Think of your favorite fairytale. Now, imagine walking right into it. This is exactly what Mrs. Butler’s Marketing class experienced first hand when they traveled to Inventionland. As the name implies, Inventionland helps turn unique ideas into actual products. Well, how exactly was the idea behind this place started? George Davidson, the future CEO of Inventionland, came up with an idea for a self sanitizing toothbrush, so he thought… Little did Davidson know that his idea had already become a successful product. At the time, Davidson didn’t understand the time constraints of patenting. Experiencing these struggles made Davidson realize that there was a need to help others who were like him. He decided to start Inventionland to help other inventors successfully make their ideas into a tangible product the “right way”.

Mrs. Butler’s Marketing class has taken two trips to Pittsburgh to visit Inventionland. Mrs. Butler explains her purpose behind taking students to visit: “I felt like it was important for my students to see what Inventionland is, what the people that work at Inventionland do, and how creative and different the environment is. I want my students to think about the 34 different career options at Inventionland and how they all work together to accomplish a common goal.” On their first trip to Inventionland, students were able to walk around and learn more about Inventionland. During their tour, students were shocked to find buildings shaped like a shoe, a ship, and even a real castle. According to our tour guide, these buildings were created to get everyone’s creative juices flowing. The first time students visited Inventionland on September 11, 2017, “They had no idea what to expect and were a little shocked at what they experienced and very excited,” as Mrs. Butler describes.

On Thursday, January 11, 2018, students attended another trip to Inventionland, but this time with a different purpose. According to Mrs. Butler, students came prepared with a project created in their Marketing class and were going to Inventionland for a Shark Tank experience. Students would pitch their creative ideas to the founder and other executives at Inventionland. Junior Maura Casey’s group created a mechanical dog toy and its purpose was for dogs to be able to play by themselves when their owner does not have the time. How exactly does Casey and her group’s project work? Casey describes that, “The dog would take the toy and place it on the senor and it would throw the toy for the dog and then reset itself.” Behind every successful product is a purpose and for Casey and her group, their purpose was “created for the soul purpose of making your dog happier and your life easier.”

Not only was this a fun experience for the students, but they also took out some valuable life lessons. Senior Karlene Thompson explains that she learned “how much time and effort goes into the ideas and all the products that people see on the shelves.” Also, Casey learned that, “No ideas are bad ideas. Inspiration can come from anything.” She also describes her overall experience at Inventionland as “one to never forget” and that “as a class, [they] learned so many real life skills that [they] wouldn’t have learned in any other class.”

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