THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070567
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
So you think you've invented something that will rock the world and make you millions?
That's what California entrepreneur John Warner used to believe, until he got a good shot of reality during his long journey from brainstorm to having his creation on store shelves.
It all began about 1990, when Warner, who once helped design nuclear submarines, began applying some of the same concepts to toys. Fiddling in his garage, he made ``Toypedo,'' a foot-long device that could be thrown long distances underwater.
He gave Toypedo to his son, who immediately ``went wild'' in the pool, playing with the projectile for hours.
Then came the vision of glory: He could sell his house, start his own business and get rich quick.
``I was standing there one day, and I thought, `This is a million-dollar idea!' '' Warner said. ``I think we all have these flashes.''
He called Wham-O, a division of San Francisco toy maker Kransco. But the corporate voice on the other end of the line didn't sound excited about the prospect of developing Warner's product.
The Wham-O guy informed Warner that he was one of thousands of entrepreneurs who called each year. Then, he added: ``I've worked here eight years, and I haven't taken one of them.''
Warner's persistence paid off. After seeing a videotape of the product, the Wham-O guy called back, excited. Within weeks, Toypedo was one of Wham-O's hottest new products.
Things were going smoothly until the spring of 1994, when Warner discovered that Wham-O's parent company, Kransco, was going to be purchased by Mattel Inc. His contract unsigned, Warner was forced to find someone else to market his product.
Warner began courting Virginia Beach-based Swimways Corp., which purchased Kransco's water-sports division. About the same time, Warner took his product to the International Pool and Spa Show, trying to find a manufacturer.
Again, Toypedo struck gold. People were talking about it, pointing at it, trying to get their hands on it.
Finally, someone stole it.
``I chased him, and he shoved it down his pants,'' Warner said. ``I just wanted to deck this guy. . . . He probably wanted to get it somewhere and do a knock-off.''
Soon after that, Swimways put its weight behind Toypedo, offering to develop, build and market the product.
Six years after the idea, Toypedo is finally making it to store shelves this season. Locally, the bright silicone projectile will cost $15 to $20 and should be available in the next several months at Polynesian Pools in Virginia Beach and Leslie's Pool Supplies in Norfolk.
``You know, it's a fairly simple thing to build,'' Warner said. ``It's a slick toy, yet it was a real effort to get it going.''
By the way, his vision of selling his home, quitting his job and launching his product by himself - and getting rich quick - didn't last long. Instead, the Santa Barbara resident held onto his house and kept his job making medical laser equipment.
``It's less romantic,'' he acknowledged. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo courtesy of SwimWays
The newest Swimways offering is Toypedo, a projectile that can be
thrown underwater. It travels up to 50 feet before hitting bottom.
by CNB