York-made HoodiePillow gets chance with sharks

The HoodiePillow, being manufactured by Dallco Industries in York City, was created by Chris and Dana Hindley of Florence, N.J. The pillow features an attached hood with adjustable drawstrings, pockets for television remote control or iPod and a portal for earbuds. Dallco said it is currently working on an order of 4,000 units. (Submitted photo)

Dallco Industries Inc. has clients with various ideas for projects requiring the York City company's design and sewing services.

However, Doug Dallmeyer, Dallco's president, said he hasn't seen a project with fast, widespread appeal like the HoodiePillow, created by Chris and Dana Hindley, of Florence, N.J.

Dallco is manufacturing the HoodiePillow, which features a pillow with an attached hood with adjustable drawstrings, pockets for television remote control or iPod and a portal to keep earbuds tangle free, according to the product's website at www.hoodiepillow.com.

"Every two weeks somebody has an idea," Dallmeyer said. "They don't all hit like this one did. I tried HoodiePillow. It feels soft."

The HoodiePillow, costing $19.95 each, will be featured on Shark Tank at 9 p.m. Friday on ABC, where the Hindleys will try to convince a panel of millionaires and billionaires to invest in the product.

Chris Hindley, 30, said the HoodiePillow segment was taped in September. The public will have to watch the show to see the results, he said.

"The experience of doing the show was such an amazing thing," he said. "We were very aware of the importance of this opportunity. We were very confident. We were ready to go."

Product: Chris Hindley said he and his wife created the HoodiePillow in 2009 shortly after bringing their triplet newborn girls home.

"Our sleep patterns were turned upside down," he said. "I'm a light sleeper, and I would put pillows over my head or a blanket over my head to block out the world."

Chris Hindley said that while doing research to resolve the issue, he and Dana Hindley, 32, learned that people like to cocoon themselves while sleeping. And people also like hoodies, he said.

The couple put the two concepts together to create the HoodiePillow, he said. After trying their idea on family and friends, they also discovered that their product is great for relaxing and lounging, Chris Hindley said.

The couple launched a website for their product in June. Three weeks later, they received calls about the product from television news shows, Chris Hindley said.

HoodiePillow has been featured on several shows, including "Today" on NBC, "Good Morning America" on ABC and MTV.

Because of increasing public demand for the product, Dallco is working on its third, and, so far, largest order of 4,000 pieces, Dallmeyer said.

Chris Hindley said that when the time came to produce a HoodiePillow prototype, he and his wife researched and interviewed manufacturers from around the U.S.

"I connected with Dallco when I talked with them," he said. "They're two hours away by car. When you're doing something like this, it's nice to have someone in your backyard."

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