by Mike Barish (RSS feed) on Nov 21st 2011 at 1:00PM

There's a time and a place for mushy foods. Not having to chew comes in handy when you've had your wisdom teeth pulled, your jaw wired shut or you've misplaced your dentures. Beyond that, the sensation of chewing is part of the enjoyment of eating. People want to feel something hearty and substantial in their mouths (that's what she said). Here at SkyMall Monday headquarters, we start each day with a bowl of cereal. We typically opt for Cheerios or Raisin Bran, because we believe in the healing power of fiber. We used to eat a lot of Special K, but those flakes quickly turn into porridge after about 15 seconds submerged in milk. Thankfully, SkyMall has a way to keep cereal crunchy ...

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The Obol is “The Original Crispy Bowl.” One side holds your cereal or crackers. The other holds your milk or soup. The contents of each side only meet when you want them to, ensuring that every bite is as crispy as your first.

If you ask me, this bowl is a score even if you like soggy cereal. At least for the kids. We’re talking a bowl with a slide, folks. So much fun!

$15.99 is a little much for a bowl, I know. But a bowl of such form and function?! And fun? (Can’t forget the fun!) It just might be worth the splurge. Plus, think of all the money you’ll save on wasted soggy O’s.

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Obol, the "Original Crispy Bowl," wants to make it so you never have to eat soggy cereal again. It harnesses the unique Swoop n Scoop design and the unbeatable powers of gravity (you can't tell from this picture, but the bowl is tilted at an angle that makes it easy to encourage your little swimmers to the milk pit) to keep your food in line.

I only wonder why this wasn't invented sooner. Not that I ever drink milk--sorry, kids, but you shouldn't listen to your parents. That shit is sick a.f. Just reach for some ice cream and it'll help your bones grow just fine. Why don't your parents tells you this? They are jealous of your youth and gain power from your mistery.

The Obol comes in a single pack for $18.95, or in a box of three for $49.95. The latter ships free. Obol is made of BPA-free unbreakable (really, try me) polypropylene and is totally dishwasher safe.

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Cereal is great at any time of day, but unless you eat it without milk, a persistent problem has plagued the food since we can remember. You pour yourself a bowl of your favorite variety, top it with some milk, and by the time you reach the end of the bowl or pause to read some morning news online, your cereal has turned into soggy, unappetizing mush. The Obol ($19) aims to solve that pesky problem with a clever design that keeps your cereal and milk separate until you scoop them together in one perfectly crunchy spoonful. The “Swoop n Scoop” design lets users scoop the cereal from the top portion down into the milk while still keeping things separated. The bowl also has a unique bottom design for the perfect grip while you are watching TV or multitasking while you eat. Eating your morning (or afternoon, or midnight) cereal will no longer be a race to get to the bottom of the bowl before sogginess creeps in, unless you like that type of thing. Now you can take the time to read that article, answer a phone call, or send an email without worrying that your cereal will be ruined. Try the Obol for other things like cookies and milk, soup and goldfish, or chips and salsa. It will help keep all your foods separate and make it easier to eat in bed or while watching TV. It’s a double win.

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Web gives catchy ideas a venue

CHICAGO (March 22, 11:25 a.m. ET)  — Soggy cereal. A broken cookie. A daughter’s school lunch.

Three different moments from everyday life which prompted three different people to launch new products and follow paths, and show how product development is increasingly taking place outside the boundaries of big business.

“Everything doesn’t have to come from a think tank,” said Robert Haleluk, who created The Dipr after losing one too many Oreo cookies in a glass of milk. “Everything doesn’t have to be ready to go immediately on sale to WalMart. I don’t have to go to China to make it in big quantities.”

New York-based Haleluk raised money for the first polypropylene Diprs from the Internet crowd sourcing site kickstarter.com.

Michael Roberts developed the PP Obol — with separate areas for milk and dry cereal — with advice from friends at injection molding company Medway Plastics Corp.

Both creators are focused on developing new products using U.S. manufacturing. Erin Franczyk, who created the PP Goodbyn bento box for her daughters’ school lunches after wondering why she needed to use so many plastic bags to keep food separated, is working with injection molder Cascade Engineering Inc. of Grand Rapids, Mich., on her lunch box.

Franczyk said she wanted something that was cool and her daughters would use, but at the same time be sustainable. Making it in the U.S., where it would be sold, was an important part of Naperville, Ill.-based Goodbyn LLC’s carbon footprint.

“How do we make something different?” Franczyk said she asked herself while developing the lunch box with business partner Robert Gremer.

None of the three products — which made their debut at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, March 6-8 — are treading completely new ground. Entrepreneurs have been creating better mousetraps for as long as that saying has existed.

But Jason Foster, whose own new brand of reusable cleaning systems, Replenish, just was accepted for store shelves at Whole Foods markets in the Midwest, said the business climate today opens more channels for new companies to pursue.

Foster, the founder and CEO of Replenish Bottling Co. Inc. of West Hollywood, Calif., compares it to being an independent rock band. Companies today can use the Internet to reach out to people who might be interested in their products, and slowly build interest and loyalty until they break through, rather than waiting for major markets to notice. The continually evolving Internet offers firms a new route.

“Two years ago, when I had this vision, I knew I couldn’t walk into a big company and say — ‘Hey, I think you guys should build this,’” Foster said. “They would have laughed me out of the room. That’s what the democratization of the Internet brings. It’s empowering young companies like us to connect with customers, and then we can influence some of the big companies who are more risk-averse.”

The Dipr is just one example of that Internet business approach. Haleluk had some understanding of business and plastics from his family. His father, Fred Haleluk, uses injection molders in New Jersey to mold parts for his Mr. Icebucket brand. But Robert Haleluk’s training and career were in graphic design — until the night his Oreo cookie broke off in a glass of milk and he told himself that was going to be the last cookie he lost.

The next day he picked up some clay and began developing a hook-shaped utensil that would hold a sandwich cookie for dunking. He continued on, developing prototypes with a three-dimensional printer. But he was not certain where to go next, until he stumbled across the website kick starter.com.

The site gives entrepreneurs like Haleluk a place to post videos about their ideas, and ask for funding from its range of members, who support everything from film and art to new products. The Dipr had $10,000 pledged within 30 days — enough to develop early molds and turn out the first marketable parts.

“From idea to creation, everything is changing,” Haleluk said.

Across the country in California, Michael Roberts began development of his Obol in nearly the same way, using modeling clay to create the basic design that he’d imagined, with one part of the bowl to hold dry cereal until he was ready to scoop it down into the other section filled with milk.

Roberts’ business background in construction gave him a comfort level when he worked with a computer-aided design engineer to develop drawings for the Obol, but he said he also drew heavily on connections with contract molder Medway in Long Beach, Calif., to help him understand the complexity of actually manufacturing his concept.

The company and its contacts with toolmakers taught him about the materials they could use, the complexity of different thicknesses and the core pull needed for the cavity at the bottom of the bowl for a hand-hold.

Getting the final product in front of users has led to more uses, such as for soup and crackers, Asian food, and milk and cookies, he said.

Roberts has taken advantage of the Internet to sell and promote the Obol, with videos showing it being used and links to bloggers who use and write about it.

Goodbyn links users both on its own site and through the social network Facebook, letting potential customers know about shipping deals, replacement drink bottles and other details.

The Goodbyn and its smaller companion, the Bynto, are made solely of PP to ease recyclability for parents looking for greener options. The boxes include stickers so kids can personalize them, Franczyk said.

“It’s such a progression to go from having an idea to saying, ‘Wow, I really did this. I made this,’ ” Haleluk said. “I’ve helped four or five friends put their own ideas into practice, and I really think more and more people are going to get into it too.”

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I hate eating cereal fast just so that it doesn’t end up soggy; so having said that, I wish I had the Obol bowl around the house.

The wonderfully designed Obol bowl has a divider in the middle that sections off the milk and the cereal so that it doesn’t mix. Want to combine the two? Simply use your spoon and push your nutritious breakfast into the little pathway. So if you have to answer a call, go help mom change a lightbulb or whatever else, you can know that you can put down your bowl of cereal and not worry about it going soggy. You’ll be getting fresh and crispy bites each time.

The Obol bowl is available for purchase at the company’s online shop.

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Smart or Silly: What Do You Think of the Obol?

Recently, this bowl, which helps you keep your cereal from getting soggy came to our attention. We love the idea, but want to know what you think of the execution. Read more...