By Mark Ambrogi
Edwin the Duck aims to be a parent’s as well as a child’s best friend, entertaining and educating at the same time.
The rubber duck, the brainchild of Carmel’s pi lab, provides support in many different forms from bath time to bed time.
“What we’ve set out to do is to create the world’s smartest toy and a toy that doesn’t get boring in an hour, in a week, in a month or in a year,” Don Inmon said. “It’s updated every month with new stories, new lullabies, adventure games and educational applications. From our perspective, it’s a tool for a parent to help them with their kids.”
Edwin the Duck, with help from a mobile app, can assist with lullabies, story times, serve as a night light and even measure the temperature of bathwater. Edwin can float in bathwater with his waterproof speaker.
“One of the toughest things any parent has is to get the kid to go to sleep,” said Inmon, who has three children. “This is to help with that along with teaching him how to read, how to write, how to spell at accelerated rate. But utilizing a nostalgic rubber ducky with the latest technology with the latest applications through tablets or phones.”
The website is Edwintheduck.com. The pi Lab, which has an office on 252 Main Street in Carmel, is made of co-founders Inmon (president) and Matt MacBeth (CEO). Amy Unger has joined as the director of marketing. Inmon, MacBeth and Unger worked together at Klipsch so Inmon said they have audio background. Alicia Thorson serves as the director of education.
“When they touch the story. Edwin is going to react,” Inmon said. “If there is lightning or thunder, the duck is going to make that sound.
The duck can also take a temperature by aiming it at the person’s head, Inmon said.
The duck is available on kickstarter.com, which Inmon said is a great way to get exposure for the product in addition to raising more money for the start-up.
Edwin the Duck can be pre-ordered for $50 on kickstarter.com, a crowd-funding site. That cost is for the first 200 people, then it gradually climbs up to a peak of $69 at kickstarter.
“We have a goal of raising $85,000,” Inmon said. “The way kickstarter works, you have to hit that goal to get that money. We did it not just to get money but to get exposure with the brand. We are in talks with Apple and others to launch early next year.”
With the purchase of Edwin the Duck, you get the app with a story and a lullaby. Every month there will be an opportunity to buy a new story, lullaby or educational too, Inmon said.
“We’re going to be producing hundreds of thousands (of ducks),” Inmon said. “The production (in China) is in progress.”
MacBeth moved to China for four months to oversee the production.
Inmon said children are normally using appcessories for 30 days. They hope Edwin’s appeal will be much longer.
“We’re trying to get something that becomes a best friend,” Inmon said.
The idea was formed between Inmon and MacBeth while they were observing things at the Hong Kong electronics show a year ago.
“Everyone we talked to about this, it made them smile, that’s cool or different,” Inmon said. “Apple said that’s really cool. We went out and raised money. It’s almost a year ago and we now have a physical product.”
Inmon said the age group ranges for the educational toy from infant to nine years old.
“We have a teen element that is interested more from the floating bluetooth speaker side,” Inmon said. “We took it to a pool party and threw it in and that’s all anyone wanted to talk about. It plays music rather well.”
Authors are on staff writing stories for Edwin, starting when he was a baby duck. The stories center on Edwin gaining confidence and learning how to deal with tough situations. The stories are narrated or the parent or the child can read.
Demonstrations of Edwin can be found on Edwintheduck.com and kickstarter.com. Inmon’s 8-year-old son Finn serves as the pitchman for the product.
Unger said her 10-year-old so Steven constantly sings the bath time song, “Squishy Squishy Squashy.”
“It’s almost so childlike, it’s cool,” Unger said. “It’s that kind of retro thing.”
Inmon said the pi lab team views Edwin as the toy that never gets old.
“We don’t even know what it’s going to do in a year,” he said. “It’s going to continue to grow.”
About Edwin
The name Edwin, billed as the world’s first interactive duck, comes from MacBeth’s middle name.
“The authors for our stories called after we changed names and said Edwin is so brilliant because with education you win,” Inmon said. “I was like what? Oh, yeah.”
Inmon said the original working name for the duck was Clarence.
“It didn’t work and it would have caused us legal issues with the copyright,” Inmon said. “I like Edwin much better.”
There is a animated TV show called “Clarence” on Cartoon Network.
