‘Shark Tank’ review: The Living Christmas Company, Partie Poche, The Coop

Remember when “Shark Tank” aired on Tuesday nights during season 1? Well, the show has come full circle now. Our favorite Cinderella story made a bold move (and honestly one that we don’t like due to the confusion of it all) aired a “Christmas special” on Tuesday night, and it featured a variety of products: play areas, fashion accessories, and a Christmas tree service (which was really the only holiday-related product featured).

The Coop – Who wants to see a nice indoor / outdoor play area? This is what we saw with this place, as it actually provided a nice balance of a relaxed place for adults and a fun place for kids. On the surface, this is a nice idea: it’s hip, modern, and it beats the pants off of Chuck E. Cheese.

However, there were still problems with the idea from a strict strategy perspective. The two ladies running the location were trying to go from one location to franchises, and this is too big of a jump for any company. In addition to that, the prices are also a little high for people who aren’t in the upper-middle class … and we are still in an age where people are trying to save money. We’re going to ignore the terrible T-Mobile product placement at the end of this segment, and focus more on the fact that The Coop did get an investment from Barbara Corcoran of 15%, albeit with a guarantee that she would be paid back in full within two years.

Fat A– Fudge – You have to love a business with this sort of an obnoxious name, right? This was one of the strangest, craziest pitches we have seen in a long time. This woman rambled on and on about the product, asked for way too much money, and really just was edited like a crazy person and a bad “American Idol” audition. How can you invest in a business that was not taken serious? The product actually was apparently delicious, but there really was not anything else here worth investing in.

The Living Christmas Company – We can totally see this business working. We live in an age now where people don’t want to be inconvenienced by anything, but we also live in an age where these same people want things that are normally an inconvenience … including cutting down a Christmas tree. Nobody wants to go through the process of doing this more than once, but most people still prefer a live tree to some piece of plastic they put in the corner. With that in mind, this business and Scotty Claus come in.

The only thing slightly off about this pitch was that the emotional ploy was on the verge of being heavy-handed, but the truth here is that we appreciate the environmental message of this, in addition to how it employs people seasonally to help deliver trees that can be used for many years. Mark took 40% in return for $150,000.

Partie Poche – After the Christmas-themed product, we then went to a business that was also reasonably interesting in its own right: a way for women to keep their phones on them even while having a night out on the town. The problem with the product is not actually the product itself; rather, it was the way in which it was presented. There was so much arrogance and blind passion here, it almost felt like the sharks were being toyed with. The other crazy thing about watching this presentation is that even after the sharks declared they were out, they were still pushed and pushed about the company. What’s the point of doing that when it’s already over?

What products were you interested in this week? If you want to see some more “Shark Tank” highlights from this season, you can find them over at the link here.

Photo: ABC