EZPZ, maker of The Happy Mat — a silicone placemat for young, messy eaters, was one of the ten finalists in the Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Big Game Super Bowl commercial contest. The grand prize was a free, 30-second, TV commercial to be aired during Super Bowl 50. A value estimated at $5 million.
[Amazon: ezpz Mini Mat – One-piece silicone placemat plate]
EZPZ, which would have had a perfect spot with cute babies hurling food everywhere, sadly did not make it to the final round. The top three companies are Death Wish Coffee, Vidler’s 5&10, and San Francisco-based small business Chubbies Shorts. (Note: Super Bowl 50 will be held at the Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco.) Chubbies Shorts is bringing back short shorts for men like the kind worn by Tom Selleck on Magnum PI, Larry Bird on the Celtics, and John McEnroe at the Open. “Differentiated by our commitment to American manufacturing, support of our Armed Forces, and devotion to/from our ever growing 1.75M member Chubster Nation, we believe this Shorts-Breathing Dragon (dba: Chubbies Shorts) is just beginning to stir.” The company’s tagline is “Free Your Thighs.” EZPZ was close. Good thing EZPZ has Shark Tank to fall back on.