BROOKINGS A creative solution to a household problem combined with perseverance and refusal to take no for an answer resulted in an invitation for a Brookings couple to showcase their invention on a soon-to-be-released Amazon-streamed television game show.
The Doorhickey, invented by Brookings residents Ginger Thomson and her husband, Jay Vanduch, will be featured on an episode of Amazons new game show, BUY IT NOW, which will be streamed through Amazon Prime. The episode on which they appear has already been recorded, but the airing date has not yet been released.
BUY IT NOW is a business competition game show. Think Shark Tank meets QVC, said Thomson, who noted the program is hosted by celebrity entertainer J.B. Smoove. Hes really funny, she added, and hes a great host. It was fun to be on the show and it will be fun for those who watch. Hes very engaging.
The Doorhickey may be familiar to some, but for others will be seen as a handy gadget that offers a simple solution to an inconvenience experienced by anyone who has a sliding glass door: how to open the door with their hands full. Conceived by Thomson and Vanduch, The Doorhickey is made of injection molded plastic and rubber. Simply push the suction cup onto the glass of the sliding door, then turn the handle clockwise to create what we call a Herculean suction, said Vanduch. This extra handle allows the user to open the door with only an elbow, arm, hip, or foot. Thomson added, We sell them in sets of two, one for the inside and one for the outside of the door.
The need for an adaptive product occurred to Thomson in 1980 while hosting outside gatherings on the patio of her townhouse but she didnt pursue it. The seed was planted, however, and the idea resurfaced in 1990 when Thomsons mother moved into a home with a sliding glass door. Finally, in 1996, when they built their own home, which included two sets of sliding glass doors, they once again noted the need for a product to address the problem.
The pivotal moment occurred a year later in an unlikely way. When the couple was bathing their infant son, they noticed a bath toy held in place by multiple suction cups. That sparked a light bulb moment. We looked at each other and said, Could this be adapted for a hands-free door opener? and we started to tinker with a design. The idea moved from the back to the front burner.
By 2005, the couple hired the South Dakota Enterprise Institute to search for related products and patents. They found that the only existing solutions were expensive and motorized.
Jays ingenuity led him to a simplified version of a vacuum suction device, said Thomson, that uses a threaded bolt inside a rubber suction cup that, when turned clockwise, creates a strong grip on glass surfaces. But lifes demands once again relegated the idea to the maybe someday file.
In the mid-2000s, the couple found renewed determination and hired the SDSU Rapid Prototyping Institute to create a prototype. Their efforts paid off: The Doorhickey began winning first-place awards at inventor shows. They filed for a patent, which Thomson said was a journey fraught with rejections and revisions, costing thousands of dollars.
In 2013, The Doorhickey was selected to pitch to As Seen on TV companies and was the only invention to receive multiple licensing and royalty offers. But when asked for their patent status, Thomson and Vanduch discovered their attorney had let it lapse, causing the deal to fall through. Working with a new attorney, the patent was revived in 2014 when they secured a manufacturer and launched a website.
The Doorhickey won the QVC Sprouts competition, leading to a sell-out on QVC.com. The company broadcasts to more than 350 million households in seven countries.
After nearly two decades of actively trying to market their invention, their perseverance was rewarded at The Inspired Home Show in Chicago in 2023. The Doorhickey was named a finalist for the International Housewares Associations Global Innovation Awards for product design in the category of Home Dcor and Gifts. The Doorhickey again caught QVCs attention again and a purchase order followed. In June, Thomson travelled to QVCs Pennsylvania headquarters and demonstrated The Doorhickey on live segments.
In addition, they were among just 60 inventors nationwide that were selected to compete on the new Amazon series called “BUY IT NOW,” that premiered last month on Amazon Prime Video. They had the opportunity to pitch their products to celebrity judges as well as to everyday shoppers all for a chance to win a cash investment in their business and to have their product featured in the “BUY IT NOW” store on Amazon. Last March they were flown to Los Angeles by the production company to record the episode that will air in the coming months.
The couple has privately financed the entire Doorhickey process and hopes this next television experience will help give the product the exposure it needs to be even more successful.
Its one thing to have a concept and create the solution, said Thomson. Its another to successfully market the product with a limited budget.
Thomson and Vanduch recently started making TikTok videos to create awareness of The Doorhickey. The results have been astonishing, especially with one of the videos garnering more than 112,000 views. Those views have also translated into sales, Vanduch said.
The Doorhickey is popular in the grilling/outdoor market, but has lately been picking up steam in the adaptive/accessible arena. According to Stefanie Remson, one of their customers with limited hand mobility, I actually liked the product so much that I bought two more for my sliding glass shower doors. Its been a total game changer. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and it affects my hands and wrist very badly, and sometimes opening and closing those doors is the hardest thing of my day.”
Its unique, its affordable, and it solves a problem anyone with a sliding glass door has experienced, said Thomson. And its manufactured right here in South Dakota!
Thomson sold The Doorhickey at last summers Brookings Arts Festival, and when one woman walked past the booth, Thomson asked her if she knew about The Doorhickey.
Know about it? I made it! said the festivalgoer from Aberdeen, who works at Cardinal Industries, the manufacturer of The Doorhickey.
Perhaps the invention gene runs in Thomsons family. Her grandfather was a prolific patent holder, and her father, Verl, was a pioneering radio broadcasting entrepreneur who invented radio automation, radiotorials, and even the original version of The Dating Game.
She is no stranger to the camera, either; Miss South Dakota USA 1977, she earned her masters degree in journalism from SDSU and has worked as an on-air television personality and an adjunct instructor in communications, as well as in front of and behind the camera with the company she and Vanduch own, TV Productions Inc. Vanduch, who also has a masters degree in communication, recently retired from his position as operations manager at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.
Its been a long road with The Doorhickey, but we really think our persistence is going to pay off this time, said Thomson. Our belief in this product, a commitment to hard work, and the tenacity to keep trying: thats the story of The Doorhickey.
The Doorhickey sells for $29.99 for a set of two (one for the inside and one for the outside) and can be purchased locally at Midwest Glass, as well as on Amazon directly or through www.doorhickey.com. All the episodes of the show are now available to stream on Amazon Prime.
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