Could it be the next Snuggie?

A Memphis chiropractor, a Downtown outfit that helps inventors bring ideas to fruition and the marketing behemoth behind the incredible success of that ubiquitous, ridiculous blanket with sleeves are about to find out.

They are involved in peddling a product called the Side Sleeper Pro. It’s a posture-correcting pillow that resembles a candy cane, which makes it unconventional in appearance but still not nearly as silly looking as the Snuggie.

The story of the Side Sleeper Pro is the story of how difficult it is for most inventors not only to bridge the cavernous gap between concept and reality, but also make a few dollars from their nifty gizmos.

In that regard, Dr. Larry Cole is more successful than most people who are convinced they just conceived the next can’t-miss idea.

His pillow soon will be carried by retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kmart and Bed Bath & Beyond. It will share shelf space with established products such as the Snuggie and the slightly less profitable but considerably more absorbent ShamWow towel.

Cole, a chiropractor for nearly four decades, claims the Side Sleeper Pro alleviates back problems by relieving pressure on the neck and offering better vertebrae support than conventional pillows.

“Everyone is always advising you to sit up straight, to stand up straight,” he said in a soft Tennessee drawl. “But no one has ever dealt with the premise of proper posture when you sleep.”

Seeking assistance in getting the pillows widely distributed, Cole hired InventHelp. Headquartered on Ninth Street in the Cultural District, the 26-year-old company bills itself as the nation’s largest inventor services company.

Although the company can’t boast of a Snuggie-like success, it has assisted the inventors of products such as the Cleanboot, a reusable boot cover; the Greenflush, which reduces water usage when a toilet is flushed; and the Air Chair, a portable cushioned seat.

Attempting to forecast which products might resonate with the public “is both the fun part and the frustrating part of the job,” InventHelp President Robert Susa said.

The company’s statistics suggest the frustrating moments far outnumber the fun ones.

Of InventHelp’s 5,336 clients between 2007 and 2009, 86 received licensing agreements for inventions.

Only 27 made more money than they paid to InventHelp to prepare promotional materials, submit those materials to companies searching for product ideas, and help negotiate an agreement if a company was interested in buying or licensing the product.

In Cole’s case, the pillows were licensed to Integrated Merchandise Group International of Mamaroneck, N.Y., which brought All Star Products Group into the mix. All Star successfully marketed items such as the Topsy Turvy upside down tomato planter, Bendaroos flexible building sticks and the 800-pound gorilla of the “As Seen on TV” family — the Snuggie.

With such formidable marketing muscle behind it, can the Side Sleeper Pro become as popular as the Snuggie or ShamWow• Susa hopes so, but is quick to temper expectations.

“For every ShamWow,” he cautioned, “there are easily five or 10 ShamDuds.”

Copyright ©2026— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)