Dragon’s Den best inventions: 7 most ingenious products ever featured - from magic whiteboard to tangle teezer

The reality TV programme sees entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of five multi-millionaires in the hope of securing investment from them.

Here are some of the best and most successful products that have been shown to the Dragons since the show began.

Reggae Reggae Sauce

Reggae singer and chef Levi Roots appeared on the show in 2007 and pitched his spicy Reggae Reggae Sauce to the Dragons.

Levi managed to secure the support of both Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, who together invested £50,000 for an impressive 40% stake in his business.

The Reggae Reggae company is now worth over £30 million and is stocked at supermarkets up and down the country.

Magic Whiteboard

Husband and wife Neil and Laura Westwood were a success in the den with their Magic Whiteboard creation.

The couple managed to walk away with a £100,000 investment from Deborah Meaden and Theo Paphitis.

After appearing on the show, the magic whiteboard became a hit in classrooms and offices and is now sold globally.

Tangle Teezer

Shaun Pulfrey didn’t manage to tame the Dragons with his brush that detangles wet or dry hair, but his Tangle Teezer product did eventually glide through the market to become a success.

Tangle Teezer is now a beauty staple and earned a Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2012 and for International Trade in 2014.

The product, which is sold internationally, brought in record revenues of £30 million in 2020.

Speaking about the product, Shaun said: "Whether it’s been a small salon, or online or prestigious salons, everyone’s saying the same thing… which is rapid growth in sales."

Trunki

The Trunki is a ride-on hand luggage suitcase for children, and although it didn’t receive investment, it has become a multi-million business.

The suitcase for tots created by Rob Law was turned down after Theo Paphitis broke the strap during the pitch leading to the Dragons questioning its quality.

Trunki has now sold over 2.8 million suitcases in over 100 countries across the globe and has won over 100 awards. Rob was awarded an MBE in 2011 for Services to Business.

Wonderbly

Originally named Lost My Name, the Wonderbly brand is one of the biggest Dragons’ Den success stories and focuses on creating personalised illustrated fiction books for children.

Dads Asi Sharabi, David Cadji-Newby, Tal Oron and Pedro Serapicos pitched to the Dragons in 2014 and received a £100,000 investment from Piers Linney.

Since the original pitch, the company has sold an impressive two million books and has announced a project with the Roald Dahl Estate.

Skinny Tan

In 2013, Louise Ferguson and Kate Cotton pitched beauty product Skinny Tan to the Dragons.

The tanning location brand secured a £60,000 investment from Kelly Hoppen and Piers Linney and has since made an annual turnover of £2.2 million.

The self-tan is a naturally-deriving fake tanning lotion that claims to reduce the appearance of cellulite.

The successful product is one of the fastest-selling tanning products in the UK and can be bought from major stores, including Superdrug, Boots, and Feel Unique.

Craft Gin Club and Bubble Club

In 2016 Jon Hulme and John Burke presented their idea for a wine and gin subscription service and received offers from all five Dragons.

When Dragon Sarah Willingham revealed that she was already a customer, they accepted her offer of £75,000 in exchange for a 12.5% share in the business.