Entrepreneur lands deal for swimming aid
A West Lothian dad has joined forces with his crime-fighting boyhood superheroes to create a float to help teach children how to swim.
Entrepreneur Michael Harkins, from Livingston, and his company Turtle Pack have joined forces with Nickelodeon, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) and ViacomCBS Consumer Products to launch the new swimming aid.
Former swimming teacher, Michael (28), developed the original Turtle Pack Swimming Aid, a turtle-shell shaped float which keeps the child’s arms free to learn proper swimming technique, whilst he was still at university.
While the new product will provide the in-pool support like the award-winning original, it will also give kids the chance to dress-up as a TMNT - Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello or Leonardo - while swimming. The TMNT-themed Swim Float is now available to preorder in the UK and America.
Michael, who became a dad recently, said Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was his favourite show when he was a child so the deal is a “dream come true”.
He told the Daily Record: “Having become a parent for the first time earlier this year, this deal is a dream come true. I’ve loved TMNT since I was a wee boy and it really feels like we’ve come full circle with this new product. As a swimming teacher and now a new parent, I hope the connection with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will encourage more young children to enjoy spending time in the pool and having fun while learning a lifelong skill for both their future health and safety, especially as so many children have missed out on lessons due to the pandemic.”
The deal will help Turtle Pack, which has already sold thousands of the original product, to make a splash on both sides of the Atlantic as it taps into the growing trend of nostalgia.
Mark Kingston, senior vice president, International Licensing, ViacomCBS, said: “We loved the product development from the team at Turtle Pack. We are thrilled we are able to bring a product with real purpose to the market that can help kids get in the water, have fun and be active.”