi worked with Cassidy to improve her design. The spoon needed to have smooth edges and be soft enough not to injure a baby. They used a 3-D printer to make more prototypes. Kobayashi also helped find a factory that could manufacture the final product using a baby-safe material called silicone. 

Greiner of Shark Tank helped Cassidy’s creation become a big business. She made a deal with a baby products company called Munchkin to sell the Baby Toon.

Cassidy had her parents’ support all along. Later she decided to turn her science fair project into a product she could sell. She and her parents knew they needed help.

Product design expert Collin Kobayashi worked with Cassidy to improve her design. The spoon needed to have smooth edges. It also had to be soft enough not to injure a baby. They used a 3-D printer to make more prototypes. Kobayashi also helped find a factory that could manufacture the final product. It’s made from a baby-safe material called silicone. 

Greiner of Shark Tank helped Cassidy’s creation become a big business. She made a deal with a baby products company called Munchkin. It now sells the Baby Toon.

Success didn’t happen overnight for Cassidy. She sketched, 3-D printed, and tested about 50 versions of the Baby Toon. She met with Kobayashi once a week for more than a year to make sure the design was just right. The long process wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. 

“You’re going to hit challenges along the way,” Cassidy says. “You have to just believe in yourself.”

Success didn’t happen overnight for Cassidy. She sketched, 3-D printed, and tested about 50 versions of the Baby Toon. She met with Kobayashi once a week for more than a year. She worked hard to make sure the design was just right. The long process wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. 

“You’re going to hit challenges along the way,” Cassidy says. “You have to just believe in yourself.”

1. What problem did the Baby Toon help solve? How?

2. What is a prototype, and how did making one help Cassidy?

3. What are some of the decisions Cassidy had to make during the invention process?

1. What problem did the Baby Toon help solve? How?

2. What is a prototype, and how did making one help Cassidy?

3. What are some of the decisions Cassidy had to make during the invention process?