Ollypop™ in the media
As a new and quite different product/brand, Ollypop has caught the eye of a number of magazines, newspapers and websites worldwide.
Press coverage has also spanned to radio and TV with Ollypop interviews or mentions on Virgin Radio, Atlantic FM, BBC Cornwall, Pirate FM and BBC Spotlight.
Coast Magazine - September 2008
Ollypop recommended in 'Children's Surf Kit' feature
Total TV Guide 19 - 25 July 2008
Ollypop - Theo told surf instructor Olly Daglish that his surf towel, which doubles as an aid for novices, was, 'about as useful as knickers on a kipper'. But, since its launch, the Ollypop has been endorsed by the British Surfing Association and is now available in over 60 outlets nationwide.
Wavelength Magazine - May 2008
Ollypop hoodies featured in the 'stuff' section
Shape Magazine - Germany - May 2008
Surfing NZ March/April 2008
Outsider Magazine January 2008
Business Cornwall November 2007
THE TIMES Travel - Saturday September 8 2007
Western Morning News - 30 July 2007
It takes a lot of nerve for any young entrepreneur to enter The Dragons' Den - but surfer Olly Dalglish is always up for a challenge.When Olly, from Delabole in North Cornwall, had his 15 minutes of fame on the popular BBC2 show earlier this year, his idea of a surf towel was condemned as being "about as useful as knickers on a kipper" by dragon Theo Paphitis.
But you cannot keep a good man down - and Olly, 30, totally undaunted, has gone on to make a successful business out of his towels, which feature a unique design to help new surfers learn where to place their feet on the board when they go from lying to standing.
Faced with such a wonderful put down from The Dragons' Den team, he has even used that to his advantage and launched a new clothing range of hoodies and T-shirts featuring the Kipper's Knickers.
If you want to learn more about Olly's success, he is being featured in a follow-up to the show this Wednesday evening.
The Dragons' Den - Where Are They Now? is an intriguing update on what has happened to some of the intrepid entrepreneurs, and Olly's experience will be featured in the show on BBC2 at 8pm.
Cooler Magazine Spring 2007
TV's Dragons' Den investor Theo Paphitis said that Olly Daglish's pop-up surf towel was 'about as useful as knickers on a kipper', but hundreds of waveriders would beg to differ. The Ollypop was so succesful on its first production run that girls screamed out for a girly version. So, here it is, the new Ollypop for girls - a towel that shows you where to put your your feet when you pop-up on a surfboard, now in fresh, feminine colours. Endorsed by the British Surfing Association, this could be the ultimate bathroom gadget for improving your steez.
* Girlpop will be available mid-June 2007 - please join our email list for updates.
Adventure Cornwall Magazine Spring 2007
POP STARS - This is one for rookie surfers - a towel that helps you practice the 'pop'. The Ollypop is the brainchild of Cornwall surf coach Olly Daglish. It may look like an ordinary beach towel, but the Ollypop has a surfboard printed on it that shows the surfer where to put their feet when they stand. Regular practice on the Ollypop will enable the surfer to develop one fast, smooth pop... an absolute must when you are on the crest of a breaking wave. Olly is so confident in the value of his invention that he appeared on TVs Dragons' Den to request money for business development. He was turned down but we still expect to see plenty of Ollypop action on the beaches this summer.
CATCH a wave and surf to soar-away success with young businessman of the century Olly "dynamo" Daglish.
All the way from Cornwall, Olly was one of the poor saps who stepped into TV's terrifying torture chamber otherwise known as Dragons' Den.
Outlining his stunning plan to make a fortune out of "The Ollypop Surf Towel", this wideeyed bundle of youthful enthusiasm exuded confidence. All dazzling Dalgliesh required was an investment of a mere £50,000.
His vital product was a beach towel emblazoned with two footprints - so you know where to stand when you go surfing.
"It's a beach towel AND a surf aid!" gushed proud Olly as he awaited gasps of amazement and the start of a fierce Dragons' bidding war. Sadly, the response from the five tycoons who inhabit BBC2's dirty Den wasn't quite what our entrepreneurial hero had been expecting.
"This is about as useful as a pair of knickers in a kipper," snarled ruthless Theo Paphitis. Which was very unfair. The Ollypop Surf Towel is nowhere near as useful as a pair of knickers in a kipper. Guess what? Olly didn't get the money.
But his hilarious misplaced optimism is what makes this compelling show one of the best things on telly.
The new series of Dragons' Den still isn't pulling any punches. No showbiz froth, no false camaraderie, no fake tears - this no-frills show is about as close to reality as TV ever gets.
And oh how we laugh when they fail! It's all very well when a couple of nerds with a boring refrigerated truck haulage firm succeed in landing 160 grand for their expansion scheme. But it's not the winners who provide the best entertainment - it's the losers.
Speaking of losers, give a big hand to marvellous Mike Carr, whose money-spinning innovation was as wonderfully simple as it was completely hopeless.
Man on a mission Mike was determined to turn his fantastic brainchild into hard cash.
He needed just £100,000... to mass produce a single white glove to remind British motorists on the Continent to drive on the right side of the road!
This must-have drivers' delight even boasted its own slogan: Remember... before you pull away - pull on.
Now that's catchy! After listening to "mad" Mike's impassioned plea, Deborah Meaden - the firebreathing blonde who, presumably, is why they call it Dragons' Den - sneered: "This is such a bad idea."
A few excruciating minutes later, crushed Carr was driven out with a flea in his ear and not a penny in his pocket. But he had played his part in a real-life drama of genuine emotions The wannabe millionaires who come cap in hand are clearly banking on their once-in-alifetime opportunity.
And the tycoons aren't going to part with their own funds unless they seriously believe they're going to turn a profit.
Especially Scottish zillionaire Duncan Bannatyne who seems so much more at home than he does on ITV's soulless Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway.
The Den gives it to you straight.
After desperate doctor Gily Kucci begged for £100,000 to improve her stress-busting service for the victims of hectic modern life, super-tall, supercool Peter Jones snarled: "I think it's a load of rubbish!"
But occasionally even the losers win.
Rasta man Levi Roots wanted £50,000 because he'd received a sensational order for two-and-ahalf MILLION litres of his homemade Reggae Reggae Sauce - so crap they named it twice.
"Is that your real name?" asked Theo. "No," Roots replied. "My real name is Keith."
Dragon Richard Farleigh took a look at Levi's massive order and destroyed him.
He said: "I think you'll find it's for two-and-a-half THOUSAND litres - not million."
But just as disaster loomed for this likeable loon, Farleigh and Jones offered him the dosh.
In return they insisted on a 40 per cent slice of the vast Reggae Reggae empire. "It's not ideal for me," said Levi. "But I'll accept it for the sauce."
What better reason!
Wed February 7, 2007
Surf towel inventor braves fire in TV's Dragon's Den
By Katri Iivonen
A NEWQUAY surf instructor is hoping to snap, crackle and pop five successful entrepreneurs tonight (Wednesday) on BBC Two’s new series of Dragon’s Den and secure a £50,000 investment in his surf towel company, Ollypop.
Olly Daglish, who has invented the world’s first towel that has been particularly designed to help surfers to pop up, was first approached by one of the show’s producers who loved his idea.
Olly said: “He convinced me it would be a good idea to apply and before I knew it I was pitching my idea in front of the dragons.
“They really liked my idea, although Theo Paphitis had a problem with the towel because he couldn’t work out how to position himself on it. But that’s probably because he didn’t get it and he hasn’t surfed before.
“Peter Jones also voiced the usual misconception that surfers cannot become entrepreneurs and said that I had too much time on my hands.
“But those were really the only negatives comments I received and I thought they were really struggling to find any real problems with my idea.”
Ollypop was launched in August last year and, according to Olly, their popularity has exceeded all his expectations.
He continued: “The weeks leading up to Christmas were really busy and even January’s orders were higher than I expected.
“So far we have sold 650 towels and it seems to fill a gap in this niche market.”
The British Surfing Association (BSA) has also picked up on the idea and has started to stock them. National director Karen Walton says the towels are used by the members of the British Junior Squad when they are not able to practise in the surf.
She said: “Even our instructors use them sometimes to polish their techniques so I think they are going to be a big hit. We are going to put them in our surf schools so that children can take them away with them and carry on practising at home or on a beach.”
At the moment Ollypop is the only design available but two new designs, Girlpop and Grompop for children, are in the pipeline.
More information can be found from www.ollypop.co.uk
Wed February 7, 2007
Watch out for the kipper's knickers!
" I finished the pitch, handed out the towels to the Dragons and the questions began.For some reason, Duncan Bannatyne was on the floor in hysterics but eventually he managed to pull himself together to ask a few probing questions. Richard Farleigh took up the challenge and had a go on the Ollypop, not quite getting his feet in the right place. I explained that if he was on a real wave and a real board he would have fallen off and a bit of banter followed with Richard calling us "bloody poms". I think he took offence to us Brits trying to teach an Aussie how to surf!
Deborah Meaden asked a few questions and wondered how people knew where to position themselves on the towel.
I explained that each towel had an instruction card as well as the markings for hands and feet.
She read the first line of the instructions and said: "How do people know to lie down on the towel - there's no mention of the towel?" Oh dear, I thought, she really thinks my customers are stupid. A lot more questioning ensued at which point Theo and his eyebrow jumped in...
I don't know what was wrong with Theo but he seemed to take offence to the Ollypop and kept saying it had a 'flaw', although he was never able to back this up. I explained that all he had to do was read the instructions and he would know how to use the towel but he didn't bother.
Then more questions from Peter Jones, who clearly had taken the stereotypical view that we were surf dudes and, as he put it, "had too much time on our hands".
Duncan Bannatyne seemed to come round to the Ollypop courtesy of a classic spiel from Wailin about Hawaian pros spending their winters practicing their pop-ups!
In his summing-up he said he wouldn't invest but was all for young people setting things like this up and wished us all the best. He added that he wasn't going to sit there pouring cold water on the idea (making reference to Theo's comments) because I may very well prove him wrong.
Richard and Deborah were also very positive, with Deborah saying not to give up because I'm making good sales and there have been surf brands from Cornwall that have gone on to sell for millions, Kangaroo Poo being one.
They chose not to invest because they weren't convinced I would sell as many as forecast.
Peter Jones declared himself out, trying to put us down as two surf dudes, and Theo did the same with his memorable comment: "It's about as useful as knickers on a kipper." (It's got a good ring to it that: stay posted for the "kippers' knickers" clothing range!)
We left the Den and listened to their post-pitch chat.
One of the Dragons actually said I may well make my millions but more products were needed (on the way, but still hush hush at this stage).
The production crew seemed really annoyed at the way Theo had reacted and explained it was probably because we had gone in at the worst time, just before lunch. The Dragons are bad enough normally, but apparently the slot just before lunch always seems to be really harsh.
We did various post-pitch interviews. Questions such as: "The Dragons really seemed to warm to you - why do you think that was?" still stick in my mind as indicators of our time in the Den actually being more positive than negative.
Sadly the edited version showed otherwise and Ollypop was seen in a more negative light. I guess negative TV makes for better viewing.
We were then booted off the premises unable to even grab a bit of food - thanks BBC, who said TV is glamorous?
So my journey into the Den is over and the show has been aired. Do I carry on with a product "as useful as knickers on a kipper?"
Well we're still making sales, the feedback is great and people love the Ollypop. It is clearly a useful product and I'm passionate about it.
So yes, I do carry on, except now I have a renewed motivation to prove the doubters wrong.
Theo and Peter, watch this space!"
Wed February 7, 2007
INTO THE DRAGON'S DEN!
It's no easy feat pitching your business idea to five highly successful entrepreneurs.But add a studio, production crew, lighting and cameras and that's exactly what surf instructor Olly Daglish did on the new BBC2 series of The Dragon's Den, asking for £50,000 investment in his company Ollypop.
The programme will be aired on BBC2 at 8pm this evening.
Based in North Cornwall, Ollypop was launched in August last year to promote the new Ollypop surf towel.
The Ollypop is designed to help surfers practice jumping to their feet more quickly and more smoothly, improving their technique for when they're back in the water.
The TV show gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their ideas to five multi-millionaire entrepreneurs; Richard Farleigh, Deborah Meaden, Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis.
To be successful, they need to get the full investment they pitch for and must give away a stake in their business.
"It all happened so quickly," Olly, from Delabole, said. "I was contacted by the associate producer of The Dragon's Den early in November. He'd read about Ollypop in the press, loved the idea and asked me if I'd like to apply to go on the show. Three weeks later there I was!"
Olly asked for £50,000 in return for 20% of his company: "Obviously I got quite a grilling from the Dragons but that makes good TV. Things like this also help to put Cornwall on the map and new businesses are setting up all the time - we've really got something to offer down here now."
And how did he get on? "You'll have to wait and see. Let's just say I haven't lost my 'pop' as a result!"
STUFF MAGAZINE DECEMBER ISSUE 2006
WE GOT SKILLS WITH...
Ollypop's surf towel. The printed hands and feet show budding surfers the place to plant their extremities when learning to 'pop' from catching the wave to standing and surfing it. Want one? Go to http://www.ollypopsurf.com/.
BOARDS MAGAZINE - CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE NOV/DEC 2006
Ollypop Towel
Yep - it's a towel, but not just any old towel: The Ollypop was designed by Cornwall-based surf instructor 'Olly' Daglish to help learner surfers 'pop' to their feet quicker and more smoothly, improving their technique for when they're back in the water. Brilliant!
BOYS TOYS MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2006
Surf instructor Olly Daglish has created the ollypop surf towel, a beach towel designed to help learner surfers 'pop' to their feet quicker and more smoothly, improving their technique for when they're back in the water. Details: http://www.ollypopsurf.com/
SURF GIRL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2006
Pop-tastic!
If you're struggling to perfect your pop up and need an extra bit of help both on and off the beach, then check out the ollypop - a new idea from Polzeath based surf instructor Olly Daglish. Olly says, "I wanted to design a useful product which makes it easy for beginner and intermediate surfers to practice their 'pop up' and which helps maintain their interest in surfing when they're at home so they're keen to come back for more!"
WESTERN MORNING NEWS THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21 2006
A Cornwall company has jumped into the buoyant surfing arena with a new novel way of helping wave-hunters pop to their feet in style.
Surf instructor Olly Daglish has designed the Ollypop Surf Towel, a beach towel designed to help learner surfers jump to their feet quicker and more smoothly, improving their technique for when they're back in the water.
Part of the art of surfing is to "pop" (get to your feet) quickly, in one smooth movement and to make sure that your feet end up in the right place to offer you stability and control of your surfboard. The Ollypop is a towel with a surfboard printed on it that shows surfers where to put their feet when they stand.
Mr Daglish says regular practice on it will enable the surfer to develop one fast, smooth pop - an absolute must when you are on the crest of a breaking wave and it has to be done in a split second.
The new towel is available to buy online from Delabole-based Ollypop surf at http://www.ollypopsurf.com/ and will soon be available through selected surf shops and BSA-approved surf schools. It will enable surfers around the country to practice their board positioning at home, while beach-based surfers can use the £19.96 towel to keep "popping" when the surf is flat.
Mr Daglish combined ideas developed while working as an instructor with his years of experience of surfing worldwide to creat Ollypop.
He said: "I wanted to create something to help surfers get up and riding quickly so they can get the full surfing buzz quicker and more easily through practicing while away from the beach or while the surf is flat.
"We are also keen to use our website as a free information source for surfers across the UK, offering the latest surf forecasts and technical tips while promoting a safe surf culture and healthy outdoor lifestyle".
The Ollypop towel is already proving a hit with surf schools and surfers across Cornwall.
Pete Craske, of Surf's Up! Surf School in Polzeath, said: "The Ollypop surf towel is perfect for people both learning and looking to master their surf position.
"I am certainly going to recommend that my students purchase an Ollypop to help improve their surfing technique when they get home."
George Turner, a local surfer at Polzeath, in North Cornwall, added: "It's a cool beach towel and although I've been surfing for over a year now, I can still use the Ollypop at home to practice my pop and check my positioning. I love it!"
CORNISH GUARDIAN WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2006
Delabole surf instructor Olly Daglish has hit on a novel way to help learner surfers pop to their feet more smoothly.
Olly, 29, who lives on the High Street, is a newly-qualified teacher. But he set up his business Ollypop two months ago with the launch of a new towel.
The Ollypop surf towel is designed to help learner surfers improve their 'pop-up' technique when they are back in the water.
Olly said surfers often found themselves back at square one when every-day life keeps them away from the waves.
He said: "I wanted to create something to help surfers get up and riding quickly so they can get the full surfing buzz quicker and more easily through practising while away from the beach or while the surf is flat.
"We are also keen to use our website as a free information source for surfers across the UK offering the latest surf forecasts and technical tips while promoting a safe surf culture and healthy outdoor lifestyle."
The towel can be purchased from http://www.ollypopsurf.com/ for £19.95.
WEBSITES:
http://www.s-e-x-wax.com/
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
It's about as useful as knickers on a kipper!
For once, the mirthful moniker isn't mine but one from a big moneyed suit called Theo Paphitis (not a communicable disease). He's a bloke on the Dragon's Den - a TV show where punters line up, pitch their next great thing and look for investment from a bunch of millionaires. Something like that.
Anyway, this Cornish bloke called Olly Daglish goes on with his "Ollypop" a surf training towel (I know, that needs explaining) and gets the verbal equivalent of a keelhauling under a well barnacled galleon. "It's about as useful as as knickers on a kipper" he's told.
Well you can judge for yourself by checking out the Ollypop - " the trusty beach towel that doubles up as a surf aid to help you perfect those pesky pop-ups! Regular practice on the Ollypop will enable beginner, improver, intermediate and even advanced surfers to develop one fast, smooth pop... an absolute must when you're on the crest of a breaking wave and it has to be done in a split second."
Irrespective of the merits, this may be a cult classic in the making. Olly has some new products in the pipeline (no pun intended) - I, for one, can't wait.
NOLLIE EXTREME GIRLS - http://www.nollie.tv/
Ollypop Surf Towel - practice popping up anywhere
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Phew! According to Olly Daglish, surf instructor and creator of the Ollypop towel, practising popping up 10 times a day is the key to improving your surfing when you can't reach the beach. The Ollypop towel has handy guides for where your feet and hands should be, helping you to improve your technique out of the water. Plus it doubles up as a towel when you finally do reach the shore.
You can buy the Ollypop towel in conjuction with The Girl's Guide to Surfing for £26.95, or alone for £19.95. Jump for tips on popping up from Girl's Guide writer Andrea McCloud.
"Your living room floor is the perfect spot to learn how to pop up from the prone to standing position, as you will do when you’ve caught a wave.
The pop up should be done in one, smooth, fluid, quick motion. Think paddle, paddle, paddle, bang – you’re up. Start by lying down on your stomach, with your hands, palms down, on either side of your chest, and legs together. Now, as quickly as you can and in one movement, push yourself up and away from the floor, arching your back, as you simultaneously pull your feet and legs underneath you. You should end up in a crouched position, head up and eyes looking forward, feet slightly wider than your shoulders, relaxed, bent knees, hips low, chest up, with one foot in front of the other, back foot perpendicular to what would be the length of the board, front foot turned out ever so slightly; arms are just bent and out from your sides, slightly forward. As you are going through the motions say to yourself: snap. Try it again; snap. And again, snap. Snap. Be fast, be smooth, be explosive. Practice this until you are able to do it with grace, speed, and consistency."
Extract from The Girl's Guide to Surfing by Andrea McCloud.
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SURFERSVILLAGE.COM | |||
 Industry News New Revolutionary Surf Towel - Pop To Your Feet Whenever, Wherever Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 31 October, 2006 : - - Cornwall based surf instructor Olly Daglish has just created the ollypop surf towel, a beach towel designed to help learner surfers ‘pop’ to their feet quicker and more smoothly, improving their technique for when they’re back in the water. The ollypop towel enables surfers around the country to practice at home while beach-based surfers can use the towel to keep popping when the surf is flat. Surfers often find themselves back to square one when everyday life keeps them away from the surf, however with an ‘ollypop’, when the surf’s up you will be too! Olly has combined his ideas developed while working as a surf instructor, with his many years experience as a worldwide surfer to create ollypop, which can be purchased from http://www.ollypopsurf.com/ for £19.95. “I wanted to create something to help surfers get up and riding quickly so they can get the full surfing buzz quicker and more easily through practicing while away from the beach or while the surf is flat. We are also keen to use our website as a free information source for surfers across the UK offering the latest surf forecasts and technical tips while promoting a safe surf culture and healthy outdoor lifestyle.” The ollypop towel is already proving a hit with surf schools and surfers across Cornwall: “The ollypop surf towel is perfect for people both learning and looking to master their surf position. I am certainly going to recommend that my students purchase an ollypop to help improve and maintain their surfing technique when they get home.” “It’s a cool beach towel and although I’ve been surfing for over a year now, I can still use the ollypop at home to practice my pop and check my positioning. I love it and my brother now wants one for Christmas!” With surfing's popularity booming in the UK at the moment, the ollypop is a sure favourite for the Christmas gift list this year. For more information contact Olly or Tiny at ollypop on 07810 375351 or email info@ollypopsurf.com |
COLDSWELL.COM
OllyPop Surf Towel
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We're always interested in surfing innovations and we've been sent another one this month with the OllyPop Surf Towel. It claims to be the only surf towel that is also a surf training device. Catering for both regular and goofy footers the OllyPop towel has an illustration of a surfboard printed on it with footprints and handprints which are supposed to train people learning to surf where to position themselves on a board when popping up. It seems like a great gift idea if you don't know what you want to get that wanna be surfer! Visit their website for more information at 