WHAT’S IN A DAME : Mother of inventions: That ‘Clip’
Posted on Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Oh, is ABC’s American Inventor show finally over ?
Because it was over for me a few weeks ago.
I was thoroughly enjoying the reality show about inventors and the creations (from the clever — a portable fitness machine — to the kooky — a huggable My Therapy Buddy doll that tells you “Everything is going to be all right” ) that they hoped would be deemed the ultimate $ 1 million winning invention.
That is, until a few weeks ago when the show turned into Man Inventor and the final four were announced: Erik, Ed, Francisco and Janusz. All guys. This, when there were so many promising and interesting female entrepreneurs competing.
What made the all-guy finalist picks of the almost all-male panel (only one of the four people on the judging panel was female ) even more insufferable was that one of the guys selected had fabricated the most “guy” invention ever — The Receiver’s Training Pole, a detachable vest that football players can wear to develop proper catching skills. As if such a niche thing has the potential to really help meet the needs or change the lives of many Americans in any kind of significant way.
Not like Sharon Clemens’ Restroom Door Clip.
All the women — and even some of the men — I know who watched the show agreed that the unpretentious invention of Clemens, a 63-year-old retired sales associate from California, was American Inventor’s most useful and worthy entry.
Her Restroom Door Clip is merely a tiny plastic clip that could be kept in a purse or briefcase and then attached to the top of a public restroom stall in the event of a broken door that won’t stay shut.
Simple. And genius. Who in America couldn’t relate to such a product ?
During the course of the show, she perfected her invention, creating a compact, portable Keep It Tidy Restroom Survival Kit, featuring her Stall Stopper (complete with a small handle to hold bags or jackets in case the door didn’t have a hook ), as well as flushable wipes, toilet seat covers, a small toilet paper roll and antibacterial hand wipes.
But while the invention got her to the semi-finals, Janusz Liberkowski’s Spherical Safety Seat (OK, admittedly, a car seat for infants designed to shield them in the event of an accident is certainly something women can benefit from too ) won their judges’ nod to go to the finals and ultimately won the $ 1 million.
For more information on Clemens’ kit, you can always visit www. restroomsurvival kit. com. But unfortunately you can’t buy one, at least not now: “I’d like to get it to market yesterday. I am, however, under contract with ABC and they have an option to license it for the next year. I am waiting for the conclusion of the show to hear more about this arrangement,” Clemens says on her site. You can enter your contact information to receive product updates as they are available.
In the meantime, you can hug your My Therapy Buddy. There is an eBay store devoted to selling those for $ 69. 99. So, see ? Everything really is going to be all right. Invent an e-mail: jchristman@arkansasonline. com What’s in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman ’hood.
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