UPDATE: Michelle Barton emailed us that the family got a call from "Shark Tank" producers. They're headed to Hollywood!
A Tucson family has big dreams of swimming with the sharks.
So they went to Palm Springs.
Andrew and Michelle Barton and their daughters Danielle and Heather traveled to a resort in Palm Springs, California earlier in March to audition for ABC's "Shark Tank."
They pitched lip balms in animal-shaped pods β think Eos lip balm, but in the shape of a panda, elephant or shark.
Some of their newest flavors are Strawberry Sharkcake and Grape White Shark.
BeBe Bartoons' newest, not-yet-released designs are a nod to the family's "Shark Tank" dreams. The grey one is Grape White Shark and the pink one is Strawberry Sharkcake.
The family's business BeBe Bartoons (a play on their last name) grew out of Danielle and Heather's love for lip balm.
"We loved lip balms and we were like obsessed with it," Danielle says. "So we decided that we should make our own."
BeBe Bartoons' animal-shaped designs are refillable and interchangeable. They're made with ingredients including aloe butter and Vitamin E. (More info on ingredients here).
With 11 variations released so far, you can mix a penguin's top with a panda's body for a weird, hybrid lip balm container.
The family launched the business several years ago. Danielle, 12, and Heather, 11, are the creative vision behind the project. They suggest animals, approve designs and sample each flavor. Michelle says her daughters are the "brand ambassadors."
Parents Andrew and Michelle run the logistics of the business β the marketing, sales, shipping, etc.
In Palm Springs, the family waited all day for their chance to pitch BeBe Bartoons to show producers. Danielle and Heather did the pitching after practicing most of the car ride to California.
Andrew did the final asking β details they say they're not comfortable sharing yet as they wait to hear back from the show.
They know they've made it through the first round. The phone call bearing that news induced much jumping up and down. They hope to hear by the end of April if they'll move on and eventually have a chance to pitch before the sharks themselves β multi-millionaires and billionaires who invest their own money in startups and small businesses.
"We know a lot of them have kids and do charitable work for kids, so we're hoping they would pick up on it and run with it," Michelle says. "And can you imagine if these girls got 'Shark Tank' on their resume?"
Developing a brand of collectible lip balms has drawn the family closer together, Andrew says. Their hot tub is their think tank, where they discuss new flavors, animals and next steps.
Already entrepreneurs, Andrew and Michelle have been able to teach their girls about the ups and downs of business β and life.
Like that time a shipment of BeBe Bartoons got lost at sea, on its way from manufacturing in China to the U.S., Andrew says.
The girls test every sample, maybe thousands by now, to determine whether the product is too greasy or cakey or just plain gross. The testing is Danielle's favorite part.
"It's just cool to see it on a computer and then see it all come together and then you have the samples in your hands," Heather says.
From originally ordering 1,000 each of the panda and elephant β the first prototypes β to ordering 25,000 of each animal at a time, BeBe Bartoons ships around the world and is sold in dozens of physical stores.
Danielle Barton, left, and Heather Barton, right, are the creative vision behind BeBe Bartoons.
They use social media to drum up business, especially Instagram where they have more than 53,000 followers. Because collecting lip balm is a trend among tweens, the family hopes to capitalize on that and continue to release new animals.
Both girls can see themselves taking over the business one day, but for now school (they're students at Leman Academy of Excellence) is the priority.
They're still trying to get the word out, like this weekend at the Continental Ranch Community Association Egg Hunt, where they'll be doing BeBe Bartoons giveaways.
If they make a deal on "Shark Tank," they plan to use the money for commercials and marketing.
"Shark Tank is like a dream," Michelle says. "We honestly didn't think we had a chance, but we were like, 'What the heck? Let's just drive in. It's only a weekend.'"
Find BeBe Bartoons
Find them at Plunkett's Office Products, 420 N. Wilmot Road, and DeRusha Salon, 8567 N. Silverbell Road.
You can also order BeBe Bartoons from bebebartoons.com or Amazon.
